If you haven't already done so, please read our June, 1997 column on Summer Safeguards. It could save you time, effort and money -- really.

With the personal computer almost as ubiquitous as the television, and with more than forty percent of the U.S. population having access to the Internet, you've probably asked yourself "Am I ready for a website?"

Personal Website.
If you're asking are you ready for a personal website, the answer is unabashedly "yes". Today personal websites are so easy to produce and so ultimately affordable that there's no reason to hesitate. All of the major online content providers -- AOL, CompuServe, MSN, Prodigy -- and most internet service providers offer no-cost or extremely low-cost webspace. And if your doesn't, you can get free webspace at GeoCities or Tripod, among others, as long as you don't mind the pop-up advertising that supports them². Most providers offer free webpage creation software as part of the service package. With a little time and effort, you can have your own personal webpage to brag about your dog, publish your poetry, maintain a diary, or showcase your photographic efforts. And if you prefer not to go it alone, reliable web designers -- like the WebShop at Installations Plus+ -- can provide moderately priced training and/or professional graphics and navigational templates.

Business Website.
If you're asking are you ready to invest in a website for your business, the answer is an enthusiastic but decidedly more cautious "yes". Why do we say "cautious"? Because a professionally designed and maintained website will cost a minimum of $500 (most carry three- and four-figure price tags) and may show no immediate tangible benefits!

Business websites are not like the proverbial ballpark. Build a website and there's no guarantee anyone will come. And worse still, there's no guarantee anyone will buy. What we're saying here is this: If your business is going down the tubes, get a business planner not a website. There is no AAA-rated real estate fronting on the information super-highway.

Or to put it differently, the type of business that needs direct mail or telemarketing campaigns to prosper, shouldn't expect to generate new clients from a website. If your ad in the Yellow Pages was a bust, we pretty much guarantee your website will not make a bad thing better. All those folks who didn't think to look for you in the Yellow Pages, or didn't know where to look for you in the Yellow Pages, won't find you on the World Wide Web either. Trust us on this one!

So when does it make sense to invest in a business website?

Service. It pays to invest in a business website when the primary goal is to service existing clients and, incidentally, to entice new ones. For example:

• If your company produces a product or service which requires extensive helpline support, or frequent updates (manuals, drivers, etc.), a website can provide interactive, twenty-four support for your client base, reducing your manpower requirements. Many clients prefer online support to long waits on telephone assistance queues.
• If your business needs to disseminate information such as meeting notices, event descriptions, telephone or fax directories, a business website is a perfect electronic bulletin board. "Perfect" in the sense that it can be updated almost instantly and "perfect" in the sense of literally having instant world-wide distribution, but imperfect in that you can't force folks to turn on their computers and log on to your website.
• A "business" website is also "perfect" for any organization whose primary business is the dissemination of information. Newspapers, TV and radio stations, libraries, museums, and governmental agencies all use websites to increase their outreach. If your mandate is public service and you don't have a website, we'd say you're falling down on the job!

Online Store. Current website technology is ideal for operating a website as on online store. Your catalog can contain complete product descriptions, luscious images, sounds if you choose, and be highly interactive so that the customer can perform keyword or price-limited searches and make his purchases with the "click of a mouse". However, like running a mail-order business, operating a web-order business isn't for everyone.

Investing in a website to function as an online store makes sense if you already run a successful mail-order business, like L.L. Bean or if you sell a product (books, CDs, electronic parts and equipment) that has a known history of successful catalog sales. And it only makes sense if you're willing to invest not only in a relatively expensive website but in even more expensive promotion and advertising. Consider how many ads you've seen and heard lately for Barnes and Noble's online store! One exception to our suggestions: sex. If what you sell is sex-related, step right up, the web's for you!

Marketing. A business website can help market your product, if you're selling a big-ticket item, like houses or cars, and if people are searching for that item on the web. But be forewarned: search engines know the heavily searched item categories and they (a) sell ads in these categories, (b) sell positions in their listings or search results, and (c) offer "related" categories or channels before offering website listings. And major players in your field -- manufacturers, marketing combines -- know how to stack search results to show their sites first.

Legitimacy, Credibility. For many companies, the reason to invest in a business website is not immediate return, but longterm image. It will soon be the case that every substantial business will have a website (and email address) just as almost every business now has a telephone and a fax number. With simple websites available at low cost (or virtually no cost for those willing to expend some time and effort), there is almost no reason not to establish a presence on the web.

Yes, You're Ready for a Website!
Admittedly, since a part of our business is designing and hosting websites, we're a little biased, but we think you should invest in a website -- if you exercise a little caution. If you can afford the modest cost, a personal website is a golden green GO! If you're considering a business website, we think you should go ahead only after you and a responsible designer have performed a cost/benefits analysis. We hate to see a grown business cry!

1. PC Tips is an irregularly-issued column produced by Installations Plus+ for those of its clients who don't pretend to power user status.  You are welcome to submit suggestions for future columns to the PC Tips Suggestion Box.

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2. N.B. Websites hosted by free service communities (such as GeoCities) or by online service providers (such as AOL) will have a difficult time getting registered in search engines (such as Lycos) and especially in directories (such as Yahoo). They just aren't taken "seriously." If your goal is to produce a website that gets noticed, you'd best "pay the piper": ante up for a domain name (www.yourname.com) and lease the space to host your website.

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• The November, 1996 PC Tips on Laser Printers
• The December, 1996 PC Tips on Buying a Personal Computer
• The January, 1997 PC Tips on Computer Viruses
• The February, 1997 PC Tips on Deleting Files and DLL Problems
• The March, 1997 PC Tips on the "Hole" in Microsoft's Internet Explorer and Windows Error Messages
• The April, 1997 PC Tips on Frequently Asked Questions and Their Answers
• The May, 1997 PC Tips on More Frequently Asked Questions and Answers
• The June, 1997 PC Tips on Summer Safeguards
• The July, 1997 PC Tips on Modem Update and Free Speech & the Internet
• The August, 1997 PC Tips on "Windows 93", the World Wide Wait, and an H-P Printer Problem
• The September, 1997 PC Tips on Summer Safeguards, Windows 95 Registry, and Software Upgrades
• The April, 1998 PC Tips on Modems (56.6 kbs, ISDN, Cable), Scanners, Free Email
• The May, 1998 PC Tips on Backups: A Special Report
• The June, 1998 PC Tips on Installing New Software
• "Highway Robbery," Nathaniel Wice's TIME Digital Magazine undercover investigation of sleazy computer "salesmanship", which appeared in the November, 1996 issue
• "Does Not Compute," Michael Maren's New York Magazine article on selecting a PC repair shop, which appeared in the November, 1996 issue

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