How to find the right website designer is a question I get asked all the time by Local SEO clients. Like any business decision, you need to ask questions, you need to find out if this designer is going to build a site that will be an asset to the business, or an expensive mistake.
Questions I typically ask web designers on behalf of clients, and so should you before deciding who to entrust developing your businesses website.
- How do you cost the price of a website, by hour or by page?
- Do you have a preferred type of platform that you use for website builds?
- Do you provide CMS, so the business can manage the website themselves.
- Do you provide a website package, If so what is included?
- What are your payment terms?
- Do you provided free after sales care, if so, for how long after delivery?
- If you don’t provide after sales care, how much do you charge for problems / changes on site?
- Do you offer any warranty on the website.
- Do you provide website hosting, if so what are the typical costs?
- Can you help me find a website domain?
- What is the average delivery time for a site, once design signed off.
- What do you typically request from clients?
- Website prices do vary depending on build requirements, what is your typical average cost of a 10 Page business website.
- Can you provide any additional small business services, brochures, cards, graphics?
A web design company that is passionate about their customers will happily answer your questions that help you to understand their services. We have four web designers that kindly answered our questions.
Website Designers Northamptonshire
Tim Keay Design |
42 Kenmuir Avenue
Northampton
NN2 7EQ
Tel: 07921 865918
Email: tim@timkeay.com
Location: https://goo.gl/maps/46Y78tNR6Xv
How do you cost the price of a website, by hour or by page ?
Small maintenance tasks are priced at an hourly rate, whereas project work (e.g. logos, websites, graphic design, etc) are priced at a fixed project fee. This is based around my standard day rate, depending on how much work is involved and what each specific project requires.
Do you have a preferred type of platform that you use for website builds?
Most of the websites I create are built upon WordPress, which is a cost-effective and easy-to-use content management system. I can do static HTML website builds too, but WordPress caters well for most requirements.
Do you provide CMS, so the business can manage the website themselves.
As above, most website I build use WordPress. This allows people to login to an admin area via their web browser, then update content or add new pages. It requires no prior website administration experience and is generally as easy as editing a Word document.
Do you provide a website package, If so what is included?
All the websites I create are tailored to the individual client and their requirements, so I don’t offer website packages, as such. All the sites I build are bespoke designs (not using third-party themes) and are fully mobile-responsive, so they display well across all mobile and tablet devices.
View More Answers from Tim Keay DesignWhat are your payment terms?
Generally, I charge 50% of the agreed project fee up front, with the final 50% due upon completion of the project. If the client requires, these can be negotiated depending on the specific details of the project in question.
Do you provided free after sales care, if so, for how long after delivery?
If there’s something wrong with a website that I’ve created, I’ll do what I can to put it right. If it’s something that doesn’t work or was an oversight on my part, then this will usually be fixed free of charge. Later down the line, it depends on how much work is involved – if it’s a quick fix, I’ll usually do it for free – if it’s a larger job and is an addition to the original project specification, then it may incur an additional charge. If you are on one of my hosting packages, then most ongoing after-sales issues will be dealt with free of charge.
If you don’t provide after sales care, how much do you charge for problems / changes on site?
My standard hourly rate for ongoing maintenance fixes or charges is £40 per hour. Again, if your website is on one of my hosting packages, then you will be entitled to an hour’s work on the site per month, which is enough to cover most things that can crop up.
Do you offer any warranty on the website.
No warranty on the website, as such. As mentioned previously, if you spot a problem with my work, let me know and I’ll put it right… usually free of charge. If your website is on one of my hosting packages, you’ll have ongoing support for as long as the hosting remains with me.
Do you provide website hosting, if so what are the typical costs?
Yes, I provide hosting to many of my website customers. I charge £360 per year, which includes unlimited hosting and email accounts, monthly site backups and the processing of all WordPress CMS security updates. It also includes up to one hour’s work on the site per month.
Can you help me find a website domain?
As well as providing web hosting, I can also register domain names on your behalf. These will be charged at cost price. These will automatically be renewed for you, unless I am told otherwise – the cost being added to your next annual hosting invoice.
What is the average delivery time for a site, once design signed off.
For a standard website, build normally takes a couple of weeks – sometimes longer for a larger site, but sometimes within a week for something small and simple, or if you have a particularly tight timescale.
