Reprints Online

1. DOING IT YOURSELF

You could elect to create your website or webstore yourself. Assuming you have very little or no knowledge of HTML or scripting you may want to look into a good WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor such as Microsoft Frontpage®. If you're familiar with popular wordprocessors such as Microsoft Word® then this type of software should present no problems for you.

The danger here is that if you're not familiar with the principles of web design and what makes a website or webstore attractive and usable (visit www.webstyleguide.com/site/e-commerce.html) it might well end up looking amateurish and alienate potential customers. If you intend your website or webstore to be your main "place of business" then this approach is not recommended unless, of course, you know what you're doing.

One way round this, however, might be to purchase a professionally designed template and customise it to your own requirements. Be aware, though, that potentially many others could have downloaded and purchased the same template and if your potential customer has shopped around before getting to you and has landed on the same template a few times then they may wonder why you can't develop your own product. This is not such an issue if there aren't many others selling the same products as you. You could also decide to purchase a unique template but you're looking at an investment of between $1000 to $3000 ! 2. HIRING A PROFESSIONAL WEB DESIGNER

If you have some flexibility in your budget then this is the solution for you. It offers the best options in terms of flexibility and customisation and will help improve customer confidence in your business. However, this also represents the most expensive solution and expect to pay anywhere between $500 and $2,000 depending on the size of your online store or site. Don't just settle for the first designer you come across, do some shopping around. Have a look at their portfolio (examples of past work). This will normally be available on the designer's own website. Visit a few of the sites created by the designer: see if you like the style, whether they're the same types of business as yours, how well they're doing. Try and get some independent recommendations where possible.

A word of advice, don't take this approach if you're not sure of your online business model yet or if you don't expect to be trading online heavily. You're better off using the solutions mentioned earlier. You can always upgrade to a more customised solution later on.

About the Author

William Alldred BSc is CEO of Host E Business specialising in providing ecommerce web hosting and design solutions to small business clients.