You need a website, where do you start?
What are the advantages of using a website design firm?
Why wouldn’t you want to use a website design firm?
If you don’t want to hire a website firm, what are your other options?

The simplest solution is to get a web design firm. A web design firm will help you to handle all of the details for putting your website online. They will help you with website hosting, website design, HTML programming, updating and marketing your website.

A website design firm can provide several advantages:

1. Website firms have experience
   They can help you navigate the common mistakes that you might make since they have already made them. You are paying for their past experience so that they can recommend the best course of action.
   
   This means either better results, or cheaper and faster development!




2. They have the right people to help you
   Depending on the size of firm you hire, they should have the right people to do the right job.
   
   For example, a large website would need:
   • a graphic designer to design the website and graphics
   • a software architect to design the back-end
   • a database programmer to design the database structure
   • a web programmer to program the HTML
   • a web master to update and maintain the website
   • a system administrator to setup and monitor website hosting
   • an SEO specialist to optimize keywords and get rankings in the search engines

   
   In reality, some of these functions can definitely be combined. However, if only one person is performing all of these roles, you may not get enough specialization in certain areas.




3. Your website is your image
   Do you have time to fool around and experiment to see which method is best for your business? Website firms have the experience to guide you away from things that don’t work.

You don’t have a second chance to make a first impression!

Ideally, everyone would use a website design firm. However, in reality, they do cost money and the firm you use may be based on your budget.

Similarly, if you knew what you needed to do, you could do it yourself. No different than changing a tire on your car or landscaping.

You have two options if you don’t want to hire a website firm - you can hire a freelancer or do-it-yourself.

Freelancer

There are many free-lance webmasters out there that can help you make a website. Usually they range from the free to the professional level freelancer.

Free ones are usually nephews or a charity board member that knows how to use Front-Page.

Freelancers are professionals or aspiring professionals (like students). The cost may range from as low as $ 10 / hour to about $ 60 / hour. Typically, they are graphic designers who can program HTML or programmers that can design graphics.

Freelancers can help you to build and maintain your website. Just remember that you get what you pay for.

Do-It-Yourself

You can always do it yourself. Learning isn’t that difficult but will take some time.

To setup your own website, you will need to:

1. Register a domain name (find a registrar, perform a domain name search and register, if already taken, you could use WHOIS to see if you can purchase it, then you’d need a 3rd party escrow service such as afternic.com)
2. Setup website hosting (point your DNS, FTP and setup your web server and a reliable connection
3. Program the content (graphic design and then code in raw HTML or use an editor such as Frontpage)
4. Market your website (submit to engines, make it meta-tag and keyword friendly)