Is a Website Package Right For You?

Choice

Are you a small business owner thinking about getting a website for the first time? If so, you’ve got some tough decisions to make.

Comparing website offers from different companies can be hard!

Recently a potential customer wanted to know how my services differed from a website package he was considering from another company.

The package deal included the items in bold. My response follows.


Maximum Number of Pages – Before I made a website bid, I get a good idea about what’s wanted and a company’s business goals. I offer suggestions and choices as well as answering questions.

I look at the project as a whole. Some people want slideshows, newsletters or other special features.

Since my services are so personalized, I’m also open to the possibility that the customer might only need a one-page website. It all depends on what the customer needs and wants.

Every project has a unique bid based on that project.

In terms of website pages, we talk about a general number of pages. If you want a few pages more or less, that’s generally no big deal.

Maximum Number of Images – Again, I don’t have strict rules for things like images or pages.

Also, I often find that websites grow and change over time. I’m happy to help with that and even plan for change.  I like to build lasting relationships with my clients. I’ve been working with most of my customers for years.

 

Email

Email Accounts – Setting up email accounts isn’t an issue. Your hosting account will allow for a bunch of email accounts, but most people only need 1 or 2. If you want more that’s okay.

Rotating Headers – When I see something like this, I’ve got questions. Does “rotating headers” mean a slideshow on the home page? If so, that’s no problem.

Maybe “rotating headers” means a header image that can easily be updated. That’s no problem either.

This is the sort of thing that I discuss with customers before I make the website bid.

Domain Name

Domain Name Your domain name is an important business asset.  I can’t stress that strongly enough. This valuable business asset needs to be in your name and totally under your control.

I can help, but you will need to actually register your the domain name.

Basic Web Hosting – A website is an important part of any business.  I can suggest a company, but website hosting needs to be in your name and something you set up.

Animated Images on Content Area – I don’t recommend a lot of animation other than slideshows. Animation can slow down the site and present problems on the mobile view.

Flash Header Design – Flash isn’t popular any longer. I would stay away from it.

Contact Form – Contact forms aren’t a problem. I only use contact forms that backup the form submissions. That way if there are email problems, you’ll still get your emails.

Blog – Some people want to blog and some people don’t. If you want to blog, I’ll add a blog page and show you how to make blog posts. You can also use this knowledge to update most of your website content yourself.

Search Engine Optimization

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) –  In some cases, I add software to help with SEO. I do an initial setup. After that I can help with SEO or I can give you resources so that you can do it yourself.

With other websites, I set up all the SEO tagging manually.

Either way, SEO is covered.

Content Creation – You’ll provide the text. I can edit or tweak if needed.

mobile friendly

Google Mobile-Friendly Test – All the sites I build are mobile friendly and can pass Google’s mobile-friendly test.

Website Maintenance – I’m happy to help maintain your website. I can update content, change photos, provide troubleshooting and update software.

I don’t have package deals, instead, everything is done at my normal, hourly rate.

When I first started out as a website developer, I offered maintenance packages. I quickly discovered that it wasn’t a good fit for me or my customers.

Website maintenance packages are offered with some sort of estimate of the hours that will be worked.

If I worked less than that, I felt guilty. If I worked more than the estimated number of hours, I felt ill-used.

So I charge by the hour for everything. I value my customers and work hard for them.


What I have to offer is individualized services, long-term planning, attention to detail and a business relationship that will last.

I find that the longer I work for a customer, the more value that I can provide.  I understand their business more. I’m familiar with their likes and dislikes. This all enables me to provide better suggestions and work more quickly on their site.

I hope this helps give you a better idea of what it’s like to work with me.  If you’d like to get a website bid, contact me and we’ll set up an appointment to talk about your project.

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