Step 1: Decide on the Type of Web Site You Need

The type of Web site you need depends on the nature of your business and the goals you have for the site.

A brochure Web site is the easiest to build (www.earlsnyc.com is a good example). These sites combine the roles of brochure, yellow pages ad, and direct mail piece. Brochure sites are used primarily by restaurants and other small businesses that need to drive foot traffic to their physical location. Brochure sites usually have basic information about the business’s products or services, location, and the hours it’s open. They make heavy use of photographs and marketing copy to entice potential customers to visit.

If you want to sell your company’s products directly to customers, you will need a Web site that revolves around a catalog (www.amazon.com is a good example). Each product in the catalog contains a thorough description and often includes a photograph and product review. Catalog sites need e-commerce software that manages the catalog, provides a customer shopping cart, and includes a method for customers to pay. These sites may seem complicated to build, but there are many pre-built software solutions available to get you started.

Businesses such as Google, Mapquest, and Verio offer unique services. In cases such as Google, the leading Internet search engine, their Web site is their business. Businesses such as Verio use their Web site to advertise and provide information about their Web hosting services, but they also enable customers to purchase and actually use the Web hosting services. Other service sites allow you to make plane, car, or hotel reservations. Web sites that offer unique services are among the most difficult to build but can generate considerable revenue.

Many businesses publish or distribute newsletters, articles, bulletins, reports, editorial opinions, educational materials, cartoons, music, animations, and other information (www.webmd.com is a good example). These sites are usually heavy with text and graphics and are often designed to resemble a newspaper or magazine. Some information/entertainment sites add e-commerce capability and charge visitors a fee.

Once you choose the general type of site you want, you need to decide what features you will offer. The choices are almost unlimited, but some of the most popular additional features are: message boards, news articles, file downloads, and automated customer service.

Before deciding the type of Web site you need, look at your competitor’s sites and position your site accordingly.

9 More steps to come soon!