logo design faq
February 24, 2022web design faq
If you are thinking of building a new site, or revamping an existing website, there are a number of things to consider. Here are a few questions I commonly hear from potential web design clients.
Every project and every client is unique. Some clients need a very simple site and have a very clear idea of what they want and need. Other clients will have more complex sites that need a lot more in the way of revisions, additional functionality, and content creation. For that reason, I don’t offer “one price” options. Your final cost depends entirely upon how much time you require to get to the final product.
Ballpark cost: $5,000 – $10,000 – depending on the complexity of the site.
WordPress is a perfect solution for customers who need a website that is easy to update, but who don’t need a fully custom-coded website. It’s also a good option for customers with a smaller budget.
While I don’t fully custom design for WordPress, I do offer semi-custom designed WordPress sites. To keep the project cost down for the customer, I purchase well-rated, easily customizable, responsive themes from well-reputed vendors like ThemeForest, and then apply further customizations for the customer. My favorite theme, hands-down, is the BeTheme by Muffin Group because it offers over 600 different pre-built layouts to start from, so I’m sure to find a layout that will work well for the client’s needs, and then we can further customize it to make it a perfect fit.
To give you an idea of what determines the cost of a site, a small brochure site with just a few pages of content, with a moderate amount of images, would be toward the lower end of that range. On the other hand, a business site with a large number of images, products, and/or an customized eCommerce or quote cart system would greatly increase the cost because of the increased time involved with editing and uploading the images, as well as setting up and configuring the cart options.
The cost of the site includes the cost of one theme, first month of hosting, registration of domain and purchase of SSL certificate, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), and a one-year premium license to the WordFence security plugin, which I require for all new WordPress clients.
I go into more detail on hosting, domains and SSL certificates in the next section.
While I do not provide hosting, I am happy to work with you to set up your new site on a hosting provider, or to migrate your existing site from your current hosting to one of your choosing. Typically when setting up new hosting, I recommend 1and1/IONOS. I have used them for over a decade, and most of the the new websites I set up are hosted there.
When setting up a new site on new hosting, I set it up with my contact information, do all of the tasks related to setting up a new site (procuring or transferring a domain, purchasing a SSL certificate, setting up the database for the site). I do this so that I am the one getting the notifications during the development phase.
Once the site goes live, I change the email and other contact information to the website over to the client’s information. I then have the client login and change the payment information to their own, for future billing. That way, the client is in complete control of their hosting account, and I can be involved as little or as much as they need me to be.
Costs can vary per hosting provider, but typically hosting and domains run about $9-15 a month for hosting and $15-20 per year for domains. SSL certificates are needed, and typically cost about $70-80 per year. If you add services like Google Office to handle email, that can add another $20+ per month.
I do offer website management services for customers. This this can entail anything from routine maintenance and making sure plugins and themes are kept up to date, to actually making changes to content and layout, as needed.
If a client is only having me login periodically to deal with WordFence alerts, and to address any updates that need to be made, the cost for that is typically $15-30 per month, although that can vary based on what needs to be done during that month.
If a client needs more detailed content, layout and design work done, that can add to that cost. On or after the first of each month I send an invoice for any and all work done during that month, due within the first 15 days of that month, but preferably on receipt.
After discussing your specific project and needs, I will prepare a contract for you. This will outline all the specific details of our working relationship. If you choose to work with me, you will return the signature page with your signature, along with a non-refundable deposit equal to 50% of the lower range of the option you chose.
Before any work begins you will need to ensure you have procured a domain and hosting for your site that are adequate for the type of website you will have. I can help with this, if necessary. I will need access to the hosting site, but the account and billing information should be in your name.
After the contract and deposit are received, and I have access to your hosting account, I will begin work, and will be sending you updates for feedback, making requested revisions. At the end of the project, you will receive an invoice for the balance due on the project, minus your deposit amount.
Once the final invoice is paid, if you desire, I can give you a copy of your site’s files in digital format, delivered as a link to a zip file on DropBox.
If the project goes into the next month, I will invoice you for the work done so far (minus the deposit), and will resume the following month.
I also offer the following services:
