When getting ready to put up your Web site, you will have a wide variety of choices. You can either hire a professional Web designer to develop a site from scratch, modify an existing template for your particular needs, or use an existing template as is. It will depend on your business or service, target audience, and business plan.

Here are some questions to ask when you decide which Web site approach is best:

1)  What is the purpose(s) of this Web site?  Is the primary aim providing information, selling products, or introducing a service? 

2)   Who are you attracting to your site?  Your goal is to attract visitors to your Web site and keep them there as long as possible in order to provide products or services.  It’s important that you know your  potential customers’ and clients’ motivations and needs. If they are hungry for information, give it to them; if they like product comparisons, include these.

3) What is the style of your Web site? The copy and design of a site can be formal, informal, humorous, or academic, for example. This will be based on your target audience and type of product or service.  You are not going to include cartoons on an academic Web site, for instance.

Web site templates come in many different formats. Here are some options:

 1) Free, low cost or high end. A Word Press site, which is totally free, can be used for both blogging and e-commerce.  A Homestead web site runs the price range from free to low cost for a host of services.  You have to determine if these Web sites offer the services needed or can be properly customized. If you need particular features, it may be better to go with a higher end Web site or have one designed from scratch.

2) Flash versus HTML:  The look and features on your Web site will help you choose whether you go with a traditional HTML design or one that is flexible for animation, videos and interactivity. The HTML site is lower cost, more readily updated and better for search engine optimization.  The flash site is best for users who expect the latest technology.

3) HTML versus Photoshop. If you wish to get your Web site up and running quite quickly, and it does not have to be a one-of-a kind look, you can easily go with HTML.  If you already have online experience and designer skills and want a more sophisticated look or a specifically tailored design, consider Photoshop.

4) With or without affiliation.  You can choose to put up your Web site on a standard server that is not connected to any specific Internet site. Or, you can purchase a Web site template from such online companies as Amazon, Yahoo! or E-bay. In this latter case, you will often pay a higher monthly fee, but you will have the benefits of being branded with a well-known business name and greater visibility and credibility.