# Has anyone had a custom site built for their company?



## tawnya (Aug 6, 2007)

Has anybody out there had a custom website built for selling their products instead of a canned template? What were the approximate costs to having a ecomm site custom built? I've been looking around and I'm getting quotes that are HUGE in ranges. ($900-$6,500)


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## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

As you've discovered, the cost is a wide range covering $900-$6,500 (and in fact it goes a little past that at both ends).

Like any service, some of the high priced companies are just ripping clients off, and some are simply _that much better_ than the competition. Some of the cheap places will leave you regretting that you trusted their "skills". Others are a lucky bargain. "You get what you pay for" correlates, but only imperfectly


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## zeusprinting (Jun 21, 2009)

In all cases, ask to talk to their previous e-commerce customers. Ask those customers how effective their site is.

e-commerce sites are meant to generate income. The cost does not matter as much as the return on investment (ROI). A $900 site that never generates a dime is a piece of crap, but a cheap piece of crap.


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## Obstructees (Sep 22, 2008)

I had my site completely customized for $1500 and it was a nightmare working with the company who did it. It took about five months for them to program it and I ended up designing the whole thing. So overall it was cheap but I wouldn't have done it again. Definitely do the research and be prepared to shell out some cash to get exactly what you want.


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## losille (Nov 4, 2008)

I built my site. There are some tools on your cpanel if you have some background.

Ask to see the sites they have worked on for other clients. 

A programmer will cost more than a person with web design degree but a programmer will give you cleaner code. 
You can get students on MySpace that will build a stellar site that you wouldn't normally be able to afford for less money in exchange for using you on their resume or for class work requirements.

You need to tell the company how much you are willing to spend. Pick out some sites you like for them to look at. If you can draw do an illustration of your layout and a basic written outline that will help too. It will save you time and money if they can clearly see your ideas.

Get a written contract that spells out what they will do. Will it be straight code, flash, java script? Some aspects of a website are more unstable than others.

You MUST get a cap on the number of hours that the website will take to build in the contract. Do not pay the full amount up front. If it goes over that limit remember you can change the password to your Cpanel and block their access. They can get ftp access so you would have to change any password the would have. 

Put some links up for sites you like see if anyone has something similar and give you and idea of the budget you will need.

Oh and if you contact Art Institute online The Art Institute of Pittsburgh – Online Division they have a free client student matching service that might be able to help you out.


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## joey32569 (May 11, 2008)

We had our site built custom and our quotes ran from $8300-$42000 (affordablewebsites.com, yeah right!) I did alot of research before having it done but I still made alot of mistakes on the process of customizing items which makes the conversion rate not that good. We also have a yahoo store which does a whole lot better in sales which isnt as nice looking as the custom site. If I had it to do all over again I would have most likely went with a new yahoo store where I had quotes around 5k for all the bells and whistles and believe it would be more profitable.

What kind of website are you looking for? A clothing line or just a website where you can sell screen printing and embroidery?


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## ahyndman (May 18, 2009)

i seriously had no idea that a website would cost that much. i thought in the 600 dollar range was normal for a good site.


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## RM5 (May 6, 2009)

tawnya said:


> Has anybody out there had a custom website built for selling their products instead of a canned template? What were the approximate costs to having a ecomm site custom built? I've been looking around and I'm getting quotes that are HUGE in ranges. ($900-$6,500)



($900-$6,500) ? Hope they are good. I, with a lot of help from friends built our sites. It totally depends on what you want for your site. If you want a static site, just to display your product, and stays pretty much the same day to day, that is one thing. If you want a site with a shopping cart that adds new items daily or weekly it is a whole nother deal. 

My advice would be have a look on the big G., bing et al at sites you like in your product arena, also in geograpic area, decide what you need and then ctc the folk that built those sites with an rfq for what you require. 

Just my Buffalo nickle cents.

Richard


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## doodlefashion (Sep 25, 2007)

One thing that is very important when you ask for a quote: take the time to figure out what are your requirements. Do some research and pick a few sites that have a design you like and features you want. Take screen shots and write down the URLs.

