MARKETING MATTERS
What ’ s NOT Included in Your Web Design
MONICA PITTS
F or the last few years , we have been remodeling things in our office and homes and have become acutely aware of what isn ’ t included in a remodel bid . No one gave us a checklist to follow … so imagine our surprise when we received a bill with 1000s of dollars in “ upgrades ” we thought were already covered . This can happen with websites too , so we crafted this list to help you avoid that unpleasant surprise .
1 - Don ’ t Expect Search Engine Optimization
Search engine optimization has many components , and not all are included in the base price of a website . For example , unless your contract includes “ on-page SEO ,” the company is likely not going to research keywords and integrate them into the words of your site and meta data . They may be building your site on an awesome framework that will optimize well . But beyond that , unless it ’ s in the contract , they ’ re probably not doing it .
2 - Don ’ t Expect Hosting
Monthly hosting is not often included in the cost of your website design . But , your design company should suggest a hosting company for you . Think about hosting like your apartment . It ’ s the rent for where your website lives and should be a monthly or annual fee .
3 - Don ’ t Expect A Domain Name
Your domain name is your URL . For us , it ’ s MayeCreate . com . This isn ’ t usually part of your estimate . Your web developer may manage your domain . We do for many of our clients because sometimes they forget to renew them . Then their website gets hijacked by some pornographer someplace ; it is crazy . Don ’ t let that happen to you .
4 - Don ’ t Expect Ongoing Marketing
Unless your current site has a flood of traffic , a surge of new business won ’ t come marching through your door because you built a website . You need ongoing marketing to get legit web traffic , and it ’ s probably not included in your web design unless it says so in the contract .
5 - Don ’ t Expect Ongoing Web Design Updates
If you need to add an employment application , service or new page to your site , that ’ s totally normal and totally not included in your contract . Look in your contract and see how long you have to request small revisions to your site and receive support . After that period , you may be asked to pay a consulting fee .
6 - Don ’ t Expect Photography
The images for your site might be original images of yours , or they might be stock photography . They could both be included or not , depending on your contract . Stock photography from a big stock photo provider will cost you money . Also , if you don ’ t have professional photos and want professional pictures , don ’ t assume your web designer will take them . www . callape . com [ 48 ] 1.800.210.5923