It used to be in the "olden days" of the Internet, 1995 and 1996, that even a basic web site could cost you thousands of dollars. The common saying among business owners when talking to their designer would be, "I don't want to know anything about it. Just go make me a million bucks on the Internet."

Well, that model didn't work because every change and addition would cost a small fortune to implement...

Then in 1997-2000, the hottest trend around was to hear CEO's of multi-million dollar corporations bragging in the boardroom how they paid their 14-year old $50 to produce their web site.

That didn't work either, because most 14-year-olds are not skilled sales people.

Business owners got smarter around 2002 and started demanding more "control" over the content of their web sites. So, "Content Management Systems," otherwise known as CMS, became more popular. But, after a few months of having the ability to update their web sites without having to know HTML or programming, business owners yet again were stumped.

They began to ask, "Why am I STILL unable to generate the leads or sales I thought I would with my web site?"

Today, there is a NEW TREND in starting a web site and building its effectiveness the first time around...and it starts with YOU.

1) Business owners are wanting to be involved in the process now. This is great news for companies like ours who help businesses use the Internet to its fullest potential. After all, you know your audience better than we do. You know your products and services better than anyone could. You will always have more passion than anyone to want your business to succeed.

Being involved does not mean stopping what you're good at and spending a year learning how to become a web site designer or going to programming school. But, it does mean investing some time in attending Internet strategy workshops and picking up a book or two to learn the process.

2) Business owners realize that there is much more to it than just "starting a web site." Gone are the days (were they ever here?) where you can just launch a web site and watch the orders roll in. There needs to be a strategic launch, short-term and long-term marketing plan in place just like any other type of business.

Our favorite saying at HereNextYear is that "a web site is only 10% of what's available on the Internet to promote your business and search engines are only another 10%." Business owners (including your competition) are now interested in understanding the many online techniques and utilities available. Not so much so that they can go do all the work, but to give better direction to the Internet promotion providers they've contracted.

3) Business owners are learning that success online occurs over time. You hear about people making their millions in a week selling an e-book. Or MySpace that suddenly became an overnight sensation with a gazillion visitors a day.

A real business led with passion has the intent and desire to service its customers over the long-term...for a period of years. More business owners are coming to understand that there is a building process to go through online. And "getting rich quick" isn't part of that equation.

The point is that if you want to start a web site that earns its keep, you're going to have to follow a process to make it happen.

Step 1) Decide how involved you really want to be - Do you want to be an advisor to your designer or will you be getting your hands dirty too by maintaining content to the site?

Step 2) Determine how much you are willing to spend - Find a designer or developer that you can trust to walk you through a free consultation to help you arrive at a number to budget. Do NOT attempt to set a budget for your own project if you've never been through the web site process before.

Step 3) Choose the right developer - During the consultation process, you might find that your project is not a good fit for their skill set. Make sure that you choose a company that is excited about your project and interested in your industry.

Step 4) Build a web site for your potential customers and not for you - This is the hardest part of starting a web site for the first time. You must know what your visitors expect to see when they get to your web site and provide that to them. Anything more or less will be either a distraction from the sales process or a deterrent.

Step 5) Inspire your visitors to Take Action! - Every page of your web site should be designed to get your visitors to do something next. Offer a phone number or instruction to "visit this page next" or a Buy Now! button. Never leave your visitors hanging and wondering what to do next.

Bonus Step: Stay in Control of Your Project.

The major shortcoming of the Internet is that service providers such as designers and programmers are not taught even basic concepts like those outlined above.

As a business owner, success story after success story has proven that you don't need to go to design or programming school to make a million dollars online. But you do need to know enough about the process that you can tactfully and confidently instruct your helpers as to what to do first and next.

What to Do Next:

In summary, we'd like to encourage you to take what we've talked about in this free informative content page and apply its suggestions in planning for your first web site at no cost to you! That's fine. It's our gift to you in hopes that you will have great results in getting your message, products and services to the people who need it most.

Then there will be the readers who are not only inspired, but completely DRIVEN to make a real change in their online efforts.

A Final Thought...

Starting your first web site can be one of the most exhilarating, challenging and rewarding tasks you will perform this year. It's also much like building a house with a foundation and a division of rooms which require planning and investment of time to do the job right. Please don't cut too many corners.

Like a house, a web site with a poorly laid foundation or cheap piping can cost you more in the long run. Remember that when your web site is successful and meeting all of your expectations, the last thing you'll be thinking about is how much you paid someone to help you through the process.

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