Every day, it seems like society becomes more and more wired. Email, MP3, MSN, PHP, WWW, it can all become very confusing if you’re not comfortable around computers (who would feel comfortable around a machine that your 9 year old can use better than you anyway?). As a business owner, you definitely don’t want to fall behind the times, and sometimes it’s hard to figure out what new technology you need to embrace for your business and what you can do without.

It seems like just about every business out there has a webpage, and you wonder if you’re the only one without. So do you really need a webpage for your business? The answer is probably yes, since a webpage can be a vital part of your marketing campaign. In a few cases, however, a business webpage is unnecessary. If your business is constantly busy and overbooked from your current marketing efforts, and you have no desire to grow or hire additional personnel, then a webpage would be a waste of resources for you. In short, if you’re happy with where your business is and aren’t interested in growth, then save your money.

Why do I need a webpage?

While a webpage can be more critical for different industries, even local businesses can benefit from a webpage. Don’t think of your website as a separate marketing tool apart from your other advertising endeavors, but think of it as part of your whole marketing strategy. Every time you talk about your business, or run an advertisement, include your webpage. That will provide your customers with 24-hour access to a wealth of information about your business for a very reasonable monthly fee. (Think of how much it would cost you to hire staff to man the phones 24 hours a day!) A website can help your customers find all sorts of information about your company: everything from providing offline contact information and directions to your brick and mortal location to actually convincing customers to try your product can be included on your site.

What does a webpage involve?

There are three main aspects to your online presence: your domain name, the webpage itself and the hosting company.

The Web Design: The first step is to actually get a web site designed, and this is the point where most people trip up. A whole article could be written about the process of finding a designer, but we’ll go into a few of the more important details here. First, don’t do it yourself, unless you know what you’re doing. Secondly, don’t go for the cheapest designer you can find. An attractive webpage is important. After all, what would your customers think if they came into your store and it looked horrible? The same principle applies to your webpage. Finally, make sure the design company you choose has an expansive portfolio and lots of references. Contact some of their previous clients and ask them about their experiences.

The Domain Name: Your domain name is how customers will visit your website. You shouldn’t pay more than $20 - $30 per year to register it (if you look around a bit, you will be able to find domain registration for even cheaper than that). Often times it’s easier to register your domain with the same company you choose to host your site (more on that later) - be careful though, make sure the company is established and not going anywhere. If they go under, it may be a huge hassle to get control of your domain name again. When picking a domain name, remember to keep it as short and as easy to remember as possible.

The Web Hosting: So now you’ve got a spectacular website and the perfect domain name. How do you get it up on the Internet? You need to find a web hosting company! There are literally thousands of web hosting companies on the net. Here are a few tips to keep in mind when choosing one.

1. Do not spend less than $10 a month (preferably more). If you are serious about your business, then your budget for hosting should be no lower than this.

2. Avoid hosts that promise “unlimited” or “un-metered” bandwidth. This just simply isn’t possible. It’s deceptive marketing at best, and outright lying at worst. You won’t need very much transfer anyway.

3. Make sure your host offers a 30 day money-back guarantee (read the fine print!). That way if things go south, you can always cut your losses and look somewhere else.

So, the answer is yes. Unless your main problem is that you have so many customers you don’t know what to do, a webpage can be a great marketing investment. On Wednesday, we'll look into reasons for hiring a professional design company.