1. What are your prices? How much will it cost to develop my web site?
Design and programming services are billed hourly (current prices listed on the Pricing page), unless you are purchasing a special package deal.
The time it takes to set up your site depends on a lot of variables.
Setting up a WordPress site takes minutes, including installing a template (that’s what determines what your site looks like). Making changes to the template, whether simply changing some colors, or making bigger changes to the layout, will take longer depending on how much you want changed.
If you just want to work with the template as it is, then a few customizations, such as a header image and setting up the sidebar, shouldn’t take more than an hour or two. Inserting the content can be the quickest part, unless you want everything proof read, which is a bonus service I can provide.
2. Will you give me a fixed rate for my site?
Yes. I can offer you a fixed rate, but the details of the site will need to be clearly defined before I can estimate how much work will be involved. Sometimes web sites evolve while they are in process, and a fixed rate will not allow for these changes.
3. Why do you work at an hourly rate instead of using fixed rates more often?
The nature of web site development makes it difficult to estimate the amount of time needed to complete a job. Each project may present its own challenges in graphic design, page layout, programming, and cross-browser compatibility. Fixed rates usually reflect an overestimate of the work required to finish a project, plus an additional overhead.
4. Can you help me figure out what to put on my web site?
Yes. If you have a company brochure, that’s a good place to start. You will need to decide what you want on your web site. Many sites have pages in common: a home page which introduces the company, a page for products and/or services, a feedback form or order page, and a contact page. I’d be happy to discuss this in more detail with you!
5. What will my completed web site look like?
It can look however you want it to. If you’re happy with a WordPress template the way it was designed, your site can look like that. If you like some of a design and want to make changes to certain parts, I can do that too. If you’ve seen other web sites that you like, let me know and I can borrow from their design.
6. How can I save money on this project?
Know what you want and have the materials prepared. The more work you have done, the less I have to do. Plan what sections you want in your web site. Choose colors and layout styles. Point me to sites that you want to be similar to. Want your web site to have the same content as your marketing material? Supply me with electronic files of text and graphics.
7. Why the name Great Bird?
In the pilot episode of the original series of Star Trek (for those dedicated Trekkies, the originally aired pilot, The Man Trap), in a conversation between Sulu and Rand, is the line “May the Great Bird of the Galaxy bless your planet.” Great Bird became the nickname for Star Trek’s creator, Gene Roddenberry. When this business began in 1996, I was a very dedicated Trekkie, and found that name most appropriate for my business — as did my Trekkie friends.