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OVERVIEW The problem with anyone’s price sheet is simple: They are never 100% accurate. At best, they can only serve as a rough guide to any product or service line. Your last visit to an auto mechanic or had handyman work around the house probably taught you the truth of that one... What follows is simply a list of the things that normally go into our websites, but it does not include the Effective Website Package, since that is a turn-key web package that contains the "most commonly requested" items from this list, but customized to your needs. Also note that if you are looking for something like a "price per page," or the equally absurd "cost per link" - you won’t find it here. HirMon is one of the few services that allows up to 5 pages on a website and no charge for individual links. As long as you provide the contents for the pages on your website - you get 5. That number is about the typical value for the websites we create and may or may not include the Page Content Managment System (pCMS), pages that are dynamically created (e.g. a calendar of events or photo gallery) or information derived from third-party sources (e.g. including YouTube presentations). HirMon provides a price sheet as a general guide to our website services, and it goes like this: BASICS
Graphic design, 2 pages, $350
Two views are created for use with a website: A unique presentation for the home page of a website and a second presentation for use with all other pages. This is typical, since the home page for most sites is noticeably different from the others on a website. In some cases, a third design is required for special uses. Depending on the nature of the design, this may or may not be subject to an additional charge. A quote will be provided for extraordinary circumstances.
Web hosting, $215 per year.
This works out to about $18/month and, admittedly, is higher than the ocassional $6.95 startup specials that are available and a lot less than some "promise you the moon" services that run $49.95 and up. However, web hosting through HirMon & Associates also includes (minimum): - Email forwarding setup and separate account setup, when required
- Account setup and maintenance for the full year
- Database creation and configuration
- Installation and testing of all software
- Annual review to ensure the site has not be compromised for phishing or spam-related activities
- Full system backup of all files (including database information)
- All other maintenance that you would otherwise have to do yourself
As noted in Web School 101 (see the article titled: Son of ”going cheap” - web hosting), for whatever price a web hosting service charges - all you get is the web hosting. Someone’s got to do the setup and maintenance work - which isn’t included. (Unless you want to do-it-yourself; and then the question becomes: Is that your job? Domain Name registration and maintenance - $35 per 2 years (.com) or 1 year for .org
Again, you can get a domain name for perhaps as low as $9.95, but all the required ICANN administration, association of the domain name with a website and other maintenance considerations are included at no extra charge for the lifetime of the domain names we maintain. Transfer to your personal domain name manager account may or may not require an additional fee - but will will never hold your domain name "hostage!" It’s yours!
Setup of generic text and a few photos pages - $95 per page for pages #7 and up. One comment needs to be made here: "Go cheap" on someone else’s time. We have had people try to combine as many a 4 pages worth of information into one. Get a clue: that doesn’t work. Okay, it does work in one respect: No one’s going to read it. Contact Us - $95
Not one, but three email forms in one package. The first option is a conventional email form using the visitor’s name, email address, optional phone number (which can be made required, if requested), a How did your find us? and How may we help you? (category of question, plus the usual Comment field. A lot of our sites use this, including us (our Contact page).
The second form is similar, but set up in such a way that it functions to provide key information relating to a visitor request for services. It requests additional information from the visitor regarding the purpose of thier event, the approximate number of attendees and the date for the event. This additional key information makes that all-important followup session easier to manage. And the third variety is a very simple Name/Email/Comments as used on this site at the bottom of most conventional pages. A successful addition to service related industries, including restaurants and catering services. See http://www.buckhornexchange.com/banquets.php for one example.
Full websites - by quote
A typical, entry-level website we produce will run between $850 and $1,250, website hosting and domain name registration excluded. This means that you are free to acquire your own web hosting and domain name. In most cases, we can use third-party services to install a website - but not always. If you acquire your own hosting and domain name, you assume the risk that the services provided by that agency may be insufficient to run the types of programs we provide.
ESSENTIALS
Beyond the obvious, we have in stock programs to handle specific situations that are quite commonly requested by new/existing website owners. These include (a partial list):
Showcase Gallery - $125
A photo gallery on steroids. This website owner maintainable package allows displays photos that can relate to examples of services/products, personal photos, real estate listings, custom product displays and promotion of product lines. Live example: http://www.amdjs.net/photos.php (new window). Display is highly customizable by design. Design cannot be changed by owner once installed, however.
