Why should I pay someone to design & build my website?

Good question! While someone with an inherent sense of design and moderate grasp of technology can build a decent website through website builders such as WIX and Weebly there is a downside to the drag-and-drop platform. Briefly, control over content and design can be restricted. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) can be very limited and in some cases your SEO effort can be sapped by the hosting application’s website.

With me you get a design that is customized to your branding and your needs. Once paid for, you own your website. With your website you get a dedicated team with decades of combined knowledge and experience. I can make updates to your website for you or show you how to do it. I build websites using quality SEO markup for a foundation you can build a strong SEO campaign on.

My _{insert friend or relative here} can build websites. Why do I need you?

Due to the availability and prevalence of online learning and the willingness of our society to share information I have no doubt that your friend or relative possesses some level of skill in website design and development. In some cases the rarest of talents can both design and code well. One thing we’ve learned over the years is to be careful when working with family. Make sure both sides have an understanding and a written agreement of what is expected. Treat it no differently than if you were working with another business. Here are a few things to consider:

1. Will the design reflect my brand? Can the designer follow a brand guide?
2. Can I change my own content? Do I want to?
3. Does your code meet good SEO standards? How do you test it?
4. How long will it take to build my website? When should I expect it?
5. What kind of website security are you using?
6. Are you available to maintain and make updates to my website as needed?

In a few cases a relative will be a good fit for your business. In many cases your business will benefit from the wealth of experience and knowledge that a seasoned web design company like mine can offer. In the end, if you decide to go with your friend or relative just know that I will be here when you need me. When your business grows so do your needs.

How much does (should) a website cost?

The answer is complex for a variety of reasons but chief being that there are multitudes of variables to consider. Most companies will take an estimate of the time it takes to design and create your idea and multiply it by their standard rate. Some will calculate an average cost of their websites and group them together into size categories for a table of flat rates. With this method a company will come out on top on some projects while losing on others.

Before I give you a usable answer I would first ask you a number of questions.

1. How many pages will I have? How much content? This is used to generate an estimate of time needed to input content. I have a rate based on the estimated time to complete a single page and then we multiply it by the number of pages.
2. Can I change my own content? Do I want to? This can determine how much work I do on the back end to make inputting content easier for you. I often put in place custom fields that allows you to change out the content of complex layouts without ever worrying about deleting critical code.
3. Will I have complex features such as memberships or e-commerce? These features add more time to design, configuration, and development.

Simple custom designed websites up to 10 pages can cost $400 – $10,000. While complex sites over 10 pages with complex features can easily cost $25,000. Small business websites generally run in the $1500 – $6,000 range. With my incredibly low overhead costs, I am able to pass my savings on to my clients and start My websites at $1495 for a 5 page website with 2 standard features. Get a real quote now by using my Custom Quote Generator.

Do I really need a website? What can a website really do for my business?

Almost 2/3rds of internet users check a business out online before deciding to do business with them. Clients will look for reviews of your company and it’s services. They will come looking to see if you offer what they are looking for and if you do they want to know how to contact you. Your website is often the first impression these potential customers have of your business and your products, and/or services. A cheap website can not only frustrate a visitor and ruin their experience but it can give the impression that you sell a low quality product.

If you can’t be found online, the user will search for someone online with a similar product. The same is true when a visitor struggles to use your website because it is slow to load or hard to find information they seek. It is hard work getting people to your website. Don’t scare them away by making it difficult to use.