Q#1.    I believe we need a web site, how much will it cost?

Web sites are as unique and personal as the people/businesses/organizations for which they are created. Therefore, costs of building a web site depend on your individual needs. Web sites can vary from one simple page (rare) to hundreds of inter-connected pages (common for large organizations). Therefore, quotations should be obtained from at least two web designers, (to compare prices – they vary greatly) and ask them to provide a price based upon cost per page for your web site, so you can compare apples to apples, and you will have an idea how much extra it might cost should you later recognize you need to add more web pages, after you receive your original quote (also quite common).

Q#2.    Are there any costs beyond the original web site design/development costs?

Yes, there are two costs which are ongoing on an annual basis. You can do the work yourself, or have your web site designer do it on your behalf and he/she should include this in his/her fees quote.

i) the annual or semi-annual cost to reserve your unique Domain Name - your unique web site address, (for example, mine is www.horsescoops.com). A typical minimum cost fee is $30/2 years for a Canadian-registered Domain Name (for example www.mqha.ca is the unique Domain Name for a web site I designed, developed and maintain on behalf of the Manitoba Quarter Horse Association).

ii) annual hosting costs for your web site on a “server” (a computer which rents out space to host your web site on the Internet), so the public can access your site. (There are servers which host web sites for free, but most have strict limitations regarding the maximum size of the web site, and/or they require you to advertise their hosting services on your web site, and/or they impose other stipulations.) Most business web sites don’t use “free” servers for these reasons. Hosting fees range from $10/month (if hosted on Yahoo), and up to $30/month (if hosted by Tel us) and you can also contract for an annual rate (usually several hundreds of dollars per year for other servers, depending on the size and complexity of the web site). A typical annual fee for hosting is $250/year.

For example, the www.mqha.ca web site costs $250, plus GST per year, if you host it through the server which I personally use and recommend, called “Cowboy Oriented Web Sites” or “COWS” for short. This particular server hosts many horse and cattle web sites (as well as other types of web sites) all over North America and has an excellent reputation for client service.

Q#4.   Can I update my own web site?

Yes, you certainly can if you have the technical knowledge and the appropriate computer hardware and software. If not, you should enter into a regular maintenance contract with either your original web site designer/developer, or another web-savvy person, on a weekly/monthly/quarterly or semi-annually (depending on your needs) on a fee-for-services basis.

Q#5.   What pitfalls should I try to avoid?

You could ask your neighbourhood computer geek to create a web site for you, but what happens when he/she starts Kindergarten? Just kidding!!! It’s important to obtain the services of a qualified web site designer/developer so that he/she will be readily available to you should your site crash (rare, but it happens), or when you need to refresh the look of your site, or to conduct regular maintenance and updates? Many “newbie” web site builders don’t tell you this, they only quote on the original design services and once your site is launched - you are on your own.

Q#6.    So how do I choose a competent web designer/developer?

Qualified web site designers/developers avoid the so-called “trendy fads” and all the “bells & whistles” to ensure your web site has a fresh, but professional look, and most importantly, is user-friendly. You don’t want to pay for an outdated design that shrieks that “This web site is long past its ‘best by’ date”, before it is even launched. Be sure to ask to see samples of other web sites built and/or maintained by someone you are considering hiring. You may, or may not, like what you see. Qualified web site developers also pay attention to building-in design strategies which improve your chances of increased web site traffic through various Internet search engines (e.g. Google and Yahoo). Some web site building “newbies” are not aware such important web site design factors even exist.

Q#7.    I don’t think I have any suitable photographic images for my web site. Can you recommend any photographers who will visit my ranch/business/organization and take the appropriate photos?

My partner, Wilf and I are both photographers, or if you prefer, we have a good working relationship with numerous regional photographers to whom we can refer you.

Q#8.    The web designer/developer will do everything needed to provide me with a great web site, right?

