Knowing what sort of fees and charges to expect upfront will make you better prepare you to negotiate with your web designer.

• Free consultation - Web designers should agree to a free consultation so that you can decide whether you want to work with her, and she can decide if she wants to take on your project.
• Sign a contract - It was mentioned earlier, but it's important. If you don't have it in writing, an unethical web designer can take whatever deposit you pay, leaving you without a website and without legal options. Draw up a contract clearly stating what is required (e.g. number of pages, links, graphics, text), when it will be delivered, and any late penalties/discounts agreed upon.
• Search engines - Will submission to search engines be included? And will the website be optimized for search engine marketing? If so, for which search engines?
• Maintenance and updates - Will regular maintenance and updates be included? Often web designers will agree to perform follow-up maintenance and debugging on the website for a few weeks or a month as part of the original agreement. If you would like the web designer to continue to perform regular maintenance, updates, and possibly marketing, this should be discussed and written down as well.
• A professionally designed small business website costs $13,000 on average according to the Internet Marketing Association, although prices range from a few hundred dollars for a small, simple site, to hundreds of thousands of dollars for something more like Amazon.com.

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