How much does a website cost?
The cost of a website is primarily determined by what you want your website to accomplish.  This may seem obvious at first, but many businessmen and women do not take the time to think this through until they are well into the project.   Here are a few questions you should ask yourself before pricing a website.

1.    What is the primary goal of your company’s website? 

2.    How important is it for your website to appear at the top of the Search Engines?

3.    How many pages will be required?

4.    How important is a professional design and layout?

5.    Do you have your own pictures and graphics or will you need to purchase them from outside sources.

6.    Do you have Internet competition that you will need to overcome?

7.    Are you able to provide at least 600 words of content rich text for each page of your website or will you need a content writer?

8.    Will you require special features like password protected pages, forms, active databases or a shopping cart?

Domain Names
A domain name is the unique Internet name that identifies your website and tells the Internet servers where your files are located.  For example, the domain name of this website is FlaWebmaster.com.  You rent your domain name from an Internet Registrar.  Some Registrars offer discounted domain names, with the most common fee being about $40 a year.  The choice of a domain name could be advantageous to the success of your website. One of my services is to assist my customers in the selection and purchase of a domain name.

Hosting Accounts
In order to be viewed on the Internet, your website files must reside on a web server.  Large companies can afford to purchase their own web servers and high speed Internet connections.  Most small companies rent this service in the form of a hosting account.

Hosting charges vary depending upon how much traffic you expect to have, what special features you may require and the services that are bundled into your hosting account rental agreement. 

My basic bundled website hosting fee is $25 a month including, text maintenance, personal email and technical support.  It is common to bundle other services such as maintenance, website optimization or consulting into a hosting fee.  How much you will pay depends upon the services you require.

Website Files
These are the computer files that make up your actual website.  A website designer arranges the files based on a design.  The design includes graphic images, photographs, navigation, text and a great deal of programming.  How these components are arranged makes up the majority of what you are paying for and the results should perform the tasks they are designed to do.  Search Engine optimization is the process of making specific modifications to a website in an attempt to influence Search Engine ranking in a positive way.  If the goal of your website is to “make the phone ring”, this requirement needs to be built into the design in the initial stages.

Optimization
A commercial website that can not be found is worthless!  Search Engine optimization is the process of making Search Engines aware of your website and making specific modifications to a website to influence Search Engine ranking in a positive way.  Read more...

How can I reduce the cost of my website?
With today's economic challenges, successful Internet professionals work with their clients to deliver quality products and services at prices they can afford.  Website design fees vary greatly depending upon the amount of creativity and labor involved.  Creativity is the most expensive component in any website.  If you do not know what you want and do not have useable graphics, photographs or text content, you can expect to pay more than someone who has everything ready to go.  A good way to reduce these costs is to invest time looking at other websites before requesting a price quote.  Do you see any designs you like?  Do you have company brochures or printed sales material?  Often these items can be the catalyst that leads to a good website design for your company.