(FAST PITCH PRESS) Date Released: 06/05/2009
You've acquired the perfect URL for your Web business. Now what? In an economic recession, the last thing you want to do is spend thousands of dollars hiring a professional Web designer to create a site for you. Fortunately, there are other more cost-effective options available.
Consider using a Web template and customizing it. A template lays out the look and feel of your website. Think of it as a blank form populated with generic information and you get to fill in all the blanks with your own content and programming to customize it.
While many companies offer design templates, not all deliver the same services. Here are my top three picks to help you get started.
• Intuit, the California-based company that makes Quicken, QuickBooks and TurboTax, also provides great resources for those looking to start a Web business with little money. Go to www.Intuit.com and click on ''Get a Website.'' There you will find more than 2,000 site templates that you can download and customize to your liking.
Intuit even offers a free 30-day trial, which includes creation of a five-page website, Web hosting and free tech support.
If you like the Intuit-created site, pay $4.99 a month to host it once your trial is over. Do you want to work with a skilled designer rather than do it yourself? For as little as $599, Intuit offers packages where their designers will design your site according to your specs, including e-commerce features that allow you to sell products on your site. That's a fraction of what you would have to pay a Web design firm.
Intuit's package also includes site metrics, so you can see how many people are visiting your site each day and which pages they're visiting the most.
• Template Monster -- Go to www.TemplateMonster.com. One of my websites, www.ChickCentric.com started as a version of a template I found on Template Monster. The company offers several options. You can purchase a template for as low as $69, which in essence allows you to download and customize the template with an understanding that others will also download that template at any time. If you absolutely love a template and don't want anyone else to buy that design, you can pay what's called a ''unique price,'' typically $3,000 to $5,000 to ensure that no one else can buy that design -- and it is uniquely yours.
Like Intuit, Template Monster offers several packages including Turnkey Websites, where for $49.95 a month and up you can get a professionally designed site, unlimited hosting, fully licensed stock photos for use on your site and three hours of webmaster support every month. You can take this package for a test drive with a free seven-day trial offer.
• Yahoo has a similar site-building service. Although they don't offer a free trial, they do guarantee to refund your money in the first 30 days if you're not completely satisfied with their product. Go to www.SmallBusiness.Yahoo.com to check out the services offered. Yahoo offers an easy-to-use control panel that allows you to check your site stats.
Now that you know how to build a professional website cheaply, in my next column I'll go over what you'll need to know to provide your users and customers with an experience on your site that will keep them coming back to it over and over again!
About The Cunningham Group - PR and Public Involvement
Tasha Cunningham, is a columnist for the Miami Herald newspaper and a well-established PR and communications consultant.
TAGS:
tasha cunningham, tasha c cunningham, small business, small business advice, small business strategies, small business solutions
Submitted by The Cunningham Group - PR and Public Involvement
Contact Information
Tasha Cunningham
The Cunningham Group - PR and Public Involvement
Visit our Website
Visit my Profile
Don't forget to post your press release on Fast Pitch!
Fast Pitch! is the fastest growing Professional Networking website today.
Looking for ways to market your Business on the Web? Ask yourself these questions?
Are you interested in Business Networking with Professionals on the web? Create a Business Profile.
Are you looking to find Top Networkers and Professionals in your region or network? Search for Top Networkers.
Are you trying to improve your visibility on the Web through Google Rankings? Create a profile and get free Search Engine Optimization.
Are you looking for an audience of professionals for your Blog or Press Release? Post your Press or Promote your Blog.
Are you looking for a Social Network for Business Professionals? Create a Business Profile
Are you finding Internet Advertising, Print Advertising and other Advertising too expensive and showing no return? Create a Business Profile and learn about our Program.
Are you looking for Business Networking Events to attend in your area? Search our Business Events.
Are you looking for Business Networks to join online or offline? Search for Networks in our Directory.
Are you looking to post a Business Classified Advertisement for a product or service? Visit our Classifieds.