Some things to consider:

1) Are you asking for web design and graphic design, or just one of the two?
2) Do you need a shopping cart e-commerce features? What kind of payment options you want to support?
3) Think about taxes, shipping & handling charges, bulk discounts, coupons...
4) How many products would you have?
5) How often would you add / change products?
6) Do you need any integration with a shipping or procurement company?
7) Do you want to print mailing addresses from the site? What kind of order tracking you need?
8) Who is going to support the site after it is done?

Basically the more details you provide, the better chance you have to get what you want. Since you need to shop around, take the time to document your requirements in a package and send it to the various companies for a quote.

My advice is to choose someone who is prepared to take the time to answer all your questions and explain to you how they are going to create the site and how it will be maintained once they are done.


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## RM5 (May 6, 2009)

doodlefashion said:


> One thing that is very important when you ask for a quote: take the time to figure out what are your requirements. Do some research and pick a few sites that have a design you like and features you want. Take screen shots and write down the URLs.
> 
> Some things to consider:
> 
> ...


Some nice t designs. Like the template. You might want to turn off category counts. They, will slow down the site when you have a bunch of product up.


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## myk5 (Jul 28, 2008)

You can do what my former employer did and hire a graphic designer that also designs websites and has some e-commerce experience.

I've been that guy and designed such a website personally. I can tell you it's all kinds of better if you can do as much of it yourself as possible because if you want to change a paragraph, it's better cheaper and easier to do it yourself than pay someone a premium wage to do it for you every time you need an update. As a web designer, it's in my interest to keep you ignorant as possible so you're forced to keep paying me. So learn as much as you can yourself.

Save money on programming by using existing e-commerce software, webhosting with cpanel and fantastico will provide some powerful and free options. Tell your designer this. It's easier (and cheaper) to skin the look of an existing and powerful ecommerce solution than to pay for programming one from scratch.

Understand that search engine optimization and customizing your website for sales conversions is a distinct art from web design. This you really want to learn yourself too. Use Google analytics to track sales conversions and what adjustments to your site improve sales. This sort of trial and error is the only way. A simple background color change can make a difference! But the only way to know is to track sales!


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## zeusprinting (Jun 21, 2009)

I disagree with trying to learn and do it all yourself just to save several hundred bucks. Time is money. I could certainly go learn how to rebuild the engine in my car, just so I don't have to pay a mechanic, but that is a horrible waste of my time. Instead, I focus on making money at what I have specialized knowledge in, and let others who have specialized knowledge in other areas take care of that stuff.

The exception is if you really have a desire to learn the web design and development trade because you think it would be fun. In that case, go for it. But, like most things, it is nowhere near as easy as it sounds.


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## Freakazeenie (Jun 25, 2009)

I tried to send you a private message but your in box is full .. let me know when its empty .. and i'll send over the message .. there is no reason to spend even close to 600.00 for a website ..


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## myk5 (Jul 28, 2008)

zeusprinting said:


> I disagree with trying to learn and do it all yourself just to save several hundred bucks. Time is money. I could certainly go learn how to rebuild the engine in my car, just so I don't have to pay a mechanic, but that is a horrible waste of my time. Instead, I focus on making money at what I have specialized knowledge in, and let others who have specialized knowledge in other areas take care of that stuff.
> 
> The exception is if you really have a desire to learn the web design and development trade because you think it would be fun. In that case, go for it. But, like most things, it is nowhere near as easy as it sounds.


It's a matter of point of view I suppose. I'm that professional, and I certainly am not going to complain if you want to pay me well to do things that I believe to be really simple and easy.

Everything there is to know about web design, it is an awful lot. I can't claim to know it all and I've over 15 years experience as a web designer. But the basic stuff really is easy and is not even a lot to learn.

To change a paragraph you need to distinguish text from code and to just change the text. That's miles away from learning to manipulate the code.

To change a price you need to familiarize yourself with a user interface that is commonly designed to be as easy as possible and requires no reading of code at all.

But I don't mind. Please pay me well to do that stuff for you.


