Build your Web site - Web site development - Internet/Web/Online Service Information

Home Office Computing, June, 1997

Forget about Main Street. Don't give another thought to the local mall. Today, the best business address you can have is on the World Wide Web-- and you don't have to be a conglomerate to get there. * What's in it for you? An easy way to reach a potential market of 20 million, for starters. Whats the number of U.S. households that currently have online access, says research firm Cowles/Simba--and it's expected to double by the year 2000. A Web site can help you promote your business, improve customer service, cut your mailing costs, keep clients up to date, get into the global marketplace, gain a loyal following ....Get the picture? * Whether you've already staked your claim in cyberspace or you're just thinking about setting up shop, our complete Web kit will give you the tools, tips, and advice you need to make it a success. Inside, you'll meet entrepreneurs who reveal what makes their Web sites work. Next, take our pop to help you decide what to put on your site. You'll discover what experts the 10 best ways to profit on the Web; see how a pair designers transform a sorry site; and follow a small-business owner as she gets the Web in a week--almost!--for less than $500. Take a good look at ultimate Internet system to see if yours is up to speed. Then check out our Buyer's Guides for top-rated MMX and Mac computers and Web authoring software. What's it all going to cost you? Fill in our worksheet to find out. * For these stories and more, turn the page--and get ready to move to the Web. You're going to love your new digs.

Who's on the Web

Before you set up shop in cyperspace, it's a good idea to get to know your neighbors. From designers to dentists to dairy farmers, small-business owners are finding that the Web is an affordable and effective way to promote their products and services. Here, 11 entrepreneurs invite you to their home pages and share the secrets of their sites'success.

ONLINE EXTRAS Check out our small-business site of the month at www.smalloffice.com. To submit your site, e-mail your Web address to webmasterhoc@smalloffice.com.

SPARE-TIME START-UP

www.1800mylogo.com Montreal, Canada

SITE MISSION: To inform small businesses of this logo design firm's services and prices

COST: $2,000, including server access, hardware, and software

SETUP TIME: Working around his full-time graphic artist job, Tartamelia put in 100 hours, spending a week just on the graphics for his home page

SOFTWARE: CorelDraw 6.0, MS FrontPage 97

WEB WISDOM: "You can't rush your site or it'll look awful. You need to set a deadline, but if you can't meet it, set another. So I could attend a trade show, I moved my launch date from November to Christmas Eve. At midnight, I uploaded, yawned, and fell asleep. Mind you, I made some mistakes."

EXPANSION PLAN: "I hope to diversify my business to offer more products besides logos on the Net--maybe expand to brochures, fliers, T-shirts, baseball caps. Then I'd definitely like to provide electronic payment capability, such as First Virtual's VirtualPIN."

WHY WE LIKE THE SITE: A colorful 3D logo grabs the attention of people who surfhere--and the low-cost deals should keep 'era coming back.

ELECTRONIC: PORTFOLIO

www.sharedstar.com New York City

SITE MISSION: To provide corporations, nonprofits, and mare with an electronic portfolio of this video production company 's work

COST: $2,500 for equipment, plus $50 for monthly server costs

SETUP TIME: Several days at an Internet conference

SOFTWARE: CorelDraw 4.0, WordPerfect 6.0, Macromedia Backstage Designer 1.0, Adobe Photoshop 3.0, Premiere Netscape Navigator Gold 3.0

MAJOR MISTAKES: "At first, we had no rhyme or reason for the main page, and we didn't justify separate pages. You need to think about the logic of your site and the end user. Additionally, you must decide how much time you have to invest. It's easy to spend hours on the opening page. But you need to focus on each page and reave on. You can always make improvements later."

DESIGN TIPS: "Find a site you like and pull up its document source list to view its basic structure; check out shareware at www.download.com; and look into free Internet conferences."

WHY WE LIKE THE SITE: SharedStar lets its prospects see for themselves: Click on an icon and you can view clips from the firm's video shoots.

MILKING TO MARKETING

.uww.edu/ascheese/ascheese.htm

Darlington, Wisconsin

SITE MISSION: To show online shoppers the company's cheese products and specialty items from local cheesemakers

COST: $300 a year to join the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Web program, which includes server access

SETUP TIME: A week to attend the University's Web design seminar

SOFTWARE: Adobe Photoshop 4.0, HotDog 3.019

UNIQUE FEATURE: "We hold a monthly cheese recipe contest. The winner's recipe is featured on our site."

WEB WISHES: "Eventually, we'd like to take orders online, then follow up with a call to take special orders. We'd hate to lose that personal contact."

WHY WE LIKE THE SITE: Here, "cheesy" works! The eye-pleasing cheese wedges just beg to be clicked on.