Designing a Website

[chargerboy69]

I am so past due in doing this, so the time has come to get a website up and going for my business.

I have a few questions.

1.  Is a place like Go Daddy a good place to start or go with a actual web design company? Let me just say I am cheep.

2.  What will be my monthly cost?

3.  What will be my my design cost if I use a company?

I do not have a domain name set up yet, but I know the one I want is not being used.

I realize no one can give me an exact cost, I am just looking for a guess so I do not get ripped off.  Any tips or help is greatly appreciated.

[Troy]

Think of it like cars - if you have to pay someone to set it up you'll spend 10-20 times more than you would by doing it yourself. Depending on size and features it can get expensive fast. If you just want a few pages that don't change often then use a simple hosting plan like what GoDaddy offers. You'll have to figure out how to use the tools but they're pretty basic. I doubt you should have to pay more than $4-6 per month for a shared hosting plan (probably less).

Troy

[chargerboy69]

Thanks Troy.

[Troy]

I forgot something, the domain name. You'll have to "buy" it - which is technically a lease since it expires and you need to renew. Once you own the name you need point it to wherever you have the site hosted. GoDaddy includes a "one page" site for free when you buy a domain from them and they'll link the name to the site automatically. For something bigger (but still small), their basic hosting is on sale right now for $4.99 per month:
http://www.godaddy.com/hosting/web-hosting.aspx?ci=9009

This is just an example! I haven't checked the reviews to see if the hosting is any good but I can tell you their customer service generally sucks. Check some online reviews before making a choice. You do not have to get the hosting and domain registration from the same place - although it can be easier.

Hosting used to depend a lot on whether you wanted a "dynamic" site or a "static" site. Dynamic sites are like this one where the content is stored in a database and changes regularly. There may be some editing tools to "create" the pages and indexes. Any site with a forum, shopping cart, or calendar are dynamic. Maintenance can be high and management can take some effort - but good tools can lessen or even automate some of the work. Static sites are commonly called "brochureware" sites as they are the online equivalent of a brochure/flyer. Many small businesses use these just to get their name online. They usually have a few pages like "About Us", "What we do", "Contact Us", etc. These require some coding up front but rarely change so the ongoing costs are low. Most hosting packages will have a tool to help create/edit the code to make these pages.

Troy