What it Costs

Time to get down to the nitty gritty. You want to know what it costs and you don't want to get the run-around. We get that. We don't want to waste your time or ours. So we are going to surprise and delight you by telling you up front what types of expenses you can expect from us.

How much does it cost? The short answer is, as much as you want to spend. Would you believe our web deZign prices start as low as $195?? Well, it's true. If you engage us for The Assistant package and you need a one page brochure-type web site, we can do that for as little as $195 (excluding hosting fee). A reasonable expectation for a basic site with a few basic pages is $500.

So, it's up to you — how much can you invest in your site right now? How much can you invest later? It's YOUR budget. Just let us know and we will work with you to deliver what you want, when you need it, and within your budget.

Breaking it down

There are four main components to a web site:

• Domain name — You purchase the right to use the domain name of your choice. A domain name is structured as yourchosensitename.com. Purchasing this costs roughly $30, give or take a few dollars, or is sometimes free with your hosting package (see below). There are places to buy them cheaper, who may then charge for changes or transfers or give poor customer service. There are places to buy them for more money that don't offer any additional benefits. Your account manager will have a relationship with a reliable vendor from which to purchase your domain name. Your domain fee is an annual cost.

• Hosting — You pay a web site host to keep your web site online all the time. They place your graphics and text files on their server, and keep it running 24/7. They may also offer mailing lists, email forwarding services (you@yourchosensitename.com), etc.

  Hosting can be free, but it's usually ad-based or a freebie with your internet access and you can't choose your own domain name. It can also cost up to hundreds of dollars a year. It depends on how much information you're going to have on your site, how many people will come to it, and the other available services provided along with the hosting. Again, your account manager will have relationships with reliable hosts who provide good customer service, at an affordable price. Plan on spending $100-$150 a year for most hosts. Freebie hosting is usually a bad idea for a professional site.

• Design and Build — This comprises a chunk of the start-up costs. What level of graphics do you want — highly developed, customized just for you? Or something more generic, from a template? How involved are you going to be in writing the copy? Do you know how you want the pages set up? Do you need help gathering information about your books/cover images? What extras do you want on your site? Do you have permission to use the cover art from your books? Do you know your priorities for getting your site up and running? Do you need help with contests, or mailing lists, or screening e-mail? Your web site manager will discuss all of these options with you, as part of the process of outlining your site and determining its proposed cost.

• Maintenance — How often do you want to update your content? Do you offer interactive pages on your site that need to be monitored? Do you provide tips online? Do you need a blog? Do you need other social networking tools monitored on your behalf? This is another area in which costs can be controlled to fit your budget. A professional can update an entire site in less time than it probably takes the average computer user to figure out how things are set up, where they are, and how to make changes and publish them. Maintenance costs are charged monthly and billed quarterly. Cost is based on the frequency of your updates. Your account manager can talk you through what your specific needs might be.

So there you have it. A good basic cost guide for you to consider. There are still many other services we provide that aren't listed here. We don't publish all of our prices online for competitive purposes. But a customized proposal is yours for the asking. Call us now at 417-368-9700 or complete our Connect With Us form and we'll call YOU!