Small Business Website Design call
501.291.3374 or
General Project Questions
- Who is Mike Ferguson, The Affordable Web Guy?
- How long will it take to complete a website?
- I don't live near you? Can we still work together?
- What website design services do you provide?
- What types of websites do you typically work on?
- Is a signed contract required?
Information about Website Design Cost
Domain Name Registration
Website Hosting
- Why do I need website hosting? What is that?
- Do I have to host my site through you?
- What's included in the hosting service you provide?
- Do you host sites on your own servers?
Website SEO, Marketing & Promotion
- Should I worry about search engine optimization?
- How can I promote my site?
- Do you offer banner ads for online marketing?
E-Commerce Website Options
Believe it or else I spent 10+ years working law enforcement before leaping into the online world. I created my first websites on or about 1998 and I've never stopped. I eventually left my rock-solid job as a civil servant and entered the world of the web (you really need to love the work to make that kind of transition). First as the member of a short-lived dot-com during the internet gold-rush years and then as an associate webmaster at Family Christian Stores. In 2008 I decided to venture forth as a full time web designer.
Ever project begins with a free consultation. To ensure that both the
client and I are on common ground, open and frequent communication helps
to ensure a smooth, uneventful and predictable process. Typically, a web
design client can expect a project to take between 4-6 weeks. However every
project is unique and depending on the scope of the website, some projects
can be finished in much less time. More often than not, establishing and/or
gathering content pushes back a website completion date.
While meeting my clients face to face is always great, it's actually the exception rather
than the rule and a long way from being a requirement. I estimate that
I've had traditional, let's-shake-hands meetings with 25% of my clients...perhaps
even less! So it's clearly not an issue. Using phone calls, emails, online
mock-ups and online-meetings (sharing computer desktops), I've been able
to work with clients from coast to coast.
I specialize in website design for small to medium sized businesses, email
marketing, banner advertisements for online marketing and promotions, basic
SEO (primarily older websites that have really "lost their way"),
domain name registration and website hosting
I started out designing for non-profit organizations and while I still
do my best to help out 501(c)(3) groups, my primary focus has been informational
and promotional based websites for every type of client...jewelry stores
to methadone treatment clinics...dental CPAs to industrial contractors.
Yes. But I consider it more of an agreement than a "contract".
It might be splitting hairs, but the terms outlined in a typical agreement
are primarily about ensuring that we're on the "same sheet of music" and
prevent "surprises" vs. a tool for legal footing.
I don't use a pricing schedule as every project has different needs. Websites typically fall into the $1500-$1800 range. This
total provides the client an all-inclusive, SEO optimized custom website
solution. Additional services and features (like annual hosting or Flash®)
are subject to clearly identified additional costs.
Non-profits enjoy discounted rates as well as clients that might have
multiple concurrent projects. It's my belief that I offer competitive
pricing to every client.
A down payment of 50% is required prior to any project development. Once
the design is approved and ultimately completed to your satisfaction, the
project balance will be due.
Your domain name is your online brand. It's your web-address. It's how
users and search engines will find your website. It's a critical part of
an over-all website strategy and should be considered the first item on
your short list of to-do's since domains can often be difficult to find
and secure registrations. Clearly, the more unique your proposed domain
name is, the higher the probability that it's available.
Any website I create and host enjoys free domain registration for the
term of the hosting agreement. Otherwise, you can expect to pay about $10
a year. There are a handful of registrars charging $35 a year but
unless you owe them a personal favor, there's no reason to pay that
much. Note: With many MANY domain registrars opening shops, there
is a reason to be cautious.
Without a website hosting solution, your website has no "home" and won't be accessible to users. Think of web hosting as "rent" for your website home.
While a vast majority of my clients host their websites through my services,
it's certainly not required. To accommodate that scenario, I would need
to gain access to your domain registrar to make some simple edits to DNS
(Domain Name System) your configuration.
- FREE Domain Registration
- Unlimited storage
- Unlimited monthly bandwidth! Perfect for high traffic websites.
- Gmail-based Email accounts with superior SPAM filtering (up 200 accounts)
- Detailed traffic information via Google Analytics®
- Additional information about website hosting
In an effort to keep design and hosting prices low, I use a shared hosting
environment? Shared hosting is significantly less expensive than a dedicated
server and will provide more than enough serving "firepower" for
99% of most websites online today.
"If you build it, they will come..." It's a great movie
line, but regrettably it doesn't apply to your website marketing strategy.
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is a critical element of any website strategy.
A pro-active plan is required to ensure that your website listing is returned
in a reasonable and prominent position when users search for your brand
or services using a search engine website like Google, Yahoo and MSN. And
to make things even more interesting, the algorithms used by each
of the search engines is constantly being tweaked and edited to make SEO
a moving target. So SEO strategies need to be regularly monitored and addresses.
There are a variety of strategies available to any business owner with the savvy to build and maintain a website.
- Get your website linked to from another website
- Include your web address in all of your written material and literature: business cards, letter heads, brochures and so on
- Paid placements in search engine results: Google AdWords or Yahoo Publisher Network
- Social Networking Sites: Facebook or MySpace
- Professional Networking Sites: LinkedIn or ZoomInfo
If you have a product or service that you'd like to market via third party,
I can create web-friendly, high
impact banner ads to any specification and size. Likewise, an HTML
email will always be more effective than a simple, plain text version.
Use your brand, images, colors and font treatments and turn up the heat
on your marketing emails!
Commerce sites come with a collection of additional challenges and
requirements that logically require more time and 'leg-work" to execute.
Critical elements like usability and security can't be overlooked and mission
critical when it comes to your website success.
PayPal offers the most affordable solution for anyone considering a commerce
feature on their website. Because there is no start up or monthly fees
(you pay a percentage of the online sale), it's worthy of consideration.
Additionally, it is a relatively easy feature to incorporate into any website
wanting secure transactions from a reputable vendor. If you're not a fan
of PayPal, a third party shopping cart can be incorporated into your website.
Logically, a more sophisticated shopping cart comes with additional requirements
such as a secure connection (SSL), merchant account and a monthly fees
to maintain your online store.
Recent Website Launches
Eyecare Associates of Prescott
Website Owner: Dr. Matt Sullivan
Location: Prescott, AZ
Business Type: Medical
Eyecare Associates of Prescott
"I cannot recommend Mike enough. He repeatedly went over and above what we asked or expected [and] working with Mike from over 1000 miles away was no problem. Emails and phone calls were always promptly addressed. Don't tell Mike but we would have paid double for such a spectacular end product."
Dr. J. Bundy, Prescott Eyecare
More testimonials
South Arkansas Telephone Company
Location: Prescott, AR
Business Type: Communications Company
Satco - South Arkansas Telephone Company