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## RM5 (May 6, 2009)

myk5 said:


> It's a matter of point of view I suppose. I'm that professional, and I certainly am not going to complain if you want to pay me well to do things that I believe to be really simple and easy.
> 
> Everything there is to know about web design, it is an awful lot. I can't claim to know it all and I've over 15 years experience as a web designer. But the basic stuff really is easy and is not even a lot to learn.
> 
> ...


I totally agree. I can do little a html and php, et al. But, when it gets to anything the least bit complicated. I ctc the big dogs that can hunt. Kinda, like fixing a car. I can check the oil. But that is about it

Richard


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## mariuszb79 (Mar 3, 2009)

We had our site built from scratch and were still updating every few weeks, it was much tougher than we thought, first we went on some website to find some quotes, we were quoted from 500 to $25000, then we looked at craigs list since we wanted to work with someone face to face, it took us three weeks of interviews to find someone who we could trust and who knew what they were doing. We got a good deal on the site, but it still wasn't cheap. Time to build We were quoted a month but in reality it took like three months before we were up and running, it was a whole new learning experience. But now its up and running 

So things to look for when looking for a web designer.

Ask him or her for some stuff that they have dome before, ask them if you can call their previous clients. 
If you do call a previous client ask them on the attention to detail of the web designer/programmer and on how fast they do things.

Write down in detail what you need or want for your site and ask them if they have the necessary skills to do what you need on the site.

When you ask for a time frame add another month or so regardless of how good the web designer is, there will be unforseen bugs with the site.

If using craigslist make sure to find someone you can meet with at a local cafe and talk to them, its much easier to tell someone what you would like your site to be face to face vs email.

Do not ever pay whole thing up front, pay 20% and a written contract is a must, in the contract add that they must help you maintain the site for a specified period of time, or till you get the hang of it. We still work with our web designer he helps us maintain it and update it once in a while when we think of new things to add.

Be very diligent when looking for someone to design your site, do not get ripped off.


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## patchmaster (May 10, 2007)

I've contracted several websites, some ecommerce some much more complex.

Most of "teams" I have hired are overseas. This can be difficult but not hair pulling if you find the right company/person that fits your need and communication skills.

I usually start at ScriptLance.com Custom Freelance Programming. Outsource web projects to programmers and designers. then move to Craigslist. I've found that most USA people/companies average $60.00 an hour with overseas averaging $10.00 an hour. It's very difficult to keep your $$ int he US with those kind of prices, I don't care who you are.

Your fitst step is to creat a very detailed outline of exactly what you want. Start with a paragraph of your dream" then create a list of features you would like.
then ties these features in to a type of flow chart but using words instead of graphics. Actualy a real flow chart is best but... you really don't need one if your detailed in your features list and how they relate to each function of your design leading to whatever final outcome you desire for said feature - am I confusing you yet?

Once complete submit your outline to your prospective scriptors for a bit. Expect optimistic delivery times.

Insist that whomever you choose speaks your language and is available via your most convenient communication device you use. I use Yahoo Messenger for example.
Expect to stay up till 1am for meetings and prepare to get up very early int he morning for meetings.

I set up all my contracts on a 25/25/50 payment system.

25% paid upon a satisfactory Alpha version of the script. This will probably be installed on a staging server belonging to the company/person your working with. Test the script thoroughly and make many notes. the alpha stage to to iron out design concepts and check the features and whether they function with your design properly. test test test...

You will then submit your notes based on your findings from the alpha version. Include any changes etc.

25% paid upon a successful installation and testing of a beta version on MY server. This stage is when you bring your friends into the game. have everyone you know visit the site and go through all the features. tell them todo their best to break it. do all kinds of wierd stuff. Testing can take from a week to a month or more.
take copious notes and submit them after you think you have found any bugs.
This is NOT the time ask for features and actual changes to the script - the Alpha stage if for that.

50% paid upon successfull installation and testing of a completed version 1.0 installed on your server.
again, testing can take however long it takes but be thourough.

You should have negotiated at least 1 year bug support at no extra fee. however, if you ask for features or changes expect to pay for them.

