A website doesn’t have to be fancy to be effective.  However, there  are a few essential elements that a website needs to be successful.

A design that suits your business. It does not need to be fancy, but it does need to appeal to your target market, suit your product, and show some of YOUR personality. It needs to be effiencient, and clean, so it does not interfere with the effectiveness of the other parts of the site. Flash sites invariably interfere with this. There are only maybe 5% of small businesses that can benefit from Flash at all, and NONE ever benefit from a site built completely in Flash.

A layout that is easy for your visitors to get around in. Familiar is better than creative for about 95% of businesses. Only very few can benefit from a non-standard navigation or layout.

Copy (text), that interests the reader, and appeals to them. Good copy NEVER puts Search Engine Optimization ahead of people appeal.

Basic site security. This is different for each site type, but it will include things like the right kind of email contact form, advice on passwords and protecting your domain name, keeping some types of site software updated (that is critical), and making sure cart functions comply with basic security requirements.

Search Engine Optimization. This is part of good copywriting and good design, but goes further in helping to ensure that your site can be found to get the most free traffic that is practical for your site within the next year.

Accessibility for the Disabled. Sorry guys, but this is legally required now. It means your site must be equally usable by the deaf and blind. It is not hard to do, smart design will always accomodate this without it even being noticeable.

Legal compliance with copyright laws, FTC regulations, and common lawsuit potentials. Again, fairly straightforward for most industries, but a few industries where there are more regulations to comply with (real estate, medical, legal, or financial professionals, contractors, and jewelry shops all have more requirements, as do a few others).

Marketing Plan for after the site is built. This is missed by most web services, but if you don't do this, your site won't grow at all.

Small business specific consulting. Your website is more than just a website, it is a facet of your business - a virtual business department in itself. If you fail to take into account basic business plans and norms, your site will fail, or you will get it built, and find that it wasn't really what you needed at all (we run into this in about 40% of all clients).

These elements are all a part of getting a good site. 10% of each of those things that you do need, will account for 90% of the potential results. If you get the right 10%, then you can earn from a $500 or $1000 website, almost as well as you can earn from a $10,000 website! You can earn 90% of the same earnings, with only 10% of the cost! Seriously, it really works, if you know which things get the results, and which things don't.

That is why a Frugal Website isn't cheap - it buys quality where it is absolutely essential, function where it really matters, and professionalism where it is critical. It is truly a wise choice for those on a limited budget.