|
What is a domain name and how
do I get one?
Will you meet with me and how will I work with you
How much will a "basic" web site cost?
Are their other costs
should I budget for?
How
long will it take to build my Web site?
What is included in the
cost of Web site design?
What isn't included? Anything else we
need to know?
Do you provide web site maintenance and support on a retainer or with an agreement?
Do I need a maintenance and support agreement?
You say we have to supply our logo in Vector art. What is Vector art?
Will my site
be listed with the search engines?
What is a "content management system (CMS)"
and do I need one?
What is a "Content Editing System"?
How do I keep
visitors coming back to my site?
What is a domain name and how
do I get one?
A domain name is a text name, which you register.
i.e. www.yourcompany.com.
The domain name is also referred to as a URL,
or web address. You need to
have a domain name before you can have an email address associated
with it or a web page that can be viewed on the Internet.
You can register your domain name yourself. A couple of domain
registrars to try are www.register.com and GoDaddy.com.
You need to make sure you keep your information on record with the Domain
Registrar up to date. If they try to contact you regarding your renewal
and cannot reach you, you could lose your domain name.
If you prefer, BWW can provide this service
for you. We use GoDaddy and charge $35 per year per domain for this service. We will put the domain in your name, set up the account for you and renew it for you every 2 years. We will also send you your GoDaddy account info should you wish to take over the renewals yourself.
Will you meet with me? And how will I work with you?
We are happy to meet with prospective clients for 1 hour at no charge. Any consulting time beyond that is billed at our hourly rate.
In every project we allow for X amount of consulting hours. Beyond that we bill for my time at my hourly rate. As the saying goes, "Time is Money!"
Email is most effective method for communicating with us, particularly because it gives us both a written record. We do not charge for emails, unless we deem them excessive.
No verbal requests for changes, updates, or any project modifications will be accepted. All requests must be made via email. This allows me to serve my clients efficiently.
How much will a "basic" web site cost? Back
to top
Having a professional Web site built is much like buying a car. You can buy an inexpensive model, one with all the bells and whistles, or something in between. Our projects are priced on a case-by-case basis so that we can accommodate a variety of clients and budgets. Not all Web sites need to be ornate. In fact, the most successful Web sites are sites that are content
rich, download quickly, and have simple, clean graphics.
We provide top quality and complete services
that include design,
programming, hosting, maintenance, and consulting. The bottom
line is that we are here to educate you and create the best
web marketing plan that's tailored to your business.
These are some of the factors that determine
the cost of a Web site:
- size - number of pages in the site
- complexity of the site and of the design
- types and number of graphic images on the site
- interactivity, such as forms and databases
- how many special features you want such as a bulletin board,
chat area, etc.
We price by the project.
When we price by the project you know exactly what all of your
costs will be.
Are their other costs
should I budget for?
Yes, here are reoccurring costs you
should work into your budget:
Web site hosting - your Web site will
reside on a web server, a computer that is directly linked to
the Internet. We offer excellent web hosting services
through a third party. Prices generally range from $165
- $440 per year depending on the size of your site and your
site's requirements. See our page on web hosting for
more info.
Domain Name - you will have to renew your
domain name (www.yourdomain.com) annually, or you can renew
it for several years at a time.
eCommerce Merchant Account - In
order to accept credit cards on your site, you need a merchant
account, a payment gateway account for real-time
credit card processing.
If you have an eCommerce site or are collecting
personal data from visitors you will need a security certificate (SSL
certificate).
Maintenance & Support - Unless you've
opted for our Content Management System or Easy Content Editor, you'll need
to update your site with new content. If you have a Content Management System you will most likely need to retain our services for software maintenance and support.
How
long will it take to build my Web site? Back
to top
This depends upon the size and complexity
of your site. The entire development process for many sites is
just a couple of weeks. However, if your site is especially large or
requires complex programming, it may take longer to build.
In all cases, we'll let you know how long
expected development time will be when you request a price quote
What is included in the
cost of Web site design? Back to top
- Custom Design - Each site is a custom design
and layout.
- Submission - upon completion
we'll submit your site to the top free Search engines and we
add all the necessary meta tags, alt tags and keywords to make
your site "Search
Engine Friendly"
- Compatibility - We test your
site for browser compatibility with Internet Explorer 6.0 + and
Fire Fox.
- Installation - we will upload your site to
your server or your web host's server and insure that it is up and
running properly
What isn't included? Anything else we
need to know?
Content creation is NOT included .
