It is not enough for your business to just have a website. Design is important. Your site will be representing who you are as a company on the Internet. Everything from the style and color to the coding will determine what message you convey to visitors.

Your website needs to be found by search engines. Submission is vital but a search engine friendly design starts in the building of your site. It must be streamlined, rich in keywords, and have internal linking

A visitor should enter your site and find it appealing to the eye. A never-ending first page, too much text or garish color combinations are an immediate turn off.

It must also be clear in statement of purpose. Potential customers should immediately know exactly what products or services you provide. You only have seconds. With one click of the back button, they are off to another site and you're in the cyber wasteland.

There is more to it than a good first impression. Once visitors are in your site, the idea is to keep them there. Create a call to action.There should be a natural progression encouraging visitors take to the next step. Make sure your website is easy to navigate, provides all pertinent information and any purchases or downloads can be performed quickly and efficiently.

This is a big job. If it is not in your area of expertise, hire a professional. The price will vary depending on the functionality you need. Remember, you get what you pay for. The construction of your most visible marketing tool is not the place to cut corners. The cost is small in comparison with print ads, especially if you take into consideration that your site is a constant advertisement for your business. It will be on the internet until you decide to take it down so be sure you like what it is saying.