Domain Name (my-company-name.com)

     If your company is on the web, people must be able to locate you. A domain name can be related to a phone number, a physical address, or a company name. A domain name uniquely identifies your company on the World Wide Web.

     * Having your own domain name is not absolutely necessary. It is possible to use someone else's domain. This saves you from having to pay for your own domain, but makes its slightly more difficult for people to locate your website. Example: http://other-company.com/my-company-name. This can be compared to sub-leasing a cubicle within someone else's office.

E-mail Address

     The most prolific form of communication on the Internet is done via electronic mail (e-mail). Some businesses have an e-mail account only and do not have a web site or domain. Examples of e-mail addresses include joe@my-company-name.com and my-company-name@other-company.com.

     * Some companies, such as Hotmail and Yahoo, provide limited e-mail services for free and don't require (or allow) your own domain name. An example of a Yahoo e-mail address is my-company-name@yahoo.com. These companies generate revenue by adding advertisements to the end of the e-mail message. These free services are generally used for personal, not professional use.

Web Site

     Nearly all medium to large companies in the United States now have their own web site. Typical content on commercial web sites include a company profile, descriptions of products and services, and contact information. All web sites also have what is called a "home page." This is the primary page of a web site and typically includes an overview of the company and the web site. Some fancy web sites include a splash page, a single page that usually contains an animation of sorts. Other web sites, like Amazon.com and iClassics.com, are used to sell products directly, without any personal interaction. Smaller companies often do not need these extra features, but they are always an option.

Hosting Provider

     Web sites and e-mail accounts have to reside on a computer somewhere on the Internet. Some companies, especially those that have many web sites and e-mail accounts, have their own computers connected to the Internet all the time. These companies maintain their own web site security, hardware, software, and network. For companies with one or two web sites, there are hosting providers available that will host your web site and e-mail accounts for a nominal reoccurring charge.

Maintenance Plan

     A web site can be much like a paper magazine in that once someone has browsed through it, they are not likely to do it again. For this reason, magazines with fresh content are published on a regular basis. Web sites, too, should be updated frequently with new content. Frequent updates give visitors of the web site a reason to return. They also allow the site to grow and evolve as the company grows and evolves. Fortunately, unlike paper magazines, web sites are not bound to a limited number of readers or content updates because of physical restrictions (paper, distribution, etc.). Depending on the nature of the content of a web site, it should be updated daily, weekly, monthly, or quarterly.

Marketing Plan

     Web sites do not promote themselves. People must have a reason to visit it and know where to find it. The web site address (http://my-company-name.com) should be published everywhere that your company name is published. This includes signs, business cards, radio and print ads, etc. The web site should also be submitted to major search engines such as Yahoo and Google. Although search engines tend not to drive people to your site by themselves, they will help out people who can remember your company or product name but not your web site address.