Spot Info - $95
This program allows a website owner to make incidental changes to specific sections of information on their website. Such information might be a block of information that shows the Store Hours for a brick and mortar business or Special Announcements that need to be published periodically. Live example: http://www.annterryhill.com and http://www.denverbook.com (bottom of page showing Store Hours - two uses for the same program). Owner maintainable. Installation on one existing web page included, $20 per additional page.
Pay online - $125
A complete system that uses PayPal’s free Business Account (provided by client) to allow visitors to pay invoices, make deposits and even donations through a website. Fully automated. Live example: http://www.hirmon.com/payol.php (ours; our clients have had too many people dinking around with theirs). (More...)
Calendar of Events - $125
Owner maintainable, this product comes with 4 different web page presentations: Documented list, scrolling summary, wall calendar and summary views. Live examples: http://www.thecepp.org/calendar.htm (documented list), http://www.chriskingband.com (scrolling/documented list). Installation on one existing web page included, $25 for any other pages. (More...)
Testimonials - $125
Allows a website owner to update their own list of client testimonials (no photos, however). When used on a web page, a separate program picks a testimonal and displays it every time the page is viewed. Rarely is the same testimonal shown twice (the more testimonals present, the less likely a duplicate will be shown). This effect helps make a visitors review of a page unique and adds a human element to an otherwise impersonal Internet environment. Installation of the output included on one page, $10 page for any other pages. Live example: http://www.denverbook.com/magazine.php - bottom of page, also note that the Store Hours shown on this page is driven by the Spot Info program. For more information, please click here. Link Exchange Manager - $125 One of the best "site killers" around is to provide a page full of links and more than 3 or 4 of those links don’t work. This is a maintenance issue and if not addressed (trust me on this) - visitors will assume that if you cannot keep your links up-to-date - how do you really do business? If you don’t care about your website (they wonder) - will you care for them as clients? DON’T GO THERE! Our Link Exchange Manager removes the "old fashioned" edit-the-page-and-reinstall-it" way of maintaining a links page with an online, dynamic system that allows: - Unlimited "categories" of links (for organization purposes)
- Unlimited links per category
- The option to include a small icon or photo along with each link
- Owner maintainable through any current day web browser
EXPANSIONS
Security certificate - $125
This is what allows use of secured data transmission. You see this on various sites when the website address changes from http:// to https:// (the s indicates a secure connection). Required for merchant accounts other than PayPal and when data being transmitted to/from a website is sensitive and must be protected. Someday Shopping Cart - $195
A shopping cart designed for use with PayPal and with features unheard of in other carts, such as the ability to sell yard goods, allow visitors to include information for each product (e.g. an name for imprinting a product), multiple discounts for a product that can be set up in seconds and a customizeable display to match just about any website’s design. Live examples: http://www.billbarwick.com/sgs.php and http://www.denverbook.com/shop.php, among others.
Article Genie - $175
Allows publishing articles to the Internet as both web page (like this text) and can use PDF files as articles. This search engine friendly product allows owners to publish their own blog-like articles or product description sheets or any other materials quickly and easily. Live example: http://www.hirmon.com/darkside - We use our example because some of our clients have asked that we refrain from using their sites as examples.
Mapper - $95 and up
Allows creation of a Google map, with pin points (two versions) for specific uses such as locations of real estate properties, locations of geographical interest and any other application that would benefit from showing a map with owner defined locations on it. Note: This application is provided in a raw format and is intended to be customized for a specific website’s use (ergo, the reason for and up). Live example: http://www.travelsavvynews.com/map.php
News Spot - $125
Similar to the Spot Info process, but with a different focus. This program allows multiple records for spot news relating to a business/organization to be published onto a website. It comes with a scrolling and fixed display. Live example: http://www.corinnejoybrown.com
SPECIALTY
These are the items that might be needed on a specific website because of its nature and the goals of the owner. Due to the nature of these items, however, most are administrative processes and providing live links to them might compromise a website.
