Economic Development Website Developers and Consultants

Web Developer Options

Web pages do not have to be expensive and there are a number of ways to have your web site created that keep your costs down.

According to Mark James of ED Solutions Inc., the top 25% of quality ED Websites invest an average of $60,000 to $160,000 on their websites. Average economic development websites range from $40,000 to $60,000.

Consultant - Because you are an economic development professional you may want to focus on your expertise and just contract the work out to a web development consultant. This is likely the most expensive option, but is also the most likely to result in the development of a quality web site with a professional design.

In-house Staff - The importance of the web for economic development has resulted in some organizations hiring a staff person specifically for webpage development and management. This is often the case when economic development agencies are a part of a government organization such as a city or county. These in-house staff are typically responsible for website management but work related to the initial design/development and advanced website programs are contracted out to consultants.

Qualified Lay Person - A lower (or no) cost solution is to ask a local person to create your web site. There are people that are very qualified in basic web page design. Your web page could be someone's school or volunteer project. Many young people who have grown up around computers and surfing the net also understand the technology.

Do-it-yourself - Of course you can always do it yourself. There are numerous web page development software applications for sale and a variety of books about web design. If you have the time and want to learn, this is an excellent option. In the future these skills will allow you to update the information on your web page to keep it current.

Our Recommendation - When Economic Development Online first launched, the "Qualified Lay Person" and "Do-it-yourself" options were still viable options. But now that so much is riding on your ability to communicate the economic development opportunities in your community through the Web you should seriously consider the professional skills of a web developer with expertise in developing economic development web sites (just because a webpage design consultant has developed other websites does not mean they are qualified to design and develop and economic development website). If you do not have the budget for this (and we hope you aren't still throwing money away on CD ROMs and videos) then as a last resort you should acquire the services of a volunteer or do-it-yourself. Today you must be on the web.

The importance of websites has fostered a new expert, the ED website consultant. These consultants advise organizations in optimal strategies and solutions for their goals. Three of the most well-known companies specializing in this are Ady International, ED Solutions Inc. and Chabin Concepts. If you are a large or medium size organization, using the services of this type of industry expert is recommended.