If you've followed the advice in this series, you are now the proud owner of a website and listed in the search engines. Are you finished? Probably not - in Part 4 we examine some options you may wish to add that will make your website more functional - more fun - and hopefully, more profitable.

The power of the World Wide Web derives from the fact that it is an interactive medium. Instead of passively reading from page to page (as you would with a newspaper or magazine), you can jump from topic to topic at will, network with others, participate in polls, play games, and purchase products INSTANTLY.

These are desirable functions - it is proven that the more you can engage your site visitors through interactivity, the more time they will stay on your site.

Your options for adding these fun elements are limited only by your imagination...

...and your technical expertise.

Fortunately, there is a community of technical geniuses who delight in creating cool tools and making them available for you to place on your website - and many of them are FREE. These people are the heroes of the Internet and should receive publicity and adulation. Thanks to their hard work, you can easily give your site a more professional feel.

The easiest way to add interactivity to your site is to use javascript. Javascript (not to be confused with Java, which is something else entirely!) is not compatible with every browser, but it won't crash anyone's system - browsers that don't recognize it will simply ignore it... and at this time, only about 10% of the browsers in use are not javascript compatible - so your cool effects and tools will be visible with 90% of your visitors.

I have used javascript on my site to add the following kinds of elements:

Current date and time
Mouse over effects
Pulldown menus
Online polls
Syndicated content
Popup window

The best thing about javascript is that putting it on your web pages is so EASY -- a simple matter of cutting and pasting the code into the right places.

Start your search for cool javascript tools here:

http://www.bignosebird.com

BigNoseBird.com is the creation of Bruce Gronich, one of the aforementoned heroes of the web. Bruce has put together some of the simplest webmaster tutorials I have ever read. He never talks down to those of us who are technically challenged and the generosity he displays on his website is amazing. Bruce has got lots of FREE javascripts for you to try, plus links to other sites that offer even more.

While at Big Nose Bird, you'll want to also look at the tutorial on creating Forms. Sooner or later, you are going to want to create a method for your visitors to communicate with you, and there's nothing more inviting for them than an online form. Unfortunately, these are not simple to create - mainly because they need to be powered by something called CGI.

CGI - which stands for Common Gateway Interface - is a powerful force for website interactivity. Beginners usually rely on an outside programmer to handle the details of a subscribe form, rotating content, message boards and the like. As with anything else, it's cheaper if you learn to install CGI scripts yourself, especially if you don't need custom programming and can use the cornucopia of free and low-cost scripts available to you all over the Web.

In addition to the freebies and links you'll find over at BigNoseBird, you should check out the wonderful scripts at Willmaster.com. William Bontrager is another programming genius who has developed some several free and low-cost scripts that can make visiting your website a pleasurable experience for your visitors. The first CGI script I ever installed successfully was written by Will, who makes them easy for non-techies like me, and I've gone on to buy several of his commercial scripts - they have never failed to work and on the few occasions when I've had problems, a quick email to Will has resulted in solutions -- FAST.

http://hop.clickbank.net/?donna1001.willmaster

Need more information? Check out these free eBooks in our ParentPreneur Club Library:

Best of Merle's Mission Installing CGI One Hundred Free Programs, Scripts and Services

In part 5, learn how to make your site earn its keep: How to accept online payments.