Hiring a Web Designer
Consider consulting with a web designer if you want custom features and/or a design above and beyond what an off-the-shelf solution can provide. There are probably many cases when this case is true, depending on your needs, especially when doing so will give you a competitive advantage in your business or if it will provide a significant return in time, money, or enjoyment on your investment.

Building Your Own Website (from Scratch)
I rarely recommend building your own website from scratch, unless you want to learn web design. There is a steep learning curve for learning the needed HTML/CSS code and design skills, working with a web server, to implementing a dynamic content management system that will run your website. It is definitly not worth it if you are looking to save a few bucks. However, it can be a rewarding, if time consuming, process if this is something you are wanting to learn and use in the future. To get started, I reccomend the book Learning Web Design: A Beginner’s Guide to (X)HTML, StyleSheets, and Web Graphics by Jennifer Niederst Robbins.

Turnkey/Off The Shelf Website Solutions
There are a variety of different ready made solutions that will do most of the hard work for you. They all have a variety of designs or options to choose from to customize the appearance of your site. Some have different features and uses than others. Some cost money and some are free. I’ve listed a few below that I would recommend you take a look at when starting your search.

• flavors.me (quick and easy personal websites/landing pages)
• WordPress
• Tumblr
• msites
• squarespace
• Ning (social networking)
• Shopify (e-commerce)
• Google Sites

Domain Names
Register a domain name (e.g. http://yoursite.com) for your website. Regardless of which method or tool you use for creating a website, you will need to pick a domain name. I recommend GoDaddy.com. I have used them for years without any trouble and their customer support is friendly and helpful. The only exception to registering a domain name is if you are using a website service that provides a subdomain (e.g. http://yoursite.wordpress.com) as part of the service, and a website’s recognition and identity are not important.

Helpful Links

• Web Site Starter Kit – Various resources from Inc. Magazine
• Web Design on a Budget – Inc.
• Hiring a Web Designer – Inc.