Your Website Is Ready!
by Gary Woods

If you're a small business owner or even an individual with something to share with the world you need a website. But the truth is it's not really much easier than it used to be to put one together. There is an alternative however that gets you up on the web without knowing anything more than how to type and import graphics.

Homestead QuickSites (www.homestead.com) is provides everything you need: a hosted domain, e-mail addresses, up 300 MB of server space, and an incredibly easy site-building tool. They also have hundreds of themed templates available which means your site looks professional right away.

To get started you can browse Homestead's collection of 300-plus templates, select one, and just start editing it even before you've paid a dime. That way you can see exactly what your site will look like and even get a temporary URL for it without a commitment. The website plans range from $9.99 per month for 25 MB of space, $19.99 for 100 MB of space and $39.99 for 300 MB of space. You can even set up your own Ecommerce site for $49.99 per month.

Other than the monthly charge there is a one time setup fee of $20 and they do charge for the templates from $49 to $299. Most of the personal templates are in the $49 range while business and service templates, which represent the bulk of the library, sell for $99 and up.

If you have any suggestions or questions for me please drop me a note at garyandlaury@santabarbaraproperties.com or see my column on the Internet at http://www.santabarbaraproperties.com or call me at (805) 729-0910I

Gary Woods is the Computer Trainer for the Santa Barbara Association of Realtors. You can hear Gary on the Radio at 1290 AM Monday and Wednesday at 8-9AM and he is a Broker/Associate at Home Realty & Investments, Inc.