One common myth is that if you integrate a search engine with your site you don’t need to focus as much on taxonomy. This is completely false. All web users can be generalized into one of 2 buckets; "browsers" or "searchers". Searchers, of course, will first use a search engine to locate content while browsers will manually look for desired information by navigating taxonomy. This is not to say that browsers never search, or vice versa, it merely suggests that all users have a preference for one method or other when attempting to locate content. The most efficient site will have a well-organized taxonomy AS WELL AS a good search engine to satisfy both types of users.

Building your taxonomy

There are three primary types of small business website designers and developers:

• Custom Website Designer – These are typically individuals with a great deal of creative talent who specialize in look and feel of your website. Custom Website Designers will typically focus on user interface issues, but will not venture much past HTML of site. Most designers will not do heavy programming or get involved in business processes or e-commerce. You can typically find good website designers for small business in $25 - $40 per hour range. A typical small business website may cost somewhere between $2500 and $5000 to design, and you will be responsible for writing site’s content.
• Web Developer – These folks are typically more expensive than website designers and may or may not be able to assist you in user interface design or “look and feel” of your website. They focus primarily on programming and development of more complex websites and web-based applications. You will want to bring in a developer if your site requires building a custom database, you plan to have some sort of specialized functionality that you can’t purchase off shelf from your web hosting company, or you need to implement an e-commerce solution, and you don’t feel comfortable with doing it yourself. Custom Web Developers will charge between $35 and $100 per hour depending on type of service you require and how large project is. A very basic e-commerce site will cost at least $10,000, with more complex sites running much higher..
• Search Engine Optimization Specialist – Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing are both hot markets right now with lots of snake oil salesmen who would love to take your money. A good Search Engine Optimization specialist will be able to show you examples of sites that he or she has optimized, and demonstrate how that optimization has led to increased traffic and sales for their clients. You can expect to pay monthly retainers between $500 and $2500 for a competent SEO. Those that charge less are probably not giving your business enough attention. With SEO true test of ability is results. You should start to see improvements in your site’s positioning within 90 days of bringing on a Search Engine Optimization expert. It isn’t good enough to be “ranked” on some particular term, you are hiring these people to bring in qualified traffic.