Step 1
in
 Creating a Good Website

 It is important to do some planning before you sign up for anything.

I suggest you read my article on avoiding frustration.  This will give you some background on the suggestions I'm about to give you.

• Drill down to discover exactly why you want a website.  Don't accept the first answer your mind gives you.  Get a pad of paper and keep writing down all the reasons that come up. 
  For example: One person I know wanted a website to post news for his daughter's swim team.  If that was all he needed to do , then he could easily use Google's free website building service, which is designed exactly for this kind of website.  BUT, what if he also needed the Swim Team website to host picture galleries and fund-raising options, and coaching videos, and a forum or chat room for team members to share thoughts....and on and on...?  Drill down to decide exactly what you want in your website.  Think big and long term.  Why not?  You are planning to succeed aren't you?  Once you have a big picture of all your website may feature,you can quickly get the proper resources, and not have to abandon your project and start over.
• Look at the competition.  Do some searches to see what other websites are out there in your field ( niche).  Bookmark the websites that you like the best.  Make notes of what it is that makes them appealing to you.  The grapics and structure of the website will also determine what resources you will need.
• Set a budget.  Decide how much time and money you want to put into your website.  There are great shortcuts to everything in creating a website, but they cost.  There are fantastic free products out there to help you build a webpage, but they cost in time.  I'll help you find the best balance between cost and effort, but you must have a good idea on how much you are ready to spend in time and money.  There is a very important reason why you must do this. It is called "internet marketing".  There are some very professional people out there who will have you typing in your credit card number before your brain even knows what your fingers are doing!  I'll try to help you, but please be aware.

All right, get all the brain work and investigating done, and you are ready for step 2!