Contact Details

Kevin James BSc(Hons), MSc, PhD, FIAP

Member of The Society of Authors

Fellow of The Institution of Analysts and Programmers

t/a K James Software Development,

22 Beech Road,

Norton,

Stourbridge,

West Midlands, DY8 2AR

Tel/Fax: (01384) 395759 (Answering service outside office hours)

E-mail: info@kjames-software.co.uk

How much will a web site cost?

My web-design prices start at about £130. To this you will need to add your yearly web-hosting and domain-name costs (if any). For small, low-traffic, sites you may be able to obtain basic hosting and the use of a domain name free-of-charge from your Internet Service Provider.

Usually, however, customers tend to demand a more sophisticated web presence, and in typical cases sites cost from about £200 to £1000. Suitable third-party web hosting (if applicable) normally costs between £35 and £150 per year.

Large or complex sites are more time consuming to construct, and their price naturally reflects this. However, I aim to produce each of my web sites at a very competitive rate.

• A multi-page site with a high text content, such as this site or my Technical & Web Authoring site, would cost about £1500. This price includes collating all source material, editing graphics, producing the text, proofing, page design and layout, script programming, and publishing your site on the Internet.

• Sites with a high concentration of graphics can also be relatively inexpensive. A 25-page example, such as my Art & Illustration site, where images are already available would cost around £500. (The photography and image processing for this particular site would add an extra £300 to £400 to the price).

For more example prices, please refer to my Technical & Web Authoring site.

You can obtain an individually-tailored guide price from the Price / service guide page or by contacting me.

What types of web site do you build?

All sorts. The greatest demand is from small to medium sized businesses who need to promote their company or sell products on the web, but I also design personal web pages, as well as sites for clubs, special interest groups and charitable organisations.

How do I get a web address?

Many web-hosting companies offer this service. Simply visit their web site and follow the instructions for purchasing web space and registering a new domain.

An easier alternative is for me to arrange web hosting and domain registration for you. If done as part of a web-design contract, this service incurs no additional charge.

Would I need special computer equipment to operate a web site?

In most cases, no. The files making up your web site would normally be stored on a web server maintained by a specialist web-hosting company (unless your company administers its own web servers, of course). I can arrange third-party web hosting for you and publish your site to the Internet - at no additional charge if carried out as part of a web-design contract.

Will you be able to advise me on the content of my site?

Yes, I can offer advice on the content of your site, and on its mode of presentation.

I will be able to advise you on how existing material (logos, brochures etc.) can be adapted for the web. If appropriate, I can also produce new text or images in a style compatible with your existing literature.

I always advocate the most cost effective approach to constructing a web site. By gaining an appreciation of your business and the needs of your customers I will aim to create a web site that maximises the return on your investment. 

Can I put my existing advertising literature on my web site?

Generally speaking, yes. Indeed, wherever practicable, I will adapt as much existing material (text, photographs, logos and other images) as possible. This minimizes costs and helps to achieve a greater degree of consistency with your other advertising material and company documents.

Can you photograph my products for the web?

Yes. I offer a comprehensive digital and film photography service. If you wish, I can visit your location to photograph your products, buildings, interiors or other facilities. Alternatively, small products can be photographed at my offices at minimal cost. High-quality photographic images can be created specifically for your web site, or they can be designed for advertising brochures, manuals and data sheets (or indeed for dual use).

You can find additional information about product photography on the Support services page.

Will I need to get new web-advertising material compiled by a marketing company or design agency?

I find that most customers choose not to avail themselves of the specialist (and often costly) services of these companies. In fact, I am usually able to provide any new material that might be needed for a web site. This includes new marketing or technical copy, bespoke illustrations, and decorative graphics. I can also photograph your products, digitally enhance images and add a wide range of special effects.

Clearly, some consultancies and design agencies will offer additional sales and marketing services. In the interests of all parties involved, I do not take on projects that I believe would be better served by this type of company.

Do you offer standard web designs that I can choose from?

I offer a wide range of styles for almost every element of your web page. However, I do not build any of my sites around standard packages. The reason is simple. Squeezing your unique material into a pre-formed web-site template can often have unsatisfactory results. Incompatibilities can be quite time consuming to work around as well, and I find it more cost effective to design each site individually. With experience, and by using sound design principles, this is not an unduly difficult or costly task.

In fact, I design fully bespoke web sites at prices comparable with the "standard" packages offered by many other suppliers.

Of course, I can offer a range of ideas for the style of your site. I am also happy to incorporate any specific requirements you might have, or to adapt design features that you have seen elsewhere on the web.

