2008 April | Norfolk-web-marketing-blog

Archive for April, 2008

How much should a professional website cost me?

Sunday, April 27th, 2008

The question on everyone’s lips seems to be ‘how much will this cost me? Well of course it’s a fair question to ask. We’re not price focused and instead sell our services based on our high service levels and professional attention to projects. Having said that we’re not so dumb to assume that money isn’t a consideration.

There are different types of website and indeed each project is unique and has it’s own requirements, some need lots of graphical content and some need lots of bells and whistles.

Below are a range of website types and a broad range of pricing, of course before we could give an exact price we’d need one of our project planner forms completed so contact us when you’re ready and we can get one sent out to you for you to work through.

Static Brochure Style Marketing Website

These are the simplest sites that we make and are typically going to cost somewhere around £1200 to finish. Things that may influence cost such as the number of layouts/templates and graphic design, forms, content and the overall number of pages (i.e. 25 is very different to 5 but we don’t charge ‘per page’).

If you have a set budget in mind then we can usually help you with some suggestions for keeping your project within that budget.

Slightly-Complex Websites with Content Management

If you need a website with some additional functionality (beyond that of what’s mentioned above) you should be budgeting on spending between £1,500-£3500 to get it designed and built. These types web sites usually have some sort of database back office system that features administrative functions and some basic reporting.

E-commerce Online Shop Website

If it’s an on-line shop you’re after then we have our very own e-commerce cart system. This has an in-depth back office order tracking system and plenty or client management features that any shop owner would want to utilise. We then bespoke the front end website just the way you want it. These type of websites will cost between £4000 upwards depending on the amount of customised functionality and changes you need.

Complex Bespoke Database Driven Websites

At this level the back office adminstration system of a website gets quite sophisticated. Your project will end up costing £5,000 upwards. These projects feature complex databases and large administration systems with tools with lots of reporting and complex functionality. These types of sites usually take a few months to build.

Business administration systems

Well depending on your business working methods and tasks these systems can cost £5000 upwards. We have many pre semi constructed modules that can suit generic administration tasks that most businesses need but then of course every business is unique and has their own way of doing things.

The more time we spend on getting your system right for you the more time you’re going to be saving when you’re using it and so you become more efficient.

So now you have a rough idea of the costs involved in getting a professional website designed but do get in touch for a more accurate quote and proposal to see what we can do for your business.

Posted in Web Design, Web Marketing | Comments Off

Why should I pay for professional website design?

Friday, April 25th, 2008

So you have your business plan in place and your new venture requires a website, hey no problem I can get my next door neighbour’s cousin’s boyfriend who is 14 and has built a website for the his chess club to build it for me?

Well yes you could but then would you trust the same guy to do your accounts because he can use a calculator? Or advise you on purchasing of a shop because he watches a tv program about law?

It’s a strange phenomena that someone launching into a new business would seek to cut corners when it comes to probably the single most important piece of marketing for most businesses these days. Amazingly some business owners are in denial that they even need a website but that is a different argument.

Your average ‘roll up roll up websites for £99.00′ brigade have figured out how to use an off the shelf web design program like Dreamweaver/FrontPage and yet doing business on the web successfully has got nothing to do with pixels and code, these are just the tools.

Companies who are immersed in the web and dare I say are actually qualified to build websites/applications etc bring so much more to the table. The design and coding skills are a given, the ‘how can our business benefit’ bit is where the value of using a professional comes into its own.

The web is a wash with poor lost souls touting their businesses on thirty bob websites. There’s a whole industry happy to take their thirty bob and leave the business owner seemingly thinking they have got a deal, after all why pay more than you have to?

Well, you ‘get what you pay for’ so if you have a cheap website what makes you think the impression of your company that your visitors get is anything more than ‘cheap’?

The vast majority throw good money away chasing their dreams wondering why they are not on the top of Google and why they aren’t being successful. If you invest in a good web design company that you can trust and work with and are prepared to pay the going rate you should at least get the website side of your marketing and business off to the greatest start possible.

Posted in Internet, Web Design, Web Marketing | Comments Off

New search engine puts bad design to shame

Sunday, April 20th, 2008

How many times have you searched for something on the internet only to click away as soon as you choose a result because the site is awful, has eye burning colours or worse, displays unsavoury content?

Modern search engines up till now have only given the user the chance to read text about the website they are about to click on and actually have no idea of what will be presented to them when they visit the site.

Well all this might change in the not too distant future as a new type of search engine has been launched that allows the user to preview a screen shot of the website representing the search results that the user requested.

Searchme.com is currently running a trial of it’s new visual based search engine and very nicely presents the screen shots for you to flick through much like pages in a book but you can still see the text results as well if you wish.

search me screen print

In addition they are having a good go at getting categories working so if you search for ‘cat’ for instance they will then show categories of searches relevant to cats i.e. catfish, cat food, cat products etc. It’s only working for US based searches at the moment but it’s sure to come to the uK in no time at all.

So with this in mind where does it leave websites that are less than appealing to the discerning customer? Well it doesn’t look good if we’re honest. This is of course only touching on the subject of visual searching but if things go this way which they no doubt will then there’s never been a better time to make sure your website looks really professional and doesn’t scare people away because you wont get a second chance to make a first impression.

for more information then try searchme.com

Posted in Internet, SEO | Comments Off

Local Norfolk web design company expand

Sunday, April 13th, 2008

Norfolk-based web design company Creospace is set to expand its business and service offering this month. Founded in 1999 by freelancer Gary Dickenson, the company has gone from strength to strength, attracting business clients from all over the UK.

Creospace will be appointing two new Director shareholders: Phil Houghton, Development Director, and Lisette Howlett, Business Director. Founder Gary Dickenson continues in his role of Managing Director, with primary responsibility for running the business. Gary says, “There is a growing demand for high-quality website development – not just in Norfolk but right across the UK. The timing was right to bring in two additional Directors to help develop the business and meet our increasing demand.”

Phil Houghton joins Creospace on a full-time basis in April from his previous role as IT manager for a multi-site business. Phil brings with him a wealth of technical knowledge, and will be developing the company’s bespoke software solutions. “There has never been a better time to be working on web-based database solutions. Bespoke business software is starting to become a valued part of all small and medium sized enterprises and at Creospace we have a strong foundation and expertise in this area. I see my focus over the coming months as continuing to develop some of our leading-edge software, enabling Creospace to provide solutions that are fun, easy to use, and fully adaptable to business needs.”

Lisette Howlett joins Creospace on a part-time basis to support business development and growth. “I see the future as very exciting from the point of view of web-based technology. My primary role will be to provide business support and I am delighted with the calibre of the team, the strength of their current client base, and their ambitious plans for the future.

“On the face of it, web development looks to be quite a crowded market but, as with most things, quality and service are key distinguishers; based on this, Creospace Limited stands out as the company to trust with your web brand and business systems.”

Creospace has a solid reputation for high-quality websites and web-based business systems – in fact, more than 50% of business comes from referrals. Building on this strong foundation, Gary Dickenson adds, “We believe, and our experience to date supports this, that a well-designed site with carefully crafted copy and high usability can make a significant difference to the profitability of our clients. We are able to apply database and web solutions to all business operations, from small retailers to national corporations, and these systems can significantly increase business efficiency – ultimately contributing to their profitability.”

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