The Cost Of A Web Site

Just starting out, you can start with a simple informational site, which is all most need initially, and build up to a fuller site (e-commerce and/or interactive) when you can afford it.

Your goal should be to get an online presence. Remember, most surfers are looking for information. Dancing cartoons, streaming video and other interactive features are, in the great majority of cases, unnecessary.

Naming Your Site: Selecting and Registering a Domain Name

The first step in getting a web site is to select and register your domain name. Even if you can't afford a web site right now, it is a good idea to register your name. This can be done for under $10.00 a year (eg, namecheap.com).

Choosing a Web Designer / Web Design Company

Choosing a web designer will depend greatly onthe type of site you are having built. Prices are all over the place. Many designers/firms have a dollar minimum that you must spend in order to work with them.

Ball park figure: If you are having a simple informational site built, I suggest spending no more than $500. Learn how to update it yourself to save ongoing maintenance charges.

An even cheaper option is to do it yourself. There is plenty of easy-to-learn software (eg, FrontPage) that make it easy to build a site. Also, many companies (Yahoo, Microsoft BCentral, AOL, etc.) have templates that make it simple to drag and drop text and create a site. Rates begin at around $19.95/month.

Web Hosting Costs

Fees range from free to hundreds of dollars per month. As a guideline, the average cost for hosting a personal web site is $10-$25/month. Business sites with higher traffic are in the $45-$75/month range.

There are excellent deals to be found on web hosting (eg, peoplehost.com), so shop around. Usually, if you prepay for a year or more, you will be given a discount. I recommend this because once you get a site, it is highly unlikely that you will ever discontinue it, unless you change careers altogether.

About Free Web Hosting Companies

I do not advise the use of free web hosting companies. This is your professional online presence and you get what you pay for. More often than not, free host companies have limitations such as space, email specifications, domain name use, et cetera, that won't allow you to operate as a professional site.

How Much Should You Pay A Content Developer

This depends so heavily on the type of content your site requires that it's almost impossible to answer. Freelance writer and editor rates range from a low of $25 an hour up to $250 an hour, or more. Most are in the $50 to $100 per hour range. Shop around.

As an editorial professional, I'm assuming that you will provide your own content. However if you have neither the time, desire, or skill, you will definitely want to spend the money for a professional.

Finally Tally

If you choose to go with a web designer and are simply having a 2-3 page informational site built, pay no more than $500. This is assuming that you write your own content and do not have custom work done, such as logo/graphic design.

Cheapest Option: Do it yourself. A template site, or buying a software (eg, FrontPage) and doing it yourself, with hosting fees should top out at about $300/year.

The beauty of buying software and doing it yourself is that after you purchase the software, you only have to incur the hosting and domain name fees on a yearly basis. These can be under $50/year - making your site really economical as time passes.

See you online!

Parts of this article were excerpted from How to Get Your Small Biz on the Web Quickly & Affordably, available for immediate download.

About The Author

May be reprinted with inclusion of the following: Yuwanda Black is an entrepreneur, author, speaker and syndicated small business columnist whose focus is controlling your destiny through small business ownership. Her most recent e-books, How to Really Make a Living as an Editorial Freelancer and Advice from Successful Freelancers: How They Built Their Careers & How You Can Too! are available for immediate download at http://www.InkwellEditorial.com/bizguides.html Visit her on the web at http://www.EntrepreDoer.biz for a complete list of how-to, small business books and articles.

columnist@EntrepreDoer.biz

---

WYSIWYG Versus Coding: HTML With A Purpose

After years of working with entrepreneurs who developed their first... Read More

10 Things You Should Be Monitoring On Your Website

Every business needs to know how it is doing. That's... Read More

Why You Need a Website

You hear a great deal about the Internet these days... Read More

You Cant Just Build A Website And Hope It Works!

Like any area of business your website needs some effort... Read More

Develop a Solid Website Presence

Starting an internet business can be confusing to non-veterans. The... Read More

Are Web Graphics Stealing Your Money?

They might not be wearing a mask and carrying a... Read More

Instant Relevant Web Site Content - No Its Not a Bot

In about the Time it takes to Watch a Reality... Read More

Adding Word Rich Content to Your Website

You have permission to publish this article electronically, in print,... Read More

How to Make Your Own Website For Free

If you like the Internet and surfing through the billions... Read More

Learn to Build a Better Online Business Website Using Keywords and Content

Are you aware that 90% of the websites on the... Read More

5 Ways to Build a Website

If you are like me you have wanted to build... Read More

Lead Generation How to -- 10 Tips On Generating More Internet Sales Leads

Many millions of dollars are being wasted on promoting and... Read More

5 Tips For A Better Website

Having an eye catching website is great, but are you... Read More

Developing A Website: 10 Tips For Getting Started

1. Be clear on your purpose.Building a website can be... Read More

7 Tips to Make Your Order Page Work Harder

So your prospect, Mary, is sitting at the computer reading... Read More

Benefits Of An Accessible Website: Part 2 - The Business Case

The DDA (Disability Discrimination Act) states that service providers must... Read More

PHP & Account Activation

When a user signs up at your website, you may... Read More

Web Content Strategy 101

Your content is what gets you in search engines, speaks... Read More

Creating a Sticky Web Site

When used to describe a web site, the term "sticky"... Read More

Creating Dynamic Website Content with PHP - MySQL

Fresh website content for your visitors can be of real... Read More

Create Huge Income From Your Web Site - 10 Easy Ways

The cost of setting up a web site is dirt... Read More

Making the Most of Your Website: Start with the Basics

One of my most salient memories from when I sold... Read More

Do You Really Need A Website To Succeed

Rosalind wants to share her inspirational poetry with a wider... Read More

You Don?t Have to be Amazon.com to Achieve 12% Conversion Rates!

That's right. According to a recent study by Nielsen/NetRatings, Amazon.com... Read More

Ecommerce for Beginners

Like most average persons, I wanted some extra money to... Read More

Web accessibility for screen magnifier users

The needs of screen magnifier users are overlooked when implementing... Read More

You May Be Losing Valuable Traffic - And Not Even Know It!

Here's something you may never have thought of before:If I... Read More

If You Build It, They Will Come?

Building a new website can be a lengthy task. From... Read More

The Secret Benefit Of Accessibility: Part 2 - A Higher Search Engine Ranking

An additional benefit of website accessibility is an improved performance... Read More

Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) & Web Accessibility

There's been widespread speculation about the new legislation being introduced... Read More

35% Revenue Increase? from Your Website!

2 Golden Rules for an Engaging Website35% of visitors fail... Read More

Guide to Internet Business - Design and Content

After deciding what kind of internet business you want to... Read More

Track Your Visitors, Using PHP

There are many different traffic analysis tools, ranging from simple... Read More