Introduction This information is directed at those who are starting out with an online business and is intended to provide information on what is needed at the beginning level. Contained within this article is what is needed and helpful tips to avoid the pitfalls that so many new web businesses fall into. So you have decided to bring your business online. The internet can be powerful tool and when used properly can increase your businesses exposure and increase sales of its products and/or services. It can open the doors for a whole new way to communicate with your existing clientele and expose them to changes within your company in a timely manner and gain new clientele for your products and/or services. This is limited only by your goals and the time and/or money allotted for your internet presence. Quite simply if you put little into it you will get little out of it. If you place too much emphasis in one area and neglect other key areas it will be reflected within the end results. Building your business on the web is a total package and attention must be given to all key areas equally to be successful.The following information will concentrate on key aspects of starting and successfully running an online business.

The following topics are discussed:
• The Plan
• Choosing A Domain Name
• Web Design and Development
• Choosing Your Web Hosting
• Promoting and Marketing Your Website

The Plan Bringing your business online effectively can be a valuable asset. Your online presence should/will reflect your company values, ethics, products/services, and professionalism. You must define your goals much the same as starting a brick and mortar business and be determined to succeed in reaching these goals. Too many businesses place emphasis on one key area or another, and neglect seeing the total picture of what is needed to be successful in reaching the goals and intents for their online presence. If you simply would like a business card on the web - this article is not for you. A simple business card web site will have the same results as the business cards you carry - if you don't literally "hand them" to someone, they will never see it. To create and build your business on the web successfully you will need to address the same key areas whether you are a international product-based business or a local service company. Have you ask yourself how what are the goals of bringing your business on-line? We will assume that your goal is to increase business profits through online sales or contacts. Once you have defined your goals, made a commitment to be successful, and allotted a realistic budget that will accomplish these goals it is time to proceed to the other key areas of a successful online presence. These major areas include the researching your industry, choosing a domain name, site design and development, hosting of your site, content, communication, and the promotion of your web site. Research Research your industry online and it's online competitors. Online competition may be completely different than offline competition. The competition can change monthly and it will take a keen eye to see these changes and react in a positive way. Remember to set a initial budget, and a "ongoing" budget for both time and expenses. Choosing Domain Names I will not be covering this in-depth as this topic has been discussed many times elsewhere on the web.