Reader Question

I am starting a small consultancy and would like a some web presence. Unfortunately, I have no idea what the demand will be like so I want to start small, but still have it look professional. My budget is really small and the maximum I can pay is about $300. Will I be able to hire a designer for that price if I provide all graphics and page contents?

My Response:

Realistically, for $300, you won’t be able to hire a top-notch designer to create your site for you. However, here are a couple of low cost, do-it-yourself options that can help you set up a professional looking site pretty quickly.

1. Weebly – The quickest and easiest way to set up a professional looking site yourself is to sign up for a Weebly account. In just a few minutes, anyone can register with their site and use their drag-and-drop capabilities to create a basic website and blog within minutes. Numerous tutorials for how to set up pages, photo galleries, contact forms, and ecommerce options are available in their Support section. Their basic service is free, so you can try them out, and if you need add-on features, you can upgrade to their paid services. Hands down, this is the easiest solution if you just need a simple web presence.
2. WordPress – If you are a bit more tech savvy, I highly recommend using the free WordPress.org software. WordPress is a content management system that allows you to create pages and a blog using a simple admin section. It has a virtually limitless selection of looks (called “themes”) and add-on features (called “plugins”) you can use to customize your website. To do this, you must first sign up with a web host (like Bluehost) for about $10/month. Most web hosts have an option to install the WordPress software with the click of a button (i.e. this video will show you how easy it is/) WordPress has thousands of free and premium themes. You can spend maybe $50-80 max on a premium theme you like. Some great theme designers for business sites include: StudioPress, iThemes and WooThemes. Googling “Premium WordPress Themes for Business” will get you a lot more.
3. Hire someone on Elance – You can probably hire someone on Elance to build you a website for under $300. The drawback is that this solution is usually time consuming and requires that you know and can explain to someone who isn’t an English speaking native exactly what you want. If you are patient and require them to update you regularly, you should get good results.

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