There are many online companies eager to help you create your own website. There will be three costs:

• design cost
• domain cost (access to your web address) 
• host cost

What is a domain name?

Your domain name is your web address. It’s your online identity, reflecting your purpose and personality. 

What is a web host?
 
Your Web host provides the system to store information, images, video and other content. Linux is one example.  According to GoDaddy.com, Linux “is an open-source operating system with a reputation for stability and speed. Linux supports a wide range of software, applications, languages and databases.” 

How do I design my website?

You can contract with a professional Web designer, but that can be expensive.  

To save money, you can work with students at your local technical college or university. Students gain valuable experience and get their names out in the community. 

You can also design and edit your own website with free software or purchased commercial software. Choose a commercial website builder software depending on the features you want and how comfortable you are working with website design. 

In most cases, you do not need to know HTML. Many options use WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get), so you can see your layout on the screen as you work, the way it will look on a Web browser. You can usually drag and drop layout elements.

What about maintaining our website? 

This is a secondary expense, as you will need to regularly update your website. Your website is not effective if it is not current. 
Many organizations find that editing their website in-house is more efficient and less frustrating.

How do I choose web services?

Compare web services at www.epinions.com. You can read customers evaluations (price and services) of different companies.