Website designers - help!

[kimann]

Hi all,

I am looking for a website designer to overhaul my husbands website - not sure how much to pay and Ive had quotes from £209 - £2000. So confused! Can anyone who does this for a living please help me?

Thanks!!

[olderthanyouthink]

I'm a web developer, I work for an agency, but I want to start freelancing but need to get my bum in gear.

RE the wildly differing quotes: This happens, a lot, I think because there's a lot of variation in how the website can be made and how well. You need to look at the portfolios/experience of the designers/developers, how well they communicate & whats included in that price (hosting, support etc).

Examples in wild variances:

• I am paid £68 per day at my agency, I have had 4 weeks to build a few sites so that's £1360. Then you have to add the project managers and designers salaries. Btw these are big companies websites.
  
• When some work came up that couldnt be fit into my normal working hours I was offered £500 to do it over the weekend. It was about 1.5 days (9-5:30) work tops.
  
• Another example, someone asked me to make them a site for their small business, I said £500 based on the description given but when we iron things out it could easily go up or down by about £100.

[shockingsocks]

I don't do this for a living, but there seem to be two ways of agencies doing a website - a built from scratch approach (£1000 - £2000) or a 'template' which is a pre-designed format that you simply put your own details onto (less than £500). The first option means you can build it exactly as you want where the second is more restrictive - but if you can find a template that suits your needs perfectly and looks how you want it to then its a good cost-effective option.
I think it would depend on your website - I set up an ecommerce site using the template option, but because it was my first time, I really didn't understand the process or what I needed and so I unwittingly picked a template that doesn't meet all my needs. I regret it now. However you already have experience in what you need from a site so this might not be such an issue for you. Also if its the kind of site that simply provides info about yourself rather than selling stuff or requiring other aspects then a template might be perfect.
Try putting 'wordpress template' into Google to get an idea of what templates are - basically the template bit is the 'feel' of the site, the boxes, the way you travel through it etc. The content you add yourself. Note the names of any templates that you like and make sure you check with the agency that it does x,y &z before you commit.
I'd also really recommend only going with someone that you feel you can talk to properly - human to human - ignore the flashy stuff. You really need someone who listens to you rather than shoe-horning you into the latest thing they fancy having a go at, only to find out later that it doesn't work for you - and write all your requirements down and give it to them (keep a copy).
Like I said before however, this is what I've gleaned from my forays into websites, I'm not an expert.