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 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 – 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 (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.
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.
