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How to Set Up a Business Web Site
It's the rare business that doesn't have a Web site, but among those that do, there are many different ways of doing things, and not all succeed.
 You don't have to build a Web site on the scale that Amazon.com CEO Jeff Bezos did,but your company really should have one.
What should the purpose of a business Web site be? That's the main question you should ask yourself if you're considering establishing a site. Are you providing information, advertising your services, selling a product or some combination of the three? At the very least, the site should bemore than just a simple contact form. You want it to offer a good sense of what your business does,who you are, what you stand for and what you can offer clients.The next consideration is the all-importantdomain name, the URL. For a professional site, it'sessential to get a personalized domain name. That name is your brand (and should be your companyname or something similar), and it's what people will most readily associate with your site. Strivefor distinctive without being too complicated. A domain name with multiple hyphens or numbers or that's excessively long may make it more difficult for users to find your site.Then there's the matter of design. If it's a serious business, you likely will want to turn to a professional Web designer, perhaps an independent contractor or a larger design firm. Many hostingservices provide free templates, but they're often bare bones and may not have the polished look you want for your business. It may also not be as customizable and fully featured as what a professional designer can provide. However, if on a budget, some sort of premade template could be useful in initially establishing your site.Most designers charge by the project. The cost may range from several hundred dollars to tens of thousands, depending on the scope of the project and the experience of the designer. With thedesigner, you will discuss the vision for the site, with particular focus on the following items:Thank YouThank you to Jenn Chamberlain of Pixel Pop Designs and Karim Nice of fridgefilters.com for their  help with this article.
 
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The brand
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Target audience
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Goals for the Web site
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Measurements of success
[source: Chamberlain]
The designer will also likely help you to find a hosting service. In addition, he or she should helpyou to establish what kinds of resources you need -- hosting, security services, shopping enginesand other such features.OK, you're ready for the next step.
Business Domain Name Registration
 Numerous companies provide domain-name registration services. Simply registeringmyawesomebusiness.com might cost you $10 for a year, but other perks, such as preventing your registration information from being shown in a publicly searchable database, might cost you extra.Some services claim to provide free domain registration, but there is a catch. They may require to be the administrator for a while or to transfer ownership of the site to you later, so buyer beware.After you've decided on your domain name, you may want to buy it for multiple so-called "top-level" domains. That means you may register the .net, .com and .org versions of your domain sothat no one else can take it and possibly impersonate your company.For 
hosting
-- a place to store your data and possibly to provide you with ways to trick out your site-- many options exist, depending on the combination of services you need. You could pay nothingor hundreds of dollars a month. Like shopping for a car , consider the amenities you need.
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Data storage: You don't want to have to spread your data across multiple hosting services.
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Data transfer limits: Some sites limit your monthly traffic, which can pose a problem if you become "too" popular.
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E-mail: Does your host provide @yourdomain.com e-mail addresses, and how many do youneed?
Does this look like fun? If not, youmay to go with a hosting servicerather than putting your ownserver online and dealing with theaccompanying security anduptime hassles.
 
Throughout the process, ask questions, both of your potential host, friends, colleagues and your Web designer. You're investing in this site, so be persistent. Does the site have around-the-clock FTP access? What is its tech support situation? Does it providee-commercetools, like a shoppingcart and purchasing system? How secure are these tools? Do they have SSL encryption(the industry standard)? Do the e-commerce tools allow for multiple payment methods, such ascreditcardandPayPal? Does your account come with marketing tools, such as credits towardGoogle  AdWords?All of the above questions can help you to find the best possible host for your needs. And don'tforget what may be most important:
uptime
, or how often a service crashes. Many small businesseshave faced problems with unreliable hosts whose service is disrupted for days at a time without anyexplanation. Most leading hosting services report 99.9 percent uptime.Besides consulting reviews and colleagues, sites like FindMyHost.com allow you to fill out asearch form and find a service that fits your combination of needs.Great. You're up and running. Now what?
Maintaining a Business Web Site
Depending on your arrangement with your Web site designer, you may be responsible for updatingyour site. Your host will likely provide security and customer support services, but those onlyconcern the site's infrastructure. If, like many small businesses, you use a hosting service likeYahoo!or Crosswinds, then you don't need a webmaster.If you decide to forego a hosting service and put your ownserver online, security will be a major concern.Hackerscould attack your server within minutes of going online [source:  Nice]. In that case, you or the webmaster will have to remain vigilant, monitoring security, applying patches andlooking for problems on a daily basis. If your server goes down and your site is unavailable, it willthen be up to you and your webmaster to fix things. There will be no company to turn to and no promises of 99.9 percent uptime or data backup solutions.
 
If you're running an e-commercesite, make sure your shoppingengine can handle credit cards,unless you'd rather wait for thatcheck in the mail.
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