This is literally the $60,000 dollar question.  Possibly, you are too young to remember that quote.

    So what should a website cost you anyway?  In the beginning most websites ran about $10,000 to $20,000 on the average.

     It seems from a bystander point of view, that web-design was a contest of sorts between web developers. The client’s needs or business philosophies were sacrificed at the cost of design and pop.

We have all seen those sites that were "WOW", without having any idea what the company was about.

    Then the tables turned and sites became business as usual or all about ecommerce.  For the most part a web site was considered a luxury and not a necessity. Just as the old saying goes;

There, there, little luxury,

Don’t you cry,

You’ll become a necessity,

By and by!

     And here you are reading an article and possibly looking for someone to help you take charge of your Internet Real Estate.  Web-sites are not only main-stream; they are now the driving force behind most company’s sales strategies.

     If your competition has a site and anyone can go to it at anytime 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, you better get on board!  I have seen many excellent Mom and Pop stores go out of business, because they don’t need that “silly internet thing”.  What they have done was given the competition a leg up.  Who in their right mind would do that?

     Thinking that a wider audience could be interested in your services or products, takes some getting used to.   Take that to the next level and say “we are going global”.  Now that is a whole lot of something to get your mind around.  Just the same, it is available and possible with the right mix of product, strategy and web-design.

     So how much should a functional, graphic, well designed piece of Internet Real Estate cost you?

For a small business, you will be looking to spend from $3,000 to upwards of $12,000 for a basic functioning site.  That does not include “the really cool stuff” that other sites have.   Flash sites, picture slideshows, any modules that you see on other sites will probably cost you additional funds,

     Get the price of the modules up front; don’t wait until you see the bill before you reconsider having that “cool stuff” on your site.

Interview a web developer; find out if they can meet your needs or wants.  If not move on, there are plenty of web developers and a handful of good ones.  If you feel good, probe deeper, ask for references.  They should gladly supply them if they aren’t publicly posted for all to see.

     Get a determination of exactly what you want to accomplish with your site including a budget.  Most site builds can and should be broken down into manageable segments or “budget blocks”.

     Any good web design group will help walk you through he design and implementation stages.

    This is not only much easier managed, but will enable the team to actually help enhance your business or products.   If a personal site is your goal, than a website will probably not be the answer for you.

     Rather, why not take a look at a Blog, they are free and the only asset you have invested is your own time.   From a business standpoint, you will never see the returns that a website can bring from a blog.

     What it boils down to is this; you want to turn visitors into customers.  Will a web-site do that for you?

If managed properly, yes it will.