# inexpensive web site designs



## sporteeme (Dec 11, 2009)

Does anyone know where i can find help with designing a website? It would be nice to find someone who is not too expensive but delivers a quality site.


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## LincolnAveShirts (Nov 23, 2009)

If you find someone let me know!


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## maiasaura (Nov 11, 2009)

How expensive is "not too expensive" to you. A lot of times I don't bother to bid on a job if the client doesn't have a good idea of what it would (should) cost, or if they want something for next-to-nothing. 

Do you already have a site and just need an update?

Do you need a standard shopping cart (Magento, ecommerce, word press plug in)?

Do you want a standard template or are you looking for a custom design?

Do you need art?

Maiasaura (my portfolio is in my sig)


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## spiderx1 (Oct 12, 2009)

Good point I payed 2,000$ to have my site redone from my homemade site, They did a horrible job and took 3 times longer to do it.
But ticking off your web designer is like ticking off your waiter, you never know what happens to your food or web site, due to their design or lack there of my sales fell off by 80%. So point is good web design and ease of use by the customer is important, But just because they have an office and employees does not make them good. I would rely on personal references, just because they give you examples only means they got one or two right.


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## sporteeme (Dec 11, 2009)

Thanks, Yes I do have a site already that I created myself (you know one of those plug and play deals) but feel that it is inadequate compared to others that i've seen. Just considering possibly hiring it out this time if the price is right. Your comments were helpful though so thx!


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## PositiveDave (Dec 1, 2008)

At least with web designers you can ask to look at their portfolio.
You should have a basic design idea, maybe a few sites that you like. The better you make the specification the quicker and cheaper the design job.


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## hostingdiva (Mar 31, 2006)

If you're still looking for someone, PM me - I do have someone I can recommend that can do the desing. But, as everyone already said - you need to know what you want. Also, keep in mind that a designer is just that - a designer. He or she is not a website expert. You know your market and what they want. It's your responsibility as the owner to direct the designer to make sure your customers are satisfied.

Also, you said you already have something. Are you getting sales? Are your customers responding to the design? If so, then I would really advise against making changes. The last thing you want is what happened to spiderx1 where the sales dropped off....


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## GAW (Jan 11, 2010)

I like webs.com very simple do it your self or you can use custom css coding for a better look

I offer a service to do websites. 

Check out www.guardianangelwear.com and in the products page you can see the service. You can also check out other sites I have done through the links page.


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## Steph (Jan 26, 2008)

You can also check out places like Odesk.com or Elance. They allow you to post your requirements and price range, and then people apply based on whether they think they can complete the job for that rate. You can ask to see their portfolio and see feedback from previous Odesk/Elance 'employers' as well. 

As with anything in life tho, you usually get what you pay for.


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## mikelschwarz (Apr 12, 2008)

Here are some options to consider when you're looking at designing or redesigning a website:

*Option 1 (for the less technical):*
Look into using WordPress or an alternative content management system, then either find a pre-made website wordpress theme or find a designer who has experience designing wordpress themes (easily found on wordpress.org). This is a good alternative since once the theme design is complete and enabled on your site, it's very easy to add, remove, edit website pages via Wordpress' admin interface. It's kinda like editing MS Word Documents.

*Option 2 (regular website):*
Try using design contest sites like 99designs.com or crowdspring.com. We've used these services before very successfully and they are a much better alternative than using sites like elance.com or odesk. The main difference with sites like 99designs, is that when you create a contest, you actually see design concepts of your project from many designers vs. trying to make a decision on based on looking at designer's portfolio. Search on the web for "crowd sourcing" and you'll see a handful of services show up.

Once you complete the design contest, then you have to have the creative "coded" into webpages. You can do this pretty affordably using sites like PSD2HTML or w3-markup.com. You just submit a PSD (provided by the artist who won the contest) to the service and they convert it into a functional webpage or webpages. 

Of course these services can also create a Wordpress theme from a design PSD, so if you decide to use option 1, you can still get an artist to design a custom theme for you and have it coded using the sites I listed above.

*Option 3 (mix between 1 & 2):*
Try looking into web hosting sites like squarespace.com. I've never used this service, but it looks like it could be a good alternative as well and is a hybrid between #1 & #2.

As for cost, with any of the options above, you shouldn't wind up spending any more than $600 - $800 if done correctly and you can have an amazing looking dynamic website.

Good luck!


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## Steph (Jan 26, 2008)

I did not know about 99designs, what an awesome idea! Thanks for sharing


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## mikelschwarz (Apr 12, 2008)

My pleasure Steph.

We used 99designs a couple years ago to create our company logo and original website. It worked out so well, we've used them several times since for other purposes such as getting designs for a two-page magazine advertisement and a promotional drink coaster. We used crowdspring.com to create one version of product packaging. Once you find designers you like, you can work with those same designers on other projects without creating a contest.

Be sure to let designers know that you want your webpage/website designed using WC3 standards. It's one thing to have a really nice looking website, it's another to have that same great looking website easy to maintain. No matter how big or small your company is, having a website that is easy to maintain will pay for itself in spades over the long-haul.


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## GAW (Jan 11, 2010)

You could also purchase adobe dreamweaver which allows you to custom CSS templates. There are a ton of how tos on youtube also


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