Registering Your Domain (.com, .org, .net)
The first step in creating an internet presence is by establishing an address (URL) for your web site. This is done by registering your unique domain name. A domain name would be something like: "www.yoursitename" followed by a ".com, .org or .net." Registering your domain gives you a one-and-only address for others to use to find you on the world-wide web.
     When  you register with" IPower.com Hosting for only $7.95 a month, ", the cost of registering you domain name is free.   After the initial one-year registry period, you will be billed the actual renewal fee charge by the registry company. This is usually form $20.00 to $35.00 per year.

Web Site Hosting
     During the registration process, you are required to have an active server where the information which makes up your web site is actually stored for viewing with a web browser. When a web site resides on a server owned by someone else, it is "hosted" by the server's owner.
     When you register your domain name at "IPower.com" you will also be signing up for internet service with them. The charge for their hosting service is $94.50 for 12 months service, which is only $7.95 per month for your own business or personal web site.

Web Site/Page Design
    If you are able to design your own web pages and FTP them to the server, your out of pocket costs end at this point. Net Promotions can, however,  design your web site at a rate of $25.00 per hour. Our staff is happy to work with you to create a unique site, while staying within a budget. It is difficult to estimate the costs for design work, without discussing your desires and needs. Feel free to contact our web design department at 989-453-2426 or e-mail us at netpromo@avci.net

A Few Tips About Web Sites
      Creating an effective web site takes planning. Think about what you want to accomplish with your web site. Is it going to be a personal page with family information, a company "advertising" page were you can inform potential customers about your company, or are you going to sell a product or service?
     What are you going to put on the pages of your site? Content is much more important than all the pretty "flash" you see on so many sites. While a picture may be worth a thousand words, when it takes too long to download a half-dozen photos your potential customers will be gone before they ever see your site. Of course if you are selling pictures you will want to present them in a way that allows them to download quickly!
     And remember, it is very important that you constantly change or add to your site, as your customers will only return if they know your site is dynamic and fresh. You probably will not get rich on the internet. You will need to work at promoting your site to potential customers and by submitting to the major search engines. You should print your web site address on business cards, letterhead, invoices and all advertising pieces you produce. If you want people to find you, you have to tell them where you are!
     How do you expect to pay for your web site? Successful companies are spending large portions of their advertising and promotional budgets into the creation and maintenance of their web sites. You can accomplish a great deal if you think of your web site as a 24-hour-a-day, seven-days-a-week store open to the public. How much would you have to pay to operate a store waiting for the customer who is ready to shop? On the internet, once your site is set up, it will be there every time your customers want to shop! But remember, if your want a complex site with a shopping cart, search capability, automatic credit card processing etc., you will have to work very hard designing your site, or pay someone to do  the work. The more complex a web site, the more time consuming and costly it becomes.