Custom form processing - $275 and up (by quote)
For things like event registrations, formal requests for quotes and other items where more information is needed that can be realistically included in a contact form. Live example: https://www.denverbook.com/lerchreg.php May use either Authorize.net or PayPal when payments are involved (client must provide the credit card service).
Visitors send file - $125
Allows a visitor to send a file to a website owner and works when large file attachments get stripped by email services. Absolutely essential for graphic artists, program developers and other agencies than routinely deals with large files. Files up to 100MB can be accommodated. Includes a simple visitor form to identify the person sending the file and the purpose for sending it. Self-contained. The recipient receives an email with a direct link to the file (avoiding email attachment stripping) and a separate link to remove the file from the website after it is downloaded (helps keep the site free of deadwood). The type of files that a visitor can upload is controlled by the program and established during installation and setup. Includes installation on one page of an existing website. Including the process on other pages is $20 per page. A lot of our clients use this process and they have requested that we make no direct link to them. Therefore, for an example, please see the HirMon Send file page.
Administrator’s file update - $125
For sites that make files available for visitor download, this program answers the question: How do I update the files they download? With this program, the answer is: create a new file, run the program and install it! While primarily designed for use with PDF files, this program can be setup to handle virtually any file and include the setup options of being able to install files into multiple folders or a single folder (depending on the design of an existing website. If a new site, the locations can be determined at the time of development). Includes a simple listing program for use on web pages that is ideal when a number of related files are available for download. Assumes that some mechanism to access the uploaded files is already present. If not, including access to the files will be discussed and provided by quote.
Page Content Management - $125
Live example: You’re looking at it. This page (among others) on this site is maintained through our own Page Content Management System. This program allows updating the text and photos that appear within any number of web pages on a website. Note: It is not a web page design process: it only allows changing the contents of a web page (like this text; all the other stuff is fixed.). The only major restriction is that you cannot arbitrarily create new pages. The reason: Unless the page you create has an access to it (a link), it will never be seen. When ordered for use with a website, up to 3 pages are set up for free and a setup charge of $25.00 applies for any addtional pages. Can be "retrofitted" into most conventionally designed, existing websites. (More...)
Personel profiles - $95
Allows website owner creation of a web page that provides information about corporate board members, staff members or even just an ad hoc showcase of prior products and services performed. Designed to be used in a single, stand-alone page (like Meet our staff), this product is new and about to be installed on two new sites. Includes fields for a Name, Description and photo. As with most HirMon software products, this one is owner maintainable.
Site reviews - $150
We also review sites for owners to help them identify problems, make suggestions on improvements to the site and usability from a visitor’s point of view. Too often website owners can get tunnel vision about their own site. Quite often a site review can point out ways to improve a site where issues were glaringly obvious, but overlooked. Provided as a fully documented PDF file with no further obligation.
Site repairs - by quote only
Typically, this includes a Site review (see above) along with the website owner’s notes regarding deficiencies they know to be present on the site. Written quotes are valid for 30 days from the date sent and are based on the project rate of $100/hour.
PROGRAM NOTES
All the programs noted above that are listed as owner maintaneable include online administrative programs that allow the website owner to do their own site updates, assuming the limitations for each program are understood.
In most cases, we will also provide an administrative index page that provides links to all website update programs. That way, owners only have to Bookmark/Favorite place one link instead of a half-dozen or more.
In technical terms, all our programs require the web hosting service to provide: Linux operating system, Apache web hosting software (v2.10 or later), MySQL database services (v5.x or later) and PHP programming support (v5.x or later). If HirMon & Associates provides the web hosting, this is a non-issue, but provided for review by clients that may already have or plan to secure their own web hosting.
Typically, we will do the intermediary work to insure program compatibility at no additional charge.
NON-SPECIFIED RATES
The costs shown above for various products include installation, setup and testing plus integration of the program into one web page based on the existing website design. Modifications to a product to accommodate specific needs is welcomes, but subject to a separate charge, which will be noted in a quotation for services.
All additional project work is based on a charge of $125/hour with a one hour minimum and billed in 1/4 hour increments after the first hour.
Spot work which is non-project related (such as administration or changes to an existing website web hosting setup or client assistance for hosting or domain name administration) is billed at the rate of $125/hour and billed in 1/4 hour increments after the first hour.
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