wendywatson.com website design

why does my business need a website?

Consider a website as an interactive brochure - or a TV commercial; available to anyone in the world with a computer and a modem! Your business service, philosophy, location, prices and products can be advertised and sold in a creative and entertaining format. Advertisement of your product or services is available to a worldwide customer base.

where do i start?

First step: decide on a domain name (what comes after the “www”). Each day thousands of businesses register their domain names. The sooner the better for those who are interested! The cost to register a domain name is approximately $70 for two years. After that time, there is a yearly fee to keep your domain name (about $35).

hire a website designer

My goal as a web designer is to develop a site that will not only advertise your business, but also inform and entertain current and future customers. A good web designer will spend time with you to make sure their creation best portrays your business – the way you see it! Fees vary greatly. Small firms tend to work with smaller business and charge less. Large firms generally work with larger corporations and tend to charge more to cover higher overhead.

how your site makes it "on line"

The site is created
The domain name is chosen and registered
The web host server is chosen
The site is uploaded to the web host server
Voila - go to your domain name and you are there!

costs associated with owning a website

Web Design Fees	Designers usually charge more for additional features such as special graphics, animation, on-line forms, etc.
Website Hosting Service	(10 MB or less), expect to pay between $8.95 - $25 a month, plus a small set-up fee. The price you pay depends upon the number of visitors your site may attract, as well as the size and complexity of your site.
Search Engine Registries	Most search engines allow anyone with a domain name to enter their site for listing. It is imperative your site be listed with the most popular search engines (about.com, Yahoo, etc.) A registry service can register your domain name with hundreds of search engines, usually at a reasonable subscription cost ($50 - $250)
Site Maintenance	It’s important to keep your site updated. It leaves the customer with the feeling your business is alive and well. As your business changes or expands, you can work with your website designer quickly integrate those changes into your website. Hourly rates to update a site -$75 an hour, based on quarter hour increments

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