Planning & Estimating Your Web Site

Developing a quality website can be confusing for many people. There is much more involved than you may think. Our web site planner was carefully developed not only to provides us with necessary information we need to give you the best solutions to your website design needs, but it's also a convenient starting point to help guide you in determining your own wants and needs for your web site. Because there are so many options to choose from, it provides us with necessary "what do you want in a web site?" information that we need to prepare an estimate for you.

At Digital Mouse Designs, we do whatever we reasonably can to keep costs down while providing you with a quality site. Our estimate will be based on the information you provide, and our goal is to turn that into a web site that not only has the necessary functionality every good web site should have, but looks great, too!

Your web site reflects on your business and yourself. Ask yourself: "How do I want these key elements to my success to be portrayed?"

About the Web Site Planner

A web site undertaking is a joint venture between you and your web designer. We ask for your input before we get started in the development stage because we can't develop your web site without your cooperation. There are steps that you as the client, need to take before we can proceed.

You are under no obligation by submitting our planner. We do ask that you complete it only if you are truly ready to proceed with your project. To find out if you are, please read our article: "Preparing for Your Web Site" which will address important issues that you need to be aware of before jumping into this adventure.

Answering as many of the web site planning questions as you can helps us both to get an idea of what you have in mind for your site. Please complete as much of the questionnaire as possible. After we receive it, we'll contact you to discuss your site further, usually within 24 hours.

It is important that you understand that what you receive will be an estimate. It's not a quote, it's not written in stone. You'd be amazed at how many clients add new unexpected features or cancel an option they originally thought they just had to have! This is absolutely common web site adventure behavior! The changes generally occur after the site is in production, which of course can potentially alter your final cost.

A Little Bit About How We Work

We believe in being up front and honest with our clients. We'll tell you if something you've requested for your site will have a potentially negative affect on it. You may not like what we have to say, but that's ok! It's more important that you have the information you need to make informed decisions.

We generally develop sites compatible with the current browsers ( Firefox, Internet Explorer 6 and above and Netscape 6 and above to mention a few). It's not that we won't develop for older browsers, but you should be aware that there would be additional cost involved to do so.

We will not just automatically match your budget amount to "snag you" as a client. In our opinion that's a poor business practice that would get us nothing more than an unhappy client.

Cost is Not All There is to Consider

Some people base their "Which designer do I hire?" decision solely on the dollar figure in the estimates they receive when they go web designer shopping. The cheapest one wins! This is truly not the way to make your decision. When shopping for a designer, one needs to have an open mind and consider other options.

It's not just the dollar amount but the quality that's important. We can't stress enough that there is a major difference between the "if you build it they will come" belief and the truth behind building a successful web site. Just about anyone can create a web site, but not just anyone can create a successful web site. By the time your web site goes live, you will more than likely have learned there is much more that goes into developing a web site than you ever imagined!

About the Web Site Budget

When you complete the planner, there is a field to input your budget. Please input an upfront honest figure instead of things like "unknown" or "???" or "open." There are just to many ways to interpret or misinterpret non-specific entries.

We understand the most folks have no clue how much a web site will cost. It really depends on the site. There is no "flat figure" that gets you your small web site and the Fortune 500 company across town a large web site for the same price. What you paid for your inexpensive compact car is far different than what the Fortune 500 company CEO paid for his Mercedes!

Don't be afraid if you feel you have a small budget. The important thing is that you provide a realistic figure so you can get a realistic estimate. Consider this:

1) Your thinking — "My budget is to small. I can't have a web site." Our thinking — "Don't be so quick to judge! " If your immediate budget doesn't allow for all the bells and whistles you want, there are alternatives that make for a very nice web site. We can also help you to constructively scale your site down a bit until you have the funds to add the fancier features. So don't be so negative! Remember the little train? "I think I can, I think I can!"

2) Your interpretation of a small budget may not be the same as ours. Because of the way we estimate your cost, we are able to put together a "package" that in most cases combines site needs and features. The end result? You save money!

3) Knowing ahead time of what you are willing to or able to spend speeds the entire initial process. It can take a substantial number of hours to put together an estimate. If we are estimating a site with an inaccurate budget amount, we're not doing either of us any favors. What happens instead is that we then spent quite a bit of time putting your estimate together and you receive an estimate that does you no good whatsoever. So what was the point in going through the process? Honesty in quoting a budget amount to us is truly the best policy.

The next step in getting your web site underway is to complete the web site planner. We'll work with you every step of the way to get you that web site you'll be proud to call your own!