 How do we build our websites?
Website Construction has many steps from start to finish.
Vinci-Designs believes in making sure our customers are well-informed. Understanding the costs and what steps are involved in constructing a website is very important for us to convey to you. That way you can decide what's best for you and your business needs.
A website is not just a product or a sales piece for you to promote, its an investment. A website can become a money making tool for you and increase your revenue exponentially if you carefully plan and accept two simple concepts:
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You pay for what you get
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You have to spend money to make money
In online marketing and advertising those statements are more relevant today than ever! A website is an evolutionary tool that you should view as your gateway to unlocking your businesses unforseen potential by reaching a customer base it never could otherwise. Properly constructing, maintaining and advertising your products and services through your website can cost you significantly less than any other form of advertising with better results to your bottom line!
Once we are under contract with our clients, the process outlined below is fairly consistent for every website we build.
Domain Name Procurement
A domain name is the web address you type into your internet browser (internet explorer, firefox, google chrome, safari, etc) to access a particular website. There are many different types of domains such as .com, .org, .net, .edu, .biz and more. Depending on the type of business you have it can determine the type of domain you wish to purchase. .Com's are the most popular and the one we recommend most unless you are running a non-profit group or organization and thus want to go with a .org domain name. Domain names are purchased for a minimum of one year at time but can be purchased for multiple years in advance. For businesses that anticipate longevity you can save a few bucks buying more years up front than paying more to renew the domain name each year.
Domain Name Cost: The cost varies depending upon the type of domain name and rates fluctuate from year to year. On average a new domain name will cost $10 - $20 per year. A benefit to letting us make this purchase for you is we manage the domain name and make sure that when it is up for renewal you receive notice at least 30 days in advance so that you can decide whether to renew the domain name or let it expire.
Wireframe / Architecture
After purchasing the domain name we start laying out the proposed layout for the website. To do this we simply create a list of all pages to be constructed and then visually display how they will all be linked together. For some more complex layouts we develop whats called a "wireframe" design. This is simply an black and white outline of how a page or section of a site will be constructed and where all the elements that make up the page will be placed. This helps our customers envision the layout scheme and evaluate it for both form and function.
The size of a website is typically a matter of whats appropriate for your target audience. For example if you run an accounting firm that does nothing but book keeping, a site would be relatively simple and most likely not need to be more than 5 pages in size. In comparison a site for large IT company which offers 8 different product lines and services to their customers, may have a site consisting of 100 pages or more. Website size is usually a matter of evaluating your budget and the content you need to present to your potential or existing customers.
Planning is the key to a successful website. Without properly laying out the website before we begin, and getting approval at every stage from the client, a website project could skyrocket in unforseen costs. We view this architecture stage just as you would creating the blueprint for a house. Its very easy to simply go add a "doorway" or "window" anywhere you like when we are thinking conceptually. Once construction begins, its most cost-effective for our clients to have communicated their needs fully and for us to have 100% approval on the layout design so that there are no hiccups moving forward.
Costs: When thinking about costs for constructing a website, a good rule of thumb is to figure on $100 - $125.00 per page minimum. That includes all stages of the process, from layout of the structure to the actual design and constuction. On average most websites between 3 and ten pages will cost between $800 - $2500.00 total, unless there are some custom or specific requests that are not typical. We ask you to please contact us and get a free consultation. We do believe every project is unique and we may be able to cut costs for your project or help bring some ideas to light you may not be thinking of as options for your business.
Website Design & Images
Once we have an approved layout finished and have determined how our client wishes users navigate through their site, the actual design process begins. For most of our clients we will design whats called a home page (the first page the user sees when visiting your site). This page is typically designed to have more visual impact than sub-pages of the site. First impressions can make or break a sale. Therefore, we put a greater emphasis on designing a visually pleasing home page. The next step is to design a "sub page" or secondary page design. This design is what most, if not all of the secondary pages will look like, structurally. Consistency in marketing is extremely important. We always recommend keeping the look of the pages similar, with easy to follow navigation and flow from one page to the next. After both designs have been approved we begin creating graphics for the individual pages. For example, a landscape website which has an "outdoor lighting" page would need images supporting the text talking about their lighting capabilities.
Website Design and Image creation would be included in the overall website costs. We itemize every estimate so you can better understand which part of the process costs a certain amount versus another.
Copy Writing & SEO
Professionally written copy for your website is paramount. Many clients believe nobody knows their business better than they do. However, knowing about your business and being able to affectively write about it in terms that the general public can understand is an entirely different matter. Although no a pre-requisite, we do strongly advise our clients to let us develop the copy for your website pages. Perhaps not for all pages, but for your sales pages and pages with a large amount of product information. We research your industry competitors to see how they are positioning their business so we better understand how you can set yourself apart or even just be a part of the competition if thats what you desire.
Another reason we strongly urge our clients to let us work on copy is, our writers develop content with Search Engine Optimization in mind. This is not something easily done by a business owner and can be critical in getting your site ranking higher in the search results. Proper research and making sure industry "phrases" and "keywords" are used in the text can greatly increase traffic to your website.
One final reason to consider hiring us to write your web copy, if you are thinking about advertising online at all using pay-per-click or any other kind of paid search advertising, your ad campaign can be affected negatively if your site is not developed with the greatest of care, all the way down to the copy you put on the pages. Paid search advertising should be used to drive RELEVANT traffic to your site, otherwise you are wasting money. Online advertising can do wonders for your business but your site must be optimized, including your written text, in order to yield maximum results! We strongly urge you to keep this in mind when weighing the cost of copy writing.
