Q: How do I get started?

A: Schedule a meeting, we will discuss your needs, and even help you choose and set up a domain name.

 

Q: What is the payment procedure?

A: The initial consultation is free. A 50% deposit is required before we begin development, then the remaining 50% upon completion of the design work.

 

Q: Will I get to see what my website looks like before it's finished?

A: Absolutely. We will give you several designs to choose from before we begin. As we go along, we will upload the inprogress site to a private directory on our server and send you a link so you can view it at any time. We welcome any comments/suggestions throughout the process.

 

Q: Will I own the finished product?

A: After the final payment, you own the finished product. We simply ask your permission to include a link to your website in our gallery.

 

Q: How much will it cost?

A: Whether you are thinking of starting a new website or redesigning an existing one, we would be pleased to provide you with a flat rate estimate.

Please note that the estimate provided is to be used as a guideline for an approximation of the cost involved in the project. The actual cost may vary depending on changes to the scope of work and/or functional requirements during the design and development phases. Feedback forms, slideshows, photo galleries, image effects, streaming audio and video will add some to the basic rates.

 

Basic Site Design:

Consultation - initial consultation is free of charge.

Site Design - the quote you will be given is based on the estimated time (at $40/hour) it will take to create your website.

Customized Programming - if you have an existing site and would like us to add some programming, we charge $60/hour

Ask about our website payment plans. You can get your website started for as little as $100/year (domain registration), plus $14.95/month (hosting). We will display all of your contact information on your site. This gives you an online presence and is great for start-ups with limited cash. Then you can call us at your leisure when you decide to have your website designed.

Please note that we offer special rates for non-profit organizations. Feel free to contact us and discuss your specific needs and requirements.

 

Q: What if I want to manage the site myself?

A: If you would like to do updates/changes on your site yourself instead of paying someone else, you will need a Content Management System. We highly recommend a company called xplorex (www.xplorex.com). You don't need any computer knowledge to be able to use their system and they provide on-site training for free. With their program you get a newsletter, blog, forum and many other features, at a surprisingly reasonable one-time cost.

Please check out the brief video that explains what they do:

 

Q: What is the procedure of planning a website?

A: There are 3 phases involved:

1. Decision/Planning Phase

Website Development Quote
If you have not already done so, you will want to take some time to think about what you wish to accomplish with your new website.  Determine if you will need any special functionality or interactivity with your visitors; consider the type of design style which appeals to you and then be sure to let us know.

When you are ready, please request your free, no-obligation website design quote.

Needs Analysis
Based on the information you provided when requesting your website design quote, we attempt to determine your needs, what you are expecting from your website, and try to get a feel for your industry.  This is why it is important for you to be as detailed as possible when requesting your quote.

We may have questions for you to help clarify certain issues and we will express those before quoting on your project.

Initial Deposit
A 50% deposit is required before we schedule a time slot for your project.  The remainder of your balance will be due upon project completion.  Once we have received your deposit, we will provide you with a start date.  All projects are scheduled on a “first come, first served” basis.

Domain Name Registration/Website Hosting
If needed, we will immediately secure your desired domain name (pending availability) for $100 for the year. 

If you require hosting services, we can set that up for you as well.  Hosting is $14.95/month and we offer added incentives to host with us.

2. Graphic Design Phase
If you have any preference as to colors, style, etc please offer that information at the beginning of the design process.  Please provide us with your company logo, photos, text content and any advertising you would like displayed on the site and any content you have.

If you aren’t sure what look/content you want, we would be happy to provide you with ideas. 

Ideally, all of the above information should be supplied prior to us getting started.

Website Conceptual Design
We provide our clients with a few different designs to choose from so we know which direction your unique style should go. 

After you have reviewed the designs and decided which one you would like to use, we will continue to make modifications to the design until the final desired look is achieved.  Once the final desired look is achieved, we will create the interior page layout, convert the design to HTML/Flash, add programming, etc.

In Progress Viewing
During this process, you will have the opportunity to review progress.  We establish a private directory for your new website on our testing server prior to launching it on your site.  We will send you a link to this so you may view the website development progress at any time.  In addition, your project manager will inform you via email when extensive updates to the site have been made so you can review the most recent progress.

Website Development/Coding Phase
Based upon your desires and the final design you selected, we create as many static or dynamic pages as needed to complete your site.

Navigation links or drop down menus, and rollover effects, if desired, are completed at this time.

Incorporation of your logo, photos and text content is included in all projects.

If you chose to have a response form/email contact form, we will also code your site to include this.

3. Completion Phase
We will inform you when your site is completed.  At this time, we ask that you take the time to look at your site and inform us of any minor changes you would like.

