Internet consultants say the problem is all too common. Poor planning coupled with a lack of customer and key-employee input into site content can result in ineffective and confusing Web pages.

"Too many times, business executives have mandated that "We need to be on the Web' without giving their people clear direction," said Rick Smith, co-author of "The Internet Strategic Plan: A Step-By-Step Guide to Connecting Your Company."

Smith and other experts say that even in this new communications medium, dos and don'ts already have been established. In general, they say to aim clarity over cleverness. Keep your Web site fresh. And engage your customers in an interactive experience.

Post key corporate information on your home page. Be sure the first page on your Web site has your firm's name, address and phone number. Include phone numbers for both sales and customer support.

Keep information up to date. The Web is supposed to be a new, more efficient communications conduit - don't disappoint visitors. Shopping sites, in particular, need to play close attention to timeliness.

"I've seen sites advertising Christmas specials in March," said Betsy Richter, editor-in-chief of Excite Inc. of Mouintain View, California. Excite runs a search engine and Web directory at http://www.excite.com/.

Experts say business sites should be updated at least once every three months and the date the content was last revised should be prominently posted.

Don't make site pretty but illegible. Some sites have mismatched colors of "wallpaper." For instance, white or red type on a black background can be hard to read.

Also, don't overload a page with too many graphics. "Since every click brings with it a certain amounth of load time, try to spread the graphisc over a wide site architecture," said Richard A. Segal Jr., managing director of Hensley Segal Rentschler, an ad agency and Internet consultant in Cincinnati.

Consider using small photos instead of large ones. And post projected download times for different modem speeds next to icons representing large graphical files.

Don't build in a lot of cute animation. "Too many Web sites are like neon sites in Las Vegas - all glitter an glitz, but no substance," says author Smith, who is also president of Internet Business Development Co. of Durham, N.C.

Include a document or page of frequently asked questions, or FAQs. The Web is a forum for education and customer service. Dialogue should be established among Web site managers and sales and customer service so new questions can be added and old ones updated regularly.

Eliminate broken links between documents and pages. Links enable users to jump directly from one document to another. Broken links often are created as pages are updated.

Don't post documents in uncommon formats. Visitors don't want to strain to access your information. Uncommon formats will force them to search out software that lets them read your documents.

Post prices prominently. Make it easy for price shoppers to get what they need quickly. You might want to have a general price section on your site, sa well as include prices on pages on specific products or services.

Furnish case histories of how your clients have used your products or services. If a client's own Web site describes this use, provide a link to that site. "Rather than giving a weak, broad message, this is a great medium that will allow you to customize your message," noted Albert Blanco, president of Meta4 Digital Design, an interactive ad agency in Jersey City, N.J.

At the Godiva (Chocolatier) site (http://www.godiva.com/, visitors can get chocolate recepies, advice on entertaining and other information. It's a good example of going beyond product information and ordering, says Excite's Richter. Activities like these "encourage repeat traffic and create goodwill," she commented.

Include a feedback method. Let visitors respond to your site and products via electronic mail. Query visitors for their likes and dislikes. Finally and above all else, experts say, be driven by a business purpose. "Your Web presence is not about technology, but about commerce, " Segal said.

In June, Scott Richer, national service planning manager for associated Global Systems Inc., a privately held overnight shipping firm in New Hyde Park, N.Y., was faced with just such a decision.

Associated Global planned to construct a relatively modest Web site. It would include information about services plus package-tracking.

Content creation would be handled internally. But Richter was not willing to pay the estimated cost of more than $20,000 for a powerful Web server and an expensive, high-speed phone connection. "We didn't want to be in the (Internet) hardware maintenance business," Richter explained.

So how do you find a hosting service? Many of the large national services - that often are Internet service providers as well as Web hosts - are regularly covered in such publications as Web Week and Boardwatch.

Richter identified his hosting candidates through canvassing customers, as well as reading Internet trade publications.

Then, Richter evaluated the Web hosts by asking them questions. Here's the grilling Richter and others recommended you give a potential Web hosts:

What type of hardware does the hosting service use?  Is it from a respected maker, such a Sillicom Graphics Inc. or Sun Microsystems Inc.?

How many Web sites are on each of the hosting service's servers?

With whom will my Web site be sharing a server?

Does this server have enough muscle for all the sites loaded onto it?

What speed to the Internet does the hosting service use? Richter said he eliminated any providers lacking a basic T1 connection - 1.544 megabits per second - for each server.

How closely is the service tied to the Internet "backbone"? Proximity to these main connective pathways is critical, says David Strom, an Internet consultant in Port Washington, N.Y.

He said to ask, "How good is the connectivity between the service's office and various backbone suppliers like MCI (Communications Corc.) or BBN (Corp.)?" If there are three or four steps between your hosting service and the backbone, your Web site performance will be affected, Storm said.

How reliable are the other Web sites hosted by the service provider? Get references. Market researcher Forrester Research Inc. recommends companies buy hosting services only from outsourcers with well documented engineering guideklines and tested disaster recovery plans.

Does the hosting service monitor its hosted sites at preset intervals to make sure they are performing well?

What kind of security is in place? Storm recommends a visit to the offices of candidate hosting companies. Do they restrict access to the computer room?

How did Richter's search end up? He eventually chose BBN Planet, the hosting service of BBN Corp. of Cambridge, Mass., to run his Web site.

Hosting services typically charge a start-up fee and a monthly service fee. Prices depend on storage and throughput required.

As one of the largest national hosting services, BBN Planet offers many pricing plans. An individual wanting a personal Web site might pay as little as $50 a month. For a business site, hosting services range from less than $300 a month to $6,000 a month for a full Windows NT server with unlimited storage capacity.

For comparison, another service, privately owned Interport Communications of New York, will be host to a Web site with 10 megabytes of storage for $175 a month and a $625 start-up fee. It says this service can handle four megabytes of Internet traffic each hour.

Interport's beefier service for busier sites cots $500 a month with $1,500 start-up fee. It can manage 20 megabytes of traffic per hour and store up to 40 megabytes of content.