So, I want to establish a strong presence on the Web. But where do I start?

The four easy steps we provide below will guide you in the direction of a professionally designed, developed, and marketed Web site.

Step One: Domain Name (URL) Registration -- This is the address people will use to access your Web site (www.yourcompany.com). Once you have determined that the URL you wish to use is available, you need to purchase the right to use the domain. To purchase (register) the domain costs anywhere from $8.00 to $35.00 per year. A domain name needs to be renewed every year, but sometimes you can purchase a domain for several years.

Step Two: Design the Web Site -- This is where the look, feel, and content of the Web site are determined and created.

Step Three: Host the website on a server -- This is basically where you rent space on a computer that is always connected to the Internet. Price will vary, depending on the amount of disk space you will have and the connection to the Internet. There are many free hosting sites, but they typically require that you put an add at the top of your page.

Step Four: Marketing Your website -- You should be thinking about the marketing of your website as it is being designed. The content of the site needs to reflect the search terms if you want your site to appear on search engines.