Final Payment
Final payment is always due before we take the website live on your domain.  Upon receipt of final payment, all necessary website files and scripts are uploaded to your domain server.

Minor Adjustments/Changes
Minor adjustments to the website are included at no charge for up to 1 month after the website has launched (maximum of up to 3 hours labor).  Minor changes include adding/changing text, adding/changing photos, modifying font etc.  Any major revision requests will require additional discussion and possibly incur a fee.

After this time, if you want any future modifications, we charge $60/hour.

Affordable Website Development to suit your needs!
Get started today!  Fill out our WEBSITE DESIGN QUOTE

Schedule a meeting, we will discuss your needs, and even help you choose and set up a domain name.

Q: What are the benefits of having a website?

A:More and more people and businesses use the Internet to find information, it is convenient and saves time. Having a website is becoming so mainstream that customers and the general public almost expect a company to have a website. If people want information on a product or service, they are now saying, "I think they have a website, I'll check that out first." Below are just some of the benefits you can expect from a website:

Increases awareness of products/services

A website provides the opportunity to publish the who, what, where, when and why of your business in a powerful and effective manner.
How many potential customers might be swayed if they could learn a little more about you, your company, your products, etc., without having to phone or taking the time to meet with you in person? A website makes it easy for customers to learn more about your business at their own pace.
An effective website will allow you to provide far more details about your products and services than a traditional advert or brochure.  You can provide layers of information for visitors to browse according to their needs and interests and present them in an interactive manner.

Expands market place

In the virtual world of the internet, your website is the virtual shop front to your business.  A website can expand your reach to a market that may have been difficult or expensive to reach through traditional advertising. Increasingly, people search the Web rather than the Yellow Pages when looking for a service or product. You'd be amazed how much shopping occurs on the World Wide Web overnight!

Increases hours of operation

Your website can serve as a representative that answers questions about your business, offers customer service even when your business is closed, and sell your products and services.

Not only will your website be there 24 hours a day, 365 days a year with the possibility of reaching millions of people every day, but now your customers are able to contact you outside of your normal business hours. Your website is still working for you while you are at leisure or asleep, and is not dependent on your having a PC or leaving your PC switched on.

While launching a Web business can help you sell products and services around the clock and around the world, it's greatest impact may be felt closer to home as more and more customers use the Internet to find businesses in their neighborhood.

Marketing tool - replace or complement existing sales and marketing channels

It's a very low-cost method of promoting your business. By advertising your website, in addition to your product or services, you give potential customers the opportunity to learn far more about your product or services than you could ever place in an ad.  You can provide your clients with up to date information about your business.  Updates are instantly available to everybody, at a relatively small cost (no printing literature and distributing it)
Promotes your business to a huge number of potential new customers.  No other advertising can reach so many people in so many places and still be affordable for even small businesses. 

An informative, well-designed site can give you the edge over your competitors, attract new customers and increase profits.

Reduce publishing costs

One of the largest expenses a business can incur is designing, printing, and delivering marketing materials. Websites are quicker, easier and more cost-effective to update than print based media. You can keep your website more current, more affordably than any other media can.
With a website, you can instantly publish that same information: new product announcements, employment opportunities, contact information, coupons, almost anything, without material or delivery costs. People can learn about it instantly just by visiting your website.
Imagine how much it would cost to produce a catalog for 200 different products, and keep it in consumers' hands for an entire year. You can accomplish this with a website very easily, with low development cost and almost no distribution cost.

Reduce marketing costs

Buying advertising space, whether it's a newspaper ad, billboard or radio spots, can be expensive. In addition is the burden of the hours spent trying to figure out the perfect words to say in a limited space. A website is an unlimited number of full-page ads that you can change at will!
Developing and maintaining an effective website need not cost a great deal, especially when compared with the cost of a traditional publication distributed to all customers.  It is clear that a website is a very cost effective investment when you take into account that once developed, it will remain a permanent fixture on the World Wide Web and can be upgraded, updated or expanded as required.

Reduce communication costs

A website can do far more than sell products. You can have pictures, details and prices of your products/services, the very latest company information, hours of operation and maps indicating the location of your company's outlets on your website. It can supply your staff, suppliers and business partners with important and timely information. Just about any printed matter can be converted to a web page and distributed by email at far less cost and time than by fax, mail or courier.

Reduce labor costs

The workload of your personnel (ie: customer service staff) is greatly reduced. You can more efficiently deal with orders/bookings/etc because customers can enter their own information as opposed to manually inputing the details of every single customer.

