May 15, 2006

So you want a website for your small business

but you aren't sure if it is a wise investment, how much it will cost, or even how to get started

First lets look at the financial side of the equation. The most asked question I get is, "how much does a website cost?" My responses vary from, "How much do you want to spend?" to "It depends on what you want". This is not one of those "If you have to ask you can't afford it" questions. The fact is, you can get a simple website for less than $500, which compared to advertising in the Yellow Pages is a very reasonable advertising investment. The simple website may be all you need, a Home page that tells about your company, a contact page and form so people can contact you, maybe a page or 2 about your products, a couple of pictures, a nice layout and your done.

The next level of websites range from about $500 - $2000. This might include several pages of products, animated pictures, small Flash. Javascript or some combination of these. This is still basically a static site, meaning there is not a lot of interaction between the user and the webpages.

Then there is the $2000 - $10000 range, this is where you start getting dynamic webpages, content management, SEO, client log in, and more interactive webpages. Dynamic webpages are pages that change depending on what the person browsing the page does. Content management is a system which allows the website owner to edit content on their site, maybe in a news area, or a restaurant menu that changes regularly. The webmaster would normally set it up so you don't need to know any HTML, you just go to an edit area and change what you want using a text editor or form.

Getting started:

What is your budget
1] Web designers charge by the hour, there are no set costs for a website. They are all custom and have various requirements. You can save a lot of money by being prepared. Setting up a website also requires a bit of work on your part. You need to decide what content you want to offer. You need to write, or have us write, the content for your pages. Gather up images and graphics, or let us know if you want us to take pictures, create a logo or create the design. Your Home page and an About page are most important. Remember "Content is King" when it comes to finding your page in a search engine, so be prepared to write text for your pages that is comprehensive, uses your keywords and is well written.The most expensive part of a website is graphics. If you have a company brochure, logo, etc. Get these to your web designer, preferably in a digital format.
2} If you are in business you should have an advertising budget. Your website costs should become a part of this budget. You will have an initial cost to create and set up a website, an average website for a small business may cost between $800 - $5000. Hosting costs, usually ranging from $10.00 to $25.00 per month. Domain name registration $10.00 - $20.00 per year.
3] Just putting a webpage online will not guarantee that you will have visitors. Probably the best thing you can do to get people to your website is advertise in publications that your target audience reads. A kayak website in a boating magazine, a winery in the Wine Spectator, etc. Website maintenance is also important, you need to keep your website current and up to date. You may have a current news area, if you sell products maybe a monthly special. In other words, you need to figure into your advertising budget, the costs of getting your website noticed.

More to come ...

Wayne