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Building an Online Business Website - What Are Your Options?

Written by: Michael Laleye

Article Overview: There are pros and cons to consider whether you decide to build the site yourself or you decide to outsource the work to have it done for you. This article will look at 4 options that are available to you.

Building an Online Business Website - What Are Your Options?

Depending on your skill level, the amount of time you're willing to spend, and the amount of money you have available, building an online business website can be quick and easy process. On the other hand building a website can be very time consuming and expensive. There are pros and cons to consider whether you decide to build the site yourself or you decide to outsource the work to have it done for you. This article will look at 4 options that are available to you.

Do it yourself

If you have prior knowledge of HTML then building your website is definitely the least expensive option for building your online business website. Once you have a few pages created, the rest of the work becomes fairly easy and will not take much time to complete since the layout for each page can be copied from your initial work. The cost stays low depending on the type of HTML editor you purchase to create the web pages. The most advanced HTML editors such as Macromedia Dreamweaver offer all the editing tools one needs to complete a website with all the bells and whistles, but the cost can be prohibitive. If you don't have a prior knowledge of HTML then doing t yourself can be time consuming, learning even basic HTML will allow you to build a presentable website that you will be proud of.

Buy a ready made template

Template website designs have been around for a very long time now. When website templates were first being offered, they were not the most attractive designs. But, as time passed and websites designs became more creative, there was competition between template makers to offer the public templates that were clean and state of the art. Now you can search for website templates to fit any business model or design aesthetic you choose. These templates are generally inexpensive and are ready for you to simply add your content. Designers may often tweak their designs to fit your specifications if you feel the need to modify the original design.

Get a website package deal

A website package erases the need for you to learn HTML by having the company that offers this service build you a website that incorporates all of the aspects that an online business website needs including products and services to promote. Depending on your niche, a website package that includes the products and services you want to promote may be hard to find. On the other hand there are companies that offer a generic websites and a process for adding your own products and services to their design model. This process is usually "drag and drop" and easily customizable. I won't mention any in this article, but a quick Google search will yield many results. Just be sure to get seek opinions on reputable online webmaster forums before you make a purchase.

Hire a designer

Hiring a designer can be the most expensive and time consuming solution of them all. Not only will you have to give your design specifications, but you will also have to work with the designer to get the site created exactly the way you envisioned it. Designers can range in price, but by using sites such as guru.com you can post a description of the project you would like created and have web site designers bid or compete for your business. You can also take a sample view of their work to ensure the best quality. If you know a web designer and are comfortable with their work then that might be your best solution.

No matter which option you decide to use to build your online business website, you will still be wise to learn basic HTML. Because once the site is created it's up to you to maintain it and keep it functional. You will save a lot of time and money if you don't have to pay every time you need to make changes to your website. This also gives you ultimate control over your online business.

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Article Tags: amount of money, amount of time, attractive designs, basic html, bells and whistles, building a website, business model, content designers, editing tools, html editors, initial work, long time, original design, prior knowledge, pros and cons, skill level, state of the art, template website, web pages, websites designs



Related Forum Posts
Re: what position to request? - Hi Michael, Great suggestion from David, or you could try something around a design consultancy, How about Website Design Consultant, Design and Development Manager, Website Support and Development Manager or maybe Internet Business Development Consultant. Ultimately whatever you are comfortable with and good luck for the future, Mal.
Re: HOw to market a B2B consulting company - [quote="zohahunt77":428owzbi]Hi, I was wondering if anyone can tell me the difference between B2B and B2C. I don’t know about b2b marketing but I have done marketing so know things about it. I will suggest you to take online services which will spread your business all over web network. Online marketing is the best way to market any business.[/quote:428owzbi] B2B = Business to Business - You are marketing to other businesses. B2C = Business to Consumer - You are marketing to consumers.
Re: what position to request? - Hi Michael, How about Online Business Development Manager? Good luck with your start-up. David
Type of business with building - If you owned a building and Wal-Mart was opening its doors across the street in a previously unoccupied area (along with 12-14 small shops), what type of business would you start? Here are the considerations: 1. Money is a non-factor 2. Building is fairly large (10,000) square feet 3. Building is on the corner of a busy intersection (about to get much busier)
Simple poll for the group. - On personal opinions only, what company represents Futures Options and why? I thank you, before hand for your interest and feedback...


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