Your website will often be a person's first impression of your business. It's important that  your website represent you in a positive manner. Is it easy to use? Does it take long to download? Do you meet the visitors needs? Are you easy to contact?

Set a total budget for your website including marketing and maintenance. Considering costs, remember that a website is a complex matrix of text and images and professional execution is very important. Generalization, the larger your investment, the greater your return. In order to spread your investment over time, you can also grow and expand your website gradually. A common budget error is forgetting to include costs for marketing.

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Determine the purpose for your website and the intended results. Does this purpose support the mission and vision for your company?  The number of options and variables that are possible in the design of a website are virtually endless. Without a clear idea of the purpose for your site, you may end up putting time, energy and money into a project which doesn't meet your needs. If you know in advance the results you intend to achieve, you will be better equipped to create a website which will achieve those results.

Consider the design and layout/organization of your website. Is it easy to use? Does it take too long to download? Is it easy for Internet visitors to find information? Does it meet the needs and expectations of your visitors? Your website is a component of your overall marketing strategy and should reflect your current marketing presentation.

Promote, Promote, Promote!. No one will find your site if you don't let them know about it. Your site must be posted to search engines such as Yahoo, Google, HotBot, MSN and AltaVista. There are approximately 10 to 20 main search engines and several hundred that are smaller or specialized. Amigo offers search engine submission services and other marketing programs for your 'findability'' on the Web.