This down and dirty system has worked well for me, I hope you find it of some use.

oh, be patient and understand you are working with a differernt culture here. be polite but firm. These guys are hungry for work and some beg for it so well it is easy to be convinced they are the best person for the job. Take your time, ask for referances and examples.
Insist that this is work for hire!!!!!!!!
any script delivered is owned by you and no part may be used or sold to another.

Bill


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## zeusprinting (Jun 21, 2009)

I find it interesting that whenever payments for apparel clients is discussed, the answer is an emphatic 100% paid upfront. But, when the roles are reversed, it's "Do not ever pay whole thing up front" and "I set up all my contracts on a 25/25/50 payment system" (not specifically picking on you mariuszb79 or patchmaster, just examples).

I am not saying that one way or the other is right, I just wonder why people have the double standard. Both industries are service based and labor intensive.


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## myk5 (Jul 28, 2008)

patchmaster said:


> ....
> Insist that this is work for hire!!!!!!!!
> any script delivered is owned by you and no part may be used or sold to another.
> 
> Bill


Understand that professional programmers that have work experience are faster and better programmers because they have work experience: a body of code they have already created and can 'swipe' from. That's actually the entire point of a programming language being 'object oriented', the practice improves software stability and keeps programmers from recreating the 'wheel' over and over again.

So your possession of almost any script delivered, yes you own the script, but to imagine the script is entirely unique is to miss the point. Especially as your ability to sue internationally is dubious, and your business model is the site, not the resale of your script.

Business that is about software, companies like Microsoft, Apple and Adobe, their programmers mine existing corporate code - they cannot outsource programming at all without sabotaging their bottom line and opening themselves to greater piracy risk.

To think the other way around, to prefer open source technology - this improves the reliability and stability of your end product and the programmer has to simply customize an existing body of excellent and proven code to your needs, saving time, effort and money. But you can't pretend you own the script that's delivered. You customize open source, your result is open source.

Your post makes me think there's a need for a banner a site can earn only if their site is designed and programmed by Americans.


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## patchmaster (May 10, 2007)

The comment about double standards..

Sourcing a script is entirely different than purchasing "hard goods"
Custom scripts have to be built. and upon successful delivery of expected goods (not unlike shirts) payment is made.

Most, if not all, my busines is 50/50. 50% paid on order and the balance paid upon expected product delivery. If the tees. or signs in my case, are not as expected payment is not made untill it is.
At least scripters get $$ based on performance.

The comment about open source assumes I am accepting open source.
That being the case, if I accept open source the final product, design, and produced content belongs to me and cannot be sold to another. Snippets of open source code within the entire script remain open source.
READ: design, and produced content are copyrighted by me.

It's worked for me for 20 some years and I'll continue. Some scripters don't like it for their own personal reasons but most accept it.

BAD idea to pay up front for a custom built work for hire script!
Bad idea to NOT insist on work for hire. In the beginning I had many works pop up on another domain or web site.
Yes, sourcing overseas is very risky. You need to balance your risk with your objective.


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## mariuszb79 (Mar 3, 2009)

zeusprinting said:


> I find it interesting that whenever payments for apparel clients is discussed, the answer is an emphatic 100% paid upfront. But, when the roles are reversed, it's "Do not ever pay whole thing up front" and "I set up all my contracts on a 25/25/50 payment system" (not specifically picking on you mariuszb79 or patchmaster, just examples).
> 
> I am not saying that one way or the other is right, I just wonder why people have the double standard. Both industries are service based and labor intensive.


Hey Zeus, Maybe there is a double standard but what can I tell you, we paid up front money to someone nearly 8 thousand and he just took off, its a great thing that we had all the phone records and email records we were able to recover all the money fully, So I guess lesson learned. Don't get me wrong, now that we have worked with our programmer/web designer we trust him fully and we pay all the money up front. But what can I tell you just the way it is.


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## zeusprinting (Jun 21, 2009)

mariuszb79 said:


> I guess lesson learned


mariuszb79, the unfortunate fact is that there are a lot of people out there with a serious lack of integrity. That includes customers, web guys, screen printers, and on and on.

