Why does a professional website cost £100s or £1000s?

"Here is some flour, yeast and water. I'd like some bread. How long will it take?"

Tailored websites bave basic ingredients and variations. We've tried to provide a guide below of the costs of building a website and the time it takes.

It is rare for a website to be completed in a few days (elapsed) because things tend to added or changed as the design and build progresses. There are often delays in waiting for content, particularly photographs of appropriate shapes and sizes. If scheduled dates are missed, this could impact delivery times.

This is an example of what we do for a small business website:

Pre-contract (allow 2-3 hours over 2 days)

• Understand the client’s objectives and expectations – allow at least 1 hour (not chargeable);
  
  
• Prepare detailed quotation for client agreement, making it clear what is/isn’t included – allow 1 hour including subsequent discussions (not chargeable);
  
  
• Provide a guide to additional costs, such as domain name and annual hosting, SSL certification, etc., and a list of complementary services the client may consider during or after development, e.g. SEO, social media management (also not chargeable).

Set up (allow 1.5 days over 3-5 days)

• Set up hosting space for a test site. Depending whether the website is new or a re-design, this can be on the client’s chosen host server or on the developer’s web space. This may include:
  
• Install WordPress database with a customisable theme / child theme;
  
• Install a selection of plug-ins for functionality to make WordPress admin easier for users, e.g. user back-up facility, contact form, cookie compliance message overlay, image slider, image gallery, search engine sitemap and analytics, social media links, etc.
• Customise all elements. Include colour palette, typefaces, fonts for headings (1-4), paragraphs and links.
  
  
• Set up pages templates and menus, ready for content.

Website Development…   

Content (time depends on number of images and documents to upload and number of pages with content but is likely to be up to a day's work):

• Upload the supplied images* and documents;
• Upload the supplied text to appropriate pages.

Design & Layout (allow an average of 30 to 60 minutes per page):

• New WordPress themes incorporate a 'block building' system. These all include Visual (like MS Word) and Text options. If the content is to be updated by users, the block building system should make it easier to use columns when mixing text and images on a page;
  
• Extra time will be needed for certain elements, e.g. image slider functions, interactive map, customised forms, SEO (alt-text for images, optimisation of written content), etc.

Publishing the Website (allow 1-2 days over 2-4 days)

• When the PC-based design is signed off, the developer will add responsive re-sizing for different devices to display correctly, take a full back-up, transfer the website to its new host, apply the SSL certificate and perform thorough testing and any necessary tweaking, followed by another full back-up.

• Site maps will be submitted to search engines, Google Visitor Analytics will be set up and activated.

• Handover to client will include basic documented ‘how-to’ followed by 30 days support.

Other (third party) annual costs may be:

• domain name renewal
• hosting renewal
• SSL renewal
• Backup and software versions update service
• Social media management
• monthly/quarterly blog writing

Optional ongoing updates/seo/social media cab be quoted as required. Our rates are considerably lower than similar services that have been established 30+years. Our experience enables us to advise and guide our clients, as required.
*if images need editing, this takes time and may incur additional costs.

We can also provide e-commerce websites but these will cost significantly more to set up.

We work with you to create the website you want. Contact us for your professional website quotation - see our website info for contacts:

The BPc / Professional Solutions

These are screen-shots of some websites that we have designed for clients:

Beware the Perils of Not Visiting Your Website

As touched upon in our previous post, there are things to watch out for when managing your own website.

Setting Up your own Website

When using a pre-prepped website, such as Wix, it can be easy to overlook the obvious. For example:

• social media links, such as Twitter, are set up to link to the Wix Twitter account, leaving the website owner to edit this to point to their own social media accounts;
• uploaded images may have inconsistant sizes or are so large that the website display is slow;
• poor SEO rankings in search engines may be a result of written content, e.g. insufficient content, keywords, alt-tags, etc.;
• bad or broken links, copyright out of date and no recent news posts can all contribute to making a website looking neglected, rather than to project you as a thriving, energetic company.

This isn't scare-mongering to entice you to use our services*. Today's post is inspired by a genuine case that we helped resolve, very simply, much to the website-owner's relief.

The Importance of Visiting Your Website

The company's website was not developed by The BPc. It was set up for them using a D-I-Y 'web-builder' system and handed over to them for on-going updating, which they have been doing, quite happily, for some time. But no-one ever thought to look at the website as a curious new visitor would.

There were the expected issues of last year's copyright date, a link that wasn't and, worst of all, a link that went to an asian language site with very naughty photographs. Having investigated how this came about, it was originally a genuine link to a .com domain name that had lapsed, which was subsequently purchased by a.n.other for an entirely different purpose, only in the past two weeks.

The moral of this story? Add a diary note to check your website every three months.

 *But please do contact us if you would like a website review or website design!

 

Skills For Your Business.

Jack of All Trades? 

There is a GoDaddy advertisement currently on TV, suggesting that a plasterer uses their service to make himself a website. In addition to being a skilled plasterer, he may possibly offer related services, as is quite normal and he may have other related skills. Like stilt-walking, to reach higher up the wall!

As is expected of large USA corporates, their marketing is excellent. There are financial incentives to encourage new customers to sign up and stay longer term. And who doesn't smile at the image of Harry Redknapp with Sandra's Jam Roly-Polys?

    GDDY Headquarters: Scottsdale, Arizona, United States

    Subsidiaries: Afternic.com, Inc., Host Europe Group, others

    Employees (2020): 7,000

Before you go ahead, just think about your job and where your income comes from. Do you want to be a plasterer or a carpenter or whatever you've spend years learning and building up? Or do you want to be a website designer?

How hard can it be? :)

During the past 30 years, we've seen software packages to enable our clients to create their own graphics (after dabbling, most of the professional businesses came back to professional designers) and do-it-yourself websites with their hidden nuances. These include Wix and Weebly.

This trend has also led to students creating cheap websites for small businesses. We've no problems with students trying to gain experience in their chosen field and make some money - as long as clients understand what they are getting. Internet presence is generally better than no presence at all.

Some of the issues we've noticed with home-grown websites include:

• social media links going to (e.g.) Wix Twitter account rather than the website owner's account;
  
• images uploaded are inconsistant sizes or too large which can slow down website display;
• poor SEO for search engines - written content, insufficient content, alt-tags, etc.;
• website can look old or ignored if not updated regularly, including copyright date and news.

Why SEO is important

If the website designer doesn't understand the importance of SEO, it will be more difficult to get the website noticed by search engines (e.g. Google). We can work with owners of diy sites to improve the SEO but sometimes the learning curve is too long or the chosen website software isn't flexible enough. Wix isn't bad, though, neither is the customised WordPress blog, although somewhat inflexible compared with a professional WordPress website.

Saving Money

If you haven't got the money for a professional job, be careful which diy site you choose - don't get locked in! It will end up costing more in the long run.

If you would like an affordable, professional bespoke website, with friendly support from a team that offers an individual service, try one of the following:

• The BPc (of course) for logo design, website design, SEO and social media management;
• Professional Solutions for website design/build, e-commerce plus website and PC support.
  

Supporting Small Businesses

Just a thought... if plasterers, plumbers, etc. want to build their own websites, don't be surprised if website professionals have the spare time to attempt plastering, plumbing, carpentry, brick-laying, etc.

;)