Although producing a website in itself is not difficult, producing a website that looks professional and conveys the right message to potential clients requires experience and the right tools.
Background
In the past, websites tended to be "static", that is the pages could only be changed by a website administrator (webmaster) and the client had to request changes to be made. This put you at the mercy of someone else. In the last few years there has been a swing to websites that tend to be more dynamic and website owners can maintain a lot of it themselves thus keeping the content fresh. Websites get stale very quickly and the ability for the owner to update themselves is a great asset.
Content Managed websites
So-called "content managed" websites allow the owner to logon and maintain the content themselves. A perfect example of a Content Managed website is Facebook. Someone, somewhere had to design the website for Facebook, but now the public can update their information themselves.
This website is Content Managed. The process to develop such a site requires consultation with the client to decide on the look and feel and get an idea of the required pages. Once the framework is established, I sit down with the owner to instruct them how to maintain the pages, then it's over to them - unless they actually want me to maintain it for them.
Please note that some of the free or cheap website hosting companies may not allow you to install the background software necessary to run a Content Managed website.
Static websites
Sometimes a non-content managed site is necessary or preferable. For instance, a client wanted a website to showcase her photography. In essence the website is little more than a "wrapper" around her images and has very little text on it. In this case a bespoke website was more appropriate.
Another reason to go for a "static" site is cost. It is cheaper to setup a static site (especially if I am given a free hand) although on-going maintenance can make it more expensive over time. I have had clients start off with a basic, Static site and then migrate to a Content Managed site later.
You can get away with cheaper hosting for a static site as you do not require any special background software, though I would still recommend "professional" hosting.
Pricing and getting you going
I charge a flat rate of $90 per hour for website and graphics development; whether for a Static or Content managed website.
It is very difficult to give a fixed cost as website development tends to be an iterative process, but sites I have built recently would tend to average around NZ $1300. You also need to budget about NZ$150 per year to keep the website running (domain name registration and hosting).
Please feel free to contact me with any queries.
Thank you
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