Cost of Quality

THE COST OF QUALITY | [Entrepreneur mag, suggested hourly rates, but not mine]
Sidestep sticker shock by creating a detailed budget for designing, building and launching your website.
By Mikal E. Belicove | Entrepreneur Magazine – August 2010

1. Domain registration: Cost: $10 to $35 per year per domain.[$15 on my webhost]

2. Hosting: Fees vary considerably based on the complexity of your website, estimated traffic and security requirements. Cost: Shared host, $8 to $50 per month [$4.95/month on my webhost]

3. Graphics: Unless you have existing graphics, including a company logo, you need to use stock art or pay a graphic artist. Royalty-free stock art, starting at about $10 per image; graphic artist, $50 to $150 per hour. [PLUS creating online photo gallery, preparing photos for posting…]

4. Content management system configuration and implementation: CMS makes your site easier to populate, maintain and update. Cost: $50 to $85 per hour. [SOME Consider CMS same as WordPress blog]

5. Blog: Adding a blog to your website or separately is an additional cost to consider.

BLOG Cost: $500 to $2,500 first-time setup including graphic design, programming and configuration. Plus other costs listed here ….

Jenny Lens NOTE: Installing WordPress takes 10 minutes, but people charge $75. Uploading a theme takes 10 minutes, but people charge $100.

HOWEVER, it’s more than WordPress. Essential PLUGINS add features and functionality.

Plugins for contact page, anti-spam, Google, related posts, increase search engine optimization, Google Analytics, Google sitemap, connect to youtube, twitter, email, print … all need to be installed and configured.

6. Content development: Content development usually starts with you, but professional copywriting services can help. Cost: $50 to $85 per hour. [typical writing is $75/hr]

7. Usability testing: Cost: $35 to $50 per hour (plan for at least half-hour per page).

8. Analytics: Google Analytics is free, and it’s quick and easy to install. More robust analytics tools vary in price. Cost: $50 to $85 per hour to set up and configure Google Analytics or other programs; $50 to $5,000+ monthly fees for more robust systems.