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You need to understand how your business requirements translate into your technical needs prior to endeavoring to build a website. You might have one conceptual feature that you would like on the site that makes the development price go up from $500 to $2,000. Understanding how difficult it is to implement certain web features helps in establishing an expectation budget of how much you should be paying for your website development. In this article I will categorize website projects into three main types, each in a different price range and budget. Although not every specification and project will fit into this spectrum, the website design industry does have similar requirements to cost ratios for standard web projects.

Type 1: Basic
Cost: $0 to $200
You can create a basic webpage in an application as simple as Microsoft word and publish it to your local ISP-based web account. However this will only give you a front page and possibly a few other static pages, with nothing too fancy on the site. You might also not be able to run your own domain (eg. http://www.mydomain.com), and you may be restricted in how many visitors can use the site per month. Asking a designer for a basic 'splash page' or corporate business card to be designed and put online should not exceed costs of a couple of hundred dollars. These types of sites can be good for exploring your needs if they are not yet known without straining your budget.

Type 2: High End Design
Cost: $500 to $1,200+
Businesses looking to develop a good looking website with not too much content, but that still looks professional and stands out should anticipate this price range in their budget. Projects are usually coded in XHTML1 strict with CSS employed in a way that allows visitors to feel the equivalent of as though they have just walked into your business from the street. The emphasis on graphics and design concepts should be flawless, but do not expect any database driven features in this price range (see below).

Type 3: Database Driven
Cost: at least $1,000+
These sites are the most expensive to have built. Although the design is not necessarily going to be any better than mentioned above, more content will be available and that content will be dynamic. This means your site can be built to support a search engine for your content, a dynamic discussion group, a web poll, an article posting system, and much more. Ask yourself this question: Do I need any complex data operations on my site, or will 'what you see is what you get' suffice? Simple operations such as determining your site visitors can fit into Type 2 or even Type 1 sites, but complex functions such as a search, photo gallery, or member log-in will be exclusive to Type 3 projects. If you have an unlimited or high budget then this site will really benefit your business, but for most small businesses the costs are not feasible, especially if monthly maintenance and admin fees apply.

Exceptions: Flash sites
If you are looking to build a Flash based site (one with the fanciest graphics and animations employed) consider that these fit into a new category altogether. Flash is an entirely different content than conventional web languages, and in accordance a good flash designed will charge into the high 4-figure price ranges for an outstanding website. However Flash designers are more difficult to find and will generally vary in skill levels and project quality depending on your budget.

Before looking for a web developer consider which category your website will fit into best to avoid being overcharged or paying for features you don't necessarily need.

Learn more about this author, Alexander D.
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