As the dot-com bubble expanded, so too did hype around the easy money to be made by starting an online business. Now that we've watched Web hosts and online businesses rise and fall over the past few years and seen how brutally competitive life as a dot-com can be, businesses have learned to approach the easy money with healthy skepticism. We've learned how important it is to plan our Web-based business initiatives thoroughly and to choose our hosts carefully before running up capital expenditures to build online services. That said, starting an online business or bringing an existing business online is easier and more cost effective today than it has ever been. Price reductions in storage capacity and enhancements to feature sets make it relatively painless for businesses to set up customer services such as secure electronic transactions and shopping carts for their customers. If your business lacks an online presence or if you're considering leveraging the Web for sales and marketing, make a list of the requirements you need from a Web host, then check our Web hosting directories to find the service that's right for you.