Many people ask me this question all time, "What would it REALLY cost me for a web site?" I wondered same thing before I became a web owner. But it was hard to get a clear answer. Now I know why. Prices run all over place.Plus, you need to have a clear idea of ALL costs that are part of getting a web site, not just cost for a web designer. You'll find guidelines and price ranges in this article for all services that you, as a new web owner, will need.
These guidelines for costs are based on assumption that you're a small business owner or a sole proprietor on a budget.
Here's a run-down of cost for basics you'll need:
1. How much will it cost to register your domain name?
You'll need to register a domain name at any of many domain services on web. Prices range from $12.95/yr - $35/yr for same service. See http://www.secure domains.com and http://www.000domains.com for $12.95/yr. Another low-cost registrar is godaddy.com.
2. How much will it cost to design your site?
Prices range all over place: for a 4-page site, I've been quoted from $400 to $5000 for same features!
Web designers either charge by 1) hour or 2) page. Some charge by project. Make sure you understand designer's pricing structure.
Reasonable per page charges are $85-150 per page for a good designer. Project quotes vary depending on complexity of design and layout.
Assuming a 5-page site, consider a $450-600 price range for a site with basic design elements. For special forms and other features, price will increase.
The key is to get a good web designer because you can pay same amount of money for someone who is mediocre. Just because person is an expert in html doesn’t mean they really know what they’re doing.
They may know html, but that’s only part of what a good designer knows.
You have two other options to consider if you don't want to hire a designer to start from scratch:
One option is to get a ready-made web site template. Choosing a ready-made template for your web site has some advantages:
1) Prices tend to be less when you choose among ready-made templates.
2) Ready made templates allow you to get your web site online quickly, often in as little as 24 hours.
For an excellent discount on professional web site templates, see Private Practice Marketing http://www.private-practice-marketing.com emplates.html. Ordering a ready-made template means that you are choosing a web site design from among a selection of pre-made designs.
At Private Practice Marketing, http://www.private-practice-marketing.com emplates.html, you get license to your design when you purchase template which means that no one else will have same web site design that you do. Not all sites give you license when you purchase template so make sure you ask.
Another option is to get only really good tool that does it all for you. No html needed. Beware of any fake imitations. Sitebuildit! really does all research, including right key words for your site plus other tedious steps that take excessive time when you do them manually. See it here: http://www.private-practice-marketing.com/marketing.htm.
The other design cost is frequent updates to your site to keep it fresh and interesting to your visitors.
When people visit your site again in a month or so, they expect a business to offer new content, similar to way a store changes its display windows and rotates merchandise.
If you don't keep your site fresh, what does that say about how serious and legitimate you are as a web business owner?