There are quite a few factors
that are going to affect the cost
of your web site. For example,
how many pages you are going to
have, the amount of graphic work
that is required, and don't forget
the cost for your domain name
(personal web site address) registration.
In addition you will also need
an ISP (Internet Service Provider)
that will host your site and domain.
To view a basic outline of the
fees we charge of our web site
design fees, don't forget to visit
our Design Prices page after you
have read through our FAQ's. If
you would like to obtain a web
site design quote, please go to
the next FAQ.
If you already have a web site
but want a "makeover" of your
existing site, you will need
to provide us with your url
(web site address) and some
details of what your goals and
objectives are. Please note
that we do not make enhancements
or changes to pages created
by other designers - we only
build new sites from the ground
up. We can take the written
information from an existing
web site to do so if applicable.
If you do not yet have a web
site, and you believe that your
web site will be more than 2-3
pages, we will generally ask
you to forward a copy of all
of the materials you plan to
use (written content, photos,
any specific graphics you plan
to use, etc.) to us so that
we may review them.
In either case, the more information
you can provide us with the
better we will be able to assist
you. After reviewing your materials
or current web site, we will
provide you with a written quote
and send it to you either by
email or snail mail.
If you would like a web site
design quote or if you are not
sure what you would like to
have done but have some questions,
please email us by filling out
our contact form.
Your web site design time frame
will be determined by 3 factors:
- The size of your web
site.
- The amount of pages,
graphics, scanning, complexity,
etc. of your site.
- Our current client design
schedule.
Our next available date to start
a project can change on a day-to-day
basis. So, after you have gathered
together all of your web site
information and are ready to
begin, we will give you an estimate
of your design time schedule,
maintenance.
We have found that one of the
most commonly asked questions
from our future clients is,
"How do I get from start to
finish in the development of
my web site?" It is for that
reason that we decided to prepare
a basic outline of the web design
process.
Remember that developing an
effective web site takes careful
thought and planning. What you
put into the planning stages
will ultimately be reflected
in the end product. Your future
web site is your on-line advertisement
and careful planning with the
creation of great content will
aid in the success of your web
site.
Make note of any preferences
(including likes and dislikes)
you have about your future web
site' style or layout. If you
know of any web sites that display
any of these preferences, make
sure to provide them to us at
the time we prepare a quote
for you.
Create a list of categories
for subject areas that you wish
to cover in your web site.
Using the list of subject categories
you created, gather together
all the information and any
specific photos, logos, etc.
you that you would like to use.
Remember that all content/information
should be written exactly the
way that you like it to appear
on your web site. Please be
aware that Your web designer
does not write content for web
sites. If you are planning to
have a "Links" page, you will
need to gather together any
links that you think
would be interesting to your
visitors.
To receive a price quote you
will need to send a copy of
all your materials (written
content, photos, etc.) to us
via email, fax or snail mail.
Please note that all price quotes
are given based on you providing
written content in electronic
format via a Microsoft Word,
WordPad or Note Pad file or
files. You may also copy and
paste the information into the
body of an email and send it
to us. If you have graphics
and/or logos that are already
in electronic format, they may
be sent along as attachments.
After we review your materials
we will then prepare a price
quote for your project and provide
it to you via fax, email or
snail mail.
After we have received confirmation
that your quote is acceptable,
we will send you a package with
materials that you will need
to fill out, sign and send back
to us along with a deposit check
in the amount of 50% of the
quoted price. In addition, you
will also need to send us any
logos, photos, original artwork,
etc., that need to be scanned.
After we receive your materials
and deposit, we will schedule
an approximate start date for
your design process to begin.
When your web site is completed,
we will upload your web site
files to a temporary location
on our server. At this point
you will need to take some time
and review your web site thoroughly.
While you are reviewing your
web site, you will need to make
note of any changes, additions,
corrections, etc. that you would
like to make. Once you have
compiled your entire list of
changes, etc., you will need
to send it to us via email.
Upon receiving your list, we
will make all your requested
changes to your web site. After
they are completed we will load
these changes up to the temporary
directory we created on our
server and notify you that they
are completed.
