cost of new website

[yourdj]

From http://internetodirbtuves.lt/ (translated): -



Which begs the question, what are you paying them £1,300 for? They're saying, right there, that they'll do exactly what you can do yourself in a day. They've bought a £37 template (https://themeforest.net/item/argenta...theme/19081383) and done very little to it, IMHO.

So do you think they are largely farming out the technical stuff and just adding the content then? Does it say anything about what they pay if thats the case? It would be rather annoying if they are paying £300 to someone and then only spending a few hours doing the rest. I decided to get someone else to do as its a site paid for my the HDA members (we have a lot of money in the account that needs to be spent), so rather than me saying "it took 20 hours, thats £500 please" I thought I would get a company to do it instead. Probably may arise if I took that option, plus I don't have the energy or the time.

I have android phones and tablets too so can use that also.

This is their website Marc, I would be very grateful if you gave me your reasonable opinions.
They have been very good in convo and I met the owner in person and had a sit down meeting with him. Much more than I got with the pucker company in town, they only got back too me when I hounded them, then nothing after saying they would p[ut something together. Then they asked me to join in their workshop, so I told them to do one and went with the company below.

https://sitesforbusiness.co.uk

I am sure they will have tracking on and find this thread at some point. I am only being due diligent/exacting, nothing wrong with that.

Crucially, the copywriting is very poor,

Yes half of it is in Latin as thats what comes with those templates as standard..

Obviously the stage before the put everything thing together, so they have just bunged any text in. Its not going to look great (visually & copyright) at the moment, the video is just an example and not functional.



Thanks for the help people.

[rth_discos]

Yes half of it is in Latin as thats what comes with those templates as standard..

Obviously the stage before the put everything thing together, so they have just bunged any text in. Its not going to look great (visually & copyright) at the moment, the video is just an example and not functional.

Strange way to do it. I wouldn't touch the design until I know what copy needs to go in there.

The design should be based around the content - not the other way round.

[yourdj]

Strange way to do it. I wouldn't touch the design until I know what copy needs to go in there.

The design should be based around the content - not the other way round.

they have asked me only for the content really, thats just the general layout. that was what I posted. as they have asked me for parts of the text etc.

I think design tweaks will come later really.

[rth_discos]

they have asked me only for the content really, thats just the general layout. that was what I posted. as they have asked me for parts of the text etc.

I think design tweaks will come later really.

It amazes me how many web design companies do this - asking the client to write content.

It's like turning up to DJ a wedding and asking the client to provide the exact order of songs to be played.

The content is the most important aspect in terms of making the website a success.

[Excalibur]

It amazes me how many web design companies do this - asking the client to write content.

It's like turning up to DJ a wedding and asking the client to provide the exact order of songs to be played.
.

You mean you don't? Blimey, talk about doing things the hard way.

[Marc J]

So do you think they are largely farming out the technical stuff and just adding the content then?

It's strange that the preview is a subdomain on http://internetodirbtuves.lt, if it's https://sitesforbusiness.co.uk that's doing it for you. There must be a relationship between the two...perhaps https://sitesforbusiness.co.uk has subbed it out? Not that there's anything wrong in that, but if they gave you the impression they'd be doing it themselves....

This is their website Marc, I would be very grateful if you gave me your reasonable opinions.
They have been very good in convo and I met the owner in person and had a sit down meeting with him. Much more than I got with the pucker company in town, they only got back too me when I hounded them, then nothing after saying they would put something together. Then they asked me to join in their workshop, so I told them to do one and went with the company below.

https://sitesforbusiness.co.uk

They look fine to me. They've used a template I use a lot myself for their own site, and also a lot of their client sites. I think I mentioned that in another thread. But, if what you've posted (the one page site) is close to the final that you're paying £1,300 for, then you've been overcharged by quite a lot IMHO.

Strange way to do it. I wouldn't touch the design until I know what copy needs to go in there.

The design should be based around the content - not the other way round.

The design and content should be totally separate, it doesn't really matter what you start with. And since this is template based, you have no option but to start with a design.

It amazes me how many web design companies do this - asking the client to write content.

It's like turning up to DJ a wedding and asking the client to provide the exact order of songs to be played.

