The cost of a web development

<p>What should I expect to spend for a good web site development (by another person)? Hourly, fixed price, maintanence? I envision a site that shows several "galleries" each with photos having common themes such as "landscape" or "architecture" and links to appropriate sites such as art galleries, museums...<br>

Anyone have experience in getting one developed?</p>

<p>I spent around $1000.00 (Maybe it looks like it!)<br /> I'm continually working on it as I have enough knowledge of html to get me into trouble every once in a while!<br>

The site works quite well for my business. </p>

<p>It really depends on what kind of a site you are looking for and how fancy. You could make a sinple site for the price of an "HTML for Dummies" book. You could also spend a couple thousands for a fancy site.</p>

not only does it depend on what you want it to look like, it depends on what you want the site to for you. . . You should consider carefully your needs for a website and have it built, or build it to suit your needs. It should be built in a way that allows for growth or change rather than a rebuild every year.

 

Right now things are moving quite quickly on the net, you should try to build a site that is not "locked" into one single purpose.

 

Are you trying to run a business, or just show off some of your images. Are you marketing with the site and if so are you trying to make available your stock, are you doing sales, or do you want to sell from the site. Lots to read on this site as it's been a hot topic for awhile. . .

 

Start by outlining your needs for a website and what you want it to do. . .

 

Cost is from nearly free to multi-thousands depending on your needs.

<p>My Dad has been a Web Designer for 12 years, he does each site based on the need and desire for growth...So the prices vary and he also charges a monthly maintence fee which covers a certain amount of updates or changes. He also handles the hosting and such. If you can use someone local that offers good service and will listen you'll be far happier.</p>

<p>I can't help with info about how much people charge to make a website, however...<br>

When I wanted to get a professional-looking site, I couldn't afford it so I did it myself using a template from Allwebco. I spent around $100 back then, plus my time. The templates are all written so they can be modified with any text editor (don't need special web building software, etc.) and the instructions were very clear for non technical people and easy to follow for how to modify the template in numerous ways. There are a lot of templates for all kinds of businesses with a whole section for artists.<br>

The photographer/artist sites start here: <a href="http://allwebcodesign.com/setup/cool-2.htm">http://allwebcodesign.com/setup/cool-2.htm</a><br>

[NOTE: <strong>I have no financial interest in this company</strong>. I used them and found them very reasonable, very easy to follow instructions, and a lot of flexibility for modifying the template. When I wanted a particular template but with a different background color, they did it for me. And they were very good support. So I am a very satisfied customer, and have no other interest in them.]<br>

You can see my site at <a href="http://www.dianerose.com">www.dianerose.com</a> [This is not an advertisement, just an example...] <br>

Good luck!<br />Diane</p>

<p>p.s. I forgot to mention, you can buy photography website templates with Paypal carts built in.</p>

<p>Thank you all for your inputs. Allow me to admit to a white lie: We do web devel for our own businesses and several people have asked us to help them. It would add another level to our businesses. We figured about $1K-$3K, including getting a domain name and host and starting from there. Monthly fees would be extra.</p>

<p>e-mail me if you want to see one of our webs.</p>

<p>My website (<a href="http://www.quietlightphoto.com">www.quietlightphoto.com</a>) went on line for less than $1000. I found a local web designer, <a href="http://www.lynnbelldesign.com">www.lynnbelldesign.com</a> who did a great job. My site is simple and set u[p for low volume sales througth direct contact with buyers by phone and e-mail. I don't plan on changing the layout for another two years at least.</p>

<p>About 1000 is a current price for a site with 4-5 extra pages or functionalities. We're talking HTML / plain JavaScript here. If you want an extra, like Flash or other niceties, you pay for these.<br>

I used to do these things for a living. If someone does them for cheaper, that's their business.</p>

<p>It all depends on what you want. My day job is as an account manager for 24ondemand.com if you are interested in a custom quote. Good luck</p>

<p><a href="http://atlphotographers.com">Atlanta Photographers</a> <a href="http://bellasorrisa.com"></a><br>

<a href="http://bellasorrisa.com">Atlanta Wedding Photography by Bella Sorrisa</a></p>

<p>Check out Marathon Press. They have nice websites, they do all the work, they have FREE image hosting built in. They take NO commission from your online sales and if they host your website they offer discounts and much more from their entire product line....-Aimee</p>

<p>A good website building company will charge you between $2000 and $3000 for a website if it's not a template, otherwise I'd be worried. This is coming from a background in the biz too. Infinet Designs does an amazing job setting up websites. :)</p>

<p>I would say the 2000 to 3000 comment is closer to the mark for a decent design. I'd say 1500-7,000 depending on what your expectations are. The prices vary widely, and often the prices match the quality of the design and how well the site is designed from a code and and ease of update perspective (ie., a quickie design may not have a menu that is easy to change and it may be hard to change your photos and content, which is kind of the point to a photo biz).<br />If you know code pretty well and own flash/photoshop/fireworks, you can fool 95% of the public with a cool-looking discount flash template. (Although, if you live in a big city there's a chance your competitors might accidentally buy the same template.) If you don't know code, I'd consult professionals and get quotes and ask to see examples and links to sites they've built.<br />Don't let them host the site on their servers, to avoid unplanned expenses making updates. Insist on a site that you can update to keep control in your hands.<br />If you don't care about the design and want something simple to get going you can try a wysiwyg editor that attempts to automate your look based on a number of standard templates and get a host like godaddy. But chances are pretty good (depending on your skillset) that it will look homemade.<br />But what the hell, I embed flicker slideshows in my site...it's all about the images....</p>

<p>http://www.mastersmindtechnologies.com/progressive<a href="http://www.photo.net"></a></p>