LOOKING TO LAUNCH AN E-COMMERCE WEB site? Here's a list of the basic building blocks of any sales-oriented Web site.

Address

You need a “dot-com” address on the Web — or, as it is also called, a URL — universal resource locator — or domain name. It's best to keep your address short, simple and logical. Once you decide on a name, you'll also need to check to see if it is available. Most Web design companies and service providers will search for and register your name. You can also do it yourself by going to the Web site of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, www.internic.com, which lists the Internet domain registration companies they accredit. Registration costs average $100 for the first two years, then $50 per subsequent year. Note: Failure to renew annually means you will lose the rights to your registered name and other people could buy rights to your address.

ISP

An Internet service provider is the company that “hosts” your Web site. It maintains your files on its computers and provides Internet access to your site. To find a local ISP, log on to www.webisplist.com. Monthly ISP fees vary widely — from $20 to several hundred dollars — depending upon the services offered. Questions to ask include: How fast is the Internet connection? Is someone available 24/7 in case your site crashes late at night or over the weekend? Is there a secure socket layer for credit card transactions? Can the ISP track visitors to your site? Does it have a back-up system in case its computers crash?

Home Page

Web visitors usually judge a site within a few seconds of loading its home page. How quickly does the home page download? Is it within seven seconds? Studies show that two-thirds of viewers will go elsewhere if they have to wait too long. Have you prioritized your information and presented it from the top of the page down? Have you identified your business, the services and products you offer, where you are located and how to contact you? Are your Web pages user-friendly with navigation bars along the top or side? A good design will also use a box or call-out graphics for topical information that changes at least weekly, such as news briefs, calendar dates or special promotions. Note: Search engines look for keywords or “meta-tags” in the text of your home page, and the closer these words are to the top of your page (or the more that are used in your headline or title), the closer a match you appear for any given search.

Design

The actual creation of your Web pages needs the expertise of a Web designer who understands both design and Web graphics programming. Are the graphics viewable? Do you offer plain html viewing options if visitors cannot run animation such as Flash or changing images such as Java Script? Is there a built-in search engine that really works? Can you search for products by generic name, brand name and product number?

Design costs per page vary from several hundred to several thousand dollars. A good rule for home health care businesses is to keep to your core objective of selling medical products. A clear photograph with informative text presented on a simple background is often the most functional presentation for your customers. And this format can be created for $200-$300 per page. This pricing does not include scanning photographs into digital images (which costs $40-$60 per photograph), so make sure you ask manufacturers to provide you with digital art.

One-Click Mobility

Web sites need to be easy to navigate and user-friendly if you want consumers to stick around, view multiple pages, buy products and then return to your site. Can you move forward and backward between pages with one click? Can you compare similar products side by side? Can you order a product without going to the “check-out” page and losing the page you were reading? To see what works, it's a good idea to check out other retail sites such as amazon.com and drugstore.com. To get the names of the Internet's most popular sites, go to www.pcdataonline.com and click on the public reports button.

Shopping Cart

An online Web business must provide customers the ability to purchase products via credit card transactions. Are your customers able to easily find and click on your shopping cart feature? Are they able to purchase products without being linked to another Web page? Or do you provide a one-click button to return to where they were after selecting the item to purchase? And remember: Security is the number one concern among consumers — especially health care consumers — who shop online. The only way to ensure that you protect your customers is by using a secure socket layer for transactions.

Contact Us

Every Web business strives to be customer-friendly by facilitating communication between consumers and Web support staff. Do you offer easy e-mail options, online chat, a toll-free telephone number and the ability to contact you from every page? Also, how quickly do you respond to inquiries? Same-day responses are the minimum acceptable if you care about developing a loyal customer base.

Jack Evans, owner of Global Media Marketing, is a retail consultant to the home health care industry. You can contact him at 310/457-7333, glblmkt@aol.comor www.retailhhc.com.