In today's technology driven world, everybody dreams of starting up a website business that will garner them either full-time, part-time or supplemental income. As a small business consultant, I have found that one of the first stumbling blocks to achieving the dream is not knowing the start-up and maintenance costs of running a website business.
What Are The General Expenses Of Running A Small Business Website?
There are some expenses that all small business websites will need.
1. Domain registration is one aspect. This will typically cost $25-$165 depending on how many years you register for and what registrar you use. Domain name parking can cost nothing or upwards of $100 per year. This is a service that lets you store your name with an ISP until you are ready to use it. Expect to pay a fee for this, but make sure there is a email forwarding service included.
2. Website hosting prices can range from free to thousands. This depends largely on the type of hosting and features included. Most small business can expect to pay no more that $600-$700 each year for a good hosting service.
3. Website design is another crucial aspect of a successful small business website. Many people think that they can simply buy a website design software and build a credible, professional looking site. These do-it-yourselfers (DIY'ers) are the first to give up the dream because they get too invested in the technology of building a website and get lost along the way. Better to invest in a web design service which can both create a good looking website as well as who knows how to make the website "search engine friendly." An average service will usually run $1500-$2,000 for a starter website, but if you want a fully professional, search engine friendly website, the price tag rises significantly.
4. Website promotion can run into the hundreds or even thousands of dollars depending on the services that you choose. The key to successfully promoting a small business website is having the knowledge of how the search engines rank websites as well as where to turn for that knowledge. Often called search engine optimization or search engine marketing, this knowledge is vital to today's small business website success. Many small business owners will market their own website using the extensive information available online but this is risky at best. Better to budget in money for marketing services and/or consultations with an expert that knows the best methods for website exposure and traffic.
Here's How To Short Cut The Whole Process and Consolidate Your Costs Buying an existing website that is already in business, has a mailing list of some size, a product or service that is already selling and that has some presence in the search engine ranking results is a smart investment.
When buying an established website business, you save since website design costs are not a factor unless you plan to re-design the website. Also, when you purchase an existing website with an established base of customers and an established presence in the search engine results, you will find that the profits become the source of funding for marketing and promotion rather than paying out of pocket and up front for marketing that will take months and months to pay off.
The added bonus is that an established website will have a track record of what works and doesn't work for marketing and promotion giving you a edge on newly built website trying to get a foothold on the web.
As for start-up costs, you can expect to pay anywhere from $2000 and upwards for a website that has been earning some profit and has been indexed by the search engines. The better placed and more profit the site is earning, the more you can expect to pay upon purchase.
Summary Starting a new small business website is exciting, but it can also be overwhelming. It is difficult to know how much money you need and how to start. If you follow these few tips and guidelines, you can buy a great established website and get ahead of the do-it-yourselfer by a good 18 - 24 months when it comes to search engine positioning and presence on the web.
How Much Money Does It Take To Run An Small Business Website? - To learn more about this author, visit Honor Hart's Website.
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