The cost of setting up a Website varies from company to company. The deciding factor for how much it will cost will ultimately come down to what the company expects it to do. A brochure-based Website advertising the company’s products versus an e-commerce enabled site that allows customers to shop online. A static site instead of one that is constantly updated. These things take time, and in Web design, time is money.
Web DIY
Unless of course, you are willing to go down the route of Do It Yourself. There are numerous packages available to businesses to allow them to set up a Website, e-commerce enabled or not.
Eircom’s Go Sell is just one of them. The package is suitable for anyone venturing into online trading, and is user-friendly and affordable. Go Sell allows companies to design their own Websites to suit their businesses, without any need for in-house programming or design skills.
The program also caters for businesses who prefer to have an e-commerce enabled Website. Orders and payments can be received securely online, and businesses have complete control over what products are on the site. Go Sell allows users to add, amend or remove product details, and the store can be up and running within a day.
According to Keith O’Reilly, head of marketing and content, eircom net: “Many small companies simply want an easy to use Website solution, that they can implement themselves without having to make a large financial investment.”
E-business for starters
Sage also has a program aimed at helping the small business user get off the ground with a Web presence. WebsiteBuilder, the basic offering, gives users up to 20 templates to fill in with their own information. The company also offers a ‘Website in a Box’, which allows users to provide information and pictures on a disc, send them back to Sage and the company will design the site for them. For e-commerce facilities, the company’s WebTrader software is available.
FrontPage is simple
Designing and managing a Website can be made easy with Microsoft FrontPage. Even e-commerce facilities can be added, and users can learn how to use the program quickly. HTML editing is possible using FrontPage, and users can choose from WYSIWYG mode, Reveal Tags or HTML.
AMS Technologies also offers a package to companies who would rather set up their own site than outsource it to a Web design company. WebSell offers a secure online store for companies who wish to sell online. Order tracking and self-updates are also available. With Total Control, clients can update pages from anywhere at any time, through an online update system.
Updating a Website on a regular basis can be costly if you expect the Web design company to do it for you, working on an hourly basis. Many of the Website-in-a-box packages allow the site to be updated. If the content is linked to a back office, for example with an online store, updates to the product listings will occur as they are changed in the back office systems.
Update it yourself
Content management systems can also be used to update sites. ContentPAL’s key feature is its simplicity. Public and private areas can be created on the site using the program, and the DHTML Editor allows Webpages to be created easily. The company’s offerings range from the entry-level ContentPAL Basic ContentPAL Enterprise, and impressive Websites can be created using the system. Prices start at about €3,175 for the basic package, and reach over €30,000 for the Enterprise program. ContentPAL, available from the ERS Solutions Group, was developed in-house.
There is no point in designing a great Website if you have nowhere to put it. One of the most important considerations is a suitable domain name. Irish users can go for a .ie address, or go for the more ubiquitous .com domain name. The decision will be decided by your target market, according to Guy Fagan of EasiReg. For companies doing business in Ireland, the .ie domain name is well suited. However, if your site and product is aimed at a more global audience, a .com address might be worth considering.
Expect to pay more for your .ie domain name if you decide to buy Irish; these cost €151.25 per year, as opposed to anything from €20 upwards per year for the .com address. But shopping around can save businesses valuable cash. Hosting companies will often register your .ie domain name much more cheaply than going directly through the IE Domain Registry. The availability of a domain name is also an influence when it comes to deciding which company name businesses are registering. “People don’t just go out to register a company name,” says Fagan.
Where to host?
Another consideration is hosting: Should companies host a Website themselves or outsource it?
Those who would rather host the site themselves can install servers. Compaq provides a number of servers for businesses to host their Websites, including Taskmark servers, which are suitable for Internet caching.
Dell also offers a range of hardware and support to get customers up and running, such as Poweredge servers to host sites. Barry Collins, European Internet marketing manager with Dell, says that for a small company, outsourcing hosting may be a good idea.
For those who would rather forego the pleasures of hosting, there a variety of companies that will be more than willing to host your site for you, at a price, naturally. Some offer a package deal, where they will register your domain name and host your Website, all for a fee of course. Brian Fenix, marketing manager for Compaq Global Services (Compaq is part of the new HP) in Ireland, recommends that companies choose their hosting companies carefully, as several have gone out of business during the dotcom downturn.
However, companies who host their own sites should make sure the site is available at all times. If not, it will lose credibility, he points out, and people will move to another Website. The necessary support must also be in place, to deal with problems quickly. Compaq has a range of care packages for those who need a quick response time, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
In business, everything comes back, sooner or later, to money. This is one aspect where having a Website can benefit businesses cost savings.
“E-business is not necessarily a financial transaction,” says Eugene McCann, Chi Internet. “It is something that allows you to make money-and Websites that attract business or free up time to meet new clients do just that.”
“Setting up a Website is only one way a business can benefit from the Internet. Businesses can browse the Internet to keep an eye on competitors or use e-mail to communicate with their customers,” says Keith O’Reilly, eircom. “And because e-mail is cheaper than postage, couriers and phone calls, small businesses can cut down significantly on costs, too.”
Exposure is also a major benefit of the Internet, says Conor Stanley, Clearscape. “It’s a new medium: It’s there, it’s international and can open up new markets.”
AT A GLANCE
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Establish your goals for your Website. What do you want it do? What information will be included?Your budget will determine if you can hire a Web design consultant. Programs that allow you to design your own site can be a cost-effective alternative to professional design.Doing business in Ireland or from Ireland? This will determine which domain name you choose. .ie domain names may be perceived by consumers as more reliable than .coms.Choose your hosting company carefully-look into their background and financial situation.Content management systems are useful for updating Website content on a regular basis.<span>Some systems can link to your back office, providing instant updates for e-commerce Websites when your product details change.
Business benefits of an online presence
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Exposure: The Internet can open up global markets for your business.Cost savings: E-mail and Websites can save businesses valuable time and money in administration.Increased sales: Selling your products online to new markets can create new revenue streams for businesses.Twenty-four hour availability: The Internet is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so online stores are never closed. Customers can shop around the clock.Any company can set up a Website—the difference is getting your Website to work for your business.
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