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Designing a Cost Effective Web Site
You have a great idea for a web site but don’t
have a design for it yet. What are you going to do about it? Depending
on your online marketing budget and how skilled you are with designing
websites, there are several options available to you.
My company, Green Chair Marketing Group, has designed over 180
web sites for clients in California, Colorado, Florida and beyond.
I hate to take business away from myself, but I recognize that
some web design clients don’t have the budget to invest in
a professionally designed site.
But if you do have the finances, don’t scrimp. Your web
site is a reflection of your company. It is a very valuable asset
as it grows in maturity and traffic. Take a look at the options
below and make up your own mind.
Design it Yourself
If you or someone in your company knows how to design sites, then
this might be a good option for you. If you don’t know how
to design sites, then there are companies that have content management
systems where you can make changes yourself. I’ve been impressed
with a company called CityMax. You log into to an administrative
backend area to customize generic templates and then create pages
from the templates with your own words and pictures. You should
use this solution if you have more time than you do money.
Hire a Beginner
If you have a small budget and no time, you can hire out the design
to a young designer or someone who is just learning how to do it.
There are plenty of people on Craig’s List who offer inexpensive
design. Be careful to choose someone who seems reputable and can
show you a good amount of sites they have created. Normally, when
you have a site designed you pay for half up front and then the
rest after it’s completed.
Pre-designed Templates
There are pre-designed DreamWeaver templates on places like Monstertemplates.com
where you can buy a template for about $50. You will still need
to have a designer change the navigation and input your content
and pictures. Normally something like this would cost you around
$500, and it will be even more if you are going to change any of
the Flash.
High-end Professional Design
A professional web design company like mine will put together
a custom design for your site. They will normally start off with
a static image of what your site will look like. Once the design
has been approved, then they will start creating the individual
pages from that design. They will also add any kind of programming
that you will need, such as contact forms or a shopping cart.
So, get together with your people and start writing out what you
want on your site and discuss how important the design and function
is to your profit. You may find that you want to start with a less
expensive site until you have the budget to bring in a professional
design team. Many of the designs that Green Chair create are redesigns
that companies had put together early in their company lifespan.
You can have a cost effective site designed, whether you are paying
$50 for it or $50,000. It’s a matter of how much value it
brings to you, your company and your customers.
Dave Carlson is a Google Registered Adwords Professional and owns
Green Chair Marketing Group, a Denver
Internet marketing firm specializing
in driving visitors to web sites by search engine optimization,
pay per click advertising, and web site design/redesign. 720-427-5660
Visit his web site at http://www.GreenChair.net.
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