If you design my site, how can I be certain that it will meet my needs?

I carry out every design contract in accordance with a detailed specification. This is based on consultations with you, and sets out my understanding of your requirements. It will be submitted, together with a firm quotation, for your review and approval prior to placing an order.

If you wish, I can also provide prototypes of your web pages, and text for proofreading, so that you can verify the style and content of your site as its construction progresses. The number and nature of these proofs / prototypes will be defined as necessary in the specification.

The specification forms the core of our design contract and guarantees the services that I will provide. However, I recognise that you might wish me to modify certain aspects of your site as you see its design develop, so I generally try to adopt a flexible approach with regard to evolving customer requirements.

What will I have to do after my site goes live?

That depends upon the nature of your site and your hosting arrangements.

If your web pages are on a server provided by a web hosting company (which I can arrange for you), you will not need to do anything. The hosting company should maintain the server and all of the files stored on it. (If you operate your own server, you should already be familiar with this aspect of its administration.)

For sites that collect messages or data from visitors, I will provide you with detailed instructions on collecting and processing that information.

I can, of course, also revise your web site whenever you require. If you need to implement periodic (e.g. quarterly, monthly or weekly) updates, I offer low-cost maintenance contracts. These cover the addition or replacement of any agreed site content.

If I want to maintain the site myself, what tools will I need?

I offer a full site-maintenance service, but if you prefer to maintain the site yourself I can provide appropriate technical information and guidance. I can also suggest appropriate page-editing tools to simplify the task.

Because all of my web pages are constructed using industry standard mark-up and script languages, proprietary development tools are not usually required. HTML pages and JavaScript files can usually be modified with just a basic text editor. You probably already have a suitable program (such as Microsoft WordPad) included with your operating system.

You can, if you wish, modify elements of your web site using a dedicated visual page editor, such as FrontPage, GoLive or Dreamweaver .

If you want to change any of the photographs or other images on your site, you will also need a suitable graphics or photo-editing program. Often, low-to-mid-range versions will be adequate. You will rarely need the facilities offered by more sophisticated packages.

For any extensive modification, however, the most important element you will need is a thorough understanding of web-design principles and languages. Specifically, you should be familiar with HTML 4.01, CSS (1&2), JavaScript (1.3-1.5), and the various Document Object Models implemented by the browsers that your site supports. In addition, if you want to modify any bespoke server-side scripts, you should understand Microsoft's Active Server Pages and VBScript.

Can I sell my products on line?

Yes, you can advertise and sell products via your web site.

The cheapest method is to include a simple ordering page in your site. This generates a formatted message for every order placed. As the messages require a degree of manual processing, this technique is suitable only for low-volume sales. It does not offer secure purchasing facilities, and therefore requires an independent means of payment.

More comprehensive on-line marketing solutions are also available. The most cost-effective technique is to use a combined product database and web generator. Another simple approach takes the form of a ready-made electronic shopping package. This is simply an extension to your web hosting package that provides secure payment, virtual shopping baskets and on-line product catalogues. If one of these packages meets your needs, I can configure it for you and integrate it seamlessly into your web site.

How will people find my web site?

The Internet offers a powerful mechanism for promoting your site: search engines.

You are probably already familiar with some of these. The user types a few relevant keywords, and the search engine prints a list of web sites meeting the specified search criteria.

It is clearly important for your site to be placed near the top of these lists. For this reason, I offer a search-engine promotion service, which optimizes your web site (by including relevant words and phrases at strategic positions on each page and in HTML meta tags), before submitting it to numerous search engines. This service greatly increases the likelihood of customers finding your web site.

Notwithstanding the power of search-engine promotional techniques, conventional advertising media still have an important role. You will undoubtedly reach a wider range of customers if you include your URL (web-site address) in your usual advertisements. The advantage of web-centred marketing, however, is that it may become practicable to scale down your conventional advertising programme. If users can obtain complete product information via your web site, there may be less need for it to be repeated elsewhere.

Finally, don't forget to include your URL on your business stationery, packaging, vehicle signs and other promotional media.

I might wish to place an order, but I need to find out more

You can find out more about my web-design services, and obtain an approximate guide price by visiting the Price / service guide page of this web site.

For a more personal assessment of costs, or for an informal discussion of your project, please contact me. I will be happy to answer any questions.

I can provide a budgetary estimate free of charge. This is usually available within a short time over the telephone, or if you prefer I can fax, E-mail or post a written estimate to you. If the estimate is acceptable, I normally provide a free initial consultation prior to submitting a quotation and specification for the work.