Business Website on a Budget:
Content, Images, SSL Certificate
Learn the rules of the game
Most of our clients are small business owners - attorneys, book writers, travel agencies, or small art gallery owners. Here are the most popular questions people ask.
Business website: Where to start?
Our clients range from people who have never used computers to those who have worked in the computer field for years but are unfamiliar with website design, front-end web development, or search engine optimization (SEO).
We educate everyone and work with anyone!
People often ask where to start. Your local public library is an excellent place to learn the basics. They offer classes about how to use a keyboard or write emails and even how to build your first website.
We recommend that everyone use this great free resource - your tax money is paying for it!
How much does it cost?
The cost of creating a website consists of the following:
1. A domain fee. A Domain Fee is usually $9.99 - $22.99 for the first year but is often included in a hosting fee when you open a new account. Domains with domain extensions like .Vegas, .legal, .art, or .kids cost much more, and the price may double yearly.
2. A hosting fee. Any website needs a home location to live in. Most hosting companies charge between $50 - 80 dollars for the first year; the price often goes up for the second year.
3. A fee for website design and development. This is a tough one. Usually, the website price is calculated based on the number of pages. It is hard to give an accurate estimate without knowing your project specifics. E-mail us your project description and the target completion date, and we will provide you with our fee for creating a website.
4. A fee for website maintenance. If you need to make a small change every two or three months, we will do it for free for the first year. After that, there will be a maintenance fee based on the frequency and complexity of the updates. Need a quote? Send an e-mail to gale@digitalmosaics.net.
We charge by the hour if you need to add more web pages after we finish a website.
Should I use WordPress?
The WordPress site is cheap. The WordPress software is free, and you can do it yourself. You can create a self-hosted WordPress blog on WordPress.com. You can also buy a WordPress template and install it. There are thousands of WordPress templates available on the Internet. They cost, on average, about $40.
A website created with WordPress uses many plug-ins. There are more than 60 000 WordPress plug-ins available. Some of them are free, but most good plug-ins cost money.
Cheap is a relative thing. The custom-made WordPress website can easily cost you the same or more than any manually created or static website. For an eCommerce site, the monthly cost of a WordPress website could easily be a few thousand dollars, primarily because of the many plug-ins they use.
Is WordPress the most popular choice for a website?
No. Most of the websites on the Internet are custom-made. Today, only 27% of all Internet websites are powered by WordPress. Of this 27%, only around 40 percent of WordPress sites are up to date. The rest - 60% are abandoned websites. (Source: torquemag.io).
Do I need an SSL Certificate?
Yes. The prices for the SSL Certificate start from $49 per year. Many web hosting companies (e.g., Bluehost, Sitegrounds, and many others) include the SSL Certificate in their hosting fee.
Search engine optimization
If you want the customers to find you on the Internet, each webpage of your website should be optimized for search engines. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a separate project.
We optimize each page separately, and it often takes between five and twenty hours to optimize one (yes, one!) page. Search engine optimization involves doing a lot of research, writing, and re-writing the web page content.
Research and content creation are always time-consuming.
At our company, we include SEO in the general website fee, unlike many companies that charge a separate fee calculated on the number of pages.
Website content
We recommend that small business owners write in their own words about their business. Then give it to an experienced content writer or editor for revision and editing.
There are a few reasons we recommend this approach:
- Nobody knows the business better than the business owner.
- Every person has a unique writing voice, which is what Internet users (and search engines) value the most.
To make it easier, we created a questionnaire.
What goes into the website content? The usual stuff.
- Explain why your business exists (your mission and vision for the future).
- Explain the reason or purpose for your business.
- Tell us your personal story and how your company started.
- Describe the products you are selling or the services you offer.
- What makes you different from your competition?
Law firm website content
Since 2012 we have been creating websites for law firms in Las Vegas. Usually, we write all the content. We spend a lot of time researching, studying our competition, and doing a keyword search. Often, the attorney participates in explaining specific laws. Creating law firm content is similar to producing web content for any other industry. Read our article "10 Tips for Writing Awesome Website Content."
Website images
Having good photos is very important. Remember, a picture is worth a thousand words!
- A picture helps to make a statement.
- A picture sends a better message than a long and convoluted paragraph.
- A picture will make your website come alive!
You can buy royalty-free photos on the Internet - make sure you allocate some budget.
Use can also get free images on Pixabay.com or Unsplash.com.
Or, you can take pictures of yourself and your office with a mobile phone.
What is the process?
Creating a website is a project like any other. It goes through a project life cycle, much like any other project. There is a competition research phase, then design, development, testing, testing, and testing again. Sometimes we have to go back and redesign certain things. And then, there is the implementation phase, when we move a new website to your hosting provider's server and drink champagne at the end.
We create a schedule and a deadline for each step. We need a deadline to complete the project - and yes, the clients need a completion target date, too. Otherwise, we will never finish a website.
We usually create three different designs using different color combinations and formats. That is often enough to decide on the design part. If not - we are back to the drawing board.
How long does it take?
It takes an average of 100 – 200 hours to create a 25 pages website optimized for search engines.
It all depends on:
- How many prototypes do we have to create until the client approves it?
- How fast can we write the content?
- How quickly can we create the right pictures or graphics?
Do I need to have an app?
Not everyone needs to have an app for mobile devices. You need to know where your customers are.
According to Google, 60 percent of all apps were never downloaded, and of those that downloaded, 80 percent were used only once. Today there are 2.2 million apps in the Apple App Store alone. Plus, the apps in Google Play and Windows Phone Store.
We recommend creating adaptive or responsive websites. These websites collapse to fit a variety of web-enabled devices and can be easily optimized for search engines.
Website is created (finally!) Now what?
You thought you had created a website, and the work is done, right?
Wrong.
The work has just started.
We need to raise public awareness about your (new) product and get more clients for your business.
To promote your website on the Internet today, we use:
- Social media marketing platforms.
- Paid advertising (Google AdWords (Pay-Per-Click Ads), Lead Generation advertising, TV Commercials, and highway billboards.) The possibilities are endless.
- Press releases
Your competition never sleeps. Neither should you.
Last updated on January 2, 2023.
Questions? Comments? Need an estimate? Send us an e-mail at gale@digitalmosaics.net
We are based in Las Vegas, Nevada, and proudly serve clients in Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, Henderson, Summerlin, and the rest of the world.