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©2006 Royal T Dzign. All rights reserved.
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Back to Resources |
PREPARED BY:
Tina Hemmerle, Vice President
Royal T Dzign, D/B/A BRH Holdings, Inc.
FEBRUARY 2nd, 2006 |
{ Introduction to Website Ownership }
Greetings!
You have made a wise decision to create your presence on the world wide web, and consider Royal T Dzign as an instrument in helping you develop this commodity.
It is our goal to familiarize you with the process of creating a website, so that you understand the costs associated with owning a website, what materials we need from you to actually make the website, have an idea of what your final product will be, and will know how to “take care” of it.
It is important to note here that your website is not just a means of advertisement. It is an extension of your office, your services, your principles, your personalities---essentially, it can be like the spokesperson for your business. It is the first impression to many, and may be the deciding factor when a client is looking for the service you provide. It is important to always think about this in each stage of the website development process.
If you intend to use your website as a tool to separate yourselves from the competition, provide potential clients with basic information, heighten your credibility, and create an instant relationship with your visitors, then we are both on the same page. Your goal should be to make it personal, as much as it is ours. |
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{ Fees }
The number one most frequently asked question is, “How much is it going to cost.” So let start here.
There are 4 basic costs associated with owning a website. Some are reoccurring, some are one time only, and another is optional.
The first one is the Domain name. This is also referred to as your URL, and is the address where visitors find your home page.
An example is www.thisismywebsite.com
A domain name costs roughly $20 a year, and must be renewed yearly at the same cost, or can be pre-paid for any term you would like, usually discounted. The domain name you want to use is subject to availability. It is good to choose something that identifies with your business and is easy for people to spell. We can provide this service through a third party company that we are affiliated with.
The next cost that comes with a website is the hosting fee. Your web host is the actual computer that stores the information that is comprised in your site. Hosting fees are a monthly cost, usually billed quarterly, and vary based on the size of your site. For most small businesses, the standard price is $15.95 per month. I can also arrange this service for you. Included in this cost in two email addresses with your name in the extension.
An example is grace@thisismywebsite.com
You may request more than two email addresses for an additional fee.
The 3rd cost you will encounter is the development fee.
Development can be broken down as the preliminary research, planning, and execution of creating your website from start to finish, back to front. This is the most expensive part of the process, but one with a long-term usability that you pay for only once. It involves the design of the site that you and your visitors will see, and the design of the HTML code that makes your site work.
The cost of website development can range from $350 to more than $2,000, and is mostly based on how many pages your website contains, what functions (aside from providing text and images) you require your site to perform, and how fancy you want to get with graphics, photography and multi-media.
For many small businesses a 5-8 page website is very sufficient, putting the development costs in the $500-$1,000 range. More details about the estimated price of a website for your company is provided in the Proposal.
The last cost associated with your website will be maintenance fees.
After your website is up and running on the world wide web, you may want to make occasional updates or changes to material contained within. This is commonly referred to as web maintenance, and only needs to be paid for when you require it.
In order to implement changes, all you need to do is contact us and provide us with the information so we can make the changes. Maintenance is billed hourly, after the changes have been made.
If your company has a “news” page on the site, and it needs to be updated weekly, there are maintenance packages available that provide you with a set amount of maintenance hours per month, billed monthly at a discounted rate. This is an option to go with if you know ahead of time that you will need frequent updates.
We hope this information has helped put the realistic cost of a website into perspective for you. Please do realize, however that this is not an estimate specifically for your site, and that that information is provided in your Proposal.
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{ Content Development }
The content of your site is all of the text, hyperlinks and images that make up your site.
In this stage you will decide exactly what each page of your website will say, and when and how to say it. We can help you figure out what kind of content you should include, and organize it appropriately for you, but as for the writing, it is all up to you.
A good way to go about choosing good content is by going to your competitors’ websites to see what they have to say. What do you like about their sites? What do you dislike about them? Figure out what sets you apart from them, and make that differentiation apparent throughout your content.
Another helpful way to develop quality content is to put yourself in the mind of a prospective client, and write down the questions you think they might want to find answers to upon visiting your site.
Writing an outline can be particularly useful for you, as it organizes your thoughts, and will aid in the flow of information on your site. Clarity is key. Moving logically from one point to the next will help your visitors easily find and understand the information you are offering them. In many cases we can provide an outline for you, with the content we recommend, so all you have to do is fill in the blanks.
The content development process begins when you sign our proposal and submit your deposit. It is then up to you to provide us with all the written material to be integrated into your site so that when the DESIGN DEVELOPMENT is complete, we can move right into the CREATION of your website.
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{ Design Development }
While you are going through the content development process, we will be working hard to come up with a dynamic structure, layout and color scheme for your website.
After doing our research, we will generate two different site designs for you to choose from. When you choose the design that we will develop in the next step, it is important to let us know if there are any elements of the design that you feel need to be altered or deleted before moving on. It is your responsibility to give us any constructive criticism you may have at this point, as it is a whole lot easier and more cost effective to make changes to the design now rather than after the whole site has been assembled.
Part of the design development process is deciding what kind of imagery we will use to accent your site. Pictures and images on the site are a MUST if you want people to feel that warm, fuzzy, comfortable feeling when visiting www.yourdomain.com.
Basically, there are three options. We can use generic clip art that is very inexpensive (often FREE) but very impersonal.
Also, we can use photos that your company already has. These may be in the form of snap-shots, or professional photography that you have had taken somewhat recently. Obviously the cost of this option costs next to nothing.
The third option is to have a professional photo shoot at your office, where we can get some very sharp photos of the building, the staff, and anything else that might help to add that personal touch to your home on the web. Of course you would then own the negatives to these photos and be able to use them for any future marketing and/or advertising campaign. You could even use them in your Christmas cards!
Of course, we can choose to use all three types of imagery in your site, or any combination thereof. It all depends on how dynamic you want the final product to be.
When all these aspects of design are decided upon, and we have your permission to go ahead to the next step, we will begin CREATION of your website.
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{ Creation }
At this stage of the game, we are almost done.
This is where Royal T Dzign will take all the content and design developments we have planned, and make them work. Generally, we can complete this process in 7-10 days.
At the end of the creation process, you will be able to go to www.yourdomain.com, and see exactly what your website looks like and how it functions. ONLY YOU WILL BE ABLE TO SEE THE WEBSITE AT THIS POINT. It will not be available to the rest of the world until you SIGN-OFF on it.
This will be your chance to proofread all the text, and make sure all the information is precisely how you want it to be. If changes to text or imagery are necessary, we will go into your files and make said changes until the site is perfect.
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{ Sign-Off }
When you are 100% satisfied with the design and content of your site, you will give your approval, in writing, for the site to go live, meaning viewable by everyone on the world wide web.
Upon receipt of the balance of all fees paid, we will immediately post your site online.
This marks the end of the website development process, and you become the proud owner of a brand new internet home.
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{ Maintenance }
We have already touched on what site maintenance is and why you might want this service.
We would just like to reiterate that all you have to do is contact us when your site requires any kind of changes or updates and we will implement them immediately.
Also, please note that Royal T Dzign can provide you with a wide variety of Graphic Design services for print and web, including but not limited to:
• Brochures
• Direct Mail
• Logo Development
• Business Card and Letterhead Packages
• Invitations, Greeting and Thank-You Cards
• Posters
• Web Banners
• Display Advertising
• PowerPoint Presentations
• Promotional Items, and more…
We hope this introduction has helped you realize the responsibilities and undertakings of owning the very powerful tool known as a website.
Please do not hesitate to ask us ANY questions you may have.
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