Web Site Costs & Pricing
Cost Variables
Web sites are not “One Cost or Size Fits All”. I do not recommend taking advantage of curbside or Netside signs promising $10 or $25 per page web sites. You may not have the Net experience to know if the design and/or site performance is terrible or unacceptable which can change your potential collectors into another artist’s sales.
There are generally three kinds of web site hosting - personal and business and either. ISP’s (Internet Service Providers) generally give you some personal space with your monthly Net access service. Many ISP’s will NOT allow you to host business websites without charging extra - many times a LOT of extra. Business hosting does not require a domain name but it is generally accepted business practice to have one for your business. Hosting a domain name is also known as virtual hosting.
My personal recommendation - host your domain name ONLY with a site host - completely separate from your Net access. I use DreamHost for my website / blog hosting.
Use DreamHost for your WordPress BLog - One Click Installs & Updates - Hosting Plans starting at 7.95 per month
The reason I use a hosting company instead of my Internet Access Company is that I can change my access company without having to change where my website is at and it stays right where it is at no matter how I access the Internet. It made my life much easier for example when Time Warner Cable switched to Comcast.net - my websites were not affected by the change at all. I also have several blogs hosted in my DreamHost account without paying additional hosting charges - I only have to pay for each domain name on a yearly basis, not extra hosting.
A domain name generally costs $10 to $35 each year, depending on where you buy it. Many companies offer lower prices for a full year of hosting paid in advance. BUT you will not receive a refund if you dislike their service after a few days, weeks or months and physically move your domain to another site host before your year is over.
Customer Service, technical support, platform and offered site services varies widely from one company to another. There are several varieties of hosting companies. Internet Service Providers or Services generally provide dial-up Internet service, DSL or Cable access, email and comprehensive site hosting services among other products. Virtual or Reseller only hosting companies generally provide a spectrum of site hosting services only.
Technorati Tags: Artist Web Site, Web Site Cost, Web Site Pricing