My rule of thumb (learned the hard way), always trust your gut, and always get a signed contract.

It doesn't always work out perfectly, but it is the best we've got.


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## mariuszb79 (Mar 3, 2009)

zeusprinting said:


> mariuszb79, the unfortunate fact is that there are a lot of people out there with a serious lack of integrity. That includes customers, web guys, screen printers, and on and on.
> 
> My rule of thumb (learned the hard way), always trust your gut, and always get a signed contract.
> 
> It doesn't always work out perfectly, but it is the best we've got.


You're right


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## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

Business 101: always require customers pay upfront. Never pay upfront yourself.

It's not a double standard, so much as looking out for your own best interests.

No-one said it's morally right to do things one way or the other. There's no hypocrisy. It's just common sense to get the best deal you can wrangle - which means holding on to as much money as you can for as long as you can (get it early as possible, pay it as late as possible).


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## firefish (Sep 18, 2008)

For those with a smaller budget, opt for an open-source, e-commerce solution.

For those with basic web knowledge, you may want to try using this combi:
Wordpress WordPress › Blog Tool and Publishing Platform
WP E-commerce plugin WordPress › WP e-Commerce WordPress Plugins
Crafty Cart Theme Free Crafty Cart Theme — Billion Studio

For those with more web experience (html, php, mysql), try Zencart.
We have built quite a number of sites with it.
It is very robust and has a very good user base (like this forum!)
Take a look at ecommerce shopping cart software by Zen Cart ecommerce solution

If you need any help, just pm us!

Firefish


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## mv10 (Nov 16, 2008)

Obstructees said:


> I had my site completely customized for $1500 and it was a nightmare working with the company who did it. It took about five months for them to program it and I ended up designing the whole thing. So overall it was cheap but I wouldn't have done it again. Definitely do the research and be prepared to shell out some cash to get exactly what you want.


Gig 'em!


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## lindsayanng (Oct 3, 2008)

Just wanted to put my .02 in here as well.
I am NOT a tshirt designer.. I am a graphic designer and website designer.. I'm not just a girl that does websites, I own a company that values their referal rate and does not screw people over.

I can tell you that any web developer that asked for 100% up front you should run from. Generally when you pay for websites (especially ecommerce) half of the charge is development time, 1/4 is graphics and 1/4 is the ability to USE the site..so chances are, if the web designer gets 50% up front and for some reason the client bails and the site never goes live and the designer never gets the other 50%, the developer did not loose a lot.. So 50% up front is entirely legit.. That is how we charge. 

On the other hand, dont just look at their portfolio.. ask for references. Because we have done a lot of business we are always happy to offer actual REAL references

And finally.. ANYONE who will design an ecommerce website for $500 is just rebranding a template.. and thats fine if you want something quick, dirty and cheap.. but for a real, customized solution, you will pay around $2000

Generally the $2000 SHOULD include complete customization of your cart. That will include adding additional "modules" that may or may not already exist. Meaning if you have a function you need that the developer never did before, they will create it for you from scratch. It should also include 1 year of website maintence. Believe it or not, website standards and languages change. The language that websites are coded in are updated regularly - so maintence is important. Not to mention about 2 months after you go live you will want little things changed here and there as you learn how clients surf your site. The developer SHOULD understand this. 

You should also ask them about future changes. What if you want to change the picture on the front page? If you do, do you want the ability to change it yourself or do you just want to call the developer and have them change it?? At what point to they charge for that?? I can tell you that generally within the first year a developer will not charge and after that they will charge a VERY VERY small amount ($25 or so). 

Another thing is will they teach you how to use your store?? We generally do two training days. One we do the how to use your cart.. the second day is how to take advantage on online social media marketing and how to REALLY use it and what sites generate the best viewers and such based on your industry. 

Anyways.. these are things that are really good to know from your developer, but you HAVE to spend money to get service like this. LIke i said, you CAN go dirty and cheap, but do you want more?


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