What?? A website for under $99?!?

Let me start by saying that I am NOT an expert in web design, and no, I am not selling web design nor am I offering the things I do know about it as a service.

But I do want to let the world know that a professional functional website doesn’t have to cost hundreds (or thousands) of dollars, nor do citizens of certain core countries have to participate in the “Race To The Bottom” and help destroy their own country’s economy by sending the work to India, the Philippines, or any other location known for cheap labor.

How do you think this website (www.computerrepaircompanyinabox.com) was built?

Here’s a list of what I used and the cost

• Domain name: $4.99
• Hosting: $71.76 for 1 year
• Logo: $5
• Joomla CMS: Free
• Template for Joomla: $14.95 *optional

My total cost, including the optional template: $96.70.

Let’s have a closer look at each bullet point.

In order to have any website, one must first purchase a domain name. There are plenty of places to get these, but I’ve found www.1and1.com to usually be cheaper than all the others. You pick a domain name, they check to see if it’s available (if not they’ll offer suggestions), and that’s it.

Next on the list of needs is hosting. I got a package that includes a dedicated IP (SEO friendly), unlimited space, unlimited transfers, $100 in free Ad Words clicks, and many other goodies for the price listed above. How did I do it? Take a look at Host Gator.

OK, so my logo may not be stunning and amazing, but the price sure was! And, at that price, if I ever get tired of the logo, I can just get another one made--no loss. At Fiverr.com, one can get almost anything for five bucks. Note that people all over the world are providing services on Fiverr; however, you’d be surprised to see how many U.S. citizens are willing to do a little work for $5!

The name may sound like nonsense, but the Joomla CMS (content management system) is anything but. You’ll have a website in no time that looks great, is SEO friendly, and is packed with whatever functionality you want in no time. And it’s free. Get it at Joomla.org.

A template is something used with Joomla that gives the website its main “look and feel”. I chose to buy an inexpensive template, but there are many free ones out there, and Joomla even comes with a few templates built in.

What’s the catch in all of this?

I did all the work myself, and so will you if you want a cheap website.

Though I am not a professional web designer or programmer, I am obviously computer savvy (that’s why I have this site!), am technical minded, and the EE degree didn’t hurt either.

But, don’t be scared to at least try! You may be surprised at how easy it is once you learn. If you’re still a little timid and want to hire a designer to do the set-up and do the work, you can still use these great low cost tools.

Software - Websites and Web Design