WebSite Design concerns...

drumdrum

Hello!

I am looking to set up a website to promote a bunch of tracks I've recorded. Im also going to use social media etc, but I do want a website that every thing "comes back to" at the end of the day, if you catch my drift.
the music is heavy without being death metal! :pac:


Question: what is the average going rate to get a music/band website done these days?
I contacted about 3 different web design companies over the last few days and their estimates varied quite a bit. The cheapest came in at about e250 (startup/college graduate) while the next 2 established small Irish companies were e550, and the dearest was just shy of e700.

e700!

I made a basic website myself using a web design toolkit that I got with mydomain registrar. Its basic I'll admit, but it gets the job done I feel.
It has the band name on it, the logo, links to social media, and there is a media player on it so I can have a music player on the site also.
It also automatically generates a mobile compatible version of the site which was a nice feature I must admit.
Im the first to say, I am not a webdesigner, but I wouldnt mind hiring someone to do something snazzier, but at the rates above
Im starting to wonder why bother paying a lot of money?
One company broke down their esitmate to about e46.50 per hour with 15 hours of work. How in the heck does it take 2 days to make a website?
I made my basic one in about 1 hour, so I think I'm being taken advantage of here.


Im always wary of "super snazzy" / flash based websites (you know the type) as in my experience, their load times can vary wildly depending on a lot of factors, and with the average internet pundit having the waiting span of about 3 seconds, I dont want people waiting too long to get into the site while some flashy logo / flash-based effect is loading, if you know what I mean.


The band is a new band/startup and there is no immediate fanbase. I had thought to use the basic page I designed first and if the band grows in popularity then I would pay someone to do it up.
However, someone did mention to me that if you're trying to give it a go, hit the ground running with the best possible site you can afford.
I was told: "It looks more professional, more serious, etc etc..." and I can understand where they're coming from.


One more worrying aspect about the above 3 companies I got estimates from (and I'll withhold their names for now....dont want to sully anyones good namd) is that I asked for examples of their work, but so far I havent gotten any. Is this usual behaviour for wed design comapnies?
Are they afraid I'd copy their designs or something?
Me, Im just wary of handing over e700 to a bunch of strangers without knowing if they are competant or not!

Has anyone got any good experiences with web design companies that they could share?
Are there other good free / low-cost (sub e50) webdesign tools available on the net that I could use that would give me a good looking site?

Any advise with anything here is really appreciated.
Many thanks guys!
-DD

drumdrum

TL;DR version

Looking to set up music/band website for a startup heavy rock band.
Getting quotes for about e550 and e700.
Is this normal?

I did up a basic but effective website for much cheaper.
Better to get off the ground running with super expensive website or basic but effective site?

Is it normal for webdesign companies to not show examples of their work? (for fear of copying them?)
Dont want to give e500 - e700 to a bunch of strangers without seeing if they're competant first.
Any general advise in this space is much appreciated!
Thanks!
-DD

jimmybeige

Any proper web design companies would have examples of their work on their own website. Do they not have a website? If not, then you should be suspicious. The web is out there for everyone to see, so fear of being copied is no reason, as everyone can see your work anyways.

I can't recommend any good companies, but perhaps try it yourself initially using something like WIX? http://www.wix.com

I think there are other options too, but pretty sure you can probably make a decent professional-looking site yourself, and if you're not happy, go find a design company. Just my thoughts.

professore

If they do a good job, those quotes sound quite reasonable. You are also paying for getting it's look exactly right, which can be a right pain in the ass, custom graphics, having any features like contact forms, media players working and SEO presumably.

I'd be wary of them not showing you any of their other work though.

Otherwise do it yourself ... it will be cheaper, but will look cheaper too if you don't have a good graphic eye. Will you put off potential customers by looking cheap and homemade? Maybe not in your business, but in many businesses that will kill you.

[EDIT] Probably something like WiX will produce a fairly professional if somewhat generic look.

Gaspode

Doesn't belong in Band Promotion forum. Mods if this isn't the right place either please feel free to move again.

drumdrum

Gaspode wrote: »

Doesn't belong in Band Promotion forum. Mods if this isn't the right place either please feel free to move again.

Thanks for that. I had figured that a band website was a form of music promotion. My bad!

Thanks for that wix site link. some very nice templates there.
I think I'll pay for some custom graphics and then apply to a template, at least in the beginning.
They look professional enough to me...or at least, professional enough to not off put visitors.

Of course if it all starts to take off I think then it may be best to investigate a "more expensive" site, but some of those templates look very good already.

Thanks for the tips!

drumdrum

OK so some further investigations into wix, and in order to link it to your preferred domain, it costs about between e15 and e20 a month or so depending on the plan you go for.

That's a bit on the steep side for me, especially as I'll want to have the site going for a couple of years.

I think I'll look into a design company again, for a once off payment for a better looking site. It wouldd cost me the say after 2 or 3 years anyways using something like wix but I imagine that it would also look better.

Oi! The search continues ...

Major Lovechild

Sorry about that mods! I got yellow carded (and rightly so) for looking like I was advertising services.

Tricky D below is dead right. Points well made.

tricky D

Avoid wix, it is truly awful like most one-size-fits-all site builders. For starters it's bad value at $100 just to connect to your domain. You can get regular hosting, a domain name and email (which wix doesn't do) for the same from most hosting providers for the same price. The quality of site it produces is junk, usually SEO unfriendly, unscalable, hard to do any customisation... I could go on.

As for price, it's a professional service. Well it's supposed to be (more on this below). Like a musician, a load of time and resources go into getting up to standard and this costs. Many people have the notion that doing up a web site is trivial and cheap when it is anything but, if done properly. Besides, it's a web presence you want which is so much more than a website. There's far too many people who take creative professionals for granted whether it's musicians, photographers, web designers.... and think we charge too much, we don't.

Your biggest problem like many creative industries is finding a quality solution provider. The trouble with the web industry is there's almost no barrier to entry, so any one on the net can grab a few tools and get a website together and call themselves a web designer. However a decent web designer solution provider needs a shed load of skills, experience and a keen eye for how the trends are moving. Our industry moves at a mad rate and what was good just a few years ago doesn't cut it anymore: think responsive design for phones, tablets as well as 'traditional' screen; SEO; Social Media; design trends; a load of technical factors, to name a few. Then there's a the ability to do business side. With that in mind, you have to examine portfolios and knowledge to weed out the poor quality which is the majority. Also make sure to get a proper contract (making sure the IP gets assigned to you) and don't balk at an up front payment of some thing like 40% - it's usually a good sign and concentrates minds on both sides.

If you do want to do your own site, probably the best solution is WordPress on your own hosting. There's a load of 3rd party WP development out there which can provide you with musician oriented themes, the appropriate widgets and there's tons of tutorial videos. Much of this is free or good value. Just be aware that every hour you spend figuring out how to do something with your web presence is an hour lost to your music profession - opportunity cost. It's a common pitfall to not factor that.

hth/gl

drumdrum

Thanks tricky D, great post and definitely gave me food for thought.

I forgot to update this site, but I ended up going the self design route with help from a web design friend.
I did this more to learn than for cost.
I took the money I saved on the website and used it for promotion material - artwork, posters, cards, etc etc.


Yes, I will admit that it did give me a few headaches at times and cost me a good few hours, but I learned alot and with some guidance I got there in the end.

thanks again!
-DD