Dear Cathy,

I am thinking of building my first web site and I don't exactly know where to begin. I have gotten a lot of prices from different agencies. I am really confused and don't know what I want so I don't know what I should pay. Most of the quotes we by the amount of pages and extra for this and that. It is all too complicated for me. Can you help?

Mark Bradley
Lima, Ohio

Dear Mark,

Forget getting quotes right now. It is best to figure out what you want first. What type of business are you in? Do you want to sell on the Internet? Are you able to sell your product or service locally, nationally, globally? Do you want to use your web site just to advertise your company or products and services? Do you want to get feedback from your customers? Do you need a database, forms or a table?

What I am trying to tell you is that you need to first figure out what you want to do with your web site. Create the text that is going into your web site. Then, go get your quotes. There are many ways to figure out what you want. The cheapest way is to start cruising the net and find web sites in your line of business. See what you like and dislike about them.

After you get your thoughts together. Look for web site design companies that will show you some of their work online. Call the owner of the web site and make sure that the designer or design firm actually created the site, was reliable and finished the site within the scheduled delivery date.

This Month's Topics:
General Business
Advertising and Promotion
Selling Your Products
Education vs Experience
Web Site Development