Costs: Copy writing costs can vary depending on the number of pages, the amount of content per page, and how complex the subject matter is. Typically costs range between $50 - $100.00 per page depending on length and subject matter.
Production & Construction
After we have client approval on both the home page and secondary page designs, as well as copy written for the website, we begin the construction phase. This consists of turning the designs and page copy into actual website pages (often referred to as HTML pages). In most cases each page of your site is its own HTML page. These coded pages consist of both written text as well as the images we create or were provided for the website.
Since we already have client approval on the structure, design, and written copy for the website, this part of the process can move along swiftly since we no longer require client approval to continue. This is the last step before a client can see an actual functioning version of the website for review.
Web Hosting & Email
Hosting is an absolutely integral part of building a website. In essence hosting is a remote computer server that stores your website files to be viewed by the public. Every website you've ever visited is hosted on a server. This is a separate service we provide from web design and has additional costs. A hosting company, or, as we like to think of it, partner is a vital step to delivering your website to your customers. You want to make sure you are usiing a reputable, reliable, hosting company. Part of your monthly hosting costs ensures that your website always be available to the public with no down time.
There are many factors to consider when choosing a web host but you must also consider the type of traffic you plan to drive to the website. For example, if you have a simple plumbing business your needs for a host would be very different than a popular website such as Amazon.com which has a huge customer base. A larger product based site would need a host that could handle large amounts of traffic at once and not overload the system.
Vinci-Designs offers a range of hosting options for every possible configuration from small business all the way to a robust eCommerce solution. We also can provide as many email accounts as our customers need. We also install Google Analytics throughout your site to help track traffic and leads from your website. If you are intersted in learning more or signing up for our hosting services we encourage you to read more about it on our site.
Costs: Costs of hosting range from $12.50 - $200.00 per month depending on the type of traffic we anticpate for your site and the type of website we are hosting. Although prices are calculated on a monthly basis, we bill our clients annually for hosting. So, for example, a plan that runs $12.50 a month would be an annual payment of $150.00.
We strongly urge our clients to think about letting us manage all their web needs, from Domain Name Procurement, to Web Design & Development, to Hosting. That way every piece you need to get a website up and going is handled by one company. This will save you a lot of headaches... we promise!
Online Marketing & Advertising
Competition is very tough these days, unless you are in a very specialized market or unique to your geographic region. Most businesses are no longer looking to beat the competition, they are simply looking for a way to at least be in the running. Everyone wants their piece of the pie and we offer Pay-Per-Click advertising through Google Adwords as the best way at increasing sales significantly for minimal investment.
Online advertising through Google AdWords is an extremely cost-effective method to increasing awareness about your company; and quickly turning that awareness into actual leads, then converting into sales for your business. Since we deal mostly with small to mid size companies we find it best to focus advertising efforts where the majority of people go when looking for a company, service, or product that fits their needs. And that is Google.
What are the advantages to Google AdWords and Pay-Per-Click Advertising? In a nutshell:
- Drive relevant traffic to your site. Ads through your paid search advertising are created to drive specific customers to your site. For example if you are jewelry business who specializes in princess cut diamonds, you want your website to show up near the top of the search results when users search for "princess cut diamonds" or a similar search.
- Target specific geographic areas. When developing a campaign you can target as small as one particular town, county or state, or nationwide to globally. Its all a matter of your budget and what you are willing to spend per click to appear near the top of relevant search results.
- Control your monthly budget. You can change your daily budget or monthly budget with a few simple clicks. You can also easily assess how much your competitors are spending for the top spots for relevant search results. This makes it more realistic to figure out an advertising budget that is needed to maximize your results.
- Raise the bar in your industry. If you rely heavily on local business you have a great opportunity to increase your revenue and corner the local market through advertising. Some small businesses spend thousands per month or per year on print or multi-media advertising but the result is often far less than expected or very minimal for advertising dollars spent. We've seen businesses gain leads and sales in the 10% - 20% range versus .5% - 2% with traditional advertising. The biggest reason here is it is TARGETED advertising. Search users came looking for you, and not the other way around.
- Track Leads at the granular level. You have the unique ability to track every portion of your online campaign. Everything from what keywords were entered in the search, to which ad of yours was clicked on, and if clicking on the ad made the user perform the desired action (making a purchase, filling out a contacting form, signing up for a newsletter, etc.). Being able to understand visitors actions and how it directly impacts your sales is a priceless addition to your marketing arsenal!
To learn more about our Online Advertising Services you can read more in the within our Services Section.
Costs: Costs range greatly depending upon the size of your online campaign. There are also several different costs. First for us to develop your campaign we have a minimum cost of $1,000.00. If you've ever tried to develop a successful online paid search campaign yourself you understand just how complex and time consuming it is. When done correctly its an extremely intense process that requires research, testing, and a lot of planning. We do all the research for you and help develop a campaign that targets only products or services you provide that will yeild you the maximum amount of increased sales.
You will also need to set your monthly ad budget with Google AdWords. You can set this as low or high as you want and we help our clients determine what their monthly ad spend should be. Typically this is a RANGE not necessarily a set amount. Most clients we work with spend between $500.00 - $10,000.00 on a month on paid search advertising.
The final cost is for monthly monitoring. Paid search advertising is not "set it and forget it" type of marketing concept. Campaigns are tweaked and monitored on a weekly basis to ensure you are getting the maximum exposure for the budget you set. Monthly monitoring ranges from $75 - $150 per month depending on the size of the campaign. |
