The Internet adds tremendous marketing power to small businesses and organizations. Companies and associations have found they can do business with a national or international clientele at a price not available through other advertising media. Once you've decided to take the plunge and promote your product, service, or organization on the Internet, most of you still have questions.

How do I know if my product or service is a good candidate for web success? - In all honesty, you don't, but perhaps this is the same question as whether your business will succeed on Main Street or not, or whether placing an advertisement in the city newspaper will attract new customers. You don't know until you try. Fortunately, the entry price for marketing on the web is so reasonable, that it is a less costly experiment than other promotional ventures may be. If you think your product or service can succeed in this medium, why don't you give it a shot? Just make sure you proceed onto the Internet with hopes based in reality.

How do website pages work? - The World Wide Web provides you with a way to introduce your enterprise to the world in a series of pages connected by "links". When customers see something that interests them, say a catalogue of your product line, they "click" their computer mouse on the link, and immediately they can view your website and your catalogue. An organization might have several pages, all linked to their main menu page or homepage. These pages typically include information about the company and its history, products or services, technical support information, and an order form or feedback form. These additional pages make your "homepage" a "website". Potential customers can view as little or as much as interests them, and business owners can update prices and products at any time.

What is the Internet? - The Internet is a world-wide network of tens of thousands of computers, all connected to each other. Businesses, organizations, and individuals go on-line through local Internet Service Providers (ISPs), offering access to e-mail (electronic mail) and the World Wide Web (an information access system). The "web" allows potential customers to "visit" an enterprise's storefront from anywhere in the world, and view what is virtually the company's online colour brochure, stored in "pages" or files called websites.

How does an enterprise get started on the Internet? - You first register your Domain. This is similar to registering a company name and gives you a Internet address and name to communicate with other Domains on the Internet. You pay a small yearly fee for this service. Your company presence then becomes a com, net, ca or biz etc. You then prepare your pages of company information for presentation on the Internet. And finally you will need a Host computer somewhere in the world to serve your pages of information out to visitors on the Internet. Again there is a fee for this service in the few hundreds of dollars per year. A professional website designer, such as Mountain Man consulting, will help you prepare your web pages and arrange Domain registration and Hosting to display your goods and services to the world.

How can the Internet be used by my business? - The Internet can help and hurt a business, just as any marketing venture can. The success of your business on the Net depends upon your willingness to work with the tool. If you, a staff member, or a volunteer are willing to put in the same effort that is required for any project to reach a successful conclusion, then you've got it made. Remember, the Internet is just another medium to market products and services. It does not replace existing marketing media, but can enhance your position with other mediums.