Okay, so you've been thinking about putting your store on the World Wide Web for some time now, but you still aren't convinced it's the right move to make or the right time to do it. If you're like most retailers, you have a lot of questions you need to find the answers to before you make the big move into cyberspace.

Questions like:

• Do I really need aWebsite?
• Can a Website really help me sell more product?
• How do I go about creating and maintaining a Website?
• How much will it cost me?
• How do I know I'm not being charged too much?
• The kid who mops the floors says he knows how to create a Website. Should I hire him to do it for me?

Trying to get straight answers to these questions and others can be frustrating. As a business owner, it sometimes seems like everyone you talk to is only interested in one thing: PUTTING YOUR MONEY INTO THEIR POCKETS.

Look No Further

If it's straight answers you're looking for, you've come to the right place. Here at Dealer Support Services, we understand retailing and the special needs of the retailer. We're hoping, of course, that when you decide to make the move to the World Wide Web, that you'll hire us to develop and maintain your company Website for you. As you can see, the quality of our work is second-to-none, and our prices are very affordable. But if you'd rather do it yourself, or hire somebody else to do it for you, that's okay too. In either case, let's look at some of the issues you should be aware of before you make any decisions.

Let's start out by talking about something that concerns all of us: money.

A Business Website Does NOT Have to Be Expensive

Every time I read about a large corporation spending tens-of-thousands (or even millions) of dollars to develop their new Website, I am dumbfounded. How can anybody POSSIBLY spend that much money on a Website? I think some web-development companies must have some pretty darn good salespeople working for them. ;-)

We'll design a Website for you for as little as $400. Of course, you can spend more if you'd like to. A very elaborate site (complete with sound, animation, chat rooms, java applets, shopping-cart programs, etc.) might cost as much as $1,800 to $3,000 or more to design, de-bug, and set up. The good news is that it's only a one-time investment. Once it's created, it's yours forever. Many Websites start out small and evolve over time, paying their way as they go.

What About Monthly Charges?

If you already have a dial-up account with an ISP (like America Online, Earthlink, etc.), they will host your site for FREE. The downside is that you get a URL (Website address) like "http://members.aol.com/~jdoe647t.html" and you'll be restricted as to what you may and may not do with your site.

If you'd like to have your own unique domain name, like: "www.YourStoreName.com", you'll need to pay a monthly hosting fee. You'll also need to register your domain name with Internic, the regulatory agency that monitors and registers domain names. They charge $35 a year to make sure nobody else uses your domain name.

Yeah, But What About Changes and Updates? Who's Going to Pay for Those?

A Website that never changes is a boring Website indeed. But what if you can't afford to pay someone $45 an hour (or more) to make those changes for you every month?

Ask about our new "EditPage" software option that lets YOU edit the text on your web pages through your browser (Netscape, Internet Explorer, etc.).

You don't need to be a computer programmer.You don't even have to know how to write HTML. "EditPage" makes changing the text on your Website as easy (and as affordable) as typing a letter (well, almost). You test it out-- just CLICK HERE.

We'll configure and install the EditPage software product as an integral part of your Website. Only YOU will know it's there, and only YOU will have the password to access it.

But enough talk about money. Let's move on to the exciting stuff: the "HOWs" and "WHYs" (CLICK HERE to continue) of selling on the World Wide Web.

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