<p>

As webmaster of a site dedicated to helping parents earn a 
living at home, I get lots of emails like this one: 
<p>


"I have a home business and am thinking of marketing it on 
the web. But I don't even know how to get started! Where do 
I begin?" 
<p>


The answer to that simple question can also be simple... or 
extremely complex! Over the years, I've managed to break it 
down into four building blocks: 
<p>


1. YOUR FOUNDATION: You need your own hosted domain. 
<p>


Free websites as part of larger portals are great for 
personal use - but offer you absolutely no credibility as a 
businessperson. You are also stuck with their advertising, 
annoying popups, pesky exit windows and other clutter over 
which you have no control. 
<p>


The cost of registering a domain of your own is so low now 
(as little as $12 per year!) that you can't afford not to do 
it. 
<p>


Most webhosts offer domain registration and parking (holding 
on to the domain for you until you are ready to develop your 
site). This has turned into a great business in itself for 
home based folks, who are the proprietors of my favorite 
hosting sites: 
<p>


WebmasterMoms.com - - Domains for $12 per year, hosting as 
low as $6.95 per month 
http://www.webmastermoms.com 
<p>


YourDomainforFree.com - Yes, your domain is free if you 
sign up for their hosting package; 
otherwise it will cost you $14.95 
per year 
http://www.yourdomainforfree.com 
<p>


4GreatHosting.com - $20 per year domain registration. 
Hosting packages start at $14.95 per 
month. 
http://www.4greathosting.com 
<p>


Think carefully about selecting the name of your domain. You 
want something that accurately describes your business and 
is easy to type and remember. (You don't want to do what I 
did and call yourself 'parentpreneurclub.com!') 
<p>


Make a list of keywords that apply to your business and try 
them out. You should probably develop a list of possible 
domain names in case your first choice is already taken. 
(Be sure to hold on to that list of keywords - you will 
need it again when you start creating and promoting your 
site!) 
<p>


While there are now a plethora of possible domain extensions 
-- i.e., .org, .net, .biz, etc. - not to mention those that 
designate a particular country like .co.uk -- the last time 
I looked, .com was still the Rolls Royce of the field. 
People just tend to automatically add .com to anything they 
type in a browser and it may take a long time before that 
changes. 
<p>


Your registrar will be connected to the WhoIs database, 
which will help you research names that are still available. 
Some registrars (like Webmastermoms.com) also offer some 
nifty tools called "Word Wizard" and "Domain Twist" that can 
help. 
<p>


Here are some great eBooks to help you get started: 
<p>


"How to Create a Web Presence for Your Home Business on a 
Shoestring" 
"Your Own Internet Business" 
<p>


Download these free eBooks at 
http://parentpreneurclub.com/cgi-bin/ez/pl.cgi?ea 
<p>


In Part 2, we'll look at the next step in taking your 
business on the web: Creating your website.