Want a $199, $299, $399 or even a $499 Website?
"Yeah, I' like a $9.99 iPhone too, but I'd rather have one that works instead of one that's broken or a "dumby" (non-working) model!"
Lately I've noticed more and more "design firms"
(local and not so local) marketing very low "starting prices" on their "web site design packages". You get a "completely custom" or "100% customized" website that is "unique to you" for an unrealisticly low "starting fee".
Don't want to even ask what the "up charges" are... likely have to pay an addon fee for more than one page, a contact form, a domain registration service fee and other silly made up charges you won't find here.
By the way, PLEASE NEVER LET ANYONE ELSE REGISTER YOUR DOMAIN NAME (WEBSITE ADDRESS)! Would you buy a car and allow the "very nice salesman" to keep the title in his/her name? NO! Make sure they register it in your name and in your account with the registrar! They can EASILY direct you to how to set/change the DNS (point it at their servers) or you can allow them access to your registrar account as an "admin" (then removing their access the next day). |
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Then they show you a portfolio of sites that are very likely "upgrade" models which more than likely cost their owners a more realistic amount (more like $750 to $1,500 or more), but then after further inspection of the "guts" of each site you realize (well, I do anyway; having the trained & experienced eye for it) that each and every site within the portfolio is completely lacking and void of any Search Engine Optimization (SEO) work.
SEO is essentially the only means of having a website being found in today's highly consentrated and over populated search engine databases. Yeah, they each have the standard meta data, but beyond that... NADDA, NOTHING - ZERO LIKLIHOOD OF RANKING WELL! It makes me question how pleased a website owner can be when they don't get any traffic to their site. Then again, one of the first things I noticed about the "design firm's" "advertising" is that they are having to pay for placement on the search engines to even show up for what you're searching for. Well, obviously they (themselves) need some help with SEO and not just their clients - who are also likely having to pay for placement to get any traffic out of their "completely custom" website.
Anyway, I just wanted to share: With every design quote we send out we either include (or list the "addon" price for) SEO - which if you fail to purchase is kinda like "buying a billboard and putting it in the field out behind your business location (thousands of feet from any road, highway or interstate) - nobody is going to see it, so why waste the money?"
"If you build it, they will come" works in the movies, but when it comes to your business, church or organization's website, please find a "designer" with a track record in ranking sites well for their clients.
For some samples of our designs, see our portfolio.
And for some SEO work samples, check out our Search Optimization page.
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