So, you want a website. This tool will offer you the opportunity to get your message out to literally billions of people. You can communicate with people throughout the world. The Internet is truly the most widespread and interactive form of communications that mankind has to date witnessed. And this medium is very affordable. For as little as a few dollars per month you can lease space on a server offering a reliable connection and tools to make your website functional and interactive.

But, what are you going to do with your website? How are you going to use it? Will it be a way for you to share pictures and communication with family members across the country or across the globe, a means for you to stay in touch with your constituents, a method to communicate with appropriate individuals in the case of a non-profit or charitable enterprise, or will it be used as a marketing tool for your business. Regardless of your purpose, your website must accomplish four (4) goals.

• First, it must be appealing to the eye. An attractive website will capture the observers' attention and allow the communication process to begin. An unattractive or disorganized website may well ward off the prospective viewer communicating only a bad feeling.
• Secondly, the website needs to be well constructed and well written. Good construction refers to organization among other things. This aspect is important to the viewer and to search engines. The degree to which the website is well written is important only to the observer. There is no room here for slang, bad grammar or misspellings. This is especially true for your business as it reflects upon your level of professionalism.
• Thirdly, the site should be easily navigable. It needs to be as intuitive as possible so that the viewer can effortlessly move on to the next point of interest.
• Finally, your website must be a solid marketing statement. If the site is used for a business or commercial purpose, it must sell your organization and your product or service to the point that the viewer is ready to buy or at the very least he is driven to contact you for more information.

To summarize, the purpose and focus of your web site should be to persuade its observers to buy whatever it is you are trying to sell, even if you are only trying to convince a family member to view pictures of last year's vacation. If the site has any other purpose, or you cannot meet the four goals, save your money and take out a newspaper ad.