Today, the web has taken the place of the phone book for consumers who live connected lives and this brings a dilemma to the local businesses who have limited marketing funds and limited knowledge of the web. Often professional website design/management companies can be costly and difficult to coordinate with.

There are a couple of other options to consider:

• College professors are often looking for ‘real world’ projects for their students and if you are willing to give a little of your time to explain your business needs you might get a very proffesional website at no cost with documentation of how it can meet your needs and how to maintain it.
• Some web designers may be looking to start their own business or to build a portfolio both of which provide you the opportunity to negotiate a more affordable price in return for letting them use your site as an sample of their work to direct others to.

Both groups of people would be more than happy to explain the process and help you create a presence on the internet. Take advantage of these and other resources, you might be surprised at what is possible.