Determining what type of site do you need.
Let 'say for example that you own a small business that sells widgets. Finally after hearing your customers ask you if you have a website, you give in and explore the many options out there. One of the first steps is determining what you want to achieve by owning a website. Here is a list of a few questions you should ask yourself.
- Will this website be informational only?
- Will I be selling anything with this website?
- How often will I need to update the information on the site?
- How web savvy am I, do I need someone to manage it?
- Will I need a merchant account?
- Will my customers need to login?
- What is my budget !!
This is a small start, it will also give your web design company a good idea of the types of products and services the should be offering you. I am not going to lie, as a web designer myself, budget is usually my first question when I meet a new client. Budget will greatly determine the type of site and quality of site you will get! In this article, I'm going to stay within the pricing structure of American based companies, not because I am a firm believer in working with a local company (Which I am) but because with some foreign companies, you do not know what to expect. If a problem arises, your legal course of action may be limited.
Pricing For A Small Information Website
If you decide that your company only needs an informational website, maybe only 5 or six page, your cost should be minimal. A few hundred dollars should be sufficient. Ask your web designer if your layout and design will be custom build or will it be a pre-made template. This will greatly determine your overall cost.
Online Stores
Depending on the functionality and amount of products you want to sell, a good online store will run you anywhere between $ 800 and a few thousand dollars. There are many open source shopping carts out there that can be utilized and will keep the cost at a minimum.
Database Driven Websites
Functionality is Key! a good website that offers membership or any other database driven sites can run anywhere between $ 1,000 up to $ 15,000. We suggest that you speak with several companies to determine which option is right for you!