What do you typically request from clients?
The usual things I will need are: a hi-res or vector copy of your logo, a list of the pages/section you will need on the website, text content for each of these pages, along with any images/photos you want to use.
Website prices do vary depending on build requirements, what is your typical average cost of a 10 Page business Site?
£1500 is a fairly typical fee for building a standard business website. This includes a custom build, bespoke design and fully mobile-responsive. If you have a particular budget in mind, let me know and I’ll do what I can to work within it. I base my costs around my standard day rate – therefore the higher the budget, the more time I will be able to allocate to your website. However, the same high standards are applied regardless of the fee paid.
Can you provide any additional small business services, brochures, cards, graphics?
Yes, certainly. Whilst most of my work is designing and building websites, I am also a trained graphic designer. Other design services I provide include logos, business cards, brochures, flyers, posters, infographics, branded email templates, pull-up exhibition stands, interior/exterior signage, etc.
Xtremis Web Design |
48 Marlborough Road, St James,
Northampton
NN5 5DS
Tel: 01604 758730
Email: info@xtremiswebdesign.com
Location: https://goo.gl/maps/XZM2cFjD6Qq
How do you cost the price of a website, by hour or by page ?
By page really, but then it also depends as well on how much copy writing and content provision a customer requires.
Do you have a preferred type of platform that you use for website builds?
I code all client websites in HTML 5 and CSS3 from scratch although I have migrated to building sites in Bootstrap, it has terrific responsive qualities built in. What I don’t do is take a WordPress template and simply adapt from that, although I can if required.
Do you provide CMS, so the business can manage the website themselves.
No CMS. In my experience clients think they’ll need access to make amendments but they very rarely do so. When changes are necessary I do it for them and charge just a nominal amount, or if it’s quick, for free
Do you provide a website package, If so what is included?
No website package, but mine is a full service arrangement, long term maintenance is offered as a matter of course.
View More Answers from Xtremis Web DesignWhat are your payment terms?
Half the agreed cost when the design has been signed off and the other half when the site goes live.
Do you provided free after sales care, if so, for how long after delivery?
Any changes or reasonable additions I will do free in the first month after launch. After that it’s pay per change required.
If you don’t provide after sales care, how much do you charge for problems / changes on site?
Depends on the changes or problem of course, if it’s something I can sort quickly I don’t tend to charge but if it’s something that needs some formal work, about £30 an hour.
Do you offer any warranty on the website.
Not explicitly but tacitly if something was broke I’d fix it without any fuss or charge. Haven’t need to so far.
Do you provide website hosting, if so what are the typical costs?
No, as a ‘one man band’ I wouldn’t do it just in case anything happened to me, I always think that leaves a client vulnerable, what do they do then? So I recommend independent hosting, for instance Heart Internet is very good, it’s only £2.50 a month and includes an excellent email service.
Can you help me find a website domain?
Yes, unless it’s very obvious what the domain name should be it’s often better if one hasn’t been registered yet, there could be a more SEO friendly url I can suggest. But I would make sure it is registered under a clients name.
What is the average delivery time for a site, once design signed off.
About a month. Depends on how much copywriting I’m required to do.
What do you typically request from clients?
Some version of wording, even if it’s brief, and images. A client knows better than I do about their business and aspects of their industry but as a copywriter I will polish up what is provided, expand upon it and optimise it for search engines.
Website prices do vary depending on build requirements, what is your typical average cost of a 10 Page business website.
10 Pages, £2,000 max, probably less.
Can you provide any additional small business services, brochures, cards, graphics?
Yes, copywriting and I do all graphic design work. Logo design, business cards, brochures, social media covers, print adverts for magazines, everything a client might require. I also manage whole Facebook campaigns and Google Adwords accounts for clients
Lee Jackson Ltd |
47-61 Havelock St
Wellingborough
NN8 4QA
Tel: 01933 522 007
Email: lee@leejacksondev.com
Location: https://goo.gl/maps/RVqwhxBBRiC2
How do you cost the price of a website, by hour or by page ?
Neither. It is done on a project per project basis where we define the deliverables and agree a fixed budget.
Do you have a preferred type of platform that you use for website builds?
We specialise in WordPress. All sites are responsive, W3C and AA Checked.
