GENERAL PROJECT QUESTIONS
PRICING
E-COMMERCE
DOMAIN NAME REGISTRATION
HOSTING
SITE PROMOTION
General Project Questions
How long have you been designing web sites?
Pari Ann Bell has been designing personal
websites since 1996 while teaching herself html, java scripting, flash, and
several other technologies that enhance web designs. She started HomeWorkers On
PC in 1997 and has finally begun, in 2003, to take the business in a
professional direction, with a specialty in web design.
What kind of web services do you provide?
Web site designs, site redesigns, search
engine optimization, search engine submission, domain name registration, web
hosting, web maintenance, and custom logo designs.
What kind of sites do you design?
Our current experience has been in developing
web sites for small business and nonprofit organizations, although we have
also been involved in helping with smaller, personal projects. [top]
What's the difference between an original design and a template design?
An original design is one that is built
uniquely for you. When you have definite ideas about your site's theme or color
or navigation, then you'll likely want an original design. This also allows us
to more easily incorporate your business name or theme into the site design.
But if originality is not a concern and you're
on a tighter budget, you can select form a collection of professional design
templates which can be customized for your site. There are hundreds of templates
available to you [see
template designs]. If one of these meets your needs, then it's a more
cost-effective way to build your presence on the web.
How long does it take you to complete a project?
Although some small projects are completed
within a week or two, we say it typically takes (including the time a design is
created and approved, and we have all the content from the client) about 14 - 21
days to finish a site... 30 days if it is a dynamic (interactive, bells and
whistles) site.
Have you ever had a dissatisfied client?
Perfectly honest, as a company, HomeWorkers
has only completed one website for a client as of September 2003 and that client
is reported to be "very excited" with their redesign. (Barr-Rich
Kitchen and Bath)
Pricing
How much do you charge for your services?
Our site designs start as low as $95
for a Basic Needs web site. We also offer original site designs and customized
template designs. See pricing information on our Web Design
information page. For work that is billed on a per hour basis, our current
rate for most web work is $10/hr.
Each project is unique, so it's impossible to
give a firm number without knowing more about a client's needs. We provide free
online estimate request
forms so people can get an idea of what their web site might cost.
Discount pricing for various other services is
provided to clients with sites designed by HomeWorkers On PC.
Why are your rates lower than other professional and online design services?
When HomeWorkers On PC was started, costs were
placed in a lower range because we had little to no overhead. Since we are still
a new company, having just recently gone public, we can afford to keep our costs
down simply because we still have very little overhead. You get top quality
design to your specifications at a low cost. This will encourage you to share
with other's who built your website and in turn give us more potential clients.
We believe we are the perfect solution
for the individual or organization that needs more than a site designed by their
uncle or high school neighbor... that needs a professionally designed site but
cannot afford the fees typically charged by web designs firms.
When do I have to pay you?
For the typical project, we ask for 1/3 of the
project fee when the contract is accepted, 1/3 when the design is approved, and
the balance when the site is completed. Projects that are priced under $300 may
require 1/2 payment up-front.
Hourly and ongoing services are billed on the
16th of each month, sent to you by email. If the account goes over 30
days, you are then billed by postal mail.
How can I pay you?
Most clients pay by certified check, but you
can also pay us online by using a credit
card or your PayPal account.
E-commerce
Why does it cost more to create an e-commerce site?
Because there is a lot more work that goes
into building a site that manages the products or services you want to sell and
then provides the means by which a customer can order them online.
There are online services that offer to let
you build a relatively inexpensive e-commerce site, but these sites tend to be
limited in versatility, generic-looking, and often require a steep learning
curve.
How many products can I sell online?
You can sell just 1 product (or service), or
as many as you want.
How can I accept payment for my products/services?
There are many different options. Which one
you choose depends on what you're offering, the volume of sales you expect in
the first year, and the resources you currently have to work with. We can help
you decide which options are best for you. Here are your options (from least
expensive to most expensive):
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Personal check or money order.
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Online pay service like PayPal.
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Credit card processed offline.
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Credit card processed online.
Can I use my PayPal account to accept online payments?
Yes! Whether you're selling one item (or service) or multiple
products, we can incorporate a PayPal shopping cart into your web site design.
