Ah, the most common questions we get is, "How much does a web site cost?" Asking that, is like us asking how much a car costs. You need to know make, model, size, options all that good stuff.
We need to know a lot of information too. At the same time, we know there is nothing more frustrating than trying to get some hard figures so that you can budget your project or compare.
We do not play games with pricing. While all prices are negotiable, we know what our services cost and aren't afraid to disclose them up front. Price is based on a number of factors including, but not limited to:
- estimated number of hours required
- complexity of the project
- size of the project
- expectations of the client
- level of skill required
Whether you fill out our free estimate form, send us an email with your general requirements, or we chat on the phone for a half hour, Infinisol can generally price any website design project after the first conversation.
Let's talk about what you get when you hire Infinisol to build your web site. Every site we build is custom designed. So there is no 'standard package' with a set list of features for a set price. However, there are certain elements common to every website we produce. For example:Professional Code, efficient, commented, standardized, optimized code. This is important because should you want to hire your own internal webmaster to work on the site we've produced, or if you should ever want to retain a new web developer, they'll be able to pick up right where we left off. Standardized code protects you from being held hostage by a single developer.
We price our projects per project, not per hour. However, we never lock down the number of hours we'll spend making edits, corrections, revisions, etc.
We build your website from the ground up with search engine optimization and search engine placement in mind.
Full cross browser (Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator), backward version (versions 5.x and up), cross platform (Windows and Mac) compatible code. While we do favour Internet Explorer (since it is BY FAR the most widely used browser), our sites work on just about any system.
Well, you have access to us most of the day, every day. It's company policy to build professional but friendly relationships with our clients. We treat our clients like family. Our entire business is built on customer service!
From day one, we'll build your website online http://clients.Infinisol.com. or if you already have a site we can arrange to build it their. You can go there any time to check our/your status. You can also point as many (or as few) other people there as you wish. No need to be forwarding around 3MB emails to friends and colleagues just to get an opinion. We keep it all online and manage the project effortlessly
Once you have decided to hire Infinisol, the first step is to define the project very carefully and very thoroughly. It is critical to put down on paper what is and isn't included for the price. We call this the 'Project Statement' and include it as part of our proposal. For us to prepare this document, we're going to have a lot of questions to ask. If you haven't done so already, fill out our free estimate form. This form collects the basic information we need to begin developing the Project Statement. Of course, we will have more questions and will want to talk with you about the details. But this form lays out the basics.
For many, the thought of building a web site is a daunting task. But really, it's pretty simple (in terms of the process). Here's what you can expect (in order)
We will prepare a full proposal for you at no cost or obligation. Some section headings you can expect to find in our website design proposals: Primary Objectives, Project Statement, Maintenance Terms, Production Process, Timelines, Fee Breakdown, et al...
As mentioned, there are no set rules as to how we determine price since everything we do is so customized. So yes, the good news is that there is always room for negotiation. But Infinisol isn't into playing pricing games. Our price is primarily based on how much work we have to put into your website, so our idea of negotiation is to discuss how to accomplish the objectives within a budget - not to simply toss around numbers. Sometimes there are sacrifices and compromises that must be made by both Infinisol and the client.
Once the proposal is agreed upon and the prices is set, Infinisol will begin production. We don't ask for a deposit or any kind of advanced payment. We don't ask you to sign a contract. We will work completely at our own risk so that at every step of the process, we still have to earn your business. We build everything out on our live development servers (http://client.Infinisol.com) so that our clients can monitor our progress in real time. During production, expect to be in contact with Infinisol at least every other day (and usually more often than that.) We want to make sure we're always on the right track, so we'll touch base with you often.
The first phase of production involves building screenshots of what your project will look like. If you ordered a logo, this would be the first thing to produce. The screenshot is a static image that essentially determines the template by which we will build the rest of your website's pages.
The 'proto site' is a skeleton of your web site. At this point it is no longer static. The navigation works (but only leads to dummy pages.) This stage gives us a chance to really see how the site will function before we plug in all the content and any bells and whistles.
When everything is approved with the prototype-site, we will begin adding your content. As you can tell - at this point the site starts to come to life. For e-commerce and other functional sites, many clients opt to begin accepting a few 'beta testers' to use their site with the understanding that there may still be some bugs to work out
When the beta site is complete, everyone spends some time looking over the site, testing, tweaking, revising, etc. When the client is completely happy with everything, we ask him/her to sign a 'Final Acceptance Agreement' as well as a 'Contract for Professional Services.' (Click to view samples.) These documents do several things. The Final Acceptance Agreement basically states that the project is completely done and that the client is satisfied and agrees to pay. After signing this document, any additional requests for work must fall under the maintenance agreement or will incur additional fees. The Contract for Professional Services is a very standard legal contract that defines ownership, liability, indemnification, and all that other legal mumbo jumbo that is a necessary evil.
Our only rule is quite simple: when we get paid, you get your work. We take a big chance by not requiring any payment or contracts from our clients from the outset. Most of our peers think we're nuts to operate this way. So the only protection that we have against mal-intending clients is to own and possess all the work until payment is received. Not invoiced. Not in the mail. Not when contracts are signed. When your money is in our bank, THEN AND ONLY THEN we will turn everything over to you. At that time we upload and install everything on your infrastructure (or whatever infrastructure has been decided upon.) We turn over all development documents to you, including the raw files we used every step of the way. When we're done, you own everything you paid for
Every client has different needs when it comes to keeping their web site up-to-date. Some require daily or weekly updates. Some just need typos fixed here and there. Some clients can dabble in their own HTML. Some wouldn't want to go near the stuff. Whatever your situation is, we can accommodate you. Every maintenance contract is custom tailored to your specific needs. In general, the way it works is this: We set a minimum number of hours per month that we agree should cover most maintenance work. In exchange for guaranteeing that minimum number of hours, we drop our hourly rates substantial (in half or more!). If you don't use up your full allocation of hours, we spend the balance doing web site promotion (because you can never spend too much time promoting your web site!) If you go over, you're locked into the reduced rate that we've agreed to. Anything more than about 5 hours overtime will be quoted as a 'mini project' with a fixed fee.
