Is hiring a web designer/developer necessary to make a website?
No! I encourage anybody to research and learn what goes into creating a website. A website can be a beautiful and complex tool when done right. The varying
levels of complexity needed from a website determine whether it is wise to do it yourself, or hire somebody knowledgeable. It all depends
on the intent of your website, and what value you put on your time.
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What all goes into a website?
A website is made up of many individual parts. These parts are created by several coding languages: HTML, CSS, Javascript & PHP, to name a common few. Ideally, the HTML or XHTML is the content that you view on a website; the words and paragraphs. CSS is the way in which the site is styled. To an extent, it controls how the XHTML is presented on a browser. Javascript is a language that gives a website dynamics. When used correctly, it makes a website more user friendly. It is used for anything from the way a button reacts when clicked, to the the way information is brought before you when requested. PHP is a language that lives on the server and is used in many ways. It makes a website truly dynamic by its ability to manipulate and serve the users request for information on the fly.
This does not nearly explain everything that goes into building a website. Other topics like hosting, design, security, e-commerce, etc. can/do
play a major part in a website. A great resource in learning more about how a website works is the W3C page.
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What are my skills?
What I focus on as a one person designer/developer is the client who wants a personal or business site with moderate to low interactivity. What I mean by interactivity is a website that possibly has a blog, contact form, dynamic effects, rudimentary e-commerce system, etc. These are few of many examples.
I can cover good amount of ground or specialize on one aspect of your site. I have solid knowledge of both the front end of a site and the server side that works behind the scene.
I encourage contacting me for any questions on a project you have in mind. A detailed services page will be completed shortly, showing what we can accomplish together.
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How do you update a website's content?
Keeping a website current and relevant is critical to it's success. Whatever purpose the site will serve depends on the ability to update content. There are several methods to changing content, varying in level of difficulty.
The first way is to manually change parts of the code to update content. This requires the knowledge of the language and the time needed to update. Another way to update content is by using content management system (CMS). A website's integration with a content management system can give much more flexibility to you, the one who needs it most. Some famous content management systems are Wordpress, Drupal and Joomla.
Many people like CMS's due to the easy process of updating content, which is ideal for something like a blog or e-commerce site.
Some disadvantages are that it can be overkill and a hindrance if not needed. A CMS, by any name, typically carries hundreds of files, is fairly inflexible in design,
is more difficult to optimize in search results, and typically loads slower due to its database dependance. However, this is not to say that a
CMS is not a great thing when utilized properly. It all depends on the intent of your website.
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How much does a website typically cost?
The cost of a website varies greatly by what is wanted. You will find online prices that seem to good to be true and prices that seem exorbitant. The first question to ask yourself is what you need the website for. Do you want a blog, an online extension of your business, a personal site? You will see a fairly sharp increase in price when the page count is higher, you need a CMS, a good amount of custom design and layout is used, and when there are a good amount of dynamics used. It would be of little use to throw a number in the air with so many variables determining this number. It costs nothing but your time to talk with about the expense of something we can create.
You will find prices usually correlate with quality. Template designs can sell for a few hundred dollars where custom site builds with an intensive database can cost over $30,000.
You will also notice very quickly if a larger investment should have been made when a website hits the proverbial brick wall. Scalability is a top concern for someone looking for a
good website.
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How much do I charge?
I am as open as possible about pricing. It is typical of many web designer/developers to not list or mention anywhere what they charge for their services. This can lead to an idea of hidden costs or general disinterest from a potential client.
I will have a price schedule posted in the near future. The price schedule will list all costs for services I provide. Feel free to send me a message until this point regarding costs.
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What is my availability?
As an individual, I do not spread myself thin. My commitment to you, as a client, needs to be as undivided as possible to provide quality. I will only take on as many projects as I
have adequate time to give. The timeframe and needs of your project play a part in if I can help you at this time.
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