Generally, there are basic costs that are associated with the creation and maintenance of a website, such as installation fees, recurrent monthly hosting fees, web maintenance, and domain name registration charges. However, this report will address the costs primarily associated with the start-up of a website. In view of this, the following is a categorization of budgeted expenses that our client, Mr. Jao, will expect in initiating his website.

Domain Registration

>>One of the initial steps in creating a website is to select a domain name that encompasses both suitability and distinctiveness for the company in which you are creating a web presence for.  The next step is registering the domain name. As co-creators of the website, it is our collective recommendation to accomplish this task using the registration services of Internic Canada.  Internic offers a variety of pricing options, depending on what top-level domain is desired, as well as the duration (in years) in which one would like to register the domain name.

Mr. Jao welcomes this new opportunity for growth in addition to his current marketing strategy. However, because this is a new venture for him, he would like the registration term to be between 1-2 years to thoroughly evaluate the impact of having a website for his company, without having to commit for a long period of time. In the event that he is happy with the results after the period has expired, he will renew his registration and commit to a longer period of time.

Accordingly, Internic charges $100.00 for a two-year duration for .ca extensions, and $70.00 for a two-year duration for .com extensions. They currently do not provide registration for these top-level domains over a one-year period. If Mr. Jao wishes to renew his domain name, it will cost approximately $50.00 and $100.00 for a one- and two-year renewal respectively for a .ca extension. Renewals of .com extensions will cost $35.00 and $70.00 for one- and two-year periods respectively.

Web Hosting Services

>>Mr. Jao currently subscribes to Rogers@Home residential Internet on cable package for home use. As a customer, he has expressed his satisfaction for services rendered by the company and would like to seek their services in hosting his website. Rogers offers a wide range of business solutions to various companies of all sizes. Upon researching the several High Speed Internet Packages available, it is our recommendation that Mr. Jao would require the Intermediate Package, which consists of Internet access, as well as domain and web hosting services. This package requires a $250.00 installation fee, and monthly payments of $149.95 for the services. This package is best suited to the needs of a small business, and Rogers provides the option of upgrading the packages to allow greater scalability for future expansion.

Web Developer Fees

>>Although we have created the site for our client, Mr. Jao, he will need to update the site periodically. Since this is a new venture for him, he is still unsure about the impact it will have on his business in future. Therefore, he would not like to commit to hiring an individual to maintain the site for him once this project is complete. However, once the project is complete, Mr. Jao’s son has assumed the responsibility of maintaining the site. In designing the site, we have ensured that the overall design is contemporary and comparable to other sites in the restaurant industry. Therefore, Mr. Jao will not have to worry about the site design going “out of style” in the near future. He would only need to focus on updating his menus, prices, events, graphics, and so forth. This task is very simple and Mr. Jao’s son is highly capable of this responsibility. Mr. Jao is happy with this arrangement for the time being, and as his business expands, he will consider hiring a professional for the job.