Mar
I know WordPress is great, but they will not let you link to a commercial site. How about Typepad or Blogger? Any preferences? Thanks!
Answer:
Free sites usually have restrictions like this. If you wish to sell a product directly online, Webs.com offers free sites and actually allows you to setup PayPal checkout through them.
Even more of a problem than restrictions, though is that some of these free hosts can be unreliable. I've known of sites at Blogger and Yahoo Geocities to just disappear without notice. I've had major problems with bugs in Blogger's page setup tools, too.
The best thing is to set up your own site at a paid host. This doesn't have to cost much. Here's the best way: At Godaddy.com, register a domain name for about $10 (.net sites are easier to get than .com ones, but give it a try). They are a good name registrar (but not such a good web host). Next, go to a low-cost web host like Host Gator or Dreamhost where you can host a site for around $10/month. Once your domain name has processed at Godaddy, go to your host choice and open an account with an existing domain name. The screens will tell you how to do it. Now you’ll have access to your host's control panel. Look around here for their “one-touch” WordPress install. This will set your site up for you quite swiftly. This is different from WordPress.com where they host you. You will just be using the excellent WordPress blog format and content management system (This version of WordPress is at WordPress.org, by the way).
I’ve done all of this and can vouch that these services are good.
After that, just read up on using a WordPress install. It has some hassles at first, but the convenience is worth it. And you will have a stable business website with your own .com or .net web address. This is really the way to for the long term.