About DP Web Design

Yes that is true, a lot of hosting companies offer "Site Builder" software for and extra cost (usually monthly or yearly). If you have a fair understanding of the internet, then you can start off with these styles of websites. So if you need information on the internet affordably, then this is a good way to go.

When you are ready for a site that will impress your clients and help close the sale or direct their business to you then talk to a professional designer because remember, they live on the Net, they see all styles of sites (the good, bad and the ugly) and know what is best for your business.

Remember to be a "General" in your business... delegate jobs to people who know what they are doing.

There is a lot of work that goes on under the hood of a website, so if you're getting a website for only a few hundred dollars then there will be important steps missed, or the designer is inexperienced and doesn't know about them. DP Web Design goes through an 80-100 step checklist that has been developed over 20 years to complete your website. To complete this amount of work for only a few hundred dollars would mean your designer is working for less than the person making your burgers at McDonald's. Do you think you should let that developer design and take charge of one of your more important marketing tools for your business?

Website Payments

To start any website project an approximate 1/3 deposit is required, you can pay more if you like, but the deposit is more about your commitment to accept and start the job. The 2/3 remainder is payable before your site goes live.

Non Website, Domain Names, Hosting & Support Package Payments

Payment are to be made within 7 days of invoice notification, unless special arrangements have been made. If you are paying a smaller invoice, then your prompt payment is greatly appreciated as all small businesses rely on cashflow.

Payment Plans

For larger invoices, DP Web Design offers instalment plans with 3, 6, 9 & 12-month intervals.

I can make any website design layout requested. If you request a website design or structure that has common website practice flaws in it, and continue with that layout after my suggestions, then I am not responsible for low ranking or redesign of that site when it fails to provide your desired results. You are hiring me for my experience in design, coding and web design best practice knowledge & skills, please make use of this and be open to all my input, after all this is why you're hiring me.

You can purchase support packages and pre-pay as you go, saving you money. All packages are purchased in advance.

Yes, I can usually only afford up to an hour of pre-sale project discussion unless the project is intricate.

While I will endeavour to explain the process and requirements, I do have plenty of start up material to help you understand the process. In most cases, unless you are in the industry, having me explain every step will boar you to tears or waste valuable brain cells on something you may never use again.

Unfortunately, I can not work on a "we'll see" (provisional) basis, meaning I mock something up, then if you like it the project goes ahead. I have a constant to high workload, so I have to prioritise full paying clients. Unless the mock-up is paid for at the hourly rate. My rate is $110 p/hr (this includes GST).

I'm confident in the work I produce, but If you don't feel as though I can deliver, or you have any hesitations, please source another developer.

I can only estimate how the site will rank in Google, as I'm not a search engine optimisation company. Reputable S.E.O. companies charge in the 10s of thousands, I would be lying if I gave a 100% guarantee on page ranking, as in many cases it can take a lot of hours to achieve this. I do use S.E.O. best practices and from my experience and know what works best, nevertheless I will endeavour to get the requested ranking.

I can only estimate how long it will take to build your site. I allot 20-30 hours for a base build/standard site, so in theory your site could be completed within 20-30 hours. Naturally this is unrealistic as I am a freelance developer and my work time is divided up with other client's requests and standard hour workdays.

These are common things that slow a website build time:

1. My workload.
2. Your workload.
3. Other client emergencies (e.g. eCommerce store errors that need to be fixed immediately by me).
4. Slow supply of content (e.g. images, videos, copy text, artwork etc.)
5. Slow email or call replies on both sides, this falls under and is usually caused by workload. It is great to say this won't happen, but we live in the real world with real time limits.

See: An Average Timeline on Our Process for a timeline guide.

My Belief: I believe in fair pay for quality work.

On the other hand, I shouldn't be underpaid because some people may undervalue my profession or think it is a job anybody who knows about computers can do. I am not making a Word document and then putting it online, there is an 80-100 point checklist (depending on the site build) that I follow with every website I create, plus 20 years of experience & knowledge in an ever-changing profession. I do this job full time for 40-50 hours a week, 5-6 days a week 50 weeks a year, so I'm pretty good at it.

My Customers: You shouldn't be overcharged or taken advantage of because you don't know the web design industry. Unfortunately, I have seen this too many times, and it's not even the case that the other developer was intentionally trying to rip people off. It's more of a case that both parties were inexperienced with the website design & structuring process.

You are under no obligation to have your website hosted by DP Web Design, although, if you choose to host elsewhere, we accept no responsibility for any problems or downtime that you may experience as a result of problems with your chosen web host provider. Should you experience any problems with your web host provider and require DP Web Design to troubleshoot these problems to get your site up and running, you will be charged at our normal hourly rate.

The benefit of hosting with DP Web Design is that "We know our servers and their administration panels and what they can & can't do". They are specifically setup with the systems we run, and we can work with them fast therefore saving you money. When hosting elsewhere, depending on your chosen hosting company and what software versions they run & what restrictions they have on their servers we may have to problem-solve unknown errors therefore adding to the overall bill.

If you cannot afford to have your website down for days due to hacking or other web hosting problems, we strongly urge you to use the hosting & security package offered by DP Web Design.

If you choose to have your website hosted elsewhere, DP Web Design can provide you with a list of hosting companies, with the clear understanding if website problems occur due to hosting restrictions or limitations you will be dealing with their support or fees may apply if we are required to resolve these problems.