Web Design

 

Web design is an interesting beast. I strive to find ways to create websites that are easy to navigate, and easy to read. While I love artsy, avant-garde designs, they don't often lend themselves to the primary purpose of a website - presenting information in an easily-read manner. So I specialize in making affordable websites where the information is presented in a logical manner.

 

Pricing

Samples

Tips 'n Tricks

Prices

Though each web design must be quoted individually, the cost to do an average four or five page web site generally runs about $500, give or take. The bigger the site, the more expensive it will be, of course. Here's the breakdown:

 

 • Template - $150. (The first step in design is to create a template, which I then use to create the individual pages.)  

•  Individual Pages - $50 each.

• Server Space - $120/year covers the server space, domain name registration, managing any e-mail accounts or forwards, etc.

• Major Edits - $60/hour is my normal charge for doing major editing once the site is complete.

• Forms - $50 each. A form is where you fill stuff out and hit "submit" and the info gets magically e-mailed to you. They're tricky.

• E-Commerce – I can do simple PayPal or Google Cart configurations, which are good for someone who sells less than eight or ten different items, at no extra cost. If you have a ton of different things to sell, that takes specialized software and a secure server. I can do it, no problem, but we'll have to talk about price…

 

I know, I know – this all sounds like a lot of money. But it's not. If you choose a firm from one of the coasts you will likely spend between $1500 and $5000 for a site I'd charge $600 for. I'm so confident about my prices I'll enourage you to shop around - here's a site where you can choose your options and get a general estimate on what a site would cost from a big ol' national company: DesignQuoteNet.

 

Why can HippieBoy Design provide a quality product at such a low price? Simple – I have low overhead. I do have two state-of-the-art Macintosh computers and have a ton of Adobe software I need to keep updated, but I'm not paying for an office, a staff, private jet, gold-plated motorcycles, etc. I charge enough to make a living, maybe tuck a little away for retirement, that's all.

 

So… please give us a call - 712.898.5220 - we'll take a peek at what you're looking for and will give you a quote!

Siouxland Sleep Out

Tips to have a Good Site

There are a few things that you can do to ensure I design a good site for you - mostly content, communication, and expectations.

 

1. Don't worry about buying a domain name or server space – that's my job.

That's something I'm happy to do for you, and the price is included in my fees. There are two reasons I prefer to do this for you rather than have you do it yourself. The first is that in spite of the GoDaddy commercials, it's a complicated, confusing thing to do if you're not familiar with it. The second reason is a bit more selfish – I simply prefer to have your domain registration and server space handy in case something goes wrong and I need access to it. But don't panic if you've already started this process! That's perfectly fine, it just takes a bit more work on my end, but I shan't whine.

 

2. Give me photos and whatnot to work with.

Most likely you're going to want photos, graphics, your logo, etc. on your site. It helps me a lot if you can provide that stuff... If you don't have any photos, it's not the end of the world by any means. I may have something in my library I can use, or we can always schedule a photo shoot (we do professional photography).

 

While I have absoutely no qualms about writing, editing, proofreading, etc., you are the expert at what you do, and you know your business much better than I. I'm almost entirely dependent upon you for the content of your site. If you don't provide some text for me to work with, we'll end up with a pretty blank—and ineffective—website.

 

4. Getting visitors to your site.

While everyone wants their site to be at the top of Google's listings, it's a little unrealistic, considering there are around four hundred million websites on the Internet. I will do some basic Search Engine Optimization (SEO), such as putting keywords (or "metatags") in the code, but true SEO is well beyond my capabilities. The big companies don't blink at spending tens of thousands of dollars each month to maintain a good ranking on Google, but there are local companies I trust who can do it  much more cheaply.

 

Think of it this way. Imagine you're building a store. You'd hire a good contractor to put up the walls, make sure the plumbing and electricity work and that the roof doesn't leak. But you wouldn't expect the contractor to stock the shelves for you or manage your advertising campaign. I'm sort of like the contractor - I'll build and maintain your website, but it's mostly up to you to develop good content (stock the shelves) and advertise...

How it Works (generally):

 

1. You decide you want a web site. Yay!

 

2. We meet to talk over what you want, I get a rough idea of the color scheme and structure of the site, etc. You e-mail me the text and photos along with your logo. Hooray, we're on our way!

 

3. I need to get a little money up front to get started. (Sorry.) You can PayPal it to me, cash, check, or credit/debit card. If you want, you can pay for the whole site, or just a downpayment of at least 1/3 the expected cost.

 

4. The first thing I'll do is reserve the server space and purchase the domain name for you. I do that right away.

 

5. Now for the design portion… I'll work up a design using the information you provided. I usually use either Adobe Muse or Adobe Dreamweaver to create the code, in conjunction with Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator for the graphics.

 

6. I'll upload the site under a temporary address for you to proofread.

 

7. Once you approve the design and content of the site, I'll upload it to it's permanent address on the server, and the site will "go live" and others can see it. I'll configure any e-mail addresses or forwards that need done.

 

8. I send you an invoice for the remainder of the bill, which you gleefully and immediately pay.

 

9. If you have corrections or changes, just lemme know! Unless there are tons and tons, this is covered under the $120/year server, registration, maintenance fee.

 

10. You tell all your friends how happy you are!