Here are a few of the questions asked most often about Web sites.

Does my business really need a Web site?
Can I design Web pages myself or do I need to hire someone to do it for me?
How much does a Web site cost?
How will people find my site?

Q: Does my business really need a Web site?
A: Yes, if your competitors are on the Internet.

A: Yes, if you can imagine your business reducing expenses, increasing sales, or improving customer relations with a Web site that does any of the following:

	Publish information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week online thereby cutting expenses for printing and mailing brochures, price sheets, and other printed material.
	Generate leads using online feedback forms to gather names and other valuable information about potential clients.
	Free up employees from answering repetitive questions over the phone by displaying information like business hours, pricing specials, directions to your place of business, mailing address, email address, and fax number.
	Provide self-help customer service information.
	Take customer surveys to better serve their needs and find out what they think of you.
	Improve customer relations while saving money by providing a newsletter or announcing upcoming events or special offers online or via email.
	Add value to your business by educating or entertaining customers or employees.
	Sell products or services online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at the convenience of your customer.
	Expand your business beyond your geographic area.

Q: Can I design Web pages myself or do I need to hire someone to do it for me?
A: That depends on how much time you have to learn the technical elements of designing a Web page and actively research ways to promote your Web site online. Here are some of the areas you will have to know about:

	HTML and CSS coding.  There are many software packages available to help you design a Web page without knowing anything about HTML and CSS. However, they often need tweaking to produce the effect you want, and that requires some behind-the-scenes HTML and CSS knowledge. There are classes available at many computer stores, colleges and continuing education centers should you want to learn to do this yourself. There are also many books available so you can teach yourself.
	Graphics.  Any artwork or image that you want to place on a Web page must be converted to either a .gif or .jpg digital graphic format in order to be seen by a Web browser. You can do this by scanning and saving the image in the proper file format. Or you can convert images already in digital format using a graphics software program. Once you have them in the proper format, you must properly size and manipulate them on the Web page using a graphics software program and HTML coding.
	Programming.  If you want feedback forms that visitors can fill out and click on a button to send information to you, you will need a program installed on your server to make this happen. Any other features that offer interactivity require programs as well. If your server hosting provider does not offer this service, you will have to locate and install or write these programs yourself.
	FTP.  FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol. It is software that you install on your computer that allows you to transfer the files from your computer to the host server computer. There are other options available for transferring files, including hosting companies that let you build your site online using your Web browser or Web design software that has a file transfer utility built in.
	Site promotion.  Listing your site with the top search engines is simple enough. You go to their Web sites and click on a link to add your URL. However, having your site rank as high as possible in their listings gets complicated. Each search engine uses a different set of criteria for search results. These include how and where keywords (the words entered by someone to initiate a search) are placed on your Web page, in the title (seen at the top of your browser window) and in Meta tags (hidden lines of information in your HTML code). Some search engines even rank sites according to how many other sites have links to your site, indicating popularity. The major search engines are only the beginning of promoting your site. There are other search engines and directories that are specific to industries and interests that should be researched. Then there is online advertising, some free and some for a fee.

Q: How much does a Web site cost?
A: The cost of Web sites that I design begin at $450.00. Most small business Web sites cost between $1,000 and $3,000. Your Web site requirements and budget will determine the exact cost.

In addition, there is a separate charge for hosting your site on a Web server, usually around $10.00 or $20.00 per month depending on the type of website and how much traffic your site receives.

You will need a unique Domain Name (www.yourname.com) for your site, so you will have to register your Domain Name with a Domain Name registrar. Pricing can be as much as $35.00 for one year depending on the registrar you chose.

There are ways to save money on your Web site. Supply text in its final form and graphics in digital format to your designer. Do your own research and site promotion. You can also learn how to make simple updates to your site yourself.

Q: How will people find my site?
A: Just having a Web site on the World Wide Web will not instantly bring millions of visitors to your site. You must actively promote your site using traditional advertising methods as well as online marketing opportunities to find people who are interested in what your site offers. Here are a few ways to bring visitors to your Web site:

	Advertise your URL (Web site address) everywhere. Put it on all business cards, letterhead, brochures and any other printed material you distribute. Mention it in your voicemail recording. Place it in ads published in newspapers, magazines, trade journals, on TV and radio. Put it on your delivery vehicles. Some businesses have even placed it on a sign or painted it on the front of their building.
	List your site with all major search engines and directories.
	Industry/ interest-specific online search engines and directories are also a good place to list your site.
	Reciprocal links with other Web sites can bring in a large percentage of visitors to your Web site. Find Web sites that reach your target audience but are not a major competitor and ask them to put a link to your Web site somewhere on their site. Offer a link on your site to theirs in return.
	Advertise on other Web sites using banner ads. This can be expensive and results are difficult to measure.
	Advertise on other Web sites by joining a group that trades ads between Web sites for free.
	Advertise in online newsletters.
	Run ads in online classifieds. There are a large number of online malls, search engines and directories that have classified ad sections.