The following are some tips to facilitate your computer filing system setup:

· Create folders with the same broad to narrow scope. Computers offer a view that shows a flow chart of files so you can easily find items. It is important to have Backups materials ready or regularly save to a backup drive.

· Reserve your desktop for items that need your immediate attention.

· Continue to hone your filing system by rearranging and renaming files.

· Sort files alphabetically, by date or by concept.

· Create subfolders with logical subfiles such as: Customers subfiles under customer names.

· Set your default to save into a folder that can be easily accessed.

· If you are saving more than one version of a document, differentiate the names by version (v1, v2, etc.)

By organizing your computer files into a logical system you can save yourself valuable time every time you access your files. You can create an efficient workflow for yourself and your business.

· Convenience - They can learn about your services, view your portfolio and buy your products, even when you're closed! All from the comfort of their own home without feeling intimated to make decisions on the spot.

· Availability of Information - A website provides more information than the yellow pages, with interactive content, product details and pictures.

· Lack of Sales Pressure - Because of the convenience your website offers and the availability of information listed on your website your prospective clients can make a decision without feeling intimated.

By asking some simple questions, you can save yourself time and effort. In fact, you can apply the same questions you asked yourself when you started your business name as you explore creating a website.

· What purpose will your website serve?

· Are you trying to sell your product or service?

· Will you be a resource for other's products or services?

These questions will go a long way in helping to find your niche in the enormous stretch of landscape in the internet.

Not everyone needs a website.

You don't need a website if the cost of building, hosting and keeping up your website exceeds your budget. That does not mean that you have to give up a presence on the internet. There are a number of ways to take advantage of marketing your business without paying to build and have you website hosted.

Message boards--You can register for sites that have discussion boards and create threads that pertain to your business. Many sites need content and enjoy having people educated in the site specific content to answer questions and create lively discussions. Make sure that your discussion material remains tasteful and pertains to the type of content within the website.

Comment on Articles and Blogs--Many Newspaper, eZine and blog articles offer areas to comment on the material written. This is a great place to discuss your area of business, and add your expert advice or opinions.

Write Articles--Write articles and either sell or post them to eZines, local newspapers, etc. The material you create can contain your contact information including email and phone numbers. Other websites might be looking for experts to provide content, too. You can contact targeted websites and ask if you can write an article or two.

Newsletters--You do not need a website to send a newsletter. Just gather a large email list and send monthly articles, product descriptions in the form of a newsletter remember to include your contact information.

Registering a domain name can be done online through companies like Network Solutions or you can register through an ISP (Internet Service Provider) such as AOL, MSN or SBC. Many sites offer free or reduced rate domain name registration if you sign up for web hosting. Just read the fine print and make sure they aren't offering a limited time reduced rate with your rate to rise after a few months.

Also, know that many free web hosting sites contain ads that will automatically be shown on your website. The more questions you ask, the better informed decision you can make. Although you will have to spring for a website building software such as FrontPage and learn how to use it, you are saving yourself labor costs for building and upkeep. Most software is quite user friendly and, if you know how to us Microsoft Word, you can create a simple, well designed website.

Most web hosts offer free templates, so you don't even need to learn a website building software to build a website. However, bear in mind that you cannot take the site with you if and when you decide to leave and you cannot save changes onto your computer. You have to decide if the convenience of building on a web host template is worth the potential for lost work. Also, as said before, many web hosts that offer free websites have built-in ad banners. You cannot control what ads show up and where they are located on your website.

Some web hosting services offer rates for as little as $5.99 a month. You could also build your own site and save a bundle using an application such as FrontPage or use the template provided by the web host. Either way, you're saving a large amount of money by designing and setting up the page as well as saving money on any changes you might want to make further down the line.

Web design firms can charge thousands of dollars to set up a web site for you. The upside is you get an incredible, custom made site with all the bells and whistles (e-commerce, flash, video streaming, elevated search engine listing etc.) You can control what your site looks like and whether there are ad banners.

Depending on your budget, you have also chosen how much or little you will be involved with your site's upkeep and updating. There are two types of websites, low maintenance and high maintenance. High maintenance sites have time sensitive content that needs to be changed so it will not be out of date. Low maintenance sites need to be updated, just not as often.

You must remember, however, that low maintenance sites have contracts and must be paid regularly. Things to remember when signing up for a website with a credit card:

Website Renewal--Make note of the credit cards expiration date and how it corresponds to your website renewal date. If your card expires and you miss your payment, your site could be temporarily shut down.

Domain Registration--Domain name registration is similar to website registration, although sometimes you can sign a two or more year contract. If this is the case, take extra care in noting your credit card expiration date.

Website Template--If you build your website on an online template, you must not only remember your credit card expiration information, but you should also pay attention to how your webhost upgrades its templates. Keep your site upgraded so your site doesn't accidentally become obsolete.

You can also consider hiring someone to be your network administrator as an in-house website consultant. This choice will depend on the volume of business you plan to do on the website. If you do so, it could save you quite a bit of money.

Another option is hiring a student from a local university to design and help with updating your site. Some webdesign classes offer low cost rates to clients over the period of the course. Most likely, your site's design will be supervised by a professor and will cost much less than a professional web designer. It could also help a student build his or her portfolio.

The best way to avoid having to update your site too often is to keep the content non-date specific. This is tricky because as a website owner, you want to have visitors and you want them to return for repeat visits. There are many ways to create a draw through your website: a message board, newsletters, timely articles, etc.

One way is through web logs or blogs. Blogs offer a simple way to create client tailored content. Through SEO or search engine optimization people you can draw customers from all over the world. Put simply, SEO is a way of writing content that places popular search terms in well-titled material. The result is attractive material that draws customers and money. You can put your article writing talents to use in a monthly or quarterly newsletter. Newsletters are an effective sales tool and can easily be forwarded to others.

As noted before, other ways to gather interest in your site are to answer questions on message boards and send people to your website. There are article publishing sites that offer places to publish material and you can link those articles to your site, too. By becoming an expert in your area of business, you create a customer base of people who need you and will call on you with questions. SEO can be used in your articles and newsletters, as well. Remember that titles should be written with a mind to who will search and read these articles and how the articles will be forwarded. These marketing techniques are stand alone, in other words they do not need a website to work, however work very well with a website.

Another helpful marketing tool is to put your contact information, as well as your website in your email signature. Every time you contact someone via email and even if it is forwarded, someone will see your website.