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

Home Office Computing, June, 1997

1. My business is...

a. Goods-based, with an existing mail-order distribution channel.

b. Goods-based, mainly through customer pickup or local delivery.

c. A Web-based start-up.

d. Service-based, with national (or potentially national) reach.

e. Service-based, geographically constrained (as for a building contractor).

2. I plan to grow my business...

a. By opening up distribution channels.

b. By expanding the marketing of my service or product.

c. Gradually, by building my brand and adding new clients.

d. Gradually, based on customer loyalty and repeat business.

e. As I meet customers in the normal course of business.

3. I believe my customers...

a. Want to be able to access information as well as have the ability to order goods at any time of the day or night, including weekends.

b. Would use my services more if they had no-pressure access to information.

c. Would be impressed to find I had a Web address.

d. Are tire-kickers in the online world.

e. Don't access the Internet.

4. What I know about the Net comes from...

a. Having already built a Web site and understanding HTML.

b. Knowing a lot about Web site development and studying many sites.

c. Visiting Web sites on a daily basis.

d. Using the Web only occasionally for

business research. e. Sending and receiving e-mail only.

5. I feel that establishing brand-name recognition on the Internet is...

a. Necessary so visitors can search for my site by name,

b. Important, but I'm hoping that the Internet can help build my brand.

c. Somewhat important, but potential customers are more interested in my services/goods.

d. Not so important because visitors will use search engines to find my type of service/goods.

e. Not important, because visitors will go to my site after seeing the URL on my business card.

6. The pace of my business...

a. Is frantic, but I want it to be even faster.

b. Is quick, but I'm always able to do something extra for potential customers.

c. Involves expending too much effort winning customers and too little serving them.

d. Is a little too slow.

e. Is slow and steady, which is just the way I like it.

7. My biggest hope in establishing a Web site is that it will...

a. Become the next Amazon.com and make me a millionaire.

b. Become my primary source of business.

c. Contribute directly to my bottom line.

d. Generate new leads for my business.

e. Be a self-sustaining poster for my business.

8. In creating my site, I would...

a. Spend a couple of months screening Web designers, explaining my Web site goals, defining an online database, and reviewing completed work.

b. Spend several weeks working with a programmer.

c. Spend several days meeting with an HTML jockey to tweak my site's look.

d. Spend a couple of days to learn enough basic HTML code to tweak my design.

e. Spend a few hours filling out the form for a basic Web page in an authoring tool.

9. To maintain a Web site, I don't think it's unreasonable to spend.,.

a. More than $10,000 in start-up costs and $1,000 per month for upkeep, as long as the revenues come in fast.

b. $5,000 to $10,000 in setup costs and $360-plus per month in access charges, e-mailboxes, and staff time.