You are expected to provide the content of your Web site, text,
logos, photos, etc. Unless otherwise stated, prices do not reflect
any content creation. We are happy to provide these services
for you at an additional cost.
Photography is NOT included. If you need product photos or staff photos we recommend your hire a professional photographer. Believe it or not, Sears is a great place for an inexpensive, but nice professional head shot.
Project Timelines - I can only take on so many projects at once. Each month I schedule my time out. If there are delays in receiving materials from you (text,
photos, logos, etc.) and the project deadline is extended we may have
to put your project on hold and reschedule your project for a later time when you can supply the materials, and information we need to complete your project. We do charge a 15% stalled project fee if we have to put it on hold.
Do you provide web site maintenance and support on a retainer or with an agreement?
Yes. Bracewell Web Works offers maintenance and support on a retainer, meaning you get high priority in web maintenance and support and pay a monthly fee for regular web updates, change services, database backups and maintenance and CMS or web store software support.
Do I need a maintenance and support agreement?
If you are too busy to maintain your site or if you have a complex CMS or eCommerce site that needs software updates or support, you might want to consider hiring Bracewell Web Works on a monthly retainer.
- Keeping your website content fresh and current is a key to return viewers and search engine rankings.
- Those with maintenance agreements and retainers get Preferred status ahead of those without agreements.
- If you have a complex CMS or eCommerce store and want software support
You say we have to supply our logo in Vector art. What is Vector art?
Good question! We'll be brief because this can be complicated if you let it.
Vector graphics are made up of many individual objects. Each of these objects can be defined by mathematical statements and has individual properties assigned to it such as color, fill, and outline. Vector graphics are resolution independent because they can be output to the highest quality at any scale. For more on Vector images: Click here.
Generally stated, you probably cannot create a vector art file, but your graphic artist or printer probably has it for you and they can email it to us. You will not be able to open this file either as it is usually created in a software called Adobe Illustrator and you have to have the software to open that type of file. If we have to vectorize your logo for you there will be a fee involved. Usually not more than $100.
Will my site
be listed with the search engines? Back to top
We will register your
site with the top free search engines. With over 6 billion web
pages on the Internet today it may take up to 9 months for the search engines to have your site
listed, especially if your domain has been registered for less than 1 year. We can't guarantee placement, but we know lots of tricks
to get them placed as high as possible. Search
engine optimization is one
of our specialties.
If you need to get listed with the search engines quickly, you will need to have a "pay for inclusion" or "pay-for-click" plan and we can recommend someone to help you with this.
What is a "content management system (CMS)"
and do I need one?
A content management system allows
you to update and edit your site on your own without needing
to know any programming. We can add a "portal page" to
your Web site that only you know about. You'll enter a password
to access the area and will be met with a menu of all the sections
of your Web site. You just choose the section you want to update
and make the changes in the entry screens. It's as simple as
that. Most of your Web site's content is stored in a database
that quietly runs behind the site. You can edit your site as
often as you wish.
A content management system is "software" that is installed on the web hosting server. I prefer to use "Open Source" CMS products for my clients. What this means is that the software is free and I only charge for my time and knowledge to install, configure and design for it. Since it is not "proprietary" software, you can have any knowledgeable webmaster work on your site and you do not have to worry about a license for your sites CMS software. Examples are:
All of these are done in a language called PHP and works with MySQL database, both which are "Open Source".
If you think your Web site content will need constant updates, you may
want to consider a content management system.
Naturally, Bracewell Web Works is happy to make updates for you as needed
if the cost of a content management program is not right for you.
What is a "Content Editing System"?
A content editing system is usually some programming on a page that allows the site owner to go in and edit content only on a specific page or page. You cannot add or delete pages or sections. Our "Easy Content Editing System" is a proprietary software licensed to Bracewell Web Works. It's much less expensive than a CMS and is best for smaller sites. It is not database driven. You can upload files and images.
It can be installed on existing web sites.
Click here for a demo: http://www.csdemo.bracewellwebworks.com/
How do I keep
visitors coming back to my site? Back to top
Here are a few very simple, but very important things
you should do in order to keep visitors returning to your site:
- Market your site - you must market your site
to attract visitors. Promote your site in all of your advertising
and other printed materials.
- Ask people to visit your site!
- Keep your site Optimized for the Search Engines
- Keep your web
site fresh! - Keep your content fresh! Make sure you
update your content so visitors have a reason to return to your
site. Why would anyone want to revisit your site if you have nothing
new to offer? Search engines like sites with fresh content as well.
Back
to top
|
