This How-To guide walks you through all of the steps involved in creating an effective Web site, from planning to launch to promotion. It gives you the 10,000-foot view of all of the activities involved so you can begin the process with your eyes wide open and with the appropriate expectations for the time and resources you'll need to get your site up and running:

• Understand it: find out why a Web presence is important and what it takes to create a compelling site.
• Plan it: identify the business goals and audience for your site, and then plan a site appropriate to both.
• Do it: walk through all of the steps involved in building a site.
• Use it: learn how to work with a hosting provider to launch your site and then promote it to draw visitors.
• Buy it: shop for the hardware and software tools you'll need to develop and maintain your site.