Build branding

Build brand awareness by having your website URL on all other marketing material you use. Having your brochures, website, business cards, ads, posters, etc... have the same look and feel increases your brand awareness.  Reinforce corporate and brand identity.  Make your existing investment in marketing go further.

Enhance your image / Reflect your spirit

People want to know who they are dealing with, and these days the internet is the first place they turn to find out. A website can help you to establish a credible, professional image, instilling a level of trust with your customer and their purchasing confidence will follow suit. Your website can (and should) reflect the spirit and vision of you and your company.

You are Being Judged

Increasingly, your clients (and potential clients) will be judging you by the standard of your website, or indeed, the presence or absence of one. The Internet also offers the opportunity for a small-business to portray itself as a big business. (Or, for a big business, to fall flat by having a website that poorly represents its true stature.) The internet is a great opportunity for your business to compete on a much more level playing field with much larger businesses. How will your business be perceived on the web?

Promotional Image
A well designed website will allow you to convey information to your target audience in a clear, well presented, easy to navigate and visually stimulating manner.  Visitors can help themselves to information - anytime, anywhere, and as often as they wish, making them more likely to do so. Your website can be presented in a style that will tie in with your existing business stationery and promotional literature, or you might decide to adopt a fresh approach. And there are no write-off costs relating to redundant promotional material.

A professionally designed site will enhance the image of your compamy, and should be a long term asset.

A website means your business is progressive and keeping pace with technology.

Improve customer service / Reduce costs

Does your staff spend a lot of time on the phone answering customer requests for information on a product or service? Do they keep answering the same questions and sending out the same material? Do they spend a lot of time on the phone with customer support?
A website can provide better customer service and communication and help reduce long distance phone bills, postage costs, printing costs and labour costs (and frees them up to perform other tasks) by having that information on your website.
Your website can also take orders while you sleep as people can place orders on a website at any time, day or night. You would be surprised how many extra sales you could have by developing an on-line brochure or virtual store.
A website lets you publish support information with up to the minute accuracy. Some companies only offer support through their website. If the website doesn't offer the answer an online feedback form is provided. This is perhaps the most underrated usage for business websites.
A website allows interested customers to browse information about your products and services at their leisure, without feeling pressured by sales staff.  Research shows this can often increase sales.

Improve Efficiency

A website can meet the demand of prospective clients by providing instant information.  It can improve efficiency of your operation - for your customers and your employees. Customers who use the internet don't have to deal with many problems of everyday business: pushy salesmen, remembering to call during business hours, having to battle crowds to get to your stores, spending time waiting on voice mail or getting the wrong information. It's convenient, easy, and safe for the customer.   It also frees you up from having to  respond to all your customer inquiries like questions about product information or directions to your location.
Many customer enquiries and support can be handled very efficiently electronically.  Often, a surprising number of customer queries can be handled by providing online information, such as product details, price lists or answers to a list of “frequently asked questions” (known as FAQ).  The web won’t replace your existing sales and customer support services, but it will very likely ease some of the burden on them.

Provide Up-to-date Information

A website allows you to keep your product and service information up to date more easily than traditional paper brochures or literature because the costs of updating a website are minimal, and the change happens immediately.
Even without an online store, people can look to your site for driving directions or a map to find your store. Tourists can look up your small shop and stop there on their next trip to your area.
Many people use the Internet to find information. You can use your website to educate and inform the populace. This can be done in various ways: publish an online newsletter, have an advise column, offer message boards, or simply have a place where people can submit their names and email addresses to join your mailing list for more information. This is another way to gain public awareness of your business or organization. It also allows you to grow your customer base for direct marketing.

Create a competitive edge

If your customers can't find you online, they will find your competitors. With more and more companies making a web presence, the companies that lose business to their competitors will most likely be those who fail to represent themselves on the Internet. If a potential customer can leisurely browse your company information online but cannot find your competitors' information, your company now has an additional edge.

Open new channels of communication with staff, partners and suppliers

Intranet websites (websites that are generally closed to the Internet users and are accessible to organization members only) are an easy way to provide your employees with a way to reach the information they need to perform their duties in one centralized location. You can post benefits information, changes in staff, kudos for hard work, a place for their schedules, and much more. You can put as much or as little information as you want on your site and make them supply a password to access the information that needs to be kept private.

Communicate using E-mail

E-mail is not just an alternative form of communication; it also offers the potential for much more imaginative material, and the advantage of linking directly to the internet.

- Efficient, interactive channel for communicating with customers and suppliers

- Efficient form of internal communication

- Customers can be kept informed of changes to your business through electronic newsletters

- Promote your website through e-mail by including a link

- E-letterheads/e-stationary can enhance your image

- Cost Effective - no postage, printing, envelopes