As I
promised in last month's article, "I Want A Website.
Now What Do I Do?" I'm going to talk about
the cost of creating a website.
Depending
on what you want a website to do, how you
want it to look and how complicated it will
be, the price can range from free, to hundreds
of thousands of dollars.
Let's
start off with the free stuff. There are several
ways to get a free website.
Take
it yourself.
Sign
up with a web hosting company that offers software that lets you create your own site.
Use
one of those "free hosting" sites. I talked about the problems with these sites in my article, "How To Select A Good Website Hosting Company."
Have
a friend who knows how to make websites do one for you.
Find
a college student who has to create a website for a school project make your site.
And
the old standby, barter. I've been offered many items in exchange for a website, like a handmade quilt, a painting and a river raft trip down the Grand Canyon. Just to let you know, I turned them all down. It's just too hard trying to
figure out how many quilts or paintings equal a month's rent or a car payment.
Depending
on your needs, these options for a free
site may work for you, but remember the saying,
"You get what you pay for." This is especially
true in website design. Each of these
options has advantages and disadvantages.
Only you can decide if they will be
appropriate for you.
If you
realize you will need to pay some money for a
site, but want to keep it to a minimum, you have
several options.
You
can learn HTML, and hand code a site, or buy website design software, like Adobe GoLive or Dreamweaver. For GoLive, which is what I use, a student can buy a copy at the bookstore or places like http://www.GradWare.com for about $80. The rest of us will pay about $400. You may also want to do some of the website design with Adobe Photoshop.
You
can pay a student to make it for you. Hopefully, by paying them you'll minimize the chances of them leaving town in the middle of creating your site. I get several clients a year because of this happening.
If
you're lucky enough to have an employee who knows how to make websites, then have them do it "on the clock."
Templates are another option. You buy a template, then add your copy for each page and you have a website. Templates can be free, or cost up to $100. They average between $25 and $60. Be sure to read the usage agreement before you pay for a template. You will need to know some HTML to use templates though.
The
final step, of course, is to hire me, or someone
else like me, who of course won't be as
good. Hiring a website designer may cost more,
but if you do, there are a lot of headaches
you won't have to deal with.
Website
designers offer a range of
options, including:
Templates - The cheapest way to go because you do most of the work.
Business Card Sites - These are one-page websites that usually list a business' name, address, contact information and a paragraph explaining what they do.
Custom Sites - These are the most expensive because the website designer will design and assemble everything. My fees are $60 an hour.
The
fees website designers charge varies, based
on skill, geographic location and several other
factors. Most website designers will charge
between $30 and $100 an hour.
When
trying to figure out the total cost of a site there
are other expenses you need to think about,
too.
Internet Service Provider (ISP) - This is how you connect to the Internet. This will
usually cost about $10 a month for dialup, $35 a month for cable/DSL and $50 a month for satellite/dish.
Domain Name Registration - You have to call your website something, like CreativeCauldron.com. This will range between $5-$10 a year.
Web
Hosting - You need to put your website on a server so people can access your site. A web hosting company is where you do this. The cost is based on many factors, including the size of your site and the features you need. The prices usually start at about $7 a month and go up from there. Most people, myself included, only need this basic level, or one level up.
Software - As I mentioned above, you may need to purchase website design software.
Some
people want a database site. This lets you up
automatically collect data on forms visitors
fill out, and it can make updating your site
easier by filling in forms that only you can assess.
Then this new data is automatically added
to your site. If you need a database on your
site, be warned that they are expensive to create.
It's not uncommon for a database designer
to charge $200 an hour. It can easily double,
or triple, the cost of a website.
So,
let's put this all together. Here are some rough
prices for a basic custom website, created
with HTML, no database and with very little
graphic design work being done. That means
that there isn't any animation or flash, no
photographs or artwork purchased and nothing
real fancy on the site.
3-Page - $450
3-Page With One Year of Hosting and Domain Registration - $700
5-Page - $700
5-Page With One Year of Hosting and Domain Registration - $960
For an
individual, this may be more than you wanted
to spend. The free or less expensive options
would probably be a better way to go.
For a
business, this is a good investment. It's a one-time
expense that will promote your products
and services for many years.
So, pry
open your wallets, pull out your cash and
plastic, and give me a call today. No really, call me
know. I'm waaaaitinnnngggg.........
You have questions? I have answers!Writers, artists, photographers and all creatives, visit http://www.CreativeCauldron.com to get answers to your questions. You'll find reports, ebooks, events, retreats, a blog and more.
