When you walk into a familiar store, consciously or unconsciously, you know what to expect. Some stores try to charm you and keep you inside longer to do more shopping. Others want turnover, and accordingly, want you through the turnstile and out the door one-two-three. Online stores haven't figured out their best ways to keep the online shopper. Amazon.com, the world's largest online bookstore, does a brilliant job of keeping you interested after you've selected a book, by offering you such tidbits as recommendations (based on your selection) of other books you'd like. Investors are starting to realize that their competition isn't Barnes and Noble, but Walmart, as online distribution becomes a greater factor in the way we do business.

E-commerce and the online store are often the first reason people want to be on the Internet. Chances are, when you think of starting up a small to medium size organization website, you have two other main concerns — marketing and information distribution.

Marketing often gets a bad name when it comes to the web, but that's only when you're dealing with marketing groups that don't know the Internet. A savvy webmaster reminded me that his clients wouldn't entrust their marketing to a firm that didn't know the web, so why would they entrust their Internet to a web designer who didn't know marketing? Small to medium size organizations need marketing to not only distinguish themselves from the crowded competition, but oftentimes just to put themselves on the map.

Non-profits aren't excluded from this task. Who are your constituencies? Why should patron X or foundation Y give to your non-profit? Yes, you may have 501(c)3 IRS tax deductible status for donors, but what results do you bring to your donors? Needs and good intentions aren't enough to drive fund development. Very few of us will write blank checks anymore, so make sure your website's marketing program talks about what you are doing and how donors are making a difference. A website is an outstanding way to show your donors how they are making a difference.

Information dissemination is the third most compelling reason to be online. From having directions and an online map to your offices to posting an electronic copy of your annual report, the web is a great way to save postage, and more importantly, to have an opportunity to share information with the world. When clients want information, the Internet can't be beat. There is no phone hell, where users press seventeen buttons and wait on hold just to reach a tape where they can leave their names and addresses. Use your Internet as a key part of your information distribution program.

Overall, clients who focus on their desired website's purpose will have a head start on organizations that simply scan their brochures and put them online. Clients that know what results they are looking for, and have honest feedback on realistic expectations, often have the best Internet experience. It's important to keep these factors in mind when trying to gage return on Internet investment dollars.