Happy New Year to all of our followers and friends. It is now 2016 and our team is back at work, looking forward to another great year ahead. We’re starting the new year off with a post about pricing structure. This subject is a top subject among new business entrepreneurs, so we hope we can shed some light on the subject. Understanding pricing structure can be very confusing to those who are not web savvy. It is always the first question we receive in any phone call. Every designer is different, and every design company uses different methods to determine cost. However, most of us simply charge per hour for our time. We calculate the amount of hours needed to develop all pages of the website, as well as any custom programming required.
Cost-effective WordPress sites:
If the client is interested in the most cost-effective option and are wanting editorial privilege to change page content, the perfect choice is WordPress. This CMS platform is the most popular choice at this time, and is mobile-friendly and responsive. WordPress is theme-based software with the page programming already built-in. Simple theme-based WordPress sites normally take from twelve (12) to twenty (20) hours to develop and optimize. More advanced themes, with many pages required, may take additional time and require more custom programming. Since all WordPress platforms share some of the same programming, it is important to make sure each WordPress site has great security. Website backup software is suggested. This will insure that you always have a “clean” copy of the website in case the site is compromised by a hacker, or otherwise.
Custom (one-of-a-kind) html sites:
A custom html site takes longer to develop, since the site is built from scratch. The designer builds each and every page separately and our custom sites are mobile-friendly and responsive for devices. This increases the cost of the website. Better security is the top reason many companies prefer to go with custom design. The unique html programming used to build a custom platform is much less likely to be compromised by outside entities. Load time is increased, and this can be a great advantage when a site is welcoming thousands of users daily. All changes to a custom site will be performed by the design team to keep the site consistent in look and feel. The client will have access to the blog page to add new content regularly.
With a plethora of companies online, advertising low-cost website design, it is no wonder that most of the people we speak to are very confused. Many have considered the so-called “free sites” which charge for maintenance and other services to makeup for the low-cost to publish a theme. The old adage about you get what you pay for never goes out of style. There are some questions you should ask when choosing any design option. There are many so-called “free” or low cost options available online and these situations should be entered into with caution. Ask yourself the following questions:
- Why is it so cheap? Are there any hidden costs?
- How does the vendor make money if you sign up for this low-cost option?
- Will the site contain spyware or adware? If you determine either are going to be used, it is not worth the plunge.
- What type of security is offered and is this an extra cost?
- How will the site be promoted and is this an additional charge?
- Will the design application meet all of the needs of your company?
- Can you make changes and how much optimization is allowed?
- Once the site is built, can you move the site content to another host should you be dissatisfied?
- How many other companies are using this option and are they successful?
- Can you check references from others who have used this option?
If you are unhappy with any of the answers to any of these questions, it may not be worth the time you spend trying to save a few bucks. You’ll be better served to research options available. Most design companies are more than willing to work with your budget if it is realistic. Shop around before making the plunge. We wish you a successful 2016. Keep in touch for all things design.
We are happy to announce 2016 New Year Savings for new clients looking for WordPress design and optimization.Contact us to learn more about this cost-effective design package.
Jean Holland-Rose
SEO Professional
