How much does it cost to build a website?

Everyone wants to know it, I wish I could just put a figure down and be done with it but I can’t. I have built sites for people and charged between £500 and £4000 depending on the content and complexity of the project. I don’t work on an hourly rate; I prefer to generate a project fee based on a face-to-face meeting or discussion with you. Once we have agreed a cost I ask you to pay me ½ of the project fee. This covers the initial design stage. The balance is due on completion of the build. This seems to work well for both parties, for me it means that I can start work and devote time to your project and I know that you are also committed to generating content and fulfilling your part of the bargain!

It is not unusual for you to decide that you need or want something different once a price has been agreed or work has started, if this means that there is a lot more work to be done then I will let you know what, if any, financial implications there are.

When the site is finished can you still do some work on it for me?

Absolutely – for this type of “maintenance” work I charge an hourly rate of £35, I can get a lot done in that hour so get a list together and I will let you know how long I reckon it will take.

How long does it take to build a website?

Another impossible question to answer! I have worked on projects that have taken a week and some that have taken 18 months. A lot of this seems to depend on how clear you are about what it is you want in the first place.

Some clients use a website as a way of developing and defining their new business. They feel they need or “should have” a website but are not quite sure why, who their audience may be or what it is they want to say! Obviously this can take a while to sort out; its hard work for both of us but the rewards can be great. Other clients come to me with a deadline that they must meet, for example, a trade show they are attending or a newspaper article that is being published with their web address, sometimes they have their content mapped out in their mind or on paper, have a clear idea of what they like and don’t like and hey presto the website is done and dusted in a short amount of time. Needless to say a deadline can be a great focus for the mind!

What do I need to do to get started?

Give the site some thought – what do you want the site to do for you? Decide on your brand image, I can design this with you as well if you don’t have a logo or an image already. Maybe have a go at generating some content so that I can see what you are after. Have a look around the internet so that you have some ideas about what you like and don’t like, then lets meet and chat about it. I can then give you a better idea of cost and timescale.

Once all that’s done, then what?

Once we are agreed on the look and feel of the site, logos, colours etc. then I can go away and generate some mock ups of what the site might look like – basically these are pictures of your site with placeholder text and dummy links. We can then meet up, discuss what you like and don’t like and the devise the final layout and look for the pages. At this point I will ask you to commit or “sign off” parts of the design – at this stage we are agreeing not to change those elements. Once that’s done I can build the website and get the whole thing working – next I will require your content. Finally can then style the text and put the site live – there is a period of snagging (solving any glitches) and that’s it … over to you!

Can you help me generate content?

I try to stay clear of this as much as possible. Here is my take on it – It’s YOUR website and so it's your content, you are employing a web designer and to a certain extent your content doesn’t bother me too much, I treat text and images as design elements that need balancing and placing on the site. Having said all that if you are really keen on getting my opinion about your content I will offer it but I won't be helping you with punctuation, spelling and all the basics, so I do expect that when I receive your copy that it is in its final draft (I am not your English teacher after all!).

Can I put my own content up – pictures, text etc?

The short answer is yes you can. Recently this has become a really hot topic. Everyone seems to want control of their own site, and rightly so, it belongs to them. I have been developing what I call “container” sites for people. This means that I will populate a site with the barest of information then teach the clients how to upload their own content to the web pages giving the site a current up to date feel.

The one danger area of this approach is to underestimate the amount of time you need to invest in a site to keep it up to date. Don’t bite of more that you can chew, be realistic about how much time you will have to devote to uploading pictures and getting to grips with text. Perhaps it would be more sensible to compromise and have a small part of the site that you look after?

Commonly, clients use content management programmes to keep their sites up to date, something like Macromedia’s Contribute works well or maybe a weblog interface like Movable Type, or simply a text file that is loaded into your page dynamically. There are many solutions; my job is to come up with one that’s right for you and your aspirations.