Services
Design Goals
- Website Design is the packaging for your site's message.
- Good Website design is about content and functionality.
- Your site's Graphic Design should provide structure and a visually appealing experience.
- Anything that gets in the way of your visitors understanding your message is bad design.
The Basic Process
- We define your message, audience, design preferences, site size and agree on the budget.
- I design the look and feel of the site, submit it for your approval and refine until you're satisfied.
- You may supply content and I make suggestions or you supply a message overview and I write the copy.
- We Publish the Website.
- We Market and Maintain the Website.
The Cost
Website design costs are determined by the effort required. I draft a detailed “No Surprises” cost quote based on our initial discussions. It will clearly state your final cost!
For comparative purposes, a simple “Business Card” page may cost as little as 100 US$. A three to five page site with basic graphic elements and limited Javascript is usually in the 300 to 500 US$ range. E-commerce or business application sites with back-end database support and server-side scripting are more expensive.
Website Hosting: Bluegatco Hosting Packages are billed quarterly. Options such as e-mail accounts, databases and mailing lists are included. All packages include one domain registration, webmaster services and up to four hours of updates per year.
- Plan - Cost Per Month - Storage/Monthly Bandwith
- Basic - $8 - 5 MB/.5 GB
- Club - $12 - 10 MB/1 GB
- Plus - $12 - 5 MB/1.5 GB
- Super - $16 - 20 MB/5 GB
Basically we match your needs with an appropriate plan. If your site requires Secure Transaction Processing, High Volume Mailing Lists or other special requirements I'll tailor a package to suit your needs.
Web Site Marketing What use is a Website if the right customers can't find it? Marketing your site begins with good design and hosting placement. Submission to Internet Directories; generic, local and industry specific, is a must. I'll research the best opportunities for your business and make sure your site is submitted.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a popular buzz phrase these days. Some firms charge extra for what I feel is simply integral to solid Web Site design.
Finding the Right Fit: Technology today delivers a wide array of opportunities that help businesses grow and prosper. With so many choices available, the best solution to any particular business need isn't always obvious.
Finding the most direct solution to the business problem is most important service that I offer. As Einstein said "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler." My mission is to give you the tools run to help you your business better.
Webmaster Support: Webmaster support includes more than just the initial site setup. It's keeping your domain registration and nameserver entries up to date. It's monitoring archived logs files and e-mail folders. It may include database administration. I'll manage your site operations so you can manage your business operations.
Content Management & Web Applications: Today's Internet is a tremendous, under utilized, communications tool. Your website doesn't have to be static and you shouldn't have to pay your designer for every update. I provide Content Management screens that allow site owners to update timely information whenever they desire.
Interacting with visitors in a must for E-Commerce sites and a rewarding feature most business sites miss out on. More than just forums or guest books the interactive site can be a robust customer service tool.
On-line storefronts or package shipment tracking sites are good examples of Web applications. Can you benefit from an Internet Customer Relationship tool or Business Information system?
Database Design and Maintenance: Dynamic websites require some method of storing and managing the content. A solidly designed and well tuned back-end database is essential to this task. The MySql database combined with PHP scripting language can manage the most demanding requirements. Yahoo!, Flickr, CraigsList and Ticketmaster, to name a few, all use PHP/MySql, so it's good enough for me. My many years of database design experience assures the success of your project..
Business Application & Report Development: The WEB is what's hot these days but you may have a need for specialized Desktop or Network business tools. My first business applications were written when desktop computers had 64k on board and no hard drive. I recently completed an Oracle Financial Reporting system that processes over 5 million transactions per month.
If that shrink-wrapped software doesn't solve your problem. Give me a call. We'll come up with a solution without busting your budget.
Phone 704.617.1354
Mail Bluegatco Communications
2101 Lynbridge Dr
Charlotte, NC 28270