That depends…on your industry, your business strategy, goals, and "fit." Though it may be difficult to argue against a free promotional website, some businesses will benefit enormously from an Internet presence, and some will not.

There is a great range of complexity. Some options are simple, depending on what you intend to accomplish, and some are not simple at all. It is easy to underestimate the many factors and the considerable time that often are required for a successful e-commerce site. See also "How does my business get on the Internet?" and "What’s involved in an e-commerce site?"

Not necessarily. Traffic and transactions will probably have a great deal to do with how you market your site. See also "How do I market my promotional website?" and "How do I market my e-commerce website?"

Perhaps you can, and perhaps not. It’s important that you be realistic about this. Whether or not this statement is true probably involves matters of how much time, skill, equipment, and budget you are willing to invest in this effort, and the level of complexity of your site. See also "How much will a website cost me?" and "How much will an e-commerce website cost me?" and "What’s involved in an e-commerce site?"

Beware of over-building your site, since this will cost you time and money. Do your homework. All that you do and all that you invest should be directly related to your business goals. See also "What do I include on my website?" and "What’s involved in an e-commerce website?"

Should you elect to hire an outside group to do much of your website, it’s very important that you provide direction, make choices, and be familiar with how you’re being represented on the web. See also "What do I include on my website?" and "How do I maintain my site?"

This is dubious at best, especially if you’re thinking of a steady revenue stream from banner advertising. You should not count on offsetting the cost of your site through advertising, or other unfounded speculations.

Not unless you capture it…and even then, you need to build in mechanisms to do this. See also "How can I use my site to learn more about my customers?"

All effective e-commerce sites require maintenance and updating. See also "How do I maintain my site?" and "What’s involved in an e-commerce site?"

We hope so, however, success will probably have to do with how well you planned, how clear you were about your business goals, and the quality of your decision-making. See also "How do I know that my e-commerce site is successful?" and "How do I know that my site is successful?"

 

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