Customers can pay you using their credit cards or PayPal funds. And this can be
done without having to purchase a merchant account or a security certificate for
your site. It's a great option for small businesses, including home businesses.
If I don't want to use a service like PayPal, what do I have to do in order
to accept online credit card payments?
In order for your business to be approved for
credit card payments, you will need to set up a merchant account with a
financial institution that provides these services. You'll have to go through an
approval process and there are fees involved.
Additionally, a percentage of your sales will
go toward processing fees and you will need to pay for a security certificate
(about $100-150 per year) that allows your site to process credit card
information privately & securely.
But since credit card payments are so
convenient and expected as an online option by most web users, offering a credit
card option is something most business will want to provide if they don't want
to lose business.
What if I don't have a merchant account?
If you don't have a merchant account (to be
able to accept credit card payments) and you don't want to get one right now,
you can still allow customers to pay you with a credit card by using a service
like PayPal. I've used it for years and have found it to be easy and reliable.
The only cost to you would be a percentage of the sales (about 3%).
Domain Name Registration
What's a domain name?
It's the common name that people use to direct
their browsers to a web site and usually ends with ".com" or ".net" or something
similar. These names are for sale through various online services. You usually
buy them for a 1 to 3 year period. You have to renew your ownership at the end
of the purchased time, or the name becomes available to the public again.
These names are used to simply direct people
to the server that is hosting your web site. If you decide to move your site to
a different server, you allow people to still find you by "instructing" the
domain name to send people to the new location.
Most of the common or obvious names are no
longer available. Getting hold of a good domain name sometimes requires
creativity and diligence.
What does it cost to get a domain name?
If we design your site, we will register 1
domain name for you included in the cost.
Additional domain names will run from $4.95
to $9.95 per year.
You can buy a domain name elsewhere for $10 to
$50, although you probably want to stay away from both extremes. If you pay too
little, you may not actually own the name or may have a difficult time making
any changes to it (like directing the name to point to a new site location) The
Registrar that we use is a low cost reseller, but you have full control over
your domain name.
See our list of
domain name fees.
If you arrange my domain name, who will own it?
You will. We simply manage the name, but you
will be listed as its owner.
Hosting
Do I have to host my site through you?
No. Many clients may ask us to arrange and
manage their hosting, but others will take care of that themselves (or already
have their site hosted with a company that is servicing them well).
What's included in the hosting service you provide?
We'll set up your site on a host server, give
you access to your web stats, define any email accounts you require, constantly
monitor your site to make sure it's up and running, and deal with technical
support when necessary.
Do you host sites on your own servers?
No. We purchase hosting space through the
services of GoDaddy.com. They've provided us with good service and have a 99.9%
"up" time for their servers.
What does it cost to have you arrange and manage my site hosting?
It depends on the size of your site. Take a
look at our hosting fees.
Our fees are low because we don't expect to make money from the what we charge
for hosting a site. But we know that it's another service that we can provide to
clients that will encourage them to keep in touch with us and think about us
when they need web design services in the future.
Site Promotion
Should I worry about search engine optimization?
Not necessarily, but probably. Most people
build a web site because they want people to find you. If your site offers
services, products or information that people might be searching for, then
you'll want to make sure they find it on your site! Just having a site on the
internet usually isn't enough; you need to have the target pages of your site
especially prepared to be recognized and properly indexed by the major search
engines.
How can I promote my site?
There are many different ways to effectively
promote your site, including off-line advertisement (print, radio, sponsorships,
etc.). You can promote your site online by placing ads on other sites, getting
other sites to link to yours, submit your site to appropriate search engines and
indexes, work to get a stronger position in search results, pay for inclusion in
certain search services, pay for advertising like pay-per-click. To learn more
about some of the ways you can promote your own site, visit
SelfPromotion.com.
If I can promote my own site, why should I have HomeWorkers do it?
If you don't know enough about web site
promotion and don't have the time to spend learning how, then allow us to help
you out. We know the whats, whys and hows of web site promotion.
Can you design ads for my site?
Yes. Just let us know what you need. Ad
creation is usually billed at our current hourly rate.
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