It's time for the final review,
so you may again review your
web site and send us a list
of any final adjustments you
wish to make. After the final
adjustments are done (if any)
we are ready to move on to step
number 10!
At this point, we will prepare
your final invoice and send
it to you. Upon our receipt
of your final payment, we will
then upload your web site to
your ISP's server.
Should you decide to have Your
Web Designer promote your site
to search engines, directories,
etc., we will begin to do so
at this time.
Other items you will need to
do:
Select an ISP (Internet Service
Provider) and get your service
set up with them.
Register your domain name (i.e.;
yourwebdesigner.com). Your ISP
will register your domain name
for you if you ask them to do
so.
Making a successful site is
synonymous with making it unique
and original. It is for that
reason, along with copyright
infringement* issues, that you
should develop your own written
materials. In addition, you
may also wish to supplement
your materials by asking your
company, organization, suppliers,
and/or franchisers if they would
allow you to incorporate some
of their marketing and/or promotional
information into your web site.
Many people think that anything
on the web is "fair game" and
may be copied. After spending
time and money to develop materials,
content, and graphics for a
web site, would you like someone
to come along and take them
without asking and use them
for their own benefit? Most
likely you would not.
When you are gathering together
your web site materials, it
is more important to remember
where you should not obtain
your web site information and
graphics from. You should never
take or copy graphics, information
or content from another person
or company's web site without
first receiving written permission
from the owner of the materials.
A very interesting article regarding
the use of materials (photos,
text, content, etc.) owned by
other parties without obtaining
the proper permissions can be
found at RealtyTimes.com by
clicking here.
So where do you get the information
and graphics for your site?
The answer is clear. Write the
content yourself and/or only
use information that you have
written permission to use. This
may not be the easiest way to
put your web site information
together, but it is the best.
The end result will be an original
web site that is uniquely you.
As far as graphics are concerned,
keep them unique by having Your
Web Designer create original
graphics and/or
obtain the proper permissions
to use company logos, and/or
graphics.
Don't take the easy way out
- be original - be unique -
be successful!
For more information about how
to prepare for your web site,
please take a moment to visit
the Web Site Preparation area
of our web site after you read
through our FAQ's.
You will need to find an ISP
(Internet Service Provider)
or hosting company to store
your web site. Your Web Designer
does not currently host web
sites (we will be doing so in
the near future).
Shop around, but make sure you
get a reliable service provider
that is going to not only provide
good service to you, but will
provide good service to your
web site visitors. In other
words, you want to make sure
that the ISP you choose is not
bogged down because of inadequate
equipment so when your future
web site visitors are trying
to access your site it does
not load slowly or is difficult
to get into.
The best way to find a good
ISP is by word of mouth. Ask
friends or family who they use
and if they are satisfied with
them. If you would like our
recommendations, please feel
free to send us an email.
Most good web sites are continually
updated with new information.
You should expect that your
web site will require maintenance.
For example, when you own a
car your investment doesn't
stop there. You need to change
the oil, fill it up with gas,
rotate the tires, etc. It is
for this reason that you should
set aside a budget for your
updating.
In the past, we provided some
of our clients with templates
so they could do their own updating.
This did not work out at all.
We spent hours and hours writing
the instructions and then hours
and hours walking our clients
through the process via email.
Still after much coaching, the
web site pages they updated
ended up in shambles and we
had to go in and repair the
damage. After all of that, most
of them ended up having us do
their updating or didn't update
their sites at all. It has taken
us years to learn the ins and
outs of proper coding and it
simply isn't something we can
teach someone else to do in
5 easy lessons. In addition,
we are experts at what we do
and any manipulating of the
coding that you paid us to carefully
construct can compromise your
web site structure, search engine
readiness and ultimately end
up costing you more of your
hard earned money.
So, in closing, we do not provide
templates for you to do your
own updating. We do, however,
keep our updating fees reasonable.
In addition, we always try to
complete any general maintenance
type items that you may request
in a timely fashion.
A domain name is your own unique
web site address. It can be
anything that you want, so long
as that unique web site address
is available. For example, our
domain name is yourwebdesigner.com.
