How Much Should a Small Business Pay for a Website?

At http://arielmarketinggroup.com/blog/?p=3568#

How Much Should a Small Business Pay for a Website?

I just met with a potential new client who is looking to move past her company's first (free) website and really build the internet as a referral stream. The client is smart, and their 8 year old business is successful. Thus far the referrals have been coming via word of mouth, networking, and limited and sporadic print advertising. The primary reason they haven't invested in the internet is their lack of understanding of how to do it effectively. This small business owner was scared off by many horror stories, including one scenario where her small business owner friend paid $10,000 for a website that brings in NO leads.

Unlike many business owners, this one came to our meeting prepared with a budget they could afford, but also was willing to be 'educated' on what marketing on the internet means. Here's what I told her:

1. Yes, you can get a decent website for under $2,000 depending upon your needs and how much fancy programming you require.

2. You need to not only consider your initial investment, but understand that you will need to be tending your website regularly; it needs to grow and evolve over time. $2000 may be ok for now, but you need to budget for regular updates, alterations and most importantly, additions to your site.

3. Building the website is only the beginning; in order to get leads from your site you need to first of all show up when someone searches for your service. That requires a long term commitment to organic SEO – search engine optimization, and very probably a commitment to pay per click advertising while you work on building your ranking organically on the... ( more at http://arielmarketinggroup.com/blog/?p=3568# )