Wrong, you will be very involved in the construction of your own web site. To begin with, you have to be able to express your goals for having a web site in the first place. Is it to help you sell your product or services, or to promote your organization? You may want your site to provide information, and/or to receive input from your visitors through a “guest book” page (see Appendix #1 for an example) so you can develop a data base of potential customers. You will also need to identify your target market (who your customers are likely to be) and then, your web designer can help you achieve your goals.

And, YOU are the one who will be responsible for the actual CONTENT for the site – what each web page in your site will tell visitors. It is up to you to write the text/copy for each page, and supply GOOD quality photographic images to support those messages. Hint: poor photos are actually worse than no photos at all. Your designer/developer will guide you by describing what typically goes on certain web pages, but only YOU have the knowledge about what’s important about your particular business/organization. Another Hint: your overall web site design, content, images, or graphics may not be exact duplicates of any other web site, as that contravenes international copyright law and is illegal.

If you have your own logo and colour scheme for your business/organization, that’s a great place to start the overall design of your web site. Hint: be sure you also own the copyright to your logo. If you need a logo, you can have a graphic designer make one for you, or ask your web designer to develop one for you (normally an additional fee is charged for this service).     

So, expect to be directly and intensely involved in content creation. The job of the web designer/developer is to take your information and images, and use his/her technical expertise to turn these objects into a well-functioning web site, that will attract visitors from around the world. Remember YOU are responsible for the actual content of your web site, so don’t make any promises or claims you can’t live up to. And, don’t supply any graphics or photographic images that you don’t own outright (copyright issues).

Q#9.   How many pages will I need for a web site?

Once you have decided on the goal(s) of your web site, you need to determine which different pages to include in your overall site. Hint: visit other web sites in your same industry to get ideas of what pages you might need, what ideas you like, or don’t like, and what you may not have thought about. Simply put, a web site is very much like a family tree (see Appendix #2 for an example. The top level is the “home” page called an “index” page in web lingo.  From this “home” page, a web site branches out to a few key sub category pages - 7 is the maximum recommended number. From these sub pages, a web site may then branch out again to as many individual subject pages as necessary or desired. Many web sites contain only the “home” page and the “sub category” pages. It all depends on your needs and, of course, your budget. Another hint: Your web designer/developer should be advised of your budget in order to plan and build your web site within your financial guidelines.

Q#10.  Can any qualified web designer/developer build me a suitable site, or do I need one who is familiar with my industry/ business?

Yes, and no. Any qualified web designer/developer can build you a web site. However, you will achieve better results through consultation with a designer who is knowledgeable about your industry, business, or type of organization. For example, a designer who is familiar with the horse and cattle industry and their marketing concepts, and understands what makes a good livestock photograph, should be able to provide you with the best advice in choosing the CONTENT for your site, and may even help you to edit the actual TEXT with the correct terminology. Another example would be a designer with experience in developing and/or managing not-for-profit association web sites – he/she should be able to provide specific advice about suitable CONTENT for those types of web sites.

Q#11.   Will I be able to send and receive email through my new web site?

There are at least a couple of options available to you:

i) If you already have an existing email account through an Internet Service Provider then you can choose to link your existing email address to your web pages so that visitors can send you email directly from your web site, which is then routed to your existing email program (e.g. Microsoft’s Outlook Express). And that’s how you would reply back to them. 
ii) If you don’t, as yet, have an email account set up, then I recommend you choose to have your email account attached to your web site. For example, my web site address is www.horsescoops.com and my email address is marnie@horsescoops.com. The advantage of this option is that in all the years I have had this email address, I have never had to change it. I moved from Techplus, to Escape, to MTS, to Prairie On-Line, to I-Netlink as my Internet Service Provider (ISP), and never had to change my email address, since it is always attached to my web site.

Q#12.  Will you provide me with a quotation to build a web site, including reserving my unique Domain Name, arranging the annual web hosting service, and a regular maintenance contract?

We would be pleased to provide you with a competitive quote. Just contact us through one of the following options and let’s talk about your new web site project.