Currently you see many domain
names (web site addresses) that
end in .com, .net, .gov and
.org but there are many new
domain name suffixes that are
in the works for the future
such as:
.biz for businesses
.name for individuals
.pro for professionals
.museum for museums
.coop for business cooperatives
.areo for the aviation industry
Two letter domains such as .ca,
.jp, .de, .cc, .tv and many
more are country code top level
domains. The domains correspond
to a specific geographic location,
territory or country. Rules
for their use vary greatly and
some may only be used by citizens
of the respective country etc.
We highly recommend that you
get a domain name. Without a
domain name, your web site address
will be connected to someone
else's domain name which leaves
you with very little control
and may create problems for
you down the road.
Starting off with your own domain
name is the best choice rather
than beginning without one.
Changing your web site address
at a later date can be a costly
and time consuming project.
This includes re-promoting your
site on-line and off-line, reprinting
your business cards/promotional
materials, and much more.
Another important point is the
fact that a domain name is easier
for people to remember! Get
your own domain name and avoid
future disasters. It is well
worth the money!
The cost for a domain name
varies depending on the company
you select to register your
domain name. There are many
domain name registrars out there
and they all have their own
fee schedules and packages.
One example of costs we took
from Netsol.com (Verisign) is
for a ".com" domain name is
$35. This is to reserve your
domain name only - not including
web hosting fees (a place to
store your web site files so
that others can view your web
site online). This $35 fee would
reserve your selection (if available)
for one year although you can
reserve your domain name for
more than one year. When you
sign up for your domain name
or renew it for
more than 1 year at a time,
often you will receive a discount
and pay less for each year.
Again, there are other options
and packages available through
this registrar as well as the
many others out there. Remember,
when you have an active web
site you will not only be paying
for the web site address (domain
name) but also web hosting fees.
NOTE: Price(s) quoted here are
subject to change without notice.
Your Web Designer makes no guarantees
or warranties in regards to
prices or services offered by
Verisign.
We create web sites for clients
who are local as well as out
of state. We do not, however,
create web sites in any other
language than English which
does prevent us from assisting
those that would need language
translation.
With the aid of email, it is
possible to communicate effectively
as well as efficiently across
long distances. 99% of all of
our communication with our clients
is done via email. There are
many advantages of communicating
via email such as the fact that
you as a client will have a
written record of all of our
communiqués. In addition, communicating
via email also helps us keep
our overhead down which results
in us being able to charge web
site design fees that are reasonable
and competitive.
Not accustomed to using email
to communicate? If you are going
to have a web site, now is the
time to become comfortable using
email as a communication tool!
Be aware of the fact that your
future web site visitors will
most likely want to contact
you and/or communicate via email.
Some are cool, but when using
animations and/or bells and
whistles on your web site you
should do so sparingly.
When you are trying to decide
whether to add bells and whistles,
etc. to your web site, consider
the following...
Notice that most of the big
search engines do not use bells
and whistles. Why? Because they
are reaching out to a broad
audience that may be using older
browsers, slow modems, and people
without the plug-ins that some
of the "cool" bells and whistles
require. By keeping their pages
simple, they are assured that
their web site will be able
to be viewed by anyone - no
matter what browser, etc. that
they have. So if the big guys/gals
on the web don't use all that
fancy stuff, should you? Well,
you can, but be aware that a
potential customer may come
to your site, need your services
and/or products, and can't see
what you have to offer because
they don't have the capability.
In addition, these items may
even crash their browser. You
can pretty much count on them
never coming back to your site
if that happens.
In addition, these items can
substantially increase the load
time for your web site. Many
people will click their way
right out of your site because
they don't want to wait. So
when it comes to using all that
"cool" stuff on your page -
be cautious and use sparingly.
Remember that people have come
to your web site for information,
not necessarily to see bouncing,
waving, running, flashing things
that take away from the content.
They are both important. Your
web site is your on-line storefront.
It should be attractive to visitors
and project a professional,
polished image for yourself
and your company/organization.
Having too many graphics, or
slow loading graphics is unnecessary.
If your page takes too long
to load it doesn't matter how
great that 100K graphic looks,
many people won't wait and will
leave your site before it has
time to finish loading. The
answer is to
have a balance of attractive
graphics, good layout, and reasonable
load time.
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