Introduction
Your business needs a website. It's the 21st century. It's expected. Perhaps what you don't know is how to get there without spending a lot of money for something that does not deliver a result. Or perhaps you suspect that building in a website you will meet some hidden traps.
Whether you have a budget of $0 or $10,000 or you want to build the Taj Mahal and then kick back while the masses come, getting some basics thought through will save you a lot of time, money and headaches. Even if you have somebody do this for you, if you wish to avoid cost blowout (shock, horror - often the quoted price isn't what you actually wind up having to pay! - especially dare I say with the cheaper solutions?) or want to avoid winding up with something terrible, give this a try.
Follow the "Main Menu" items to the left seqentially and enjoy the read. At the end of that is a word worksheet you can use. It wouldn't surprise me if you go through the worksheet a few times refining it each time.
Footnote:
Why am I offering this? Well at some point I offered a website production service. The idea was that they could save money by doing some of the leg work themselves, and so I placed this content into a special password protected customer area. However the person doing the graphic design for me became unavailable, and the challenges of marketing and managing expectations for the low-cost entry point became too much - I figured I'd just leave it to people in developing countries to do for a song instead of try to compete. And so the content wasn't helping anyone or doing much.
LOL - I was also a little afraid of this situation: http://theoatmeal.com/comics/design_hell Fortunately I did not have this situation with anyone but one person and even then it wasn't that bad :)
You will also find that it is really easy to get carried away and that anyone who has done anything is an instant expert. My advice? Keep it simple and stupid - KISS. Remember: if you want 30 pieces of advise, ask 30 people - i.e. trust yourself too!
I know a lot of things on this site needs revision, and I will work on that, but you should get plenty of good ideas. Don't hesitate to leave feedback!