Just like your business,
there are many things to think about when considering web
page design and web design services.How much?Where?How do we keep the reader’s interest
and direct them to the most important information?I have put together this list of
Frequently
Asked Questions, and things you want to consider when designing
your site.I will help guide you through some
of this in our initial consultation, but you will want to prepare
some in advance. The Web Dude San Diego web site design
will work hand-in-hand with you, so that you get the most
effective online marketing tool for your needs.
A:Although I have included a basic list
of prices for individual web design services, and packages designed to be both
comprehensive and cost effective, the real answer to this is 'it
depends'.
Like any project, web page design can be done
economically, or it can be done with a lot of flashy bells and whistles.
Bells and whistles cost more. I quote each web design project based
on your requirements.
The best way to get the
best possible answer is to contact me with your ideas and some specifics.From there I can work out a fair quote
based on your needs.I prefer to price the project based
on how complex it is, as opposed to an hourly rate.I may, however, charge by the hour
for unscheduled maintenance, copywriting outside the scope of a
project, and any work added on or changed by the client after we
have already agreed upon the scope of the project.I promise all clients that I am not
going to try to up-sell you on things you don't need.
For a quality page design, one that looks right and
works right, for honesty and reliability, and for a company you
can trust to be around for a long time to come, you'll find
that my pricing is extremely competitive.
A:I know this sounds cliché, but the
fact is that you cannot afford not to have a web site. With more
and more potential customers online every day, the days of customers
finding you in the yellow pages are all but over. People expect
to be able to look you up online, at least to find out a little
information, even if they heard about you from a friend or colleague's
recommendation. A web site truly has become a necessity in today's
business world.
Understand, though, that
you do have options.We can put together an effective web
page design
including hosting for as little as $400.If you are just getting started, it
may be a good idea to start small, and add components as your business
grows.
A:You might need a simple site, with
a few pages to display your company information and answer questions
that your customers or associates commonly have. Some marketing
information to pre-sell your customers, contact information, and
that's about it. This type of site is usually called a brochure
site, and is typically the least expensive kind, as it takes a relatively
short time to produce.
If the site will require more programming and/or
software, perhaps the use of a blog, or a member’s area, or e-commerce,
these things take more time to work into a web page design. They need to
be customized and tested, and of course the cost will reflect this.
After a brochure site, blogs and forums are found
at the next cost level, followed by CMS driven sites (where you
can add, update and change your own pages by logging in). The most
expensive types of web sites to have designed and built,
generally speaking, are sites which have customized
interactivity or e-commerce sites.
The Web Dude San Diego web site design
company will present you with options based on your needs, and
then work with you to determine which web design services you
will need. I will never sell you anything you don't need.
A:No, although we are a San Diego web
site design business, I can work with you no matter where
you are located.Many people prefer to work with someone
who is local and accessible, so I tend to attract mostly local clients
from the San Diego area, but I have done work for clients from all
over the country.
If you happen to be in San Diego, I will want
to set up an initial face-to-face consultation, as it tends to save
a lot of emailing and phone calls, and I can get a much better feel
for your business.
A:My estimates for simple web page
designs are usually
about three weeks from start to finish.This allows for plenty of time for
back and forth communication between us as decisions are made.More complicated projects may take
longer.I have to quote a time frame based
on your individual needs.
The overall path we will follow along the journey
from idea to completed web site can be summarized in five steps:
Step 1: Consultation/Planning
- This is the most important step of all, in my opinion. Together
we assess your needs and decide on an overall plan for the site.
Step 2: Proposal/Deposit
- We have made our decision to work together. I prepare a project
proposal in plain language, outlining the strategy we have discussed
for the site and making the project official.
Step
3: Graphic Design/Usability Concept - A visual mockup
of the web page design
is created for your review and approval. Up to three revisions are
usually allowed before approval, if needed.
Step 4: Development &
Coding - The images are sliced, diced, coded and made into
a real working web site on my test server. The site is ready to be
performance tested.
Step 5: Liftoff!
- The website gets final client approval, and then gets uploaded and launched. Your new home on the web is
ready for visitors! Remember, you get 30 days of small tweaks
(wording changes, picture changes, etc.) after the site launch.
A:I discourage them. The Web Dude San
Diego web site design company takes pride in designing good quality, hand
coded, one-of-a-kind work takes a certain amount of time.
However, if your site does need to be completed
for an unusually short deadline, and you have 100% of the content
ready right now, I will let you know if it is realistic and how
much added cost will be incurred.
Taking on rush jobs does reduce my availability
to other clients or potential clients, so please understand that
rush jobs will be quoted at a premium if they are accepted.
A:Yes and no. My web design services
include graphic design, navigation
and site layout, and these are generally created from scratch by myself. These
are based on your logo (if you have one), the types of sites you
like, and color schemes which seem appropriate for the project.
Photography, if used,
is handled differently for each site. Many types of web sites can
do their job just fine without much or any actual photography used.
If you do have good quality photographs in digital form that you
think would be a good fit for the site, I will optimize them for
use on the site.If you have physical photographs that
you want used, there will be an extra charge as scanning and preparing
them is very time consuming.
Of course, this all will vary from project to
project, and we will discuss all this during our initial consultation.
A: Here are some items
that will come up in the web page design process. You can include some of
this information now if you have it handy, otherwise it is good
to think about some of it for later.Again, part of my job is to guide you
through the process.
Do you have an existing website? If so, should any existing
content be used in the redesign? Why or why not?
What kind of business is the site for?
Who is your competition, and what is their online presence?
What are some sites you like visually?
Are you considering purchasing logo design? Often, a website
will be based around the color scheme of the logo, although
it isn’t necessary.
Do you have imagery you would like to use on the site? Is it
in digital format or does it need to be typed or scanned?
What are the fewest number of pages that would serve your needs
without crowding your page or make things confusing for potential
clients? What would be the theme of each page (front page,
about us, contact us, our products… these are some common page
themes).
It is important to start copywriting for
each page as early as possible. Create simple but effective
paragraphs that will deliver important messages about your products
or services to your potential clients. Please understand
that although I can do some basic editing for grammar, I cannot
write the copy for you.Also note that, for search engine
optimization, it is helpful to include keywords as much as possible.It is almost impossible to overuse
these keywords that are pertinent to your business, the site,
or the page.
A:Let's get started!The Web Dude Sand Diego web site
design company is looking forward to working with you. Use my online form (on the sidebar
on each page), Email me at
steve@SteveTheWebDude.com or call
me at 858.735.7946 and give me an idea of what you have in mind.
This will get the ball rolling.