How much does it cost to design and set up a small business web site?
Here are the costs associated with setting up a small business web site:
Domain Name Registration
$9.95 per year. First year may be FREE.
Web Site Hosting
Starting at $9.95 / month.
Web Site Design
Varies based on the size and content of each site. Please call or email us for a FREE estimate.
Maintenance to Existing Sites
$60/hour.
What's the difference between the number of hits and visitors to a web site?
The number of hits consists of the total number of files that were downloaded from your site. For example, if one page consists of 5 images and one person accesses this page, the number of hits equals 6. (5 images plus one page.) Visitor counts relate simply to the number of times people access your site. Visitor counts are comprised of unique and repeat visitors. It is more effective then to track the number of visitors to your site than the number of hits.
What exactly is a web hosting company and is that a service you provide?
A web host provides you with space on one of their computers or servers that are directly connected to the Internet. They install and maintain all of the software and hardware associated with keeping your site online and provide fast connections to the Internet - In other words, they give your site somewhere to "live", so that people from all over the world can view it. WebDesign does not provide hosting services. We do, however, work with the hosting company to set up your site, email and domain name.
Does it really matter which hosting company I choose or should I just select one that offers the lowest monthly cost?
Don't underestimate the importance of the quality of the web hosting company you choose. Problems with your hosting company can cost your business both time and money. Things that can go wrong range from not being able to access your email, to your web site being down for prolonged periods, to features of your site not functioning properly. We will advise you on which web hosting company to use based on our research and experience.
Are all of the major search engines still free to get into?
No, they're not all free, but there are still a significant number of engines and options to engines that are available at no charge. We work first with the free search engines, including Google, to minimize the cost of each new site.
I've looked at other businesses that specialize specifically in search engine optimization and not web design. They are a lot more expensive than what your business charges which includes both. Do they do a better job optimizing sites than your company does?
No, we don't think so... Most search engine optimization (SEO) companies cater to medium to larger-sized businesses. Most focus specifically on optimizing sites and not on designing them. Our niche is to design and optimize sites for small businesses and yes we charge significantly less than most SEO companies charge for just the optimization part. We feel that in order for a site to be effective, it should be well-designed AND optimized.
I've seen a lot of sites on the Internet that require the Flash plug-in. Just what is Flash and does your company create "Flash" web sites?
Flash is a wonderful product created by a company called Macromedia and is now owned by Adobe. It is one software package that enables web sites to integrate sound, animation, and interactivity. An entire site can be created from the Flash software package or pieces of one or more pages on a site can include Flash.
Flash-enabled sites are more costly to maintain.
We can add sound and animation to your site, which may use Flash or another
technology.
How long does it usually take to develop a new site?
On average each of our new sites usually takes about 3 weeks to develop.
Should I select a web designer who lives nearby?
It's really not necessary to select a web designer that's in the same location as your business. All communication and exchange of information and images can take place via email, the phone, fax or postal mail.
How will I monitor my project's progress?
We will assign you a directory off of our site for you to review mockups and the various stages of the site. Depending on your preference, we'll contact you through either email or the phone, to let you know when updates have been made.
Once you have approved the final site, we move the site to the web hosting computer and provide you with all of the usernames and passwords associated with the site.
Have any more questions? If so, please feel free to call us at 518-478-7845 or email us at info@518webdesign.com. We're open M-F, 9-5, EST
