If there is one thing every home based business needs, it's a website. This is one area where you just cannot skimp. These days, everyone turns to the web to find information, so when people want to find information on a service or product you offer, make sure you have a professional and informative website to present to them!

To start, you will have to buy a domain name and hosting service. These are not very expensive and worth every penny. I use GoDaddy for mine and highly recommend them. Don't even think about using one of the free websites sites like Yahoo! offer. Sure the sites are free, but only because such services stuff them full of ads. When your customers visit, they want to see what services or products you have to offer. Flashing banner ads and pop ups will just send them scrambling for the back button.

Once you've got that set up, it's time to start designing. You can hire a professional to do this, but it's not cheap. An alternative is to post an ad at a local college. Many talented graphic design students will do websites at a low cost or even for free to gain experience for their portfolios. Another option is to use the web design tools offered by your web hosting service. Google's Page Creator is also very good. Which ever avenue you chose, makes sure to keep your design clean, simple, and easy to read. You don't want to overwhelm your visitors with too much info or make it hard for them to find what they are looking for.

Next time, we'll take a look at what info your website should include and how to present it.