Web Site Design and Hosting

April 2003

While this may seem like it does not apply to many of you, some of it will, and for those of you that it doesn't (at first glance), you may be surprised by what you can learn. Lately a lot of people have been asking about web sites and their costs. Because this is an area that is little understood by the average person, I'm dedicating this issue to the topic.

Why should you have a web site?

There are two reasons: To promote a business, or to stay in touch with friends and family. If you have a business, generally you can benefit from a web site. Since print work is very expensive, and cannot be changed frequently or easily, a web site is a cost-effective way to display photos of your work or products. It can be updated at a moment's notice and the cost, compared to print, is relatively cheap. There is no limit, as there would be with a printed brochure. Even if your business is local, it may be an effective method of displaying your abilities. If your business sells products, you can add and remove products and change prices quickly and easily. On the other hand, once a catalog is printed and distributed, typos and other changes have to wait until the next budgeted publication.

What's a web site cost?

Not nearly as much as you may think. The cost is difficult thing to pin down though, unless you are willing to go with a "package" type deal. Many designers offer specific packages, for example, for a certain price you get 5 pages, with 15 photos, and one submittable email form. I've found that packages such as this are far too limiting - everyone has different needs, and no one package will fit more than one situation very comfortably. In addition, the cost of these packages is often inflated, in my own humble opinion.

I charge a flat rate of $25.00 per hour, for all actual time involved. I've learned over time that this will often work out to about $25.00 per page, unless there is more complex programming involved, as with a shopping cart. This formula does at least give you a baseline from which to budget. I find that that typical web site, without a shopping cart, will run in the area of $200-$300 for the initial design. Be wary of anyone saying that they can offer you a special deal on an entry-level site at a cost of much more than that.

What's this "hosting fee"?

Once you have a web site designed, you need a computer to store it on where it will be available to the Internet. These are called host computers. You are leasing hard drive space for the storage of your site, on a computer that has high speed access to the internet and some level of backup coverage in case that computer should fail. Typical hosting fees range from $10 to $75 per month. Be sure to shop around and compare carefully the services that are offered. I find that the lower priced hosting services are usually quite sufficient for the average web site.

What's a domain name, and why do I need one?

A domain name is your address on the Internet. My own domain name is the-grizz.com. You have to register for a domain name on a yearly basis. The cost for this can range from $10 a year to as high as $70, so again, be sure to shop around and make sure you are getting the best deal, and that you are only paying for the services that you need. Before you can register a domain, you will have to check that no one else already has it.

What's the best domain name?

Something that is not too long, is easy to spell, is easy to understand over the phone (for when you tell customers), and something that makes sense for your business. My own domain name is a good example of what not to do! It is difficult to understand, it's often misspelled, either with one z or without the hyphen, and it really has absolutely nothing to do with my business or me! So why did I get it? When I got it, my life was much different, and back then it did make sense at least, though it still was not a wise choice - I wasn't as knowledgeable back then. Put some time and thought into choosing the right domain name.

You may be told that you need to register for every possible instance of your domain name. This can mean two different things. Taking the-grizz.com for example, I could also register the-grizz.net, the-grizz.org, the-grizz.tv, etc. There are many possibilities. The other meaning would be to get various spellings or synonymous words. For example, I could register for thegrizz.com, thegriz.com, griz.com, and grizzly.com. This can become very costly. The only reason for this expense is if your site is extremely competitive, and you are willing to spend whatever it takes to be top dog!

How do I get my site to be number 1 in the search engines?

Simple: Spend more money on site promotion than anyone else! Seriously, it does take a lot of time and effort. Once your site is live on the net, it must be submitted to each of the search engines and directories. Some will index it immediately, others may take up to 2 months to get it indexed - if they get it listed at all. And that's just listing it, that doesn't count getting it listed in the first 20 results! Some search engines only accept paid listings, so you will have to decide if this cost is justified. Some search engines will actually drop your listing over time, so it will have to be resubmitted from time to time. As other sites are promoted, they will rise above yours in the results, so resubmission is critical. (Keep this in mind when you are searching - try the same search a different day and you could get different results!) Your site will also need to be optimized so that it will be listed higher. This is something that should be done at the time of the initial build.

Because each search engine is different, and because the technology they use changes daily, a person would need to specialize in just that area of web work to truly be effective with search engine optimization. While it is true that there are thousands of search engines and directories you could be listed in, in all honesty, there are only about a dozen that really matter - the ones that the majority of people use.

In summary, if you or someone you know is considering a web site, or an update to your existing web site, be sure to check around carefully, do your homework, and be sure you choose someone who is willing to work closely with you to design the best possible site for your situation.

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