Questions and answers about developing your website.

What is this going to cost me?

There are three primary costs in developing your own website.

One, you need to purchase a domain name, which will cost between $10 and $20 a year. This is the www.yourname.com that is your website "address." Two, you need to purchase a hosting service, which is renting space on large computers called "servers." This will cost around $50 a year, and we have several recommendations for this. Three, you need to create and upload your website. The costs for this range from nothing (if you do it yourself or have a friend or family member do it) to many thousands of dollars, depending on how elaborate you want to make your site. Our basic site will cost you $350. You will pay your hosting company around $50 a year, and pay around $10 a year for your domain name. Your total annual cost should be around $60 a year if you do not want numerous updates.

What does your basic site include?

See the "Rates" page for an itemized listing of what you would be purchasing. Our basic charge of $350 includes the creation of up to five pages of your website, using content you have provided and photos we have taken, or which you provide. We work with you personally to make sure you have the design you want, and that the information on your site is what you want and where you want it. We guide you in choosing a hosting service, and we then do the upload of your site to this service. If you wish, we can help you purchase a domain name, which you will own, and this is included in your basic cost. Once your site is online, we will modify your site up to five times for free. We will also teach you how to make changes on your site.

What about extra stuff?

There are two "extras" you might want to add. One is an online store. Here is an example: http://sundogoutfitter.3dcartstores.com/. The initial cost for this is $250 and the final cost will depend on how elaborate you want your online store to be.

The other is a CSS-based photo gallery. Here is an example: http://www.damascus.org/gallery/terry.html. This adds greatly to your ability to show your product or your business establishment. The cost for a single page photo gallery with up to twelve photos is $200.

Another possible "extra" for those of you who do not want to write the content for your site is the hiring of a writer to do this for you. We can put you into contact with an established writer in the this area, and help you negotiate a fee. However, most sites we have worked with have the content created by the business owner. You do not need extensive text unless you are selling a technical product.

Most of the "extra stuff" is taken care of by our partners, who are also local people.

How long will this take?

We only work with two new customers at a time so that we can focus on what you need. If you know what you want, and have an idea of a design and have some of your content written, we can have you online in a few days. If you don't know what you want, and have no content, it will take a little longer.

What are the hidden costs?

None. We don't surprise you. If the preparation time for your site becomes unusually complex, and if you change your mind a lot, we will renegotiate, but so far this has not happened. That's why we work only locally. If we're going to run into each other in Food City we won't need to deal with some "surprise" costs we've added to your bill.

Why are your prices less than half or a third of what others charge around here?

We are not charging you a large amount to sustain very large salaries, since we have other income. We don't pay rent since we work out of our homes. Our costs are primarily equipment and time. The "extras" you might want to add to your site are charged on a case-by-case basis. Plus we choose our customers carefully, and don't accept all jobs. We have to like what you are doing, and if we like what you are doing we will want to support you, and this makes our work easier.

I need something much fancier than what you seem to offer. I need "Flash" for my site, for example, and lots of graphics.

We will gladly refer you to other local website developers who will charge you as much as you want to pay. Our customers usually are small businesses and charitable organizations without a large budget for advertising. But if you need a site with extensive graphic design this can be arranged. The quotes we get for these sites usually start at two thousand dollars.

I want to add the ability for my customers to pay with a credit card or Paypal. Can you help?

Yes. Many of our participating organizations have this capability, and we will refer you to them for information, or provide information for you to set this up on your own. You will need an affiliation with a bank to do this.

What about search engines? How do I know my website will be seen?

Google says it ranks sites using more than 200 different signals. We will work with you to make sure your site is visible to search engines, and that potential clients can find your website.

I don't have a logo. What should I do?

We can refer you to graphic artists who will do a logo for you, or you can simply use a text graphic as a title. Here's an example of a text graphic on a site we do: http://www.traildays.us/. There is no charge for a simple text graphic.

If I have my own photos will this reduce my costs?

Possibly. Our experience is that the complications involved in receiving photos from others, the mixed quality of the photos, the need to reformat and resize the photos, is where most of the photo work is involved. It's usually a simple matter to come by your place of business and take the photos you need. This is included in our basic cost of $350.

Where is "Laurel Creek website design" located?

All of the participants live in Damascus, Virginia, or nearby. The primary contact person lives on Laurel Creek and the Virginia Creeper Trail a few hundred feet from the town limits.

What do I need to do to get started?

Call us. 492-8103. We don't include the area code because we are not marketing outside the Damascus area.