Your business simply must step into the 21st century and have its own website. Having a website is just one of the ways to make money online. More than 90 of all households here in the United States that have an Internet connection, approximately 65% begin to search for new products and services online. That explains why you cannot afford NOT to have a website.

Now that you have decided to get a website what do you do? Depending upon the level of your computer skills, you have two main options: Develop your own website or have it made by a professional.

Making Your Own Website

It may sound simple to make a website, but it takes a lot of dedication and hard work, just as much as running your own business. Not only will you have to research your particular industry, but you must dive headlong into a whole new industry, that is, the website industry.

The first thing you will need to do is to find a name and then a place to keep your website.

You will need to have a domain name as it is called in the Internet world. This is how people will be able to access your website. Try to choose something that is easy to spell and to remember. You may have to let your creativity flow on this one as there are billions of domain names already in use. There is usually a yearly fee when registering a domain name of about $10.

A hosting company will host your website on their servers. There is a monthly fee associated with web hosting that can range from a low of $3 all the way up to $15+ depending on the type and size of hosting you get. You have to look at three main things when you decide about getting a hosting company:

1. Space size – How much room will be allotted to your website?

Hosting size is measured in megabytes (mb). Usually a typical status page is approximately one tenth of a megabyte so you can make a rough estimate of how much space your website will need.

2. Bandwidth size – Every time a visitor stops in to look at your website, it takes a certain amount of bandwidth to display your website for him or her. Bandwidth is usually measured in Megbyte (mg) or Gigabyte (gb). The higher the amount of bandwidth that is available, the more visitors will be able to see your website.

3. Special features – Since you are probably new at making websites, then you will want to look for a hosting company that is able to offer special features for new designers. These features may include such tools as a website builder, guest books, forums, counters, Invitation pages, etc. These tools are particularly useful for a beginner because sometimes installing these features may tend to get a little complicated.

This is what making money on the Internet is all about if you intend on having a website. Once you have located a hosting company and have chosen a domain name, then you will have to build your website. Websites are coded in a specific language known as HTML. You would have to be very proficient in HTML if you wanted to code a website by hand. You will have to use a website builder to complete the job. All you have to do to locate a website builder is to type that phrase into one of the search engines and see what comes up.

If you want to get a bit fancier and have more options available to you, you may want to consider some software programs that may cost about $100 such as Dreamweaver and Frontpage.

While it may be more cost effective to build your own website, you must also consider the effort and the quality that a professional team of website designers can offer you.

Hiring a Professional

If you do not have the time to build your own website or if you want special features incorporated into your site, then you may want to hire a professional.

You have to keep in mind that the professional does this for a living and will give you the highest degree of quality. The professional website designer will usually handle everything from buying and setting up the domain name to updating your website on a weekly basis.

A professional will be willing to discuss your ideas and aspiration. You can even tell him or her about your desire of making money on the Internet. Once they feel that they have a handle upon what you are looking for, they will then create your website.

Depending upon the region you live in, the price of hiring a design professional will vary. Average prices will range anywhere from a couple of hundred dollars to well up into the thousands.