Web site budget depends on purpose, design issues

Daily, more businesses of all sizes are jumping into the 'Net and using a World Wide Web presence to reach customers for their products or services.

When a company makes the commitment to go online, it must be prepared for more than just the up-front expenses of setting up the site, according to Greg Clift, owner/manager of PC Net Inc. They must allow for regular monthly expenses and expenditures for periodic changes and updates, he said.

Internet service providers, or ISPs, benefit from the knowledge gained with each milestone, which then becomes a stepping stone. But programs and procedures can quickly become obsolete in the fast-growing and changing field, Clift said.

Many businesses are choosing to develop their own Web sites, but the software and equipment to create an attractive and functional site can run from hundreds to thousands of dollars, Clift said. For companies with large inventories conducting e-commerce, the cost for start-up and maintenance can run into six figures, he added.

The small mom-and-pop shop can set up a Web site for as little as a $500 to $1,000 investment in software, plus another $1,000 to $3,000 to have a designer develop the site, if they can't do it themselves. After the initial cost, the monthly ISP fee can run between $20 and $50 per month, depending on the size of the site, Clift said.

According to Ed Thornton, owner of Net Focus Communications Services, size is not necessarily measured in the number of pages at the site, but the number of files it takes to build the graphics and images. The larger or more elaborate the image, the more storage space it requires.

Thornton attributes the rapid growth of Web sites and e-commerce to two factors.

First, he said, the fact that most people now have computer access, either at home or at their workplace, has created a greater market for online products and services.

Second, the cost to go online has gone down in the last three or four years due to the software, such as FrontPage and Adobe PageMill, which are user-friendly and do not require a programmer to set up a site, he added.

The new software is designed to allow the average person to set up a Web page without knowledge of the underlying computer language that makes it all work. Often the business owner can set up his own site and transfer it to the ISP ready to go online.

With the right links, a Web site can put the business name in front of millions of people, worldwide, Thornton said. For businesses catering to a local market, it can reach regional customers specifically interested in what that business has to offer through search engines.

The Internet can make a business open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year without keeping the actual shop open extra hours, said Tim Watson, Web design specialist for James River Design.

Watson cited a Branson resort his company serves as an example. Previously, the business was spending up to $6,000 per year on one printed publication alone. The resort now keeps booked up from its Web site and has dropped other forms of advertising. The site cost them about $2,500 to set up and $24.95 per month for the Internet access.

Highlandville Packing Company recently jumped into the 'Net with its new site,

Hillbillymeats.com,

Watson said. The company now sells and ships vacuum-sealed smoked hams, bacon, pork chops and lamb to customers in 48 states.

Internet sites can be set up to be maintained by the server or by staff within the company itself. The cost and complexity is directly related to the type and frequency of usage and whether orders are connected directly to existing inventory or stored on the site and pulled at intervals.

To ensure success on the Web, Watson and Thornton both advise that the business owner use every mode available to get his Web address out to the public.

"Some people think just to have a Web site will bring them a lot of new business," Thornton said. "It doesn't work that way. Although the Web is definitely the way to reach the most people for the least amount of money, you have to get the site name in front of people."

Web site address should be listed on every business card, letterhead stationery, envelope etc. and in every advertisement, broadcast or written, used by the business.

Watson advises swapping links with other businesses and organizations. Thornton said the approach is different depending on whether the target market is local, national or international.

One of the most important beginning steps, according to Thornton, is to find a domain name that works for the business and that is available for registration.

"In registering the site, it is most important that the business owner be the administrator of the site, as this designates the person with the ultimate control over the site," he said.