Website 101

How Much do Professional Web Designers Charge?

Professional web designers can range anywhere from $45 to $150 per hour. Website projects average from 20 to 100+ hours of work not including updates and maintenance. Depending on the complexity of your site and the amount of content you need to set up this can result in some big bucks that your new company is not quite ready to shell out.

Building your Own Web Site:

If you are starting an new business and would like a presence on the Internet but do not yet have the budget to hire a web designer you may want to consider investing in some software and creating your own web site from scratch. The results may not be as polished and as robust as you may like but it can be a short term solution that gives you Internet exposure that is becoming a necessity rather than an option to stay competitive in today's online market.

Start with the Basics:

1. A web design editor. I use Dreamweaver. (Buy Dreamweaver on ebay for less.) .
2. A photo editing program. I use Photoshop. (Buy Photoshop on ebay for less)
3. Tutorials for both of the above. (Buy on ebay for less)
4. Imagery also known as stock photos - I use http://www.bigstockphoto.com.
5. Writing for business websites tutorial. (Make Your Words Sell SBI free ebook)
6. A domain name - I use .
7. Web hosting - I use .
8. FTP to upload files- I use Filezilla. (free)

Things You May Consider:

1. Copywriter
2. Photographer
3. Web Design Template
4. Video Content

Marketing Your Site:

The ultimate resource for driving traffic to your web site is getting top positioning in the major search engines which are Google, Yahoo and MSN. Search Engine Optimaztion (S.E.O.) companies specialize in enhancing your site's potential to place well on these search engines. Keep in mind although it is very effective to hire a SEO company it can also be expensive ranging from $200 to $2000 a month plus set up fees. If you are a new company on a budget you may still get results following a few basic steps to optimize your site on your own. Search "SEO techniques" to learn how you can rank in the search engines.

A few criteria to keep in mind:

1. Keyword Optimization

Keywords are words that someone might type into Google when looking for your site. For example "Dry Cleaning High Park Toronto". Keyword optimization is having these words appear in your copy, heading, labelling and title in the proper percentage ratio to the rest of the content on your site.

2. Back Links

Back linking is how many outside websites link to your site, the higher the page rank of the back linked sites the better your chances of placing higher in search results. An effective way to create quality back links and also drive targeted traffic to your site is by writing and submitting ezine articles and participating in niche related message boards with your website address in your signiture line.

2. Page Rank

Page rank also known as PR is a quality value of 1 to 10 that Google applies to your site based upon back linking and rich keyword optimized content.

The best part of SEO is that it is a free traffic tool once your page is competively ranked. This can happen over time but it is very seldom ever instant. The highest ranked sites are generally well established and have been around for many years.

In the short term you can get your site listed on these same search engines by using pay per click PPC advertising. PPC adverts are the 4 line advertisments that you see to the right on the search engine pages. The most effective PPC advertising is Google Adwords. With PPC you only pay when your advertisement is clicked upon. Depending on what you are advertising these clicks can range anywhere from $0.05 to over $5. Generally anywhere from five cents to a dollar is the norm.

Overview:

I have provided you with the essentials for getting started at creating a web presence on a tight budget, including software required, resources for domain registration, hosting and imagery. I've also included some tips for getting your site in front of the eyes of your customers. This of course is just a basic overview. You will learn a lot more once you dive in and start researching specific topics on the net as you go. In the future you most likely will want to turn your homemade effort over to a professional but for now you can save time and money by rolling up your sleeves and getting at it.

All the best with your online endeavors.