Forum Moderators: mack
Looking to have someone do my website.
Normally how many hours and $$$ per hour for:
full package;
design webpage;
plus 10 pages;
links;
text;
images;
graphics;
animation;
forms;
helpline forum.
I have seen companies charge $250 an hour to $500 said and done flat fee for that size site.
I am afraid you will really need to get quotes. Don't be afraid to ask for them. It's part of their business. You should get at least 3 quotes from companies and compare.
I'll do that.
Also some of the cheap ones will nail you on back end with monthly cost that can be called a variety of thing hosting, miintence etc. This is not to say its bad but just depends on what you expect fron the site.
You need careful planning as to what you want to be on it, what you want it to do/achieve etc. You also need to sort out who owns the domain name, how much is charged for updates to the site, and how they are done.
As for coding, some people can make a site that looks nice, but which will never be indexed by search engines. Specify what W3 standards the site is to meet. Are you taking accessibility into account at all?
When making the site, you need to design it for visitors, but also need to take into account the needs of search engines. Does your designer know about meta tags? Does he stuff them full of irrelevant things, or really know what it is about?
After it is online, you need to get incoming links, submit to directories, and so on.
Is the web designer going to do that, or you, or someone else? Many website designers really do know NOTHING of code validation, search engine optimisation, and the best way to handle the submission process (avoid anything automated).
You need a clear list of exactly what is going to be done; and avoid anyone who says that they guarantee placement in any search engine or directory. They can't guarantee it.
normally php and css are optional extras on top of the set prices aswell.If the site will need a database, even if it's because of a large number of articles, and they don't include either php or something simular, a red flag should go up. If they charge extra for CSS, go somewhere else. CSS needs to be standard if your pages are going to meed W3C standards. Anywone who builds a site which isn't at least close to standards still has one foot in the stone age.
g1smd-
You've hit the nail on the head. As far as "guarantee [of] placement" goes, tell them to put thier money where thier mouth is.
In general, even when done by the same person, designing and developing should be viewed as two seperate things. Design should only include look and feel (including usablity) of the site. Everthing else, beyond CSS and simple HTML, should be seen as exclusively development.
It should be noted that "development" can include "design." That being said, many of those who do development call themselves "designers." Look for someone who knows what thet are talking about and can give reasons--not just spew technobabble.
Nike: ~ $150 K
Joe Shmoe: ~$500
Ask different designers for their prices and compare them. Look at their references and compare the quality. Simple rule: the bigger their clients are, the higher their prices will be. Normally. Not generally.
You must be referring to monthly cost :)
