A company Web site should be more than just a business card online but a reflection of your business. Plus it can provide you additional sources of income – via advertisements or online sales.

A Web site consists of three parts. At first, there is the domain name (www.xyz.com) where you can reach the Web site. Secondly, you need a provider that hosts the Web site on a server or webspace and thirdly, there is the Web site itself with its function and programming.

Finding The Right URL

The first thing is to have an idea of the address of the Web site - the domain name. Mostly, you have to be creative and play a bit around with the name of your company, because many domains are already registered.

Ideally, the domain name is short, catchy and easy to remember. Just think about yourself - how many long domain names can you keep in mind? However, the shorter the domain name, the lesser the chance that it is not registered yet.

Also, the relevance to your business should be clearly enough in order to attract new customers.

If you cannot come up with an innovative idea, don't simply register anything. As an alternative, you can try a different top-level domain, like .org or .net. Sometimes you can also play with the top-level domain and integrate it in your company's name.

A good place to check whether a domain name is registered is networksolutions.com. There, you can select to check several top-level-domains.

Domains are inexpensive; .com, .net or .org domains cost about $1 a month. So consider buying your domain name with different top-level domains in order to prevent competitors from registering it and to focus traffic onto your Web site.

Where To Put Your Web Site Online

The second decision is to select a Web host. They'll save your Web site on their servers in order to make them accessible for Internet users.

In order to find the right hosting partner, make a list of requirements you have. How much disk space will you need, will you set up a Web shop to sell your products online, will you need support via phone?

With the help of search engines like findmyhosting.com you can easily set your preferences and they will filter Web hosts based on your needs. Costs for hosting are about $10 a month.

Most Web hosts offer package deals such as -- one free domain name. It is usually cheaper to take their offer since they get business conditions for registering domains. Don't worry -- you will still have the rights on your domain.

How To Get The Actual Web Site

So you now have a domain name, a Web host, but how do you actually get the Web site you need?

Write down what you want the Web site to be like. Be sure the Web site you want really suits your business' needs. If you want to represent your business, it should reflect your business' spirit. If you try to set up an online webshop, let it be the center of your Web site and be as accessible as possible.

Browse through other business' Web sites and make a bullet point list of things you need on your Web site and others which are unnecessary.

When you are done with that, the decision is to either hire a professional, use a Web service or do it yourself. However, letting others do the work can be unnecessarily expensive. So why pay more when you can use work others have already done for you for free?

Even if you don't know anything about programming a Web site, there are many free services, so called open source content management systems -- you can use that are designed for beginners as well as advanced users.

They are basically a Web site in a box -- they have a layout and the whole system behind it. Also, they provide an easy-to-follow tutorial to make sure even a layman can set up and maintain the system. Their huge advantage: they are free.

Take for example the Mambo, Typo3 or Joomla! software. All are free to download and have a web interface to set up your Web site like in a Web shop where you pick what you want and drop what you don't. Additionally, they are open to extension features that can be installed, for example a Web shop.

Those are by far not the only free content management systems you can use, as there are hundreds of them downloadable and free to use online. It may require one evening of reading into it, but it is worth it in comparison to paying a professional or a company.

When you are done, a Web site will not be another hole in your budget. In total, the cost for your Web site can be around $15 a month. So, as you can see - with a few simple tips and a bit of time effort, you can easily make your small business ready to compete and fit for the future.