Q&A
Here are some answers to frequently asked questions. If you have a question that’s not answered here, feel free to contact me.
Can you work with my hosting company?
Yes. It’s in your best interest to have website hosting and domain registration in your name directly with the company of your choice. This keeps costs down by removing middle-agents who might otherwise take a cut of the hosting fees. It also gives you full direct control over the site and email. I recommend DreamHost, but are happy to work with any other hosting company.
What will the ongoing hosting costs be?
The ongoing cost of hosting, email, and file storage will be up to you. At the low end, it’s possible to get hosting and domain name registration for $18 per year (that’s not a typo). More typical pricing would be about $130 per year. It depends on the fees charged by your hosting company. By working directly with a hosting company, you can avoid the $50 to $100 monthly service fees charged by many website consulting firms.
What is the cost for site updates?
My goal is to ensure that you’re trained on basic site editing and upkeep. This makes you self-sufficient and saves you money over time. However I’m happy to provide support at the normal hourly rate which is $100 per hour for businesses and $80 per hour for personal or non-profit sites.
What is the cost for a website re/design?
I generally charge for my time spent on projects which is $100 per hour for businesses and $80 per hour for personal or non-profit sites. Much of the ‘work’ (perhaps the majority of it) involves the time spent meeting with those involved, travel time, emailing, talking on the phone, and doing research. Depending on the project, the actual implementation of the site may not take long at all. Yet, I need to charge for all my time. Some people are unfamiliar with this approach to billing, so I like to state it up front.
For people who are easily satisfied with a basic design, and don’t need a lot of customizations, then the cost could be as little as $300 to $500. For projects that extend over multiple days and weeks, with numerous changes, redesigns, and additions, the cost will be higher. As additional design modifications are made, the costs will be based on the time put into the project, but could easily run $1,000 to $2,000 or more.