For all of its glitzy nightlife and highbrow international events, Atlanta can be affordable when it wants to be. According to the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER), the city ranks favorably in the average lowest cost of living among the nation's 20 largest metropolitan areas.

According to Salary.com, the cost of living in Atlanta is 7% lower than Chicago, 31% lower than San Francisco, and 35% lower than New York City.

Business-wise, Atlanta comes out favorably as well. Atlanta is the Business Capital of the Southeast, and it's easy to see why. According to the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, Atlanta has the fifth largest concentration of Fortune 500 companies in America. As in the case of every business wishing to stay ahead in the competitive high-tech world, Atlantans want to get state-of-the-art software but don't want out-of-this-world pricing when it comes to web development.

?Our city boasts of companies like Coca Cola Home Depot, UPS, and Aflac having Atlanta as their headquarters,? said Nigel Gower, CEO of 24OnDemand, a web development company based in the city. ?My plate is full and our calendar is busy as we work with local businesses by creating websites suited to their needs. We're not limited to locals ? we have an international outreach ? but in Atlanta, so many corporations trust a 'neighbor' company to help them in web development. I am constantly working with companies who have just started to realize that a good website can have all the features they need without costing them an arm and a leg.?

Gower notes that many companies wanting quality web development feel that they must break their budget in order to do so. They empty their wallets, only to find out that the website company then demands a high maintenance fee as well.

?Overpaying for web development in today's economic times is like mortgaging your house to pay for a high-name sports car ? did you really need to make that choice? Especially when there is an acre of vehicles right next door with cars that has even more horsepower at half the price. I cringe when I learn how much some companies have paid web development firms that don't provide anywhere near the necessary tasks of a decent website,? said Gower. ?Our developers at 24OnDemand provide the best web solutions in the country, but best of all, the prices are affordable.?

He cites numerous examples of corporations who overpay for a site and then walk away from maintenance and improvement.

?I'm sure you've seen the sites whenever you browse, so you know what I'm talking about,? said Gower. ?Their web sites are atrocious. No fresh content, no web graphics design, very little to tell people that the company knew anything about internet technology. Yet the first thing they'll tell me is how much they paid for the site. That's like saying your major league baseball team shelled out $5 million a year for a first baseman who can't hit above .150 and can't field grounders. Who cares what you paid him? Get somebody who can do the job. Really, there's a great need for affordable but workable state-of-the-art web solutions.?

Gower's company offers website solutions that are virtually turnkey. ?All the client needs to do is to let us know his business, its location, its aim and its product of service, and we're off and running.? As a recent resident of Atlanta, Gower is excited about the opportunities he had encountered. ?I meet business people who have a passion for their product but just don't know how graphics design, brand strategy or the first thing about web solutions. That's why we're here. We explain things in as much detail as they need, and then walk them through all the pertinent options and let them pick and choose the website solutions they want. Then they let us sweat the details while they go on about their business. We do this in Atlanta and around the world. The web development needs we see in Atlanta usually starts with the question of affordability. Well, that's where we shine, from animation flash to search engine optimization, we can create a website that is within budgets of most companies.?

24On Demand meets the needs of companies who want to utilize the latest technologies, from online ads to keeping an in-the-website accounting log of business transactions. The company has been recognized as an innovative new corporation whose reputation is encouraging progression toward all-in-one marketing and management.

?In the financial squeeze of the day, Atlanta ? like other cities ? needs to do what I call 'tech homework',? said Gower. ?We offer website solutions by specializing in web graphics design and other corporate necessities. Everybody needs these things, but they don't need to be paying top dollar for it. It would do well for corporations to realize that hiring a web development firm is not like buying a suit. People aren't going to be asking you its price and looking for a label. Think of it more like a crew that designs, creates and maintains a NASCAR racing vehicle. If you don't have the right tools and the proper mechanics, you'll never get into the race.?