How to create a winning Web site

Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine, Feb, 1998 by Kathy Yakal

If you run a small business -- even a home-based business with a staff of one-and you don't have your own Web page, it's time to get with the program: You're missing out on some of the most efficient, least expensive marketing power you can buy.

And if you're imagining long hours spent poring over files containing arcane formatting codes, you can relax; that's the old Web. Current software makes creating Web sites not much more difficult than creating a document in your word-processing program.

Sites that establish a point of contact for your customers and let them reach you through e-mail are relatively easy to construct. But full-scale business sites that display your merchandise and allow customers to order online are considerably more complex. These three routes to getting your Web site up and running run the gamut from simple (and cheap) to serious (and pricey).

THE SIMPLE SOLUTION

If you need a personal or low-key professional Web page or site, you may already be halfway there. Most online services, including CompuServe and AOL, offer subscribers free Web space and may offer free software that lets you create pages with a simple design and a minimum of hassles.

For example, AOL provides 2 megabytes of Web space for each screen name at no extra cost. That could be enough for a dozen pages, fewer if you include a lot of space-hogging graphics files. AOL also lets you download its point-and-click Personal Publisher II software for free, which makes designing and publishing your AOL Web site easy. For more information, use the AOL key words "my place." Compuserve users have similar opportunities, with 5MB of space and an easy-to-use, free Web design program, Home Page Wizard (go: "hpwiz" and "owforum").

Other Internet service providers (ISPs) offer similar Web publishing help. Generally there's no charge, although some ISPs, such as AT&T's WorldNet Service, charge a small fee for Web space. If you currently use a local ISP for Internet access, you'll need a separate Web-page design program like those discussed below.

This low-cost route has some disadvantages, though. Most ISPs don't allow you to actively sell products on personal pages. Compuserve, for example, lets you publish information about your business and the services you provide, but you can't post prices or accept orders directly from your site.

Another drawback is that the design software provided by the major ISPs, such as AOL, can't easily produce sophisticated Web-site designs with frames, forms and animated graphics. And your URL, or Web address, will be long (for example, http://ourworld.compuserve.com/ homepages/yourname). And some Internet search-engine indexers place a low priority on indexing such sites.

GETTING DOWN TO BUSINESS

If you're going to put your business on the Web in a serious way, you need a contract with a Web-hosting ISP, your own Web domain name (www.yourbusiness.com), and Web design software that enables you to create a dynamic Web site. The drawback is that this approach forces you (or an employee) to become the Web designer and manager. That can take up a considerable amount of time, but you'll also be able to make changes as often as you wish.

The first step is finding an ISP to host your site. If you do local business only, your best bet may be an ISP in your area that will include your Web site in its local Web directory. Check the Yellow Pages under "Computers" or "Internet Services." Compare prices and look for a well-established company that won't go out of business and take your Web site with it. If you want to expand your business beyond your local area, look for a major Web-hosting ISP You'll find a ranked list of 25 Web hosts from the Ultimate Web Host List at www .webhostlist.com, as well as a directory of Web-hosting companies that you can search by category ("budget," "small biz" and so on) and compare by features.

Monthly Web-hosting fees range from about $16 to $30 for 5MB to 20MB of space and a basic set of services. Bigger, more complex sites range from, about $50 to $250 for 50MB to 100MB of space. A host ISP loaded with features and storage space may cost more. Netcom On-Line Line Communication Services, for instance, which was recently ranked first by the Ultimate Web Host List, charges from $45 a month for 10MB of space to $375 a month for 325MB.

Among the features that could be important to you are e-mail services; secure credit card transaction tools; submission of your site to major search engines for indexing; support for hit counters, statistics and forms that enable your customers to request information or order products; and a generous allotment of monthly Web traffic (at least 500MB), which refers to the amount of data requested by users who are visiting your site.

You will need a domain name (that "yourbusiness.com" thing), which is assigned by InterNIC, a company that acts as a Web-address clearinghouse. Your ISP should handle the application details. Check to see that the name you want isn't taken by pointing your browser to http://rs.internic.net/cgi-bin/whois. To register your domain name, Inter-NIC charges $100 for the first two years and $50 a year after that. You also must pay a one-time setup fee (about $50) to your Web-hosting service.