Internet and Businesses Online

I. How Much Does A Website Cost? - Using Third Party Web Designers

You can have your site designed by a professional web designer for roughly $500 and up. This is a good option if you have a budget. However, for most individuals, this option is considered very pricey.

In a nutshell:

? Price - High. $500 up
? Quality - High
? Ease of Development - N/A
? Degree of Customizability - High

Cons: Very expensive. Not recommended for business start ups or those who want a personal website

For business start-ups or personal websites, cost is a major consideration. This is where self developed websites come in. Below are some of the most common approaches to building your own website and the costs associated with them.

II. How Much Does A Website Cost? - Using Programming Languages

All websites are coded using programming languages. The most basic programming language is HTML or HyperText Markup Language. This is the bread-and-butter of website coding as all websites use HTML. It also forms the basis for advanced languages such as XML (eXtended Markup Language) and other programming languages. These will definitely lighten your website cost budget. Since you are the one building these websites, building a website is completely yours and can be free!

In a nutshell:

? Price - Free - $400

Development is free if you use kompozer, Trellian or other free programs. However if you use branded editors such as Dreamweaver, Microsoft's Expression web, etc, you will incur a one time cash outlay of $150-$400

? Quality - Depends upon the coder
? Ease of Development - Depends upon the coder
? Degree of Customizability - High

Cons: It takes time to learn the language so site development takes long. I wouldn't recommend this for those without serious inclinations to learning programming languages.

III. How Much Does A Website Cost? - Buying Premade Templates

These templates start from being free to having a small fee attached to them. There are a lot of beautiful templates out there. A serious drawback to this approach however, is that if you are not familiar with html or other website editors, chances are you'll be stuck with the exact template that other people also bought.

In a nutshell:

? Price - $0 - $300 or more
? Quality -Depends upon the coder who has developed the template
? Ease of Development - N/A ? Degree of Customizability - Low

Cons: Very Good templates are never free $50-$300. "The level of customizability is not up to the mark when compared to coding the website yourself" - very true in this context.

IV. How Much Does A Website Cost? - Using Website Builders

Believe it or not, at a website cost of $3-$15/mo you can have your site up and running same day! Website builders are relatively new, yet, promising entrants to the field of web design. They allow you to develop a professional looking website with a very high degree of customization within minutes and with the ease of a WYSIWYG editor. A website cost is never incurred when using free website builder templates.

In a nutshell:

? Price - FREE (you only pay for hosting $3-$15/mo)
? Quality - Very high
? Ease of Development - Very Easy
? Degree of Customizability - High

Cons: For very complex websites, and those requiring advance functionalities, customizability can be an issue. Other than this, It is a perfect solution for most individuals seeking a web presence.

So, how much does a website cost? If you hire a designer, it can get very expensive. If , however you build your own site, especially using Site Builders, it can be very cheap! For $3-$15, you can have your online business/ personal site up and running in a matter of minutes!