"Hire a Professional" sounds a lot like "write a check." The truth is, if you are busy running your business then you don't have time to learn how to do someone else's job. It might seem like it's saving you money to do it yourself, but it will cost you later.
The cost of a website design professional is quickly offset by the time and money a professional designer will save you. It's important for a business owner to consider what costs he might incur in sales if he neglects his other business duties to build a website. You should consider how much your time is worth, and how much time you're really willing to spend putting together a website.
HTML looks easy enough to do, but unfortunately, most business owners aren't aware that many other programming languages are necessary in order to build a secure business website. A business owner should consider whether he really has the time to build an attractive, professional, and secure website like his company deserves.
An introductory webmaster knows the 4 basic web programming languages: HTML, SHTML, Java, CSS. A more seasoned pro will have tons more to offer you. The more training the professional has, the more costly the web design fees will be, but also the better the results can be.
If you are really in a budget crunch, consider hiring a student. There are many professional and 2-year institutions that teach computer courses, and often some will be design students who need to build portfolios. Some will work for free. Others will work for nominal wages. All will ask for a reference.
The next big thing is the site itself. What does it need to do? The more bells and whistles your site has, the more room it will require on your server. You will have to pay for the space you use, so be sure your designer knows your limitations.
Some designs will require programs. If you have a highly skilled designer who is very expensive, it may be cheaper to buy a pre-built module for some parts such as your online shopping cart. On the other end, a student may not know how to build a bomb-proof shopping cart, so a module will be needed to prevent scripting errors.
The most important feature of any website is the safety of your customer's information. Nobody wants your site information or the private information on it to be stolen or misused, so it's critical to be absolutely sure that your webmaster offers support and security and be sure he'l take emergency calls, because they are inevitable.
The cost of a website design professional is quickly offset by the time and money a professional designer will save you. It's important for a business owner to consider what costs he might incur in sales if he neglects his other business duties to build a website. You should consider how much your time is worth, and how much time you're really willing to spend putting together a website.
HTML looks easy enough to do, but unfortunately, most business owners aren't aware that many other programming languages are necessary in order to build a secure business website. A business owner should consider whether he really has the time to build an attractive, professional, and secure website like his company deserves.
An introductory webmaster knows the 4 basic web programming languages: HTML, SHTML, Java, CSS. A more seasoned pro will have tons more to offer you. The more training the professional has, the more costly the web design fees will be, but also the better the results can be.
If you are really in a budget crunch, consider hiring a student. There are many professional and 2-year institutions that teach computer courses, and often some will be design students who need to build portfolios. Some will work for free. Others will work for nominal wages. All will ask for a reference.
The next big thing is the site itself. What does it need to do? The more bells and whistles your site has, the more room it will require on your server. You will have to pay for the space you use, so be sure your designer knows your limitations.
Some designs will require programs. If you have a highly skilled designer who is very expensive, it may be cheaper to buy a pre-built module for some parts such as your online shopping cart. On the other end, a student may not know how to build a bomb-proof shopping cart, so a module will be needed to prevent scripting errors.
The most important feature of any website is the safety of your customer's information. Nobody wants your site information or the private information on it to be stolen or misused, so it's critical to be absolutely sure that your webmaster offers support and security and be sure he'l take emergency calls, because they are inevitable.
About the Author:
Stephen Grisham, Sr. is a Staff Writer for InfoServe Media, a small business web design company that provides custom web design. Visit today, or call 1 (800) 838-2203 for a free quote.
