Every business needs a website. Whether you're selling widgets on the open market or providing services to pre-screened clientele, most people go directly to the internet to find out what goods and services are available, who is providing them, and even to get contact information for businesses they already deal with. The phone book is a last resort, if they think about it at all. Having an online presence is essential, but the problem is this: with so many websites out there, how do you make yours stand out? How do you get one at all? What do you need to know to make it work?

This article answers common questions about creating and maintaining a business website. Some companies are fortunate enough to have in-house IT experts, others are left to wade through the jargon-laden information on the World Wide Web or in trade publications - which generally assume you already know what they're talking about. A good web developer will walk you through the process. Unfortunately, a lot of designers don't understand the "big picture" either. Our goal is to give readers enough knowledge to get what they need out of their websites.

The most important thing is to not be intimidated by what you don't know. A website is just a set of interconnected digital "pages" pertaining to a business, person, topic, etc. that exist at a single "address" on the World Wide Web. Once you have a site developed, you really only need two things to get it on the Internet: a domain name and hosting.

The domain name is simply the name of your site, which is generally the same as your Web address, such as www.yourwebsite.com. The Web address is also called a URL (Universal Resource Location), and it pinpoints the specific set of page files that for a particular site.

The site is hosted on a specific computer, called a server, which stores all the files for any given website. Some businesses have their own servers for data back-up as well as web hosting, but most pay a hosting company to take care of it. This is the most secure way to go and it generally provides more uptime, which refers to the amount of time your site is available on the Web. The opposite, of course, is downtime, which occurs when servers are updated, require maintenance, or suffer the occasional crash (don't worry, your data should be backed up and restored within a short time). Most good hosting companies boast 95% to 99.9% uptime and they generally deliver, though some claims are exaggerated. Beware of any company that promises 100% uptime.

Essentially, your website sits on the server until someone types your URL into the address bar of their Web browser, a software application such as Internet Explorer, Safari, FireFox, or AOL, that accesses the Internet. That computer requests the server to load the website, and your potential customer is now your online audience.

All websites - good and bad - are accessed the same way. What makes a website good is how it looks, how it works, how easy it is to find, and how relevant it is. And this is where it gets tricky. All of the elements should be so well integrated that the user has a seamless aesthetic and functional experience that is glitch-free. This is a complex process, and the best way to get the results you want is to hire a responsible, professional web design company. Still, there are a few terms and concepts you should be familiar with to make sure you get what you need.

Design refers to how the website looks on screen and how all the visual elements work together. It involves the graphics, photos, fonts, color schemes and overall layout of the site. It's often referred to as the "front end" of the website.

Development is the technical aspect of web design and refers to the computer code, programming modules and applications used to implement the visual elements. This is where the functionality of your site is created: how quickly pages load, how smooth page or animation transitions are, making interactive forms work, etc. It's the work that happens behind the scenes, often referred to as the "back end".

Navigation refers to how information is organized and how people move through the site. It refers to the different sections, how to get to them, and how they interact. Navigation is usually facilitated by clickable tabs at the top or bottom of a page, drop-down menus, or lists at the side of a page. Every business website should have a home page or welcome page describing the company, a product or services page, and contact page so customers can find you. Especially for large or complex sites, navigation is often clarified by a site map, which simply provides a clickable list of the pages accessible on your site so people can get to the information they need quickly.

The first decision is what you want the site to accomplish. Is it a static information site that won't change much, or do you need frequent updates to text or photos? If so, you might consider a Content Management System (CMS). It's more expensive because it requires additional programming, but in the long run it's generally cheaper than hiring a developer every time you have an update. Interactive forms, audio-visual elements, RSS feeds and other applications will also affect how the site is designed and developed.

E-commerce sites allow customers to make purchases directly from the website, and involve online ordering, inventory and payment systems. These are usually database driven and, like CMS or other applications, best to integrate from the outset to ensure smooth operation.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is another critically important, though often overlooked, aspect of a good website. SEO means optimizing your pages so the major search engines - Google, Yahoo, Ask, etc. - can find your site quickly and determine what it has to offer. You want your website to appear near the top of the search results page for relevant queries. Effective SEO involves design, content, and coding elements, as well as an understanding of how search engines work and what they're looking for.

Whether you're starting from scratch or re-designing an existing site, it's best to have a framework for understanding how websites work, and how they don't. This is just an introduction, and some of the concepts will need further elaboration. We can't make you a tech expert overnight, but we can prepare you for what's involved, how to communicate with your designer, and how to get the most out of the Internet.