I couldn't disagree more on this point. As I've said before: -

That's slightly unfair. A web designer (what we're discussing here) will do just that - design the website. Any decent web designer will take the correct elements from the copy text (provided by the client) for the all important page titles, descriptions, headings etc. and structure it correctly for SEO purposes.

What they won't do is write the content for you, track (or even check) your SEO results, and manage your digital marketing strategy. You'll want a digital agency for that, who'll charge you £££ (per month) but for that they'll do very little but give you nicely formatted reports every month.

Step 1: get a moz.com paid account.
Step 2: Call yourself an SEO expert.
Step 3: Find gullible fools, and generate nice long, meaningless reports for them on a monthly basis while doing nothing of any real value

Maybe a bit harsh...but I've seen it myself countless times. Nobody knows your business better than you, if you can then write good copy yourself, or work with a freelance copywriter to produce good content in the first place.

When I build websites for clients I tell them from the start - they provide all content (text and photos). If they can't do that, I have professional photographers and copywriters I can put them in contact with (they deal with them directly), and maybe use stock images if they can't get anything else.

[yourdj]

The design and content should be totally separate, it doesn't really matter what you start with. And since this is template based, you have no option but to start with a design.

Well I will make sure I finish with what I want with regards to the template confines. Even so I can always change things after, but for what I have been contacted to pay then I want the job done to there right specification.

I would start with the general design, then the text and then the final parts (i.e. specialist plugins) and then graphics tweaking.



Sorry I don't know where I got that figure from, all I can see looking through the emails is £1,482!
I shall PM you the proposal for your perusal. I have only paid £720 at the moment.

[rth_discos]

I couldn't disagree more on this point. As I've said before: -

I guess you're right - a web designer is just that, someone who will 'design a website'.

However, I'm not sure most people want a website designed.

When I speak to most people to understand why they want a website, it's because they want more enquiries/more sales.

On the basis of what you've written, website designers are the wrong people to commission, because they will just make a pretty looking website.

As a marketeer (a term that is banded around way too much), my focus is on the end result: the enquiries.

A huge part of that is the wording on the website. People read websites - they don't just *look* at them.

The design helps - but the wording is more important.

A less pretty looking website with better copywriting, will more often than not out-perform a nice looking website with poor copywriting.

To that end, using a template or design from scratch is fairly irrelevant at the price range we're talking about here. It's more about what will do the job best. I tend to recommend a framework rather than a theme template, to ensure there's freedom around the design, rather than being too constrained.

But content writing is not primarily for SEO reasons - it's about converting visitors into enquiries.

I guess a question for Toby: were you looking to engage with someone who would simply display your text and images in a 'nice looking way', or were you looking for something that would generate more enquiries for your members?

[yourdj]

I guess a question for Toby: were you looking to engage with someone who would simply display your text and images in a 'nice looking way', or were you looking for something that would generate more enquiries for your members?

Thanks so much for your input on this.

I want a nice looking site, but also one that performs well. Having said that its already up on the top page of google as all the main dj's in Hampshire are linking into it so theoretically they can't do too wrong with that respect. Its quite unbelievable actually and I don't see it as a fluke that the HDA members (private sites) all rank top 3-10 on most major searches. Goes to show there is safety in number with the right attitudes. Marc is better suited to comment here, but I think over the last 9 or 10 years we have become quite a calm power in that respect.

I think we are forgetting the amount of time they have to spend on other parts than the design as well as other costs like office space, staffing and other behind the scenes subscriptions & services. I have sent Marc the very detailed invoice and to be fair I am confident I am in good hands. Its almost like comparing a £250 DJ to a £500 one, sometimes the lines can get blurred. Try justifying a £600 fee to a £200 DJ on MDN etc.

Overall what's most important to me (other than a good website) is good customer service and professionalism and so far thats been delivered perfectly, unlike the other 'posh' web company I first contacted. It took them 2 weeks to get back to me and he said he was on holiday (they have a team of at least 10 people including admin staff).

[Excalibur]

I have sent Marc the very detailed invoice and to be fair I am confident I am in good hands.

I can write out very detailed invoices. Doesn't mean the work listed has been done, needed to be done, or has been done properly.