How to Make a Small Business Web Site

A Home Business Article Contributed by Teresa Phillips

What Do I Need to Know about Creating a Small Business Web Site?

First you will need to decide where you want your small business web site to be hosted on. There are sources such as Yahoo, Overture, Homestead, AOL and Earthlink that all have web hosting and web site planning for creating and activating your small business web site. Keep in mind that if you are doing business entirely on the Internet, that a variety of accounts and services are available to you, at an additional charge. Overture, for example charges you a usage fee per month for advertising.

Any merchant accounts such as VeriSign will also cost extra. Pay Pal and other electronic payment plans also have a usage fee. Read each plan carefully and decide if the plan is what you want, and you can afford it. This is one thing that can kill a small business web site before it even opens its doors to the public. That is no financial planning nor budgeting for things such as advertisements on the Internet, merchant accounts, and other hidden fees.

Why are Small Business Web Site So Popular?

Small business web sites are popular because the Internet brings traffic right to the small business front door. More and more people are becoming tired of the nine to five grind and giving all their money to their boss, while they get poorer. More and more new small business web sites are opening up daily, as people explore other ways to make money from their own small business web site. The variety of new and small business opportunities are completely endless.

You will see all sorts of businesses being advertised on the web. Most web sites for small business can be either done on your own, or you can have someone do the small business web site for you. Or a combination of the both.

How Do I Create My own Small Business Web Site?

To create a small business web site, you can use software that is store bought, such as Web Publisher and upload it to a site of your choice that has been paid for. The other way is to use the built in web page designer from the web host that you are setting your small business web site up on. Yahoo/Geocities uses Page Builder, Homestead has something similar to that. All will help you build your own professional small business web site.

Again, you will need to read the terms of service (TOS) as well as reading any contract between you and the web host, very carefully. Some things will come with an extra charge, again such as merchant accounts, Dun and Bradstreet Numbers (DUNS) for your small business. This marks you as a legitimate business. You will also use computer generated forms, shopping cart software, if this is what you need for your small business.

You will also have forms for customers to fill out and guestbooks to leave remarks.