Website Design

[baggles]

Hi, I am just wondering if someone can advise on what I would expect to pay (ballpark) for a simple CMS based website.

I am a copywriter by trade and am looking to increase my freelance business.

I can provide all images (to your specs) and copy, but will need assistance with the following:

Design of 5 pages (will be static)
CMS (The simpler the better)
Domain hosting and registration costs
I will also need a folio type page where my work can be viewed and added to as necessary - the kind that graphic designers often use on their pages?

Hope this is enough to go on...Also, assuming all goes smoothly, what is the timeframe I could expect this kind of thing to take?

Thanks alot for your advice!!

[Vee]

If you contact some of the professionals on the Australian Web Industry Index (http://www.webindustry.com.au/) directly, I'm sure they'll be more willing to give you the information you need.

[thezeski]

Going by your requirements this can all probably be achieved within 20 hours of labour (at the most).

I'm not sure what your budget is however... I'd suggest doing what Vee said and hitting up the that index.

[heist]

Hi, I am just wondering if someone can advise on what I would expect to pay (ballpark) for a simple CMS based website.

I am a copywriter by trade and am looking to increase my freelance business.

I can provide all images (to your specs) and copy, but will need assistance with the following:

Design of 5 pages (will be static)
CMS (The simpler the better)
Domain hosting and registration costs
I will also need a folio type page where my work can be viewed and added to as necessary - the kind that graphic designers often use on their pages?

Hope this is enough to go on...Also, assuming all goes smoothly, what is the timeframe I could expect this kind of thing to take?

Thanks alot for your advice!!

'sups baggles,

for a small site like this, i'd be looking at a free cms like wordpress so you're not blowing too much cash on a CMS license. It's simple to use, fun to play with and has a bunch of plugins to explore for stuff like your portfolio. there are other CMSes you could use too, i'm just a bit of a wordpress fanboy.

i'd expect to pay anywhere between $1,000 and $4,000. at the low end of the scale you'll get someone to take care of a bunch of stuff you could almost do yourself with a few days of messing around (rego a domain, register at wordpress, find a host, apply a standard template, customise the template with a few images/colours, and paste your content in).

At the top end of the scale you'll get someone who'll do a really great job of designing a site that really suits you, makes people think you're awesome, and works to sell your services (makes you money!).

Obviously there's anything in between... At this point it's actually far better for you to decide on your budget upfront, and then ask people what they can give you for it. Even better if you can identify a realistic target for the returns the site will give you - something like "I want the site to generate 2 new leads per month." That gives you a really easy, straightforward way to tell if your site is giving you value for money.

domain reg will cost you under $50 for 2 years, hosting around about $10 a month, give or take. timeframe will depend on who's doing the work.

so, given all that, the first question for you is - what is your budget?

[baggles]

Hi, thanks for all your feedback. I will contact the people on the list!

As far as budget goes, the annoying answer is I am not really sure. I guessed it would be about $1k but from comments this seems to put me at the lower end of the spectrum...

The leads question is an interesting one, I am yet to see a really nice way of showing a writing website (if anyone can point me to one that would be great) - and they all tend to unfortunately showcase the design - especially in the case of long copy...really I need a foot in the door where I can show my physical folio..

[tuna]

Hi, thanks for all your feedback. I will contact the people on the list!

As far as budget goes, the annoying answer is I am not really sure. I guessed it would be about $1k but from comments this seems to put me at the lower end of the spectrum...



Some people maybe open to contra deals,

[jexley]

That gives you a really easy, straightforward way to tell if your site is giving you value for money.
I want to hug you lots for this ^.

Return on your investment is huge, in my book, and something not enough people think about first and foremost.

Focus on what your ROI should be and build your budget around that.

PS - I've got an ROI tool (Jex Solutions) that uses your Google Analytics info (goals and whatnot) to track things for you.

What? What shameless plug? Look at that over there! *runs away*

[baggles]

Hi, thanks again for all the help.

I will definitely be open to a contra deal if anyone is interested.

[Ray]

I am yet to see a really nice way of showing a writing website (if anyone can point me to one that would be great)

Here are a couple:

http://bobulate.com/
http://secondandpark.com/

[Rachel]

I love Second and Park. I have a major girl crush.

I'm a web content strategist and web copywriter. It is nice to meet another copywriter :)

Baggles, I've grappled with the same thing and I'm happy to chat (over coffee if you're in Perth, or skype if you're not) if you like. I can write markup but I have the design skills of a newt and am in the process of planning a redesign.

[Franki]

a "fair" price would be ~$2000 - $2500 with basic SEO (low competition) built in, and ROI would likely be achieved in the first 6-8 months.