1. How much should I pay for Web Design?

A good WebSite will cost between $1,000 and $1,000,000. It depends on what you expect of your "designer" and how large or complex you want your WebSite to be. 
No matter what you spend, make sure you're getting more than a design. That is, most designers don't excel in marketing, sales or even communication. Some designers don't even excel in design---too be sure, they're technical geniuses, but they don't have STYLE. Good WebSite designers combine the talents of graphic design, marketing skills and strong technical knowledge of Internet function.
Our experience is in market consulting. At IMAGE LINK, we already knew print, TV and radio. With that background, all we needed to do was to adapt to a new medium. After a few years the Internet became second nature.
You can look at our rates at this site, but if your question is "How much should   I pay...?" We'll deal with that in another question.
Here are a couple of rules to follow that are as important as the price: 

• Ask for everything in writing.
• Require signatures. You and you designer may not be speaking the same language---make sure everything you agree upon is in black and white.
• Have the designer provide you with a written proposal for your site before you sign a contract. Ask for a concept of the layout and an itemized list of how many pages will be designed for you.
  We are uncomfortable charging by the hour because we don't like paying for the "hour" where we don't know what's going on when we're not there! (Even your plumber or electrician or mechanic or others who charge an hourly rate will tell you about how long a project take to complete. Many of these fields consult standard manuals for pricing...not so with most Web Designers.)
  
• Agree when the finished product will be uploaded to your site. A rule of thumb less than ten pages can be done ill less than a week, with larger sites a design firm can design several pages  a day.
  
• Make sure the design firm is broad based. The three major elements that should concern any design firm revolve around Experience, Form and Function. 

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2. Why do design rates vary so drastically?

They really don't! Oh sure, there are some designers that are way over the top with their rates and some who seem really cheap. We see the greatest number of web pages are being bought for between $150 and $250 dollars per page (or less...if they are bought in sufficient quantity). After one establishes a concept, it is not difficult for an experienced designer to be very efficient and earn a great living at those rates. Of course, special programming and a lot of custom graphics will add to the cost.
If you can't get 10-20 pages for around $2,000? Keep shopping!

The real question should be:
Why does the quality among similar priced designers vary so drastically?

Sorry, that's the fault of the buyer. You folks just don't demand enough! Buyers settle for less because they don't know what is really good (and affordable) design. Most "buyers" aren't sufficiently familiar with values in Web Design to distinguish between the good and bad products...so they spend a thousand or more dollars for two or three pages!  This is a very young enterprise!  As time goes on, the poor designers will fall by the wayside...until then, trust a recommendation.
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3. What is wrong with having a friend or employee (intern, neighbor, kids...) create our site...after all it's free!?

A couple of year ago most of the Web was designed by "volunteers". The Internet was the realm of students and techies. Not anymore! Of the millions of pages on the Internet, only a handful of great sites were done for free. Most of the free sites are rather awful. If you can't afford it, wait. 
You may not be able to tell the difference between a good and bad site, but people with experience will be visiting your site. A lot of customers and associates will be looking at your WebSite. Do you want it to convey the impression that you were trying to save money?
If you hire other contractors (electricians, plumbers or a lawn crew), why not hire out your Web design work? You're only kidding yourself if you believe Web design is an amateur, part time occupation.
There is an alternative to contracting the design of your site. Invest in your own in-house Web Designer, but don't stick a present employee with one more task. Your site is going to require more hours of attention than you can imagine---you will need a person who treats your Web Page as a priority, not an afterthought (or part time job). Plan on paying at least $40,000 a year for an experienced designer. (Also plan on replacing that person in a few months.)  

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4. Who should I go to for recommendations?

We would like to believe you have already narrowed the field the field by choosing ATT! Just as with any product, current and past customers of a design firm are your best bet. Ask them what they expected. Ask them if they would do it again with the same designer. We rotate a list of current clients on our pages, in full view of the world so you can see our work and ask our customers what they think. Ask them if they took any other bids. Ask them how often they ever spoke with their actual designer. Our greatest compliment is that our business operates strictly on referrals.

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5. What is the biggest mistake people make?

A quick look at the Internet suggests too many customers are "penny wise and pound foolish". People cut corners on their first site and then wonder why it doesn't get any traffic or why people who stop by the site are not coming back! You should be able to get a "better than good (not great)"   Website for a couple of thousand dollars.

 Any More Questions?

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Revised: December 27, 2004 08:37 PM.