The Cost of Quality

On July 23, 2010, In Startups & Entrepreneuring, Web Design, Web Development, By noudesigns

The Cost of Quality

Sidestep sticker shock by creating a detailed budget for designing, building and launching your website.

By Mikal E. Belicove

Off-the-shelf content management systems and design templates have made building and managing a website easy and affordable for small-business owners with modest needs. Not counting your sweat equity, you can build and maintain a small website for less than $250. But, honestly, do you really want to bank your company’s online presence and messaging on a low-cost website? Working with a full-service graphic design and web programming firm is a more savvy business decision.

Using a professional team, you can expect to pay from $1,000 for a very basic site to more than $50,000 for a larger site with custom graphics, programming and other options.

The cost of your website will be based on the size and complexity of the site required to meet your business-related needs. A five- to 10-page site introducing your business and the services you offer will cost considerably less to build than one that processes purchase orders, for example.

When budgeting for web programming and design, draw up an itemized list, including the following:

  • Domain registration: Cost: $10 to $35 per year per domain.
  • Hosting: Fees vary considerably based on the complexity of your website, estimated traffic and security requirements. Cost: Shared host, $8 to $50 per month; merchant plan, $25 to $250 per month; dedicated server, $125 to $1,000+ per month.
  • Graphics: Unless you have existing graphics, including a company logo, you need to use stock art or pay a graphic artist. Cost: Royalty-free stock art, starting at about $10 per image; graphic artist, $50 to $150 per hour.
  • Content development: Content development usually starts with you, but professional copywriting services can help. Cost: $50 to $85 per hour.
  • Content management system configuration and implementation: CMS makes your site easier to populate, maintain and update. Cost: $50 to $85 per hour.
  • Programming and/or third-party application fees: Programming includes online forms, e-commerce and CRM tools, as well as custom components necessary for your site to deliver what your business model calls for. Cost: $85 to $125 per hour and/or flat fees or rates for use of third-party applications. If you insist on building your site in Flash, expect to pay 25 percent to 50 percent more.
  • Usability testing: Cost: $35 to $50 per hour (plan for at least half-hour per page).
  • Analytics: Google Analytics is free, and it’s quick and easy to install. More robust analytics tools vary in price. Cost: $50 to $85 per hour to set up and configure Google Analytics or other programs; $50 to $5,000+ monthly fees for more robust systems.
  • Blog: Adding a blog to your website or separately is an additional cost to consider. Cost: $500 to $2,500 first-time setup including graphic design, programming and configuration.
    Because most web programming services are ultimately billed at an hourly rate, the total cost of your website hinges on the site’s size and complexity.

Nouveau Concepts, LLC (NC) is a graphic design and marketing studio that  has the experience and creative intuition to develop websites that helps our clients achieve their business and marketing objectives at a sensible sum. Check out our work on noudesigns.com and inquirer into our affordable web design rates at info@noudesigns.com

  • Share/Bookmark
Tagged with: • • • • • •
 
0 Comments
Leave A Response

Do You Have “Multiple e-Dentity Disorder?”

On July 6, 2010, In Industry News, Social Media, By noudesigns

Joining the long list of dysfunctions and disorders, I would like to introduce, “Multiple e-Dentity Disorder.”

Hold-tight, this one has merit.

Fast Company recently hosted their annual Most Creative People In Business event, where #53 ranked – Soraya Darabi (the Product Lead at Drop.io.com) introduces the notion of “Multiple e-Dentity Disorder.”

Simply put, “Multiple e-Dentity Disorder” is the understanding that different Social Networks are just that…different social environments. Consequently, we behave, communicate, socialize, speak, express, interact and present ourselves in unique variations depending on our environment. For instance, one may have a completely different set of “friends” on Facebook in comparison to “connections” on LinkedIn. Web 2.0 has become next evolutionary step regarding the concept of community, and those social practices are being explored and developed in real time. This becomes problematic when friend-driven communication is accessible by professional colleagues. For example, when Human Resources discovers “compromising” Fraternity photos on Facebook, which convey a very different image from your professional profile. This is an increasingly common occurrence as ‘virtual’ meets ‘reality’ in the realm of social networking.

Throughout the panel, Durabi raises very valid points, “We have to first understand what it means to be social online before we can accurately and authentically represent ourselves on each individual platform.” Society has not set boundaries or better yet “standard practices” regarding the varieties of information spread amongst those social sharing outlets. I would like to add the obvious; the very nature of the internet invites strangers into environments that are normally protected by closed doors. Closed doors and location no longer stand as the dividers of silo’d social environments (family, work, friends, private, public). Without doubt, privacy and more specifically social boundaries are going to be the hottest topics moving forward.

I’m going to make a prediction: We will see the rise of some sort of standard practices in terms of employee investigation. However, I believe the current boundaries set as what-is “professionally acceptable” will expand as our culture evolves through social networking. Personality and Professionalism will blend into a “Professionality” space. Creativity, Personality and Expressionism will become increasingly important as Human Resources has instant access to both candidate and current employee’s socially shared information.

View Durabi’s explanation of “Multiple e-Dentity Disorder”

  • Share/Bookmark
 
0 Comments
Leave A Response

Teens Giving up on Facebook?

On July 6, 2010, In Industry News, Social Media, By noudesigns

Teens Giving up on Facebook?

A recent survey by the gaming site, Roiworld among 600 teens age 13 to 17 found that teens spend two hours per day online on average, 80% of which is spent using a social network. These same teens are, however, showing signs of “Facebook Fatigue.” Nearly one in five (19%) who have an account no longer visit Facebook or are using it less.

Of the group that are saying goodbye to Facebook, 45% have lost interest, 16% are leaving because their parents are there, 14% say there are “too many adults/older people” and 13% are concerned about the privacy of their personal information.

While interest in Facebook may be waning, it’s still the most popular social network among teens — 78% have created a profile and 69% still use it. YouTube ranks second; 64% of teens claim to have a YouTube profile and continue to use the site. MySpace comes in a distant third (41%) and Twitter takes the fourth spot (20%).

The study also suggests that the teens that continue to stick to Facebook do so primarily to play games. Roiworld found that more than one-third of the teens who play games on Facebook admit to spending at least 50% of their time on the site immersed in gameplay. The online gaming trend extends far beyond Facebook, as 75% of surveyed teens claim to play games on the web.

The research purports that 43% of teens using social sites have spent money within a social network. They’re purchasing items such as currency for virtual items (35%), music (33%), avatar accessories (30%) and points to level up (23%). Nearly half of this crowd (49%) indicate that they have an allowance for such expenditures.

http://awesomedc.com/2010/07/03/teens-giving-up-on-facebook/.

  • Share/Bookmark
Tagged with: •
 
0 Comments
Leave A Response
« Previous Entries
Go To Top »