Choosing a Web site host

	CHECKLIST: What is the goal of your Web site? Tell people about the company. Show up-to-the-minute company news. Let people fill out forms to contact you. Act as a shopping site for your products and services. Commerce: buying products and services  online. Customer service or tracking orders. To help locate stores. Sign up for newsletters. Play audio and video. Other online applications.

Planning and making an honest assessment of your business needs will serve you well in getting online, as it will in most other business operations. Evaluate what you are currently doing online and what you might want to do in the future. A typical small-business Web site consists of HTML pages that tell a Web browser how to display the page, along with some basic scripting for interactive purposes, such as form submission. A more substantial online presence may include a shopping cart, a CRM (customer relationship management) application, or other custom programs. When auditing your Web presence, it's in your best interest to take inventory of what you are currently doing and consider the processes that you may want to move online in the future.
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