Do you provide CMS, so the business can manage the website themselves.
We use strictly WordPress as we are a WordPress agency. All sites are distributed with custom videos show clients how to manage their site. Each video is done with the clients site and is not a stock video.
Do you provide a website package, If so what is included?
We build WordPress themes and plugins. All projects are unique so there is no specific package
View More Answers from Lee Jackson LtdWhat are your payment terms?
50% Deposit and 50% on completion (before site transferred to live)
Do you provided free after sales care, if so, for how long after delivery?
1 Year Code warranty on all our code
If you don’t provide after sales care, how much do you charge for problems / changes on site?
Any changes that are classed as “change control” (something not in the original scope) is chargeable at £60 hourly. We also provide a full support package at £1600 per year that includes WordPress updates and support.
Do you offer any warranty on the website.
As above, 1 year code warranty.
Do you provide website hosting, if so what are the typical costs?
No, the client should be responsible for hosting.
Can you help me find a website domain?
Yes
What is the average delivery time for a site, once design signed off.
3 – 5 weeks. This is delivery of a finished theme with dummy content ready for client input.
What do you typically request from clients?
A detailed brief. Most of our clients are design agencies or have an internal designer, so we would expect to see designs or mockups also unless we are being asked to do the design.
If there is not a sufficient brief we will do a chargeable discovery process to help the client work out their needs at £480 per day.
Website prices do vary depending on build requirements, what is your typical average cost of a 10 Page business website.
These vary hugely. Starting from £3500. We have just quoted a site that on the surface looks simplistic but has a very powerful CRM requirement in the back-end. This starts at £13,000.
Can you provide any additional small business services, brochures, cards, graphics?
No we don’t provide any extra services in design, or professional services
Spike Design & Marketing Ltd |
Corby Enterprise Centre, London Road,
Corby, Northants
NN17 5EU
Tel: 01536 560555
Email: studio@spikedm.com
Location: https://goo.gl/maps/9hzCaGrdf7q
How do you cost the price of a website, by hour or by page?
Most of our websites are bespoke builds to the clients requirements, so from meetings with the client we put together a firm proposal which then has costs and build timescales etc
Do you have a preferred type of platform that you use for website builds?
To provide cost effective online solutions we build our websites using the popular content managed engine from WordPress, however we can build in other systems like Magento, Opencart and Shopify to provide ecommerce solutions
Do you provide CMS, so the business can manage the website themselves.
Yes the WordPress backend is a very easy to use CMS system very similar to any Microsoft Word. With all our websites we provide 4hrs training for 2 people as part of the website proposal.
Do you provide a website package, If so what is included?
Yes we provide everything from reliable competitive webhosting, to email supply and setup, website design, build and after care service if required.
View More Answers from Spike Design & Marketing LtdWhat are your payment terms?
50% upfront and then the remaining balance paid on launch of the website to the world wide web
Do you provided free after sales care, if so, for how long after delivery?
We provide 3months FREE aftercare service and then 1years FREE email aftercare
If you don’t provide after sales care, how much do you charge for problems / changes on site?
For any additional workings can provide both set costs or if required our hourly rate starts from £45
Do you offer any warranty on the website
N/A 1years FREE email aftercare
Do you provide website hosting, if so what are the typical costs?
Our standard webhosting package costs £85+vat per annum
Can you help me find a website domain?
Yes we have arranged many domains for new companies and also advised existing clients on domains we think would be good from an strategic SEO point of view
What is the average delivery time for a site, once design signed off.
3-4 weeks dependent on size of site
What do you typically request from clients?
4-5 weeks timescales seems to be the average time
Website prices do vary depending on build requirements, what is your typical average cost of a 10 Page business website.
An Average 10page website costs from £1000+vat dependent on specific pages required.
Can you provide any additional small business services, brochures, cards, graphics?
SpikeDM has a wealth of experience in both online and offline marketing solutions so we can provide the complete package from all digital marketing items (websites, email marketing and SEO, to all aspects of printed materials in Corporate ID, Brochures, business cards and even exhibition graphics and displays)
Thank you to all the above Website Designers.
Online Ownership sent out our questions to 100 web design companies based in Corby. The above web design businesses are the only four that were willing to provide you the business with answers that you should be asking.