If you're looking to promote your business online with a website, you have a seemingly endless supply of options. Hopefully this post will help you sort through some of them.

First and foremost, there's the whole package. You can get a custom-designed website with custom development options, which will require meetings with a couple different consultants or one web design business that you're willing to work with. This process is the longest and most expensive, but will ideally nail down exactly what you (and your potential customers) want. It's important to at least research this option, especially if you want to establish or maintain a strong brand that's recognizable and simple to interact with.

If you take a step down from the "whole package," you'll have to begin to choose whether design or development is more important. You can have a custom design that will match your existing look and feel, but will use a pre-established content management system (CMS) to make development and content changes to the site. Some CMS options are very extensive and will still meet most, if not all, of your needs. Similarly, if you choose that custom development is more important than design, there are still pre-designed template options that can give you a professional look and feel with the interface you need.

One level below is an option that allows you or a consultant to work within a structure like Wordpress or Joomla to apply some custom design elements or widgets to a pre-existing structure. An even more basic option is to simply drop your own pictures and content into a free template that works on one of those platforms.

The most basic web presence you can create is through a social media site like Facebook or with a free website creation software online. Even with these options, you can customize the URL and find some free resources that can help you stand out from the competition.

No matter what option you choose, having a web presence is important for businesses and entrepreneurs, and the most important element of that presence is its content. If you're using a free blogging platform, be sure to contribute photos and YouTube videos as part of your posts and be consistent with your topics and keywords. If your Facebook Fan Page is the only place where potential customers can find you online, make sure it's an accurate representation of your products or services by providing pictures and descriptions.

If you're not sure what you need, find a website designer or inbound marketing consultant who can assess your situation and provide some options that fit within your budget.