Basic Sites
Basis websites are the ones that usually are made up of about four pages or less. They are often information only sites. Just because you are looking for a basic website, perhaps at a cheap price, it does not mean that the completed site should look cheap. Even the most basic site should at it's very least be simple to navigate through with ease whilst maintaining a professional feel. The home page of your site is going to be the most important as this is where the viewer decides if they are going to read more of your site or click on another more interesting site. It should therefore grab the viewer in the first instance. The main page should also have clear links to the rest of your site. The viewer should be able to find the information that they need with ease. If you are going to employ a web design company to build your site for you find out exactly what they are including in the package price and what may come up as an extra cost at a later date.
What Should Be Included?
Even a simple site will need certain things adding in order for it to run successfully. How many email addresses can you get with the site? Find out if they are going to register your domain name and if they do web hosting. If you are going to be making regular changes to your website then a CMS (Content Management System) needs to be included. This is so you can make changes to your site without having to go back to the web design company every time. If you decide not to have a CMS find out how much the company charges for maintenance services.
How Much Will It Cost?
The exact price for even a very basic site is hard to pinpoint as there are so many different companies offering so many different packages available. It is possible to get a very basic site set up for as little as £200. This is likely to be a very basic site and will probably not include all the added extras that you need to have your site up and running as you would like it. You should therefore expect to pay in the region of £400 plus for a company to set up your website. Generally the larger your site is going to be the more it is going to cost you to set up. A good web design company will not finish your site until they have had approval from you that you are one hundred percent happy with it. A good company will always allocate you a web developer and web designer to work with.
Running Costs of a Site
Some people do not realise that there are some running costs with a website that should be taken into consideration. Once it is up and running you will still need to pay for web hosting, re registrations of your domain name and pay for maintenance costs if something goes wrong with your site. Costs are usually paid annually in advance, with the exception of maintenance charges. Registering your domain name and re registering it every year can cost £10 plus per time. Web hosting can be found relatively cheaply but will still have to be paid on an annual basis. Maintenance costs may also add up that is why it is vital you find out how much the web design company charges before you agree to let them build your site.
