Having a business website is like working out: something is better than nothing, even if it’s not perfect. Zero customers are finding you online if you don’t have a website.

However, many small business owners use their lack of budget or lack of tech knowledge as a reason to stick creating a website on the back burner. They think that a good business website is a) expensive because you need a web designer or b) difficult to create unless you ARE a web designer.

As with everything, there are different levels of “do it yourself”. We created a website builder tools guide to help you compare some of the popular DIY and pre-packaged solutions. This guide is certainly not a comprehensive list – our goal is to show the range of features available if you are considering the DIY route.

At the most inexpensive end of the range, both Google (Google Sites) and Microsoft (Office Live) offer free website creation tools. There are add-on services for an additional fee- mainly more storage and email accounts. These services are meant to integrate with the companies’ other software and applications, so if you are a heavy Google Apps user, for example, you might feel comfortable using Google Sites. However, they are both somewhat limited compared to the other website builders.

The next level is offered by companies like Register.com and Network Solutions, which offer both DIY and “build it for me” options. The custom-built options are a step beyond trying to do it yourself, more of a professional customization of predesigned templates. They also offer custom designs for a higher fee.

Some points to consider before creating your own site:

Does the domain host support a blog?
If you plan to use a blog as part of your marketing strategy, make sure that the provider you choose supports the kind of blog you want over the long term. For example, Register.com and GoDaddy will host Wordpress blogs, which is an open source application, but OfficeLive integrates with Windows Live Spaces, which is a Microsoft product.

Can you easily add code from another application?
For example, if you use (or plan to use) an email marketing provider like Constant Contact, you’ll want the ability to add a snippet of code to your site so that your mailing list signup box will display on the page. Can you add video? Post spreadsheets, PDFs or presentations? Audio files? Think about the kind of content you will put on your site beyond plain text.

Do you need an ecommerce solution? Will you sell anything on your site?
A simple PayPal button might be sufficient for some businesses, but if you sell a physical product you’ll probably need something more sophisticated that incorporates a shopping cart and even inventory management. This is an important area to think ahead – you might only have ten products now, but perhaps you plan to expand into several product lines, or start selling to wholesale buyers.

Check out the support policy
There’s nothing worse than having a critical problem – or even a simple, quick question – and not being able to get help quickly. Make sure you can get a live person on the phone or chat when you need support.

Find out what the common problems are, and don’t be afraid to consult an expert
Jennifer Shaheen, President of The Technology Therapy Group, suggests reading up on the support forums, blogs and articles about the service to see what problems, bugs, and questions other customers are having. She also recommends spending time researching the applications offered by each provider. “Business owners need to be clear about the fact that the design and function of pre-packaged hosted solutions belong to the company and that when they out-grow this system they will need to start from scratch. When it comes to SEO or adding social elements not all pre-packaged solutions will allow for these items. They should do the research ahead of time or take a test drive before they launch.”

Don’t hesitate to actually talk to a designer and find out what’s really involved in building the website you need. They might even steer you in the right direction for the DIY stage to save you headaches later when your business and your budget have grown to the point where you are ready for their services. Andrew Schulkind of Andigo New Media agrees on the importance of planning ahead. “One concern you should have is whether the time and effort you invest will be lost completely when you move to a more professional site. If you work with a good developer and explain what you need now and what you think you’ll need later, he or she should be able to build a site that allows for the expansion, or advise you the best option for now based on your budget.”

When you’re choosing ANY tech tool for your business, most of the work goes into the upfront business planning you must do before the shopping can even begin. Always do your research or get a test drive, and try to talk with the support departments to see what their response and customer service is like.

Between documenting expenses and processing credit cards from just about anywhere in the U.S., smartphone applications have changed the way many small businesses operate. Now, more firms are turning to these apps to enhance the way customers interact with their products and services — and even boost their bottom lines.

“People nowadays want everything to be at their fingertips, and if companies are not finding ways to provide these tools [they] will soon see drop-off from their customers,” says Jennifer Shaheen, a small business technology consultant in White Plains, N.Y. Providing an app also offers a tremendous marketing opportunity, she says. Securing a placeholder in customers’ smartphones can help keep a company on the brain, which is especially important in this rocky economy, Shaheen says.

