Web Services
~ Services - Fees - Portfolio ~
I design websites that are interactive and that you can update yourself. My philosophy is to empower you, my client, by training you to modify your site without having to contact me and pay regular fees. However, if you prefer to have me update your site, I will gladly do it too!
I use open-source, content management systems (CMS) and work mainly with Drupal. A CMS is a website with an administrative area where the content (text and images) can be updated; a CMS-based website enables interaction with users, such as blogs, forums, wikis, e-commerce, etc. Open-source means that the technology is available freely to everyone. For you, this brings much freedom down the road. If you choose, you could easily find a new person to manage your site and all the upgrades are freely available. The community of people using open-source software is known to be friendly and helpful.
Services
| Dynamic website and blog design. We can choose the look and feel of your website based on free templates or I can build you a customised template. I assist you in choosing the functionalities you want on your website (e.g. photo gallery, calendar of events, blog) to help make your content shine. I work with you to create a website that fits your needs and the resources you have available. | Training you to use your site. I like my clients to be able to update their websites as much as possible. After I create the site, I sit down with you to train you on how to use it. Most of the time, you can do the regular maintenance of the site yourself. I could also make a tutorial video for you to help you remember how to do something or to train someone new to do it for you. |
| Making your website more visible. As part of building your website, I help you make it more visible to search engines (Search Engine Optimisation), ensuring that potential visitors find it. I will reference it with at least a dozen of the major search engines. It is mainly the number of visitors and how frequently you update your site that affects your ranking with the search engines. It is good to encourage your friends and collaborators to link to your site and talk about it in their blogs and other online forums and discussions. | Domain name purchase and hosting. If your site is brand new, I help you choose a domain name and find a hosting service. I usually work with Hostgator, because it uses 100% renewable energy to power its servers and are very friendly when I need help! If you already have a domain name and a host, I can build your website using their services. |
| Back-ups and system updates. I regularly back-up your site. Also, when new versions of the system or the programs are available, I upgrade your site. This is something that happens in the background and you don't even notice it. | Long-term development. When I build your site, I work with you to think about how it could evolve. That way, when I first design it, it is set-up to easily include new functionalities you may want in the future. |
Prices
The cost of getting a website varies a lot depending on the type of site and what it can do... When you contact me, We will decide on a time to meet for a free consultation. After the consultation, I will send you a detailed quote for the work, according to the needs and requirements discussed during the initial consultation. Prices can be lower if you want to add the content of the site yourself. In that case I would just build the architecture, the functionalities and train you to add content. This usually saves time and money.
Most web design work is charged as a flat rate. For some services, I will charge per hour. If it is ongoing work, I will log my time and send you an invoice on a monthly basis. My hourly fee for web work usually starts at $35 per hour.
