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Affordable Services to Get Your Web Site Launched |
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Web sites don’t roll off an assembly line, nor should they. After all, the purpose of a web site is to reflect the uniqueness of the individual business or profession presenting it.
But that doesn’t mean there can’t be starting points, so . . . Let’s talk price. Let’s talk process. PRICE For a basic web site that does its job, and does it well: Home Page: $300 If you’re after a basic 5-page web site—one page shy of the one you’re viewing right now—then you’re looking at a $620 web site customized with your own text, photos or other graphics, and rollover links to inside pages. Many businesses begin with a 5-page web site because a 5-page site typically allows them to present an overview of their business on the home page, with links to an inside page that details the services or products they offer, an inside page about their company’s histories and values, an inside page for contact information and perhaps directions to their physical location, and an inside page for announcements or news or upcoming events. Your inside pages can showcase whatever you’d like, and they are, of course, linked to each other and always back to the home page – the welcoming star of the show. So why is the home page so much pricier than inside pages? Because the home page takes the most work. It has to; it’s what visitors see first. It’s also the heart of the design and underlying technology from which the other pages take their cue. That doesn’t mean that the inside pages have to be mirror images of the home page, of course. Indeed, inside pages often carry a great deal more information than the home page itself. But it means that for a consistent appearance they follow the theme of the home page in terms of a basic color scheme, overall typeface, navigation, and so on. Since those elements were already decided in constructing the home page, the inside pages are less demanding to do. Thus, they are less expensive. Most clients prefer a flat-fee web site payment structure, because it’s often easier to fit into a budget. But if you’d prefer that we work on an hourly rate, let me know. Assuming your interest is in a relatively basic site without dynamic complexity, my rate is $50 an hour. No matter what kind of payment option you prefer, elements beyond design that are included in all web sites at no additional charge are:
ARE THERE HIDDEN COSTS? No. But you should be aware that all web sites require two “outside” costs that are independent of web design. One is registration of your web site name. You pick a name, and if it hasn’t already been taken, a “domain registrar” issues the name to you for a fee. (My domain name, for instance, is laurabelgrave.com.) Most fees are roughly $20 a year. You also need a web host that will physically hold the pages of your web site and make them available for viewing. There are hundreds of web hosts, or servers, and they offer a dizzying array of price structures. Most of those prices depend on how “fat” your web site is, how often it’s accessed, whether it requires database integration, and so on. To give you an idea of price, though, the web host service I’m using for my own site is charging me about $10 a month. Most of the time you can go with a monthly or annual payment plan. If you don’t already have these things on board, I can help you figure them out. Also, if your web site requires database integration, significant correction of photographs, sophisticated Flash movies, or logo design, well, we’d have to discuss separate pricing for those elements. Some of those items I can accomplish on my own. Others might have to be farmed out. All of them take additional time and resources. PROCESS
I invite you to take a look at my FAQ page to learn a little more about what’s involved in making a web site happen. And if you’re ready to get going, just drop me an email with your name and number, any questions you might have, and we’ll get going! Thank you!
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