Building a simple app can be affordable for most companies. Although a developer might charge $6,000 to $8,000 to create a typical app, a modest app with fewer features could cost a company less than $2,000, says Jarin Udom, a developer in San Diego. The web site iPhoneAppQuotes.com allows users to compare lowest rate quotes from developers.

Companies on a tight budget can design apps on their own. Apple’s iPhone Developer Program ($99 for the standard edition, $299 for the enterprise version) allows code-savvy entrepreneurs to build, test and sell or give away their own applications. Sweb Apps helps business owners build apps automatically for as little as $200. (Note that although Research In Motion’s BlackBerry, Palm’s Pre and Google’s Android each have apps and open software development kits, many app services cater specifically to Apple’s iPhone users.)

Here are three ways an app can improve your business:

Attract new customers

Some companies are using smartphone apps to advertise or expose their service to a new and growing audience. David Wolff, co-founder of Break Down Way, a Pomeroy, Ohio-based online service that provides guitar and bass lessons, says he hopes his soon-to-be-released app will help reel in new customers. Wolff plans to offer about five to 10 free lessons on the app, which is now awaiting approval from Apple. For those who want to keep learning, a subscription for $29.99 a month gives users access to the company’s full catalogue of lessons taught by artists including Jorma Kaukonen from Jefferson Airplane and Michael Falzarano from Hot Tuna.

“Existing members will jump on this, and we’ll attract people searching [Apple's App Store] for guitar lessons,” Wolff says. That group of people is growing. Apple sold 1.5 billion apps during the App Store’s first year and 5.2 million iPhones during the company’s fiscal third quarter.

Wolff is hoping the popularity of the device will help him double his company’s subscribership. “I’m hoping we can really gain exposure for ourselves,” he says.

Improve customer service

Many apps do more than draw attention to your product; they improve the customer’s experience. Jason Gossard, the lead administrator for the Circle School, a parent-owned and operated school in San Antonio, praises the utility of the school’s new free app, which is scheduled to launch in a couple weeks. Administrators will be able to use their smartphones to highlight upcoming school events and make speedy updates, he says. And parents will be able to receive updates from the school more easily. “Everyone who had an iPhone was excited about this,” he says.

Even if another firm profits from offering your company’s app, users still benefit from being able to access your company’s service with greater ease. Just ask Tobi Lutke, the CEO of Ottawa-based web site host Shopify. When an independent developer created Shopkeeper, an app that allows any of Shopify’s 5,000 customers to manage their inventories, more than 100 users downloaded the $4.99 app. Lutke says Shopkeeper and apps like it are good for his customers and his business. “The app allows small companies to operate more like larger e-commerce shops, which have dedicated staff to improve their workflow,” Lutke says. “With this technology, you can be very small and have the same technology as a big corporation.”

Create a revenue opportunity

Some apps present companies with new ways to lift profits, and others are revenue generators themselves. Blakely Long, the CEO of BetterQOL, a pain-management service in Bellaire, Texas, and her partner Brian Loftus, a neurologist, are banking that some of the estimated 33 million migraine sufferers will purchase their new app, iHeadache. The app, which costs $9.99 to download, identifies the type of headache a user has, based on their symptoms, the duration of their headache and the medication they may be taking. The app also generates reports which can be shared with physicians. “We are targeting neurologists and headache specialists, as they benefit from having better reports,” Loftus says.

Write to Diana Ransom at dransom@smartmoney.com

November 2nd 2003 – Executive Life

New York Times

They meet in crowded bookstores or public libraries, where anonymity is guaranteed. For sessions at work, they settle in behind closed doors, typically early in the morning or after hours.

Yes, when an executive finally learns how to work a computer, secrecy can be crucial.

Over the years, many of these executives managed to put off computer training. But they have reconsidered as computers have become an unavoidable part of the business world. Rather than face derision from colleagues – or worse, appear obsolete – some are seeking out teachers and coaches who can educate them on the sly.

