A few questions to ask yourself . . .

With an increasing percentage of business people surfing the Web, it makes good sense for organizations to create a Web site if only to keep up with their competitors. Even if the company doesn't wish to sell product directly over the site, it can be an effective way to keep in touch with current and prospective customers, as well investors and business partners.

Organization- The first step is to organize the site so that it accomplishes broader corporate goals. The key is to organize sales messages and other materials in a way that makes it easy for both casual browsers and regular visitors to find the information they want.

Design- Your site needs a look that meshes well with the company's other marketing materials. Perhaps you'll want to to feature technical drawings or use available photos. Then. once the overall look of the site has been established, a professional designer can create individual pages, complete with links, photos and other graphical elements. In the meantime, are there any sites out there – a competitor's, perhaps – that you find especially attractive or easy to use (or particularly unappealing and/or clumsy)?

Copy- Like design, copy for the Web is a little different from copy for a printed piece, although the two media should complement each other.

Helping customers and prospects- Even if you're not interested in E-commerce – that is, completing sales directly in cyberspace – there are ways to get specific benefits from moving to the Web. For instance, offering service information, whether in the form of frequently asked questions or by incorporating product manuals or schematics in the site, can not only keep customers happy, it can reduce the workload on in-house staff. Are there opportunities to simplify tasks, or to integrate with existing accounting systems?

Site maintenance- One item that is often overlooked is the need to update the site periodically (to promote a new product, perhaps), as well as do periodic maintenance (making sure the photos still load and the links still work). Take a realistic look at how often updates might be needed, then be sure to budget for them (and be sure your Web firm is willing to take on that chore).

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