Where do I get a domain name? Go to Network Solutions and type the name you want into the search box. They will tell you if it is available and make suggestions for similar names. Just keep typing in ideas until you find one you like that is available.

When you find a name you like you can place your order for $35.00 a year or you can wait and order your name from your web hosting company. Cyber Ink Design uses and recommends hosting from NTT/VERIO You can buy your domain here for $19.00 a year.

You will find a huge variation in domain and web hosting prices. Go with a company you trust because if your web hosting company shuts down you may be paying someone to move your web site. I am sure that will cost you more than the few bucks you saved on cheap web hosting fees.

One of the hardest parts of building a web site is gathering the content. Sorry, but this is your job! Go look at your competitors web sites and get some ideas. Then do the easy part first. Type up a page with your contact information for your Contact Us page. Type up page that tells about your company and how long you have been in business. This will be your About Us page. Two pages done already! Now on to the harder part. Products or Services. Look through your current advertising materials if you have any. Brochures, product descriptions, photos, instruction manuals. Maybe you are going to need to write all new material for this. Sit down and make an outline of your products and/or services that you want to feature on your web site. Now you have something you can send to a web designer so that you can receive a realistic quote. Don't worry if it's not perfect, this is just a rough draft and you can change the text later.

I receive emails all the time that say nothing more than "How much does a web site cost" Cost of course is related to the time spent on creation and something can be built to fit most budgets. Are you providing images or does your designer need to spend hours looking through a site for stock photos? Is your logo in a format that can be scaled or scanned and used on a web page or does it need to be redrawn? Do you have 90% of your information ready so that the site can be built at one time or is it going to take a year of starting and stopping waiting for information? With all the starting and stopping the time to complete the same site can easily double and it could cost twice as much. Do you want animation, Flash movies, javascript rollovers, custom programming, email forms?

You have control over the cost, let your designer know what your budget is so they can try to accommodate you. You can start out small and expand the site later if money is a concern. To keep things as cheap as possible, get your information ready and organized before you request quotes. If you only need a 5 or 10 page web site send all the page text when you request the quote. That lets your designer know you are ready to go and your site can be completed quickly.