One thing you need to consider is whether to use a professional host or a free host. I understand desire to keeps expenses down, especially in critical start-up phase of your business. You'll be tempted to cut corners, but there are some corners you just shouldn't cut, and deciding on your web host is one of them.

On Internet, image is everything. Do you want your visitors to see a professional business they can trust, or a business that's too cheap to pay a professional service? Or worse, to be dismissed as an amateur. That's image a free web host conveys. When you weigh in cost of buying software and time involved to do it all yourself, you really aren't saving anything.

On other end of spectrum, there are some web hosts who try to justify charging higher than average prices by offering a vast assortment of extra features. Most people don't have computing skills required to take advantage of all features they offer, and they know it. By offering tons of extras that almost no one will use, they can jack up their rates and gouge their customers. Keep your future needs in mind, but don't pay for services you don't need.

Look for price and volume flexibility. Your host should have ability to expand your services as your business grows. Most good hosts offer different pricing packages and let you upgrade to a larger package as your needs expand. Pricing varies widely, from inexpensive to unaffordable. Remember, you get what you pay for.

Make sure they offer a full range of hosting services. Even though you may not need advanced features now, it's probably a good idea to go with a host who offers them. By time your business expands to point where you need to upgrade to deluxe package, you'll have more than enough money to pay extra costs to incorporate them into your site. Most hosts will even do it for you.

You probably won't need all these features when you are just starting out, but most common ones to look for are:

These 3 simple marketing strategies work for any business. You can implement them quickly and produce immediate results. They won't cost you much money. And sales growth they generate continues as long as you continue using them.

1. CREATE A SPECIAL COMBINATION OFFER

Combine several of your products or services into a Special Combination Package with a price lower than total cost of buying each item separately. Promote it as a Special Offer for a limited time. When you pass expiration date, replace it with another Special Combination Offer using a different selection of products or services.

Special Combination Offers increase your total sales by motivating hesitant customers to buy now so they can get your "good deal". Special Combination Offers also increase size of your average sale. And bigger average sales generate more total profit for you.

TIP: After you develop 3 or 4 different combinations you can continuously recycle through same series of offers. This enables you to continue promoting Special Combination Offers without taking time to create new ones.

2. SINGLE OUT A SMALL CUSTOMER SEGMENT

Look for a narrowly defined niche within your targeted market. Identify a specific group of potential customers with a strong need (or desire) for benefits provided by your product or service.

Create a special version of your advertising catering to specific concerns and needs of prospects in this new market. Customize your sales message so each prospect perceives your product or service as perfect solution to their unique needs.

For example, one person selling a lead service to small businesses noticed that many of her clients were network marketers or real estate agents. She created a customized web site for each of these 2 niche markets. The sites looked similar. But content was different. A visitor to either site could assume lead service applied exclusively to their industry.