Web Design Prices and Costs - How to Get A Fair Web Design Quote

If you're looking at commissioning a web designer to build you a website, one of the first things that you will need to know, is the monetary cost. This article will explain to you why there is such a huge variance between web designers and their quotes and will give you some advice as to how much you can expect to pay to contract a competent web designer in the UK.

First of all you have to have a rough idea of what it is that you want from your website. You have to have thought of what you want to achieve with the website. What are its objectives? You will then need to have thought of a basic structure for your website. There are many website examples out there for you to have a look at; the important thing is to have an idea about what structure you want for the site - meaning a rough outline of the numbers of pages and the content (text and images) that will make up each page.

Once you have your project objectives in mind and a rough idea of your websites structure you are in a position to start contacting suppliers. There are multitudes of web design companies everywhere and in our particular area of the UK - Doncaster there are lots of web design companies to choose from. The key thing to remember is that everyone wants your business. The web design marketplace is completely saturated so you as the buyer have the upper hand!

As in all other industries there are people who provide excellent service, there are people who provide an average service and there are also cowboys (people who sell web design services without the necessary knowledge and experience to do so).

What you have to think to yourself is this: If a person promises me the earth for £1 does that mean to say that they can deliver it? The best advice I can give is to be realistic. There are lots of really good city based web design companies throughout the UK that provide excellent services. They are always there to take your calls and you even get your own personal account manager to handle your requests and hold your hand through the entire web design process. The services of such companies are wonderful but this obviously comes at a price. City based offices, account managers and admin staff are large overheads and the prices charged by large city based web design companies reflect this. If you have a modestly sized website, which needs to be under content management system control, don't be surprised if the web design quote runs into tens of thousands of pounds from a major city based web design company. If you are looking for a top quality 100% inclusive, comprehensive service and your company can afford this kind of bill then I would suggest using a big city company every time.

Don't Get Burned By Web Designers

If you bring up the subject of web design with small business people, it wouldn't take long to find someone who has been burned by a web designer. Perhaps they have even come to the conclusion that a web site is not worth the expense. Let's look at how and why that happens, and outline some success principles that will help you when you need web design services. Since so many web designers get it wrong, the web design principles that actually work may surprise you.

One of the problems with web design is that software programs have made it seem easy to create a web site. If you have the software, it would not take you long to build a web site. There are an abundance of inexpensive templates available to make it even easier to put together a web site. Getting a professional looking web site is not difficult at all. So you may wonder, why is that a problem?

The process of creating a web site does not end with making it look professional. In fact, that could very well be one of the least important aspects of a web site design. Let's face it, there are ugly web sites that make a lot of money. Since life is not fair, there are great looking web sites that make little or no money. I'm not saying the professionalism of your web site is not important; I am saying it's not enough.

There is a serious flaw in the web design industry, and small business owners are especially prone to fall victim to it. The problem is that usually, very little business planning goes into a web site design. Too many web designers are more concerned with selling web design than taking the time to build an effective web site.

This deficiency stems from the fact that very few web designers are marketing people. Small business people do not have big advertising budgets, so they are easily attracted to the low rates of average web designers. Good marketing means setting priorities and effectively using your resources to accomplish goals.

The one element I find seriously missing in web design is the very thing that is fundamentally important; that element is uniqueness. A Unique Selling Point (USP) is one of the basic tenets of marketing. You must answer the questions: why should I buy from you, and, what makes you different from my other choices? If you fail in this area, your web site visitor will not be kind to you. They will leave and not come back; they will probably not tell you why they left either.

Is Your Web Designer Ripping You Off?

Nobody likes being ripped off - especially if they're in business.

Yet most businesses are paying hundreds or thousands of dollars to their web designer for shoddy, substandard work. Are you?

Luckily, there's a quick and easy way to find out.

Go to:http://validator.w3.org, type in your website address and click on the "Check" button.

If the page you see says "failed validation" in red writing, you might need to speak to your web designer - especially if there are more than a handful of errors.

Is your web designer one of the cowboys?

Unless you own a cattle ranch, you probably don't want to employ cowboys. You certainly wouldn't put up with substandard work from a builder or electrician, would you? What about an accountant that didn't understand tax laws, would you want them handing your finances?

Well, most web designers produce websites that are shoddy and substandard - and worst of all they don't even know it.

How can I tell if my site isn't up to standard?

Many professions and industries have standards. With some professions, like medicine or law, you need a qualification before you even start doing it. Other industries, like food processing or construction, aren't so strict about academic qualifications, but they do have standards that have to be met - like health and safety or food hygiene standards.

There's no academic qualification you need in order to become a web designer. All you need is a computer with internet access and the confidence (or in some cases arrogance) to call yourself a web designer.

However, although many people (and most web designers) don't know it - there are standards for websites.

What's more - it's really easy to test your website to see if it's up to standard. All you need to do is visit a website (http://validator.w3.org/) and you can test your site.

Web Design Software

While the demand for Web site creation or maintenance is constantly on the rise, the number of skilled designers available is just not there. The lack of skilled designers has prompted technology companies to develop Web design software that can be used by anyone. This Web design software is an effective tool that allows for the creation of professional Web sites with ease, control and efficiency. There are different types of software depending on the complexity of the Web site. There are specific software for designing various types of web pages such as online brochures, affiliate sites, e-commerce sites, shopping carts, online stores and personal sites.

