andrew green :: web designer

website design prices
for complementary medicine practitioners
and therapists

Website design & creation prices > complementary medicine practitioners & therapists

Creating a website from scratch is a time-consuming task.

Webpages are mainly 'coded' in three programming languages:

• 'html', which creates the general structure of the pages, where images are stored, where links will take the user, etc
  
• 'Javascript' to increase the functionality of the pages
  
• 'stylesheets' (css) to get the layout, text size, colour, etc just as you want it - eg this bullet-pointed list which, without css, would have green bullets and text or black bullets and text, but not the green bullets and black text which I wanted. Using css, you can get your pages looking exactly how you want them ... but it can be very arcane!
  

It is this programming which takes the time.

Anyone can knock up a website in Microsoft FrontPage in a week or so (and, believe it or not, some 'professional' web designers use FrontPage!) but, if you want it just right, you have to roll up your sleeves and get into html. And, if you want your website to work really well, you'll have to master Javascript and css.

This is where the skills of an experienced website designer are absolutely invaluable.

A website can, and should, be your major marketing tool ... but only if it's well-designed, works well and - crucially - looks professional.

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And that's where I come in - with a degree in Maths & Computer Science, a background in traditional computing, an eye for form and colour, extensive expertise in small business marketing (both on and offline), my own experience and knowledge as a trained practitioner and a near-obsessive attention to detail, I am the ideal choice to design your complementary medicine or therapy website.

In addition, I have extensive knowledge of search engine optimisation, which means that I can ensure that potential clients, or anyone researching your discipline/therapy can find you on the web - a point very often neglected by web designers who, typically, have little or no knowledge of this vital area of expertise.

After all, there's no point in you having a website if the only people who can find you are those who know about you already!

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So what about those prices? My charges start at £195 and might go up to well over £2000 for a complex site. Just decide on your budget, look at the prices below and with any questions.

It can seem like a lot of money to spend, but think what you get:

• a window to the world, promoting your practice, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week;
  
• a full-colour promotional brochure, which can be updated at any time and at a fraction of the cost of printed material;
  
• an opportunity for all your clients and, more importantly, potential clients to read about your philosophy & practice whenever they want;
  
• the ability for your existing clients to contact you and obtain up-to-date information about when and where you are currently practising.
  

Increasing numbers of people are using the web to search for local services of all kinds. A massive 30 million people in the UK (source - Reed Elsevier) use the internet, representing around 64% of the UK population (estimate based on the Government 'UK Online' report, December 2003) - a figure increasing by about 5% per annum.

And it is now the case - for better or worse - that, in order to look professional, anyone running a business - of any sort - needs to have a website.

The most important point, though, is that in the complementary medicine market, your potential clients are, in many cases, taking a real leap into the unknown when they decide to go down the route of 'alternative' medicine.

People need to feel reassured that your treatment is safe, that you are fully qualified and that there is a good chance that you will be able to help them.

A website is an invaluable aid in converting vague interest into that first appointment and, thereafter, a continuing client relationship. Your potential clients can read about you, your approach, your discipline and your successes. And they can do that feeling safe and comfortable in the privacy of their own home.

Can you afford not to utilise this invaluable tool, in order to really build and maintain your practice?

As a trained practitioner myself, you can be confident that I will be able to understand your philosophy and needs much better than a designer from a purely technical background.

When you choose me as your website designer, you are hiring not just my expertise, professional approach and attention to detail, but my wide knowledge and experience of complementary medicine and therapy.

I look forward to working with you.

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Detailed prices

Note that the 'package' prices shown below are for websites with a fairly simple layout and design. Obviously, the word 'simple' can mean different things to different people, so if you have a special type of page design in mind (perhaps you've seen a website you particularly like the layout of?), I may have to charge extra for the graphic design and detailed layout work involved.

