Designs by LAS
Creative Designer Linda Stewart
®
Web Design
Types of websites and what they have to offer.
Having a Web presence is essential for any business wanting to be successful today. And it is growing stronger with the advent of smart phones, on-board computers in automobiles and tablet devices. Websites come in many different forms, with budgets determined by the functionality the site provides.
To implement and publish any website, you need to register a Web domain. A domain, also referred to as a URL, is the address that usually begins with "www," which a customer types into a Web browser to find your site. You can search for available domains online using a domain registrar. Many websites allow you to simply type in your desired domain to see if it is available.
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Website for
Advertising Products
Website for
Selling Products
Basic Custom Site
The entry-level custom website is the most common starting point for small companies. They typically include five to seven pages of information that is fully branded with a company logo, color scheme and photos. A small business will normally contact a Web developer to discuss the site content and design, with the developer offering a quote to deliver the site.
Basic websites can be delivered in a huge range of budgets. A five-page small-business site could cost as little as $500, while a five-page site for a major firm could have a $100,000 budget. The difference in budget relates to the complexity of design, cost of custom photography, motion graphics, animation and interactive tools. It is important to discuss your site within your budget needs.
Template Websites
Many Web hosting companies offer free template-driven tools that allow you to select a boilerplate design and customize it with your text and photos. You can easily customize a homepage, an "about us" page and a page that describes your offerings or products. These template designs are extremely limited in what you can do with them, but they do provide a quick and inexpensive way for a small business to develop a Web presence.
The downside of using a template design tool is that it is the online version of using clip art. Many savvy Web surfers will recognize your site as a cheap template presence, with that knowledge clouding their attitude toward your company. Template design tools are often included in Web hosting packages that typically cost $250 to $500 each year, including a number of email addresses.
Small Business
Infomation Website
Website with Online Stores
If you want to sell product on your website, you need to add an e-commerce engine to your site. Many hosting companies offer an e-store solution with their top-tier plans. For most small businesses, adding a standard store to a professionally designed website is an acceptable solution. You will usually be given a design that features descriptions of your products, photos of each item and the price. If a customer chooses to purchase the item, it will be added to a shopping cart.
These online stores allow you to receive payment using a service such as PayPal or credit cards. Before choosing an e-store provider, look at companies that are using an e-commerce system and decide if it works for your business. Hosting plans that include an e-commerce solution can be sourced for less than $1,000 per year. Many systems are simple enough for a non-developer to customize, but consider hiring a Web professional to set up your e-commerce site. In many cases, they can add design elements to the template that tie the e-store areas into the overall design of your site.
Web Presence
If a company is looking to create a truly original Web experience, it is necessary to leave the relatively inexpensive world of e-stores and templates behind and design a site from scratch. A custom site that sells product, captures information from your customer and offers tools such as discussion boards, customer reviews, games and high-end shopping malls does not come cheap. A completely customized site with e-commerce capabilities starts at about $25,000, with additional features and functionality increasing that cost substantially.
Depending on your business, this may be an acceptable, even preferable, route to take. The cost to create an awe-inspiring website is likely less expensive than setting up a similarly impressive brick-and-mortar retail store. When undertaking a bespoke website, clearly document exactly what you are looking for and ask a number of Web developers for quotes.
Reference: Average Cost of a Website
By Chris MacKechnie, Demand Media