Every website has a reason for existing in the Internet. There's a purpose behind every one of them. Whether it's to sell something or to tell the world about something that person thinks is important enough to share, every website has a point to get across. When you think about the rise in the last decade of the internet as an ecommerce tool, it becomes clear that people doing business on the internet need a way to distinguish their goods or service. They need to make clear what it is they want the person clicking onto their site to do. They need what's referred to as a call to action.

Consider the statistic that states the average person only stays on one site for an average of nine seconds before they click away if they don't see something that interests them. That means all merchants who ply their wares in cyberspace need to be direct and tell the prospective client what they want them to do. Typically that means buy something.

The call to action comes in various forms but once you've seen a few of them they become easily recognizable. The most effective of these calls use short phrases that are not unlike the spoken word. Some examples include: 'Call Now', 'For A Short Time Only', 'Act Now - Offer Expires Soon'.

There's something that you'll need to remember about the content of these messages as well. Find a balance in the wording and try not to go too far one way or the other. A call to action that's too conservative will not be effective and you don't want to sound too cheesy either and turn the client off.

When to use these calls to action is another consideration to look into. Most of the experts feel they can be used effectively at two different points through a website. The first is at the end of every topic through the content. Here, it's also a good idea if you have an eye to keyword phrases that you know your desired contacts use frequently. So, if you sell marketing software, a good call to action at the bottom of the page might read: 'Why Not Contact Us For Our Free Trial of Marketing Software Today?'

There are other considerations where the experts think it's best to use the call to action. One of these is throughout the text in various locations as subtle prompts to get the visitor to convert to customer. There is also a caution against the kind of pop up advertising most of us have seen on the internet. Most of the professionals in the marketing field see them as a rude interruption in the flow for the reader and prospective customer.

The call to action is a necessary part of any web marketing campaign. It is a clear concise way of telling the visitor exactly what you want them to do and how you want them to make the transition from visitor to customer.

Anybody who wants to start a business looks for minimum investment & maximum returns, especially small businesses where capital is low.

The cheapest mode of marketing your business & letting people know about your products/services is internet. That's the reason why lots & lots of small business enterprises are now looking for internet marketing as a new potential area of business. Of course, to promote your business online, you need to have a powerful website.

A website is a virtual portal containing information about your company, products & services. You can either setup an online store & sell products thereon, or you can simply provide your contact information on your website, so that people can contact you for your services. In either case, it is very important that you design an attractive website so that users get drawn to it.

Attractive does not mean loads of graphics & colors. But it means a site that has balance of all. A good website has a decent layout, great information & is easily accessible. Too much graphics, flash & other such factors delay the downloading of the site, which can be frustrating to user. It also means it is difficult to promote it through search engines freely.

The best solution is to approach a professional company & make your goal clearer to them. For a little investment, you can get a great website ready to market. A properly designed website goes a long way to determine your online business. If you can increase your customer base online, you can then think of creating your brand offline as well. Once people start visiting your website & you offer them services/products online, you can built a base to your business wherein you can expand it offline as well.

Lot of companies provide complete package for small business website development, design & hosting. These services also extend to online promotion of your site like search engine optimization services. So, in short, you can hire a company that can manage your entire online business.

While choosing a company, you can either be specific about how you want your website designed, developed or hosted; or you can just provide them with your business idea. Of course, you should be prepared to offer your services/products once customers start pouring in.

So, if you are planning to start a small business then developing a website is the first step you should take.

Attention all business owners! Do you know the answer to this question: Who gets to keep the website after you divorce your webmaster?

Just like in a marriage, it all depends on the pre-nuptial agreement (contract). Do you have one?

My personal disclaimer: Some of this information may be about legal issues; however this article is not intended as a substitute for legal advice. I am not an attorney nor do I play one on webTV therefore you should consult with an attorney familiar with the laws concerning internet and intellectual property.

Ok, now on with the story, the short version. . .

Here's the situation, for whatever reason the client decided not to pay their annual bill for web hosting services. Even though there were several attempts to reach the client the bill went unpaid for more than 90 days. As a result, the hosting was cancelled and the site was removed from the server.

Several months later the client sent this exact message: "you have my website and I need you to let me know how to get it back, like I said before I paid you money to build it so....? that money had nothing to do with hosting or anything".

Just because you paid for the development of your website does not mean you own it. There are Intellectual Property laws designed to protect the creator and to encourage the creator to create. If you hired a company they own the software development and website design produced by its employees. If you hired an independent contractor you must obtain a written "assignment" of the copyright in the commissioned work from them.

Most business owners unknowingly give their webmaster complete control over their business website. Even if you don't have a pre-nuptial agreement (contract) or own your website you can still maintain some control. While you and your webmaster are honeymooning be sure you can document the answer to these questions:

1. What software was used to develop the website?

• Exact name
• Version
• Software website

2. How to access the code?

3. Where is the code located on the server?

4. How to change the content?

• Graphics
• Text

5. How to create a weekly back up?

6. How to grant access to additional users?

7. How to obtain the master copies of your website design?

As a business owner, how many people realize their webmaster is like their spouse? Voluntarily joined for life (or until divorce), not many! Just like in marriage a prenuptial agreement (contract) is a practical solution to dealing with the risks and problematic topic of who gets to keep the website after your divorce.