Getting a Quote

QUOTES AREN'T ALWAYS QUOTES

Always get a written quote from web designer/developers, just be aware that it is difficult to give an accurate price until all the material for the site is available. Not everything is as simple as it may appear on a computer screen.

The best way to get a 'close' quote is to have a flow chart of your site including an idea of the content on each page. A developer will need to know how many images are going to be on pages, whether special feedback forms are going to be needed. If a database is required etc.

Consider your future needs

It can be tempting to under specify your requirements just so you can afford your website immediately.

If you are working to a tight budget, ask the developer if they will build your website in modules that can be expanded and added to over time retaining the coherence of the site's function and style.

Successful websites are the result of constant refinement by the owner in partnership with their web developer.

Please feel free to call us if you need assistance in planning your website.

Yes, we are looking for your business, but there is absolutely no obligation.

How Much Should a Business Pay For a Website?

This is a question without a definitive answer $1500 ... $5000 ... $20,000 ?

A merging trend is to divert advertising funds from telephone directory display advertisements to websites including paid search engine entries. e.g Google Adwords.

Many more people do all their product research online and base their buying decisions on the knowledge accumulated.

If your business isn't highly placed on search engines you miss out on this initial research.

In reality, your website is only as important as your search results.

Websites and Search Results go hand in hand and you should have a TOTAL Budget.

We can not only design, build and manage your website but we can also develop a Google Adword management system tailored to your requirements and budget.

Be Cautious

Website quotes are no different from any other quote.

Ask about ongoing costs. Some designers charge a lower price to build your website, but it is an annual fee.

Others will 'forget' to tell you they charge $700 for hosting or $1000 to register a Domain Name (these are actual cases). Some charge an annual fee, some also charge for search engine submissions when they haven't been done.

Web developers are famous for bad customer support after they get your money.

Live Link Websites constantly endeavours to provide the best possible customer support because we want to keep our clients.

We can't argue with those who charge less... they know what their work is worth!

Conversely a high price doesn't guarantee a great website.

Estimating the price for a web site is like asking 'how long is a piece of string?'

I'm not trying to be smart but there are a multitude of factors which determine the price of a website. They include the time taken to design, develop and manage the site and 'outside' services such as databases or pages that can be updated by the client.

  • Is the site complex?
  • Does it rely on a large number of graphics?
  • Does it require on-line shopping or credit card payment?
  • Do you require your own Domain Name? Additional annual fees are payable to 'hosting' companies and for registration of the name.
  • Will there be a large number of pages?
  • Does the information need to be updated frequently? (Frequently updated pages are favoured by Google)

Many developers charge a fixed page price around $250, but this is not an accurate way to work. Some pages may require a small amount of simple text and be charged at $50 while other very complex pages could be charged at $500.

All our sites are priced by individual quotation.

If you are paying less for a complex page, then short cuts are being taken by the developer and something has to suffer... the web site.

Help Your Website Pay For Itself

The power of a web site is that it's 'alive'. Information can be updated instantly for a low cost.

Make your web site the 'focus' for all your advertising and promotions. This allows you to reduce spending on 'general' advertising and large glossy brochures by directing all advertising to your website.

Nobody can resist checking out a web site and they'll return if it's informative, up to date, simple to use and fast loading. Why not consider having a newsletter you can update instantly just using your browser?

How much do you spend on expensive colour brochures each year? Why not print a smaller generic brochure which summarises your business operation or product and direct customers to your web site? Your web site can be updated frequently, offer special deals, generating online sales.

Reduce the amount you spend on advertising but advertise more often, in more places.

ADVERTISING & BANNER ADVERTISEMENTS

Consider running paid advertising banners for complementary businesses.

A Real Estate business might run advertisements for Banks, Investment Advisors etc. or a Tourist Resort could have paid banners for local Tour Operators or Restaurants.

Even if you are only charging $10 a month, three or four advertisers will pay for your web hosting fees.

If your business has a lot of books available on your business topic, then consider becoming an agent for Amazon Books. You receive a commission from every book sold through referrals from your web site.

You could even make some money if you do it right!

Building Your Own Website. Will It Save You Money?

You can make your own web site, it's not very hard to get something up and running with software like Front Page 2000 and others, but ask yourself if your time is better spent managing your business and building up a larger customer base! Building a website demands your full attention if it is going to be successful.

Pros

  • You have total control on the look and content...if you are skilful at tweaking html code
  • The cost will be lower
  • You can experiment
  • You can make changes in your own time

Cons

  • We can build you a professional 'starter' site for under $1000, saving your valuable time
  • You will need to buy software for design and image optimisation ($200 to $600)
  • You will need to be able to access your webhost server frequently to replace the odd file which becomes damaged during upload or replace things that just vanish into cyberspace. I've seen whole websites just disappear into thin air with no trace.
  • You will need to be prepared to spend a lot of time updating your site.
  • Your site probably won't look or function as well as a professionally developed web site.
  • Image optimisation is crucial to the speed of a web site.
  • Automated e-mail forms don't work on all servers. You must be prepared to do some programming.

Microsoft Front Page is avery comprehensive piece of software but it also has a steep learning curve if you want to override it's automated features. With Front Page, be prepared to accept:

  • Sluggish upload times to the server... even for minor updates.
  • It can be frustrating to change navigational links.
  • Same generic designs as other users. A few of the styles look good and those are the ones everyone will choose to use.
  • For Front Page to operate correctly, your website files must be stored on a server with Front Page Extensions. Very few ISP's and only some hosting companies offer this facility.
  • It's difficult to place graphics where you want them without using tables or using DHTML which allows overlapping, but objects can still move all over the place, depending on the visitors' screen size, resolution setting, type of computer
    (Mac or PC) and browser being used.

FREE WEBSITES

  • Yes, you can get your own website FREE.
  • What's the catch? You will probably have a 'pop up' advertisement on your site and you won't be able to use your own Domain Name without paying a fee. If you get a ranking on the search engines and decide to build a 'real' website with your own Domain Name you will lose your search engine position.
  • They will do the job if you don't have a budget.
  • If you want to go this way have a look at: Bravenet

A realistic budget will allow you to get the website you need.

Consider how you can divert some of your current advertising budget away from print into an effective website campaign.

The effectiveness of your print advertising can be increased by pointing it towards your website.

Web visitors won't accept shoddy websites any more.