Similarly, if your site will require any of the following:

• the facility to change the content yourself, without my involvement
  
• the facility to enable your visitors to sign up as 'members' and manage their own user accounts
  
• the use of 'databases' of products, news items , etc, with the ability for you to add, modify and delete these yourself
  
• 'e-commerce' facilities, ie selling products/services online

I will charge for the work at my normal hourly rate of £45, having first given you a quotation for the project.

Just to email me with your ideas and I'll be able to get back to you with a quote.

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Option 1 - Basic single web page

For those who just want to get something up on the web quickly. A basic page on a white background, with plain text and without design enhancements.

One web page with up to 4 images and text up to about one side of typed A4.

This might include, for example: practitioner's statement of philosophy/approach, CV, photographs of you working, details of where you work from and full contact details.

Cost - £195, for full design & creation

Option 2 - Fully-designed single web page

More popular than the basic page, this is a fully-designed web page, with design enhancements which take into account your own design ideas, colour scheme and 'feel'. Ideal for future expansion into a multi-page site.

One fully-designed web page, with up to 4 images and text up to about one side of typed A4.

This might include, for example: practitioner's statement of philosophy/approach, CV, photographs of you working, details of where you work from and full contact details.

Cost - £397, for full design & creation

Option 3 - Multi-page website (standard price)

A fully-designed web site with design enhancements taking into account your own design ideas, colour scheme and 'feel', plus your logo (if you have one). The design flows through the site, producing a completely integrated look

Up to 5 pages

Comprising:

• Index (main) page, introducing your philosophy and approach, with up to 3 images and including your own design enhancements, if desired (eg your logo, faded background image, etc)
  
• 'About me' page (CV & practitioner's statement), with up to 3 images of you working, etc
  
• Contact page (giving address, phone no & email address) + links to maps showing your practice/clinic locations, avoiding you having to give detailed instructions on how your clients can find you
  
• Case histories
  
• Information on the therapy or discipline which you practise, including up to 3 images - eg acupuncture meridian charts
  

Cost - £945, for full design & creation

Additional charge for extra pages

Whilst either of the above options should be sufficient for most purposes, there is a possibility that you might feel you need additional pages (perhaps a page of self-help information for your clients - eg dietary advice, breathing exercises, etc), which would be charged as follows:

• Additional A4-length text page with no images - £95
  
• Additional longer text page with no images - £139
  
• Additional A4-length text page with up to 3 images - £139
  
• Additional longer text page with up to 3 images - £185
  

Option 4 - Non-standard multi-page website

If you would like something between Options 2 & 3 shown above, my charges would be as follows:

• Initial design charge, to include a page as per Option 2 above - £397
  
• Other pages - as shown above (under 'Additional charge for extra pages')
  
• minimum three pages
  

So, a nice little three-page site, with an introductory page (including practitioner's statement of philosophy/approach, CV, photographs of you working, details of where you work from and full contact details), a detailed page with information about your therapy/discipline (including up to 3 images) and a detailed, text-only, page showing case histories might cost:

• £397 + £185 + £139 = £721
  

If you have any questions at all, about any or the above, just to email me, or ring me on 01305-871561

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What is included in these web design prices?

• text proofreading - vital to ensure a professional look
  
• ensuring that your site works on all major browsers - a point which is extremely often neglected by web designers, but which I think is vitally important
  
• up to 10 different email addresses (eg sales@, enquiries@, yourname@, emaillist@, etc), each of which is forwarded to an existing email address
  
• processing and enhancement of images supplied on CD-ROM, including preparation of the images for optimal presentation on the web (note that, if images are not supplied on CD-ROM, there would be additional charges for scanning and manipulation)
  
• submission of website to all major search engines
  
• optimising your site for search engines
  
• email hiding, so that spammers cannot get hold of your email address
  

What is not included?

• Hosting charge (see below)
  
• Updates, once the site has been completed, approved by the client and is live on the web (see below for charges for updates)
  

Website hosting charge

In addition, there is an annual Hosting charge (the charge for 'hiring' the space for your website) of around £70 per year, including registering your domain (website) name and occasional small updates (eg changing your address if you move).

