3 Options Open To You When Seeking Internet Consulting Services

#	Option	Pro	Con
1	Hire a full-time Webmaster and/or Web Designer.	A permanent, resident Webmaster or Web Designer can best get to understand your business because they are a part of it. It is also quite convenient to have these people on site whenever you wish to make changes to your site.	Webmasters and Web Designers are highly specialized and trained individuals who command high salaries, even in today's down economy. Webmaster salaries can run around $60,000 a year, and Web Designer salaries can start around $100,000. Also, if you are going to hire one, you may as well hire the other, which means you must potentially spend $160,000 a year on your web presence, not including costs of hosting. You may be able to find that rare individual who can do both Webmastering and Web Designing, but they can command high salaries, too. Unless your business is highly dependent on the web, and/or you plan on making changes frequently to your site (i.e. several times a day) this is not a very practical option. It is also, by far, the most expensive option of all.
2	Do the work yourself.	You can design the site exactly how you want it. You will not have to worry about potential miscommunication which can cause costly delays. There are also many different web authoring software packages out there which allow people to design web sites quickly, easily, and even provide facilities to publish the site to the Internet.	Web Design is as much a science as it is an art. If your web site is visually stunning, but is not very user friendly, people will never visit your site again. Likewise if your site is easy to use, but lacks compelling content. In addition, some web publishing software packages favor some technologies over others, thus alienating some users and, hence, some potential customers. As a successful businessperson, you would never turn away potential customers. But that is exactly what you do when you use non-standard, proprietary technology. Also, if your business does not deal directly with computers or the Internet (i.e. an antique shop), your time is better spent running your business, rather than trying to design a web site which may or may not be successful.
3	Hire a consultant to do your web site.	Consultants are highly trained, and know how web sites should be designed to achieve balance between usability and compelling content. Consultants can also help you round up hosting space, so people can visit your web site. Also, good consultants will have a network of other consultants in case something occurs that they do not know the answer to; if they do not know the answer, they will find someone who will know, and find a solution.	It can be very difficult to find a consultant that is competent, or even credible. Some people call themselves consultants, but their knowledge only extends to knowing how web publishing software works. In that case, you would be no better off than to do the site yourself (See Option 2).