The most commonly used Web design software products are Web browsers. Web browsers are software that allows users to access the internet. Web browsers display the text and graphics available on Web sites and enable users to access audio and video files and animations. They allow users to navigate interactive links and move from one web page to another and to open additional windows and Web pages.

The most commonly used language for Web pages is HTML. The Web browser interprets this language. Web site software provides tools such as builders, publishers, key word generators, Web site optimizers, shopping carts and e-commerce solutions. These help in making the process of Web site designing a simple task.

Most software provides a complete solution that enables a company to design a Web page in a very short time. This makes Web designing economical and also helps avoid the usage of complicated html editors. With a little practice, the software can be used to make Web sites that would have otherwise cost a lot of money. Web design software is of great help for non-technical people as they can design their own sites without dependence on a Web designer.

Today, thousands of small businesses, organizations, universities, schools and individuals around the world are using software to create Web sites for marketing, information processing, online shopping, employment and admissions. It is important to use licensed software to avoid the legal complications that could arise from anti-piracy laws.

Web Designer provides detailed information on Web Designer, Web Design Software, Custom Web Site Designers, Professional Web Site Designers and more. Web Designer is affiliated with Web Page Design Software [http://www.e-WebPageDesign.com].

Web Designer

In recent years, there has been a major upsurge in the use of Internet-related technology. An increase in the application of information technology in different fields has opened wider career opportunities. The number of people using the Internet to get information, buy products, book reservations or search for a job is constantly rising. Web designing as a profession is most benefited by this phenomenon.

A Web designer is a professional who designs, creates, tests and maintains Web pages and Web sites. Web designers are sometimes just graphic artists, though most use the coding language html extensively. Web designers must be effective communicators with the ability to understand concepts and ideas and translate them into their Web site design. They are expected to create high performance Web sites using a variety of elements such as e-commerce, visual design, search engine optimized content, strategic layout and advertising. Web designers often work on many projects simultaneously while ensuring that each one is completed on a timeline.

There are a variety of tasks that a Web designer must accomplish while working on a project. It involves working closely with customers to answer their questions and to gain an understanding of project expectations. A Web designer also acts as an advisor, guiding clients through each step of the site construction process. A designer uses HTML, Java script, cold fusion and many other tools to write Web pages. They also usually know how to use programs including PhotoShop, DreamWeaver, Corel Draw and Quark.

The job market for Web designers has stabilized in recent years. Companies hire professional Web designers to create or maintain sites so they can remain competitive in the marketplace. The demand for Web designers is large because people from all walks of life such as doctors, lawyers, banks and retailers all need Web sites. The success of a Web designer depends largely on a blend of expertise and creativity.

Web Designer provides detailed information on Web Designer, Web Design Software, Custom Web Site Designers, Professional Web Site Designers and more. Web Designer is affiliated with Web Page Design Software [http://www.e-WebPageDesign.com].

Finding a Good Web Designer

The Internet is more popular than ever and any business that is not online is losing out to its competitors. With many businesses and individuals now being aware of the tremendous power of the Internet, it has become very important for them to find a suitable web designer to carry out their project.

Unfortunately, the success of the Internet has also given the opportunity for unqualified and unprofessional web designers to market their services making it very difficult for clients to determine to best web designer for them. If your web site is made by a bad web designer, it can have a detrimental effect on your business and cost you dearly!

What Makes a Bad Web Designer?

Bad web designers are everywhere and they are able to dupe clients into giving them their business because most clients don't know the difference between a good designer and a bad one. Even directories of 'approved' web designers found on the Internet return nothing but incompetent web design 'wannabies' whom given half the chance will provide you with a website that will make your competitors very happy indeed. Here are the main things that indicate a bad web designer: 

• Lots of animated gifs on their pages
• Overuse of Flash and JavaScript
• Unflattering/ clashing colours
• Badly written content
• A table based layout
• Shoddy graphics
• No mention of web standards or accessibility
• A website that does not validate at http://validator.w3.org

How to Choose a Web Design Company

On the Internet today, there are many people who call themselves web designers and web design companies. Some people do it for fun, as a hobby or part-time. Web designers that design full-time are the way to go.. Someone who does web design in their part-time tends not to take it as seriously as someone who does it for a living. There are also people who do web design, who have no formal training. Make sure your web designer has some formal training from a recognized school. People who are self taught, although I applaud them for doing it, have relied on the Internet for all their information, and as you know information on the Internet can be inaccurate.

Relevant Experience

The web design company you choose for your project should have relevant experience. If you would like them to design a e-commerce website, it is best to choose a web designer who has e-commerce websites in their portfolio. Your web design company should be ready to submit a proposal for your website project along with a contract. Beware of companies who don't give you a formal contract. The contract should outline exactly what the web designer will do and how long it will take, the price, and what you have agreed to supply. A formal contract is the best way to avoid disagreements between the web designer and you. Make sure your contract outlines every possible problem that can happen.

Different types of websites

There are different types of websites such as: static HTML (brochure type), e-commerce (with a shopping cart), database, Flash and a website with your own content m`nagement system. All of these must come into perspective when you are looking for a web design company. For example if you are looking for a fully interactive Flash website you better make sure that the web design company you choose has done many Flash websites. There is a difference between companies who can do Flash headers for a standard HTML site and web designers who can create a full flash website. Your best bet when choosing a web design company is to have a face to face meeting when discussing what it is you would like to have your website look like , also some sketches and some addresses of websites that you like. This gives the web design company the chance to fully understand what you are looking for and a better chance to give you an accurate proposal.