OK,
let's get down to the real nitty gritty. If you really wanted to,
you could build the website yourself. There are certainly enough
tools out there to help you along. But in a way it's like plumbing.
If I wanted to set up a sprinkler system for my yard, I might well try
that myself - the end result simply isn't very critical. But if my
toilet breaks, I'm calling a plumber because a guy who does plumbing every
day is going to do it right the first time and not puzzle over how to approach the job. He's seen it all before
and knows how to do a professional job immediately. In the world
of Website Design, that's the kind of experience I have and that's what
you're paying for.
All of these sites come with 3 months to two years of update service. If you want to change it every day of those first three months, that's ok. After all, the whole point of hiring a Website Designer is to take advantage of his expertise. So call and ask for changes as often as you like!
You need to save money, and I need to make money, so here's the bottom line:
Basic Website - $150
If you want to establish a web presence but aren't really
sure how you want to approach it this is probably your best bet.
For this you get a single page with three images plus your logo, which can be posted on one of the free hosting sites such as GeoCities, NBCi, Tripod, etc.
These pages are excellent for posting basic information about your business
such as your specialties, your service area map, address and phone number,
etc. The page can be as large as you like with as many links as you
like, but you only get one of them.
Deluxe Website - $1500
Includes 2 years of website
hosting and monthly updates!
This is the standard business website. You get
up to 50 linked pages and 100 images plus your logo. These sites are
great for highlighting different aspects of your business and showing
yourself to your best advantage. Another big advantage of this type of site is that it's basically hassle-free. You get your site designed and posted to your own "yourname.com" address where it will reside for two years with no additional charges!
Premium Website - $5000
Includes 2 years of website
hosting and DAILY updates!
This is the site to choose if you are selling a rapidly changing inventory. Your site will require constant updating and quite frankly it's the labor which you're paying for. But the benefit is that a site which changes all of the time (especially one which features products which go in and out of stock) is one which will generate a lot of return traffic. Other strategies for encouraging repeat visits include a site that's visually intriguing. If you have something flashy, with moving images,
multiple nested pages, things that blink and change when you drag a mouse
over them, music and other sounds pouring out of the computer's speaker
system, this is the one for you. This is just the thing to impress
your potential customers and your associates. If this is your choice,
you get up to 100 pages and 200 images plus your logo. Please bear
in mind that you are essentially commissioning a work of art, so don't
expect a next-day turnaround time. But because a flashy site that
changes constantly encourages repeat visits as well as word-of-mouth advertising,
the results will be well worth the hassle and expense.
E-Commerce Website
If you wish to sell directly on the web, shopping cart services are available too! Now you can have clickable shopping and automatic credit card transactions directly from your Website. If you like, I can create a website with this capability, or if you prefer I can add it to your existing site. Because of the complex nature of this type of site design, we will have to discuss your specific needs before quoting a price.
If you'd like to try selling over the web without the investment, I'd recommend
trying one of the auction sites such as eBay.
If you are one of my regular clients I'd be happy to whip up an auction
page template for you at no additional charge.
Extras
Website Hosting - $20/month
Additional Images - $50
Some folks tell me, "Only three images? That's
not very many." Well, yes and no. Notice how there's only one
image in this entire site. In this context an image is a picture
created specifically for your website and these are some of the most difficult
things to get right. But your logo is always included and images
that are ready made (such as manufacturer's logos to attach to links from
your site) don't cost you anything. What you're paying for is digital
image manipulation of photographs. If you like, I'll come out and
take the pictures myself, or I can scan photographs you send me in the
mail. *But* if you have a digital camera or a scanner and can send
me digital images ready to go onto the website, then that is FREE.
If you already have a site but you're unhappy with
the service you receive from your current host or are sick of putting up with the ads that are forced onto the free sites, I would be happy to provide
this service for you. Your site can originate from reliable ad-free servers attached to three super-fast
T1 lines. You get all the space you need (up to 20 Megs!) plus an
email address. If you already have "yourname.com" set up, there will
be a one-time charge of $50 to move it to our servers. If you want
to set up a new "yourname.com" for yourself, InterNIC assesses a $70 charge
for 2 years of registration. If an address like "http:\\ChipDoc.com\yourname"
is ok with you, then there's no additional charge and I can set it up for
you in a matter of minutes!