The following is an article from Trent Anderson. It’s especially timely because I’ve spent the last couple of days dealing with a pile of other work. So while this isn’t a typical personal finance article, I think it can be helpful for small business owners. I hope to get together my monthly financial review for tomorrow.
If you run a business, you need to have a website that performs well. After all, a website is your global shop window, so you need to make sure it’s designed effectively. There are options such as WordPress available, which you can use to design and host your own website. This limits the amount of cost involved, but is time and effort intensive; if you want to do a good job.
It makes sense to search for a web design company or a professional SEO agency, to cater for all of your web design needs. They can handle the creation of your website, and the ongoing hosting and maintenance. But, how much does all of this cost?
The cost of a high end website
The costs of creating and maintaining a high end website have risen in recent times. This is due to the use of technology such as responsive web design. You may think that paying an average of around $9000 is a substantial investment, and you would be right. That being said, if you have the budget to invest, it can be worth it.
You get a website that is designed for use by users of all devices, including mobile users. Given that more people browse the Internet using a mobile device than using a desktop, you can see why this is a valuable advantage.
Lower priced websites
The fact is that not every business can afford to invest in a high end website. The good news is that website design priced at the lower end of the market has become more affordable. This is partly due to the fact that there are many more web developers and designers out there, and competition has led to price reductions. There are also more free design tools that are accessible online.
This means that you should be able to have a good basic website designed for an average of around $2000. You need to remember that basic means just that, and your website is unlikely to be optimized for viewing using a mobile device.
[Editor’s Note: I disagree with the author here. If the website is created in WordPress it is easy to choose a theme that is optimized for mobile users. It can be as easy as just clicking a few boxes. If you are paying $2000, you should demand that it is mobile-optimized.]
Ongoing website hosting and maintenance costs
It’s not just about the initial cost of setting up a website; it also has to be maintained and hosted on an ongoing basis. The cost of this varies greatly depending on aspects such as the functionality of your website, the type of maintenance and the choice of hosting option. Generally, you can expect to pay anything between $75 and $1000 per month.
An effective web site is a vital tool for any business. You need to make sure that your website is designed and maintained to have the optimum potential effect. Obviously, the performance of your website can be affected by the amount of money you pay for it; generally speaking you get what you pay for. There are options available for most budgets though. You should seek professional advice about how to make the most of your budget, to create a website that works for you.
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