How do I know if I need a website?
Do you want to expand your business? Are you a small business looking for legitimacy? Do you want to give better customer service to existing customers? Perhaps you want to sell some products farther afield than your current territory? Are your products complex enough to need detailed descriptions/explanations for use? Do you want to acquire customers of a different demographic? These and many more - are good reasons to have a web site.
Why does it seem so expensive?
A website is a necessity these days, even for small businesses. The most basic of sites, such as a business card or brochure site where your entire goal is nothing more than to allow people to find you online, is very affordable. It costs about as much as the design and printing of a good flyer or brochure - and it can say so much. It can also be easily updated (without the waste of throwing out old flyers) to reflect any changes. Most people soon find they need a larger web presence for many reasons, including better customer service and sales support of their products. In many cases, a business wouldn't exist without a web site, particularly those designed around online sales.
Furthermore, consider the level of experience a web consultant brings to your business. We have spent thousands of hours in training and education for web related marketing and design. We have mastered many areas of web development including graphic design, web marketing, programming, and more. We have worked with a multitude of companies and their business plans. You get the benefit of that experience on your project, without the cost of paying for it.
Most of all, do you want to increase business income? How much are you willing to pay for that increase? If an extra phone line or vehicle or product line were required for your business to prosper, you'd find a way to acquire it wouldn't you? Did you know online advertising with a website is the biggest bargain around compared to print, radio ads or TV advertising?
But you don't have any overhead, it's just a computer....
I wish!!! Web development classes run $1,500 - $2,500.00 per course. There are courses depending on what direction your web design and development business is headed: graphic art, programming, and management to name a few. The requirements for websites (standards) are always changing so we must constantly take courses and self-study to stay on top of everything (and still can't know it all!)
At minimum I use common web development software such as Dreamweaver which is $399, image editing software such as Photoshop $999, Fireworks $299, Flash Professional $699, Acrobat Professional $449.00, and 20 or 30 other programs that do specialized things such as Adobe Premiere (video) $799, or ColdFusion $649.00, Illustrator $599, Freehand $399, Pagemaker $499, or Microsoft Office Pro $499 if you'd like to try your hand at learning them. These programs must be upgraded regularly to be of any use.
Like you and your business I have electricity, heat, rent, internet connection, phone, insurances, and automobile expenses. I also must upgrade my computers and basic software constantly. A computer is obsolete in a 2-3 years and commonly I'll use two or three at a time if research and testing are needed while building some sites. I must keep up with software upgrades such as Windows and Office - you wouldn't want me building your website in ancient Windows 3.0 would you? I also occasionally must hire employees to do complex programming or do the grunt work when I get exceptionally busy and of course, they do get paid.
Exactly how much does a website cost?
There are many factors that go into building a web project, including your ability to provide needed materials and approve stages of the project in a timely manner. Other things that influence cost are complexity of the site, changes to the project as it progresses, good communication between all parties, how information is submitted, and the quality and source of photos to name a few. These are all variables that impact the final cost and unfortunately our crystal ball cannot see all the possibilities that may unfold as the site is built, so we can only provide an estimate.
How long does it take?
As with cost, the same factors that impact cost, impact time. Web sites have been completed in just a couple of weeks when all materials were provided promptly and communication has been on target. However, our single largest problem in completion (and cost overruns) are lack the of requested materials, materials in the wrong format, and changes to the site that were not anticipated. We can give you an estimated time frame, but many factors have an impact on how long it takes.
Why choose a small company such as yours over a big one?
Our small web design company offers you personalized service and years of experience. We are available in emergencies beyond normal business hours. We can create a variety of "styles" rather than create sites where every site looks like it's from the same template. Every site we do is unique just for you. We have done a variety of sites for small businesses of every kind. Our clients include large and small businesses and organizations. We also feel it's an advantage to work directly with one person - rather than an army of different specialists where communications can be misunderstood and lost. Many of our business clients have become good friends as well, which testifies to our deep concern for our client's best interests when designing their web site. See our portfolio with samples of our work, or check out feedback we've received from customers.
How cheap can you do it?
The least expensive site we've created in recent history was $700 - it was a two page site, had a few photos, and very little copy. It was straight HTML design, with no "moving parts" or custom graphics, and no extras of any kind. Frankly, it was boring to look at, but it did the job. We will work with you to provide an estimate that is specific to your needs. The estimate we provide is our best attempt to give you a fair and honest idea of how much a quality web site will cost based upon your requirements. Sometimes, if you have "champagne tastes on a beer budget" we can work with you to start small, and in stages work up to the site you would really like to have. Sure, you can have someone in another country do it cheaper - but communication, convenience, and skill should have a bearing on your decision as well.
Why can't you just make something up and I'll see if I like it?
Sometimes were are asked "how will I know that I'll like what you design" - can't you just make it up and I'll see if I like it. Unfortunately, as with other creative fields such as graphic design, advertising, and art - it would be providing work for free. Our schedule is much too busy to provide free design work. We'll be glad to give you an estimate providing for more than one design for you to choose from.
What is hosting?
Web sites have to have a place to "live" on the internet. They live on web servers, which are computers that are hooked up to the internet 24/7 and have other requirements such as protection from hacking attacks, back-up power or other features that make them a reliable place to put your web site so it's always available. Web servers are a lot of work to maintain so most people don't run their own. They buy space from experts that know how to maintain them. When someone rents space to you for your website, that is called hosting a web site. We provide hosting at a great price - check us out!
What's a domain name?
A domain name is like an address. It's the URL or name of a website - www.yoursite.com. In order to get a domain name, you have to buy it from an internet registry that sells them. Although we talk about "buying" a name, really we are just leasing it for a period of time - from 1 to 10 years. If you "own" a domain, nobody else can use it. If you let the name expire, someone else can buy it. We provide domain name registration as one of the services we offer. You can see what names are available or get some terrific ideas if your first choice isn't, here.