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It's been estimated that the typical web surfer decides within their first five seconds on a website, if they'll continue to explore that site, or move on to another. That doesn't leave a lot of time to impress your potential customers!

When it comes to the setup and design of your website, you can't leave anything to chance. You have to find the perfect mix between a professional appearance, and communicating the unique personality of your business. You also have to balance the need to hook web surfers with information, but simultaneously avoid overwhelming them with it.

So, how do you go about doing this? Realizing that a web presence is a non-negotiable for home businesses, where do you start? Should you do it yourself, or bring in a professional?

We've all seen the "build your own website for $99" mega-sites. The problem with these of course, is that the features and layouts are limited, leaving you with a website that is basically a different color version of everyone else's site.

At the other end of the spectrum, you'll find designers quoting you anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars for a new site. Choosing a designer out of this bunch can prove to be a confusing nightmare.

-A PROFESSIONAL WEBSITE, INCLUDING HOSTING, FOR UNDER $250 PER YEAR-

The solution to your website woes is somewhere in between the "do-it-yourself" solution, and hiring an expert. With the explosion of home businesses over the last few years, a new brand of web hosting companies have sprung up. If you can use a simple word processing program, you can use one these companies to create a website that is perfect for your business.

These companies work with independent designers to provide you with a "template" that matches the unique style of your business. The template can by a limited-use template (no more than 5-10 other people can buy it), or an OOAK (one of a kind) template. One-time costs for these templates range from $50 - $250+.

Once you've purchased the template, which has all the artwork and designs built into, you upload it to one of these web hosts that specialize in home businesses. You then log into the site, and use something that looks and functions like Microsoft Word, to edit the content of your site's different pages.

For $7 - $15 per month in fees, these hosting companies not only host your content, but also provide you with all kinds of tools and features. Commonly included features include an easy to use shopping cart, pre-made catalogs, email services, and a visitor guestbook. They also have great on-line communities full of other home business owners, as well as step-by-step tech support.

Some of the most popular home business web hosts include WAHMShoppes.com and MerchantMoms.com. These sites have links to their favorite template designers, so you can get a feel for the great variety of semi-custom styles available.

It may seem hard to believe, but before you skimp and use a cookie-cutter hosting company, or pay too much for a state of the art designer, you need to look at these companies. In the course of a weekend, you can have a professional looking website up and running, with the added bonus of becoming your own web expert.

Learn more about this author, Ken Clark.
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