So you have decided that you want a website.  First, congratulations, I think everyone/business needs a website.  Now that you have decided that you need a site you also need to decide what goes on your web site.  I have a few suggestions for those of you running a business website:

1. Put an address on your site.  If you work from home and don’t want to publish that address for privacy (or to protect your children) then get a PO box or get a UPS store address.  Addresses on webpages provide security to users, especially if you are selling something.  People want to know that they can get in contact with you somehow if they need to
2. Homepage information is your most important information.  This page is very important to search engine rankings.  Make sure you tell about your business, what you do, area that you service, types of products that you sell, etc.  For those of you who like the “splash page” look (an image with no information) I caution you to rethink this.  Search engines don’t like it.
3. Take the extra time to go through all the information that you think people want to know about your business before you start.  The process of creating a website is made much easier if planning is done ahead of time.  Things can always be added or taken away but it is more cost effective to get the main areas covered the first time.
4. Get quotes and portfolios from several designers before you choose one.  When you have several quotes from companies compare what you are getting for the cost.
5. If you are selling a product online.  Don’t skimp on this section of the website.  The more comfortable and easy to use it is the more likely people are to buy from you.   Make sure it is a seamless transition from your site to the payment location.  If you go with a method where they pay on another site, it should look exactly like your site, there should be no discrepancies.  People get scared away if things change.  They suddenly feel like they don’t know who they are giving their money to and don’t know if they can trust them.  If everything flows and is easy to use, people will buy.
6. It takes time to get a good ranking on a search engine.  Be patient.  Just because you have built a website and put in all the right keywords doesn’t mean that you will have top ranking the day it launches or even the month it launches.  Give it 8 weeks or so before you start on further optimization.

Now that you have a few tips.  Start getting your information together and call a few designers to set up meetings.  Write down any questions you have before the meeting and most designers are happy to answer them and walk you through the process of getting your site done.