So you have finally decided that it’s time to get online and get your own website up and running. There are plenty of good web designers out there who can help you do just that, but then you start taking a look at their prices. Most of them will be well worth the money they charge, but those fees may not be within your budget to begin with.

So where does that leave you?

Well you can either try and create one from scratch yourself, or you can buy a package that gives you everything you need – all you need to do then is insert your own information or products as and when prompted. You might want to grab free items such as free website counters for example as well, but all in all you will get everything you need in these packages.

You do need to be aware of the pros and cons of this kind of deal though, because if you go into it thinking it will solve all your problems you may be disappointed. That’s not to say there aren’t several benefits however.

For example, if you cannot afford to go with a web designer and you want to get a website up and running fairly quickly then a ready made package will be the best way to go. It will get you started and if you want to switch to a professionally designed individual website later on when you have the funds to do so then you can.

One of the downsides about some of these packages is that your website runs the risk of looking very similar to a number of others online today. It’s obvious that while the better packages offer a wide variety of different templates you can use, there is a limit to what can be achieved with one and you may end up being frustrated at not being able to get the exact look that you want.

It’s clear that you should do some research into the various options available to you in the area of website packages, otherwise you could end up making your choice based purely on the amount of money a package costs – and of course you do get what you pay for.

The cheaper packages may not allow you to add a shopping cart for example, and if your idea is to sell home made products via your website (or anything else for that matter), you will end up with a website that is practically useless if you go for this option.

Make sure that you can look at a range of existing websites that have used the package you are considering before buying anything. It will enable you to see whether this option is the best one for your needs. You should also ensure that the makers of the package are readily available to answer any queries you may have about the product once you have bought it.

In the end, you should be able to use website counters, shopping carts, guestbooks and anything else you need on your website. If the package you have in mind doesn’t let you do that, you may need to keep looking for something else instead.