Website Development - So what are you really paying for?

Many times I'm asked to help create, build, program and promote a new website. You can really get yourself into a pickle if you quote your time or worse someone else's without truly knowing everything that's needed for a specific project. Anyone shopping around looking to create their first site should understand the different elements that make up developing a website.

To keep it simple, I'll break it down into three stages. Each incurring their own expense. First the site needs to be designed. Next, it needs to be programmed. Third, it should promoted to become visible on search engines. In designing a site, one should plan out and define the precise objective for their website: information, organizational, entertaining and/or commercial.This will dictate the site content and act as a foundation for the overall design and navigation.

Programming a site carries a large range of options and possible scenarios. Again, planning is crucial so that every desired bell and whistle as well as functionality and user experience is confirmed prior to development. Adding new features and site capabilities as you program other pages is extremely inefficient for obvious reasons.

Although some may think marketing a site comes after the site is built, this is not suggested. SEO, internal and external link strategies, and online promotions should all be considered and implemented into the master plan of the site. Like any marketing project, research and planning allows for smooth development and more importantly, a functioning product that meets expectations.