“It’s a lot like those people who were illiterate in the work force years ago and talked very secretly about learning to read,” said John A. Challenger, chief executive of Challenger, Gray & Christmas, the outplacement firm. “In the past, it was a point of pride to say you didn’t buy into technology. But now it’s our life, and the late adopters really feel guilty about it.”

One trainer of executives, Jennifer Shaheen, says that many of them ask her to tutor them clandestinely. “I call myself a ‘tech therapist’ because so many business people want to be taught in confidence,” said Ms. Shaheen, who charges $300 a session, which generally last an hour. “What I do is a lot like therapy – the getting over the fear of technology and being embarrassed.”

One executive at a national transportation company asked her to work with him at a Barnes & Noble bookstore in New Jersey until they decided there were too many people around and moved to a private room at a nearby public library. “He showed up with a laptop that he’d just gotten and said, ‘What do I do?’ ” Ms. Shaheen recalled. Another man, who “didn’t know what the right mouse button did,” instructed her that if anyone asked about her visits to help him, she should say she was “just a consultant for the company.”

While statistics are hard to come by for how many executives are untrained in using computers, Andrew Sherwood, chairman and chief executive of Goodrich & Sherwood, an outplacement firm in New York City, said he thought the number was substantial.

“You’d be surprised how many don’t know anything,” said Mr. Sherwood, who estimated that more than 75 percent of his clients lacked basic computer skills. “A lot of these executives work 16-plus hours a day and they’ve never had time to get into computers or had very skilled administrators working for them. They tend to fudge their computer skills, and just smile.”

Among those caught in the learning gap are executives who previously had two or more assistants managing all their computer work, from sending and receiving e-mail messages to typing proposals and correspondence. As companies started cutting the size of their work forces in a sluggish economy, some executives were left stranded without such help.

Ann Rose, the president of Montville Carpet and Flooring in Montville, N.J., said that until a few months ago, she had relied on others to do her computer work. But she decided that she was in danger of becoming outdated and chose private tutoring at the Career Center, a career and management firm in Manhattan that specializes in technology-related work. “I didn’t want anyone to know at first,” said Ms. Rose, who is 54. “The fact that I missed the boat on computers, it’s embarrassing. Particularly when the young ones come in and know everything. It’s a way of life with them.”

The difficult job market has made more executives aware of their tech shortcomings. But a fear of being discovered, and stigmatized, is driving many executives underground for help, said Debbie Ringler, a founder and vice president of the Career Center. “Many of them are scared of being exposed,” she said. “Some of their staff is leaving, and they don’t have the skills to pick up the slack. Or they’re looking for a new job and don’t have the most fundamental computer skills to make the leap.”

Ms. Ringler recalled one executive who was sent to her by his company to learn a specific program. In fact, the executive knew nothing about computers, so instead of studying the program, he used the time to learn skills like word processing, spreadsheets and navigating the Internet. He made her promise not to give up their secret, she said.

Dan Kenyon, corporate sales manager at ExecuTrain, an international training firm, said it did very little teaching that was truly secretive.

Still, he said, “most of the executives that come in prefer privacy.” Mr. Kenyon’s company has tutored about 100 executives in the New York metropolitan area this year, a slight increase from previous years. “It’s not a surprise,” he said of the abundance of executives who need to be taught the basics. “It’s more of a giggle.”

Some relatively self-reliant – and guarded – executives are turning to tutoring programs that run on a computer. One is the Video Professor, a suite of computer CD’s that allow users to learn everything from Windows to Lotus 1-2-3 to PhotoShop at their own desks, by themselves.

Still, secrecy can be hard to maintain. Michael Gallin, vice president of one of the oldest building contractors in New York, John Gallin & Sons, brought Ms. Shaheen to the office for secret instruction on using e-mail and mobile technology, like a personal digital assistant.

“So I told them, ‘She’s here teaching me the computer and she’s great,’ ” he added. ” ‘You should all try her out.’ “