Unlike many other website owners and web designers, I don't cut corners on hosting - I use only the best top hosting companies, because I believe that, as website owners, we need our sites up and running 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with no risk of some fly-by-night company going bust and taking our websites down with them!

Updates

When your website has been completed, approved by you and is live on the web, I am always available - at no charge - for advice and assistance. However, any material updates to text, images or layout on your site will require extra work from me and will, therefore, incur additional charges.

You have two options:

• Fully managed service, to include one hour's update work per month - £470 per year, payable in advance
  
• Charge per update - £45 per hour, minimum charge £25
  (As an example, completely replacing two paragraphs of text would probably take around 20 minutes, whilst replacing 3 images would take at least 40 minutes, including testing)
  

If you have any questions at all, about any or the above, just to email me, or ring me on 01305-871561

my business and design philosophy

My design philosophy - for web design and printed marketing material - can be summed up in two words: simplicity and usability.   I rarely use Flash (the complicated 'movies' you see on some websites), but aim to utilise the best of html, dynamic html, javascript and css (stylesheet coding) to create fast-loading, well-written, clean and simple websites.

web design comments about www.siteright.tk, one of the sites I've created

"One of the best sites I ever looked at.   All because of the pure simplicity of it: it delivers the information you need clearly and accurately in a language anyone can understand.   NO hype! NO fluff! NO outrageous promises!"
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"Site was very easy to follow.  Information up front.  Easy to read."
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"I found this site simple and easy to read and navigate around.   The use of colour was sparse, and so made you look twice at the places where they occurred (as was its intention).   It downloaded quickly and easily."

I spend a lot of time on the Net and know what websites - from a very wide variety of businesses - tend to look like.   I design and create websites but, crucially, don't come from a graphic design background - so, as a web designer, I don't have a list of design 'dos' and 'don'ts' in my head.   I'm interested in how your site looks and whether it suits your own design ideas and philosophy.

I also have particular expertise in image manipulation - often a weak point with website designers, who seem content to use blurred and muddy-coloured pictures.   I always take that extra time and trouble to ensure that all images displayed on the sites I design are of the highest clarity and vibrancy.

Whatever product or service you're selling or presenting, there is no point in having a web presence if your website doesn't show your 'products' to their best advantage.  

web design comments about www.vickiclarkart.com, one of the sites I've created

"The paintings at this site are awesome!   Everything is crystal clear, and so sharp even when viewing the enlarged graphics.   I was pleasantly surprised at how fast everything loaded on my dial-up connection too.   Great site"
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"Everything loaded fast, pictures were clear, navigation was easy.   This site had everything it needed and nothing it didn't."
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"I'm usually not into abstract art, but enjoyed this with the descriptions so I could tell what the paintings were.   I liked all the white space and the clean uncluttered design."
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"Very well designed site.   You've definitely made this site user friendly, and kept the eyes focused on the artwork.   Altogether a great example of a focused, niche website."

This is where the design of your site comes in.  

There's no advantage to you in having a wonderfully-designed bells-and-whistles website which is so relentlessly clever that your visitors can't tell what they're supposed to do or how to get around!   On the other hand, something too basic can make you look like an amateur.  

web design comments about www.1-art-1.com, one of the sites I've created

"What a wonderful website, beautifully put together and really easy to use.  Very impressive!"
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"I like this site. I had trouble finding a problem with it. It's to the point, clean and concise and ordering looks easy"
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"Wow..the graphics on here are fantastic. This website deserves a place on my favorites list"
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"Really easy to use and conveys the colour and feel of your work well"
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"Really good to see a proper website - very accessible site with links that work well.   I hope it brings in the attention your work deserves. Crackin' site!"
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"very good - very clear, easy to find your way around"

For a free, no-obligation consultation on just how I can get your new website up there with the best of them, promoting your business 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, just to contact me by email.

That's all for now - but don't hesitate to if you have any questions at all about what I can offer you.  And, don't forget, that if you need a website designed or if you need help and advice with an existing site, you need look no further than me!

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