I work with clients form various countries, so your location is no problem. I use email, telephone, Skype, Facebook and Twitter to keep in touch, so there’s no shortage of ways to be updated on the progress of your site.
For payments, in addition to bank transfers, I also accept PayPal, as this is the safest way to make online transactions.
Firstly, I ask all clients to fill out my Project Planner. This allows me to get to the bones of a project. It will give me all the necessary information I need to put together an estimate for your website. I don’t give out fixed prices over the phone or via email without firstly having studied the client’s Project Planner. Every project is unique and has special requirements.
Once the estimate has been accepted the project is split up into phases which can include:
Information Architecture, Design Research, Initial Drafts & Wireframes, Sitemap, Initial Designs, Design Revisions, Design Approvals, Final PSD Production, XHTML/CSS Development, CMS Setup and configuration, Server-Side Development, Testing & Debugging, Cross-browser fixes, Client User Acceptance Testing (UAT), Live server setup, Go-live.
There will be 2 or 3 milestones in which I ask for payment. Usually a down-payment on signing the work agreement, a payment once the design has been approved and the final payment made prior to handing over the live site. I find this method works very well and ensures that both parties are safe and happy.
Through the use of my Project Planner I will be able to get a clearer idea of that “design in your head”. Using wireframes to create initial layouts will help greatly in reducing the number of design revisions, while giving us both a real sense of the final layout of your website. My Project Planner aims to extract all the information necessary for me to impress both you and your clients.
Any examples you can give of other sites that may incorporate a certain something you like, for example, an image slider, a font you love or a color scheme that takes your fancy… all these things will help me to get a better idea of your dream site, and hence create what you want and need for your website to succeed.
It’s like walking into a car dealership and saying “I want a car so how much will it cost?”. The dealer needs to know what the car will be used for, will it be a family car, a 4×4, do you want air conditioning etc.? and of course he’ll need to know your budget.
The cost of a website will vary depending on a number of factors. To give fair estimates I don’t give blanket quotes, each proposal is studied individualy and given its appropriate estimate based on your requirements.
If you would like to fill out my Project Planner, just drop me a line. I can provide you with an estimate within three working days.
I’m always here for any queries you may have about your site. I won’t just abandon you after the site goes live.
Should you wish to have something a little more concrete, I would recommend that you take advantage of one the maintenance plans I offer as part of my services. I have several options available.
The main advantage of a maintenance plan is the guarantee of always having your site up and running, (in the case of WordPress) with the latest software updates. This guarantees peace of mind that should a problem arise I’m only a phone call, or an email away. There are no additional costs outside of the maintenance agreement.
I usually give a timescale of 4 to six weeks to complete an average website, but this depends on the client handing over materials in a timely fashion and signing off on design revisions etc. at the required time.
Also my workload affects when I am able to start a new project, so it’s always best to plan ahead.
I install Google Analytics on all sites. This allows you to keep track of everything that happens on your site; where people are coming from, which pages they visit, how long they spend on your site, which page they left via… and much more.
Search engine optimization (SEO) is a process that improves the visibility of a website in search engines. SEO is BIG business. Specialist companies make millions each year in creating marketing strategies for websites to reach the number one spot. I am not an SEO company, but I do have a solid understanding of how to optimize your site, making it as accessible as possible to search engines.
Through the use of valid XHTML, CSS and an effective use of copy, your website will be a serious online competitor without the huge SEO bill.
No problem, I can help you set up your email. I recommend Host Gator to new clients. They provide hosting at a great price, are incredibly reliable and very friendly. They are available 24 hours a day and will resolve any doubts or queries you may have. I use them myself for all of my websites. Of course all their accounts come with unlimited email accounts.
Yes. Through the use of WordPress you will be able to make updates to images, texts and even add pages and galleries to your website. Not only will this cut out maintenance charges, but it will give you the chance to run your site how you want.
Know how to use Word? Then WordPress shouldn’t be a problem.
To quote Wikipedia,
“WordPress is an open source Content Management System (CMS), often used as a blog publishing application, powered by PHP and MySQL. It has many features including a plug-in architecture and a template system…”
In laymens terms, WordPress means easy client management and reduced maintenance costs. You won’t have to worry about finding code or understand how a plugin works to update your site, its incredibly simple and intuitive. Its the most widely used CMS on the net.
Working with Nathan has been a pleasure. A versatile guy with lots of talent. Nathan knows how to convert a simple idea into an aesthetic, practical design
Nest Boutique
