By Devin Jopp, SCORE COO
The most basic Web site services are free services. These services are easy to use, but limited in the amount of space and bandwidth. They typically also place advertisements on your site to offset their cost.
The next step up are services that charge a monthly fee. In exchange, you get a greater amount of space, bandwidth and no advertisements. All of the domain registrars like Network Solutions and Go Daddy offer Web development solutions.
The next option, building your own Web site, provides the most flexibility. You can either build your own or hire a consultant to do it for you. Once you have selected your domain registrar and hosting company (ISP), you can begin programming your new Web site. Tools like Microsoft Front Page or Macromedia Dreamweaver provide a familiar Windows front-end that automatically generates html code and allows you to click and drag items in order to create your Web site. Or, you can hire a Web design firm to do this for you.
Get bids for Web site development at www.elance.com. Simply post your requirements and wait for the bids to come in, or get estimates from firms in your city.
Analyze your Web traffic and track statistics. Google Analytics offers a free web analytic solution. StatCounter is a free package you access by logging in and copying code into your Web site. You can also buy an off-the-shelf package like Webtrends that is installed on the server and tracks critical stats like the number of visitors, highest ranked pages, etc. Many of the site builder tools mentioned earlier also provide options for tracking Web stats.
Brought to you by SCORE, America's small business mentors, at www.score.org.
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