There is some basic expenditure that you incur to start your own website and these include:-
Domain Name: This is the right to use the name that you have chosen for your product or service. Domain names for your website can cost approximately $13.99 per year.
Hosting Account: This account connects you to the World Wide Web and costs about $6.99 per month. You can always upgrade your hosting package at a later date and choose higher end packages with which you can create unlimited number of sites on one account. You will see savings if you pay for both domains and hosting years or months in advance.
Auto Responder: This facility allows you to create a client list which will eventually be the source of your online income. The cost for this facility is approximately $19 per month and this must be factored when counting the cost for starting your own website.
Web Software: If you create your own HTML website then you need software. You could learn HTML and CSS and build your site from scratch with the help of templates. Other options include purchasing web software such as Artisteer which starts at $50 or Dreamweaver which can cost as much as $400. Artisteer is a designer tool most suitable for beginners while Dreamweaver is a well develop tool for someone who is into the complete mechanics of web design. Buying domain and hosting as one package can usually get you free WordPress ebook/guide and tutorials and other extras.
Logo Design Cost: If you are thinking of getting a professional logo, you need to consider the value if investing in a logo design. This could be as low as $20 or as high as $500 depending on the expert that you hire and the quality of work that you need done.
If however you are launching an E-Commerce (business) website that offer tangible product consider the following:
Financial Transactions cost: E-commerce happens through payment gateways. They connect your customers’ credit and debit cards to your bank. What is needed is a shopping cart solution and a merchant bank account that can process the payments. The up-front investment in shopping carts and payment gateways are usually low-cost but transactional fees can range between 1 percent and 5 percent based on usage volume.
Hosting and Security cost: The e-commerce site needs to protect privacy and personal information, as well as be online even when traffic levels fluctuate. You need to verify Service Level Agreements (SLAs) as well as prices before choosing a hosting company.
The Cost of Your User Interface and Architecture: Your site needs to be user-friendly– for your customers, manufacturers and designers, administrators and customer service reps. A template-based e-commerce site can cost as low as $250 per month to service while the Enterprise edition (all-in-one solutions with customized programming) can be as high as $500,000 per year.
Your website is the face of your online business and the cost will depend on the nature of that business.
Please see part 3 for other considerations in starting your website.
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