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So now you're excited at the
prospect of growing your business on the internet, but you might be leery of the
expense. Don't be - though the initial setup of a web site can seem expensive, the
cost over a year is very reasonable. Take a look at the numbers below.
What's it going
to cost?
5 Page Site · 10 Page Site
| Basic Web Site |
| One-Time Charges 
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Domain Name Registration
A domain name is a unique address to your web site (such as
websfirst.com). Domain name registration is handled by InterNIC. They charge a fee of $70 which
covers the registration for two years. Renewal is $35/year thereafter.Setup Fee - Web Site Host
Your web site must be physically located on a computer that's connected to the
internet. Web hosting companies provide the computer equipment, high-speed T3
connections to the internet, uninterruptable power and take care of backups and security.
The company we use to host our sites charges a $50 fee to open an account.
Commerce sites hosted on iMALL have a different fee structure which is addressed on the
Commerce Sites page.
Page Design
This is the fee to create each page on your web site. It includes
page design, text entry, graphics, hyperlinks and multimedia. Our fee is
typically $125-$150 per page. Copy writing and custom graphic work may require
additional charges. |
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| Recurring
Charges 
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Monthly
Hosting Fee
This is the monthly "rent" to host your web site. The fee
varies according to the size of your site and optional services, but is typically just
$30-$60 per month.This fee can be
billed quarterly, semi-annually or annually.
Site Updates
It is important to regularly update the content of your site. This
gives a reason for visitors to come back often. You can choose to pay an hourly fee
of $75 for changes or contract a fixed fee for multiple updates. |
So what
does this mean in terms of total costs? Look at our chart
for an annualized comparison of site plans. |
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Where are your eyes immediately drawn?
Probably right to the rainbow dividing line. Not the most vital piece of information
here, is it? It's important to remember that design elements that work on a personal
home page don't necessarily work on a business site. We've had some fun creating
this page, but we need to stay focused on the real intent of your web site - generating
more business.
When considering any picture, background or sound
always judge it against the message you're trying to convey to a customer. Does it
enhance that message? If not, don't use it.
Think about the sites you visit most
often -- Yahoo, Google, Amazon, eBay. Notice how clean and effective
their designs are.
Seen enough? Go
ahead and close this window.
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