How
much does it cost to build a web site?
Web sites vary greatly in price depending on size and complexity.
My rate is $95 per hour. Designing a site from concept to launch
can run anywhere from $1,500 to $10,000 or more. However, most projects
I handle come in at less than $10,000. For an idea of what your
site might cost, please look through my portfolio. If you see a
site that is somewhat similar in size and function to the one you
wish to build, I can give you a quick estimate. For a more in-depth
consultation, let's get together in person or over the phone to
talk about your options. After discussing the details of your project,
I can give you an estimate and answer any additional questions.
For an appointment, call 828.253.3553 or email suzi@alicewebdesign.com.
How long will it
take to build my web site?
This depends on the size of the project. I can have a small site
up and running for you in a week or two, a medium-size site might
take a month, and larger sites will take longer. You can speed up
the process by having all your images and text ready for me. If
you come to me with a realistic deadline and you have all the materials
on hand, I will be glad to work within your time frame.
I live outside of your
area. Can you still design my web site?
Yes! I live in Asheville, NC, but I have worked with clients around
the United States including Radio Systems, Inc. (Knoxville,
TN) - petsafe.net,
petsafeinternational.com,
and petsafevillage.com, Family
Development Resources - nurturingparenting.com
(Park City, UT), New
Light Gallery (Abingdon, VA) -newlightgallery.com, Eastern
Cuba Cultural Exchange Association - cubanart.org
(Jensen Beach, FL), and Plexi-Craft
(New York, NY) -
plexi-craft.com.
Can I maintain my own
web site or will you maintain it for me?
Your web site belongs to you and its maintenance is your choice.
I have helped many clients learn to make updates to their own
sites.
Most prefer to have me make these changes for them. I can edit
your site based on my hourly rate of $95 in 15-minute increments
with a minimum charge of $25.
How do I get listed
on the search engines?
During our initial meeting we will discuss key words and phrases
people will use with the search engines when they are looking for
your site or sites like yours. We will incorporate these key words
and phrases into the text of your web site and create what are called
meta tags. These are invisible to visitors to your site but will
help the search engines find you. From the very beginning, we will
focus on making your site search engine-friendly. And once your
site is up and running, you will have a number of options for promoting
it through search engines. I can help you sort through the choices.
Will I be
able to keep track of how many visits my web site gets?
Yes. Your web server will keep detailed statistics on how many visits
your site receives as well as information about where those hits
come from. It is useful to review these statistics when you are
devising ways to increase traffic to your site.
What
is web hosting?
A web site is made up of files like those you have on your desktop
computer. To make your web site accessible to other people, the
files that make up your site must be placed on a host computer that
is connected to the Internet around the clock. This host computer
is called a web server.
How much does
web hosting cost?
Web hosting usually starts around $25 per month. Actual cost depends
on your web site's size, use and how many visits it receives.
What makes your
hosting service my best choice?
I contract hosting through a large company, giving my clients several
advantages at a competitive price. You have the benefit of reliability
and speed through the large company plus personalized, easily accessible
support through me. I provide each of my clients with professional
service and personal attention to their projects, regardless of
size and complexity.
What
is a domain name?
The alicewebdesign.com part of my web address is an example of a
domain name.
How
do I get a domain name?
Your domain name will simply be a name of your choosing followed
by .com, .net, .org or one of the other available extensions. However,
since many domain names are already taken by others, we may have
to get creative. The key is to find an available domain name that
is easy for people to remember and spell. Then, we must register
it at a cost of $15 per year. Once you have registered a domain
name, it effectively belongs to you until you decide to stop paying
the annual fee. Even if you're not quite ready to build your site,
you can register and hold a domain name. This will reserve it for
your use until you have built your site and are ready to launch
it.
What
does e-commerce mean?
E-commerce is just a word for conducting business on the web instead
of doing it in person, through the mail or over the phone. It can
involve anything from retail purchases, bill-paying and banking
to business-to-business transactions.
What does
a shopping cart do?
A shopping cart is an automated program that runs on your web server
and lets customers click on items they want to purchase as they
browse your site. When this online shopping is complete, the shopping
cart program adds up the cost of the items much like a cash register.
It prompts the customer to fill out a form asking for credit card
and shipping information. Next, it calculates shipping and taxes,
then totals and confirms the order for the customer onscreen. It
will also send the customer an email to reconfirm the online purchase.
For examples of my work with shopping carts, visit www.nurturingparenting.com,
www.2oncrescent.com,
or www.hunterandcoggins.com.
How
do we get started on my web site?
Call me at 828.253.3553 or email suzi@alicewebdesign.com
to discuss your project.