CrescentMoonWeb.co.uk

IF YOU PROVIDE ALL ARTWORK and other content in easily handled form, a simple one page website can cost as little as £100 (€150) plus registering and online space fees. For more complex sites we should be able to estimate a price in advance but the basic rule is that the more pages you have, the better value you get per page. We usually build websites online so clients can follow the progress and comment on how things look as they develop. When you're satisfied, the site will be transferred to your own domain name, which we can arrange for you.

If you need advice on content, artwork etc. this can be negotiated, but basically our rates are quite friendly.

If you want more than a single page, we can offer you a site like the Crescent Moon one with several main pages from a few hundred pounds or euros, if the content is easy to handle and you have a clear idea how your site should look. It's best to allow for a couple of extra hundred though, because website ideas tend to grow and change as they take shape. But that's up to you.

Look through our illustrations and samples to find a format that suits you, or if you have anything else in mind, we should be able to provide it. You may find it helps to visualize your site as a booklet, then look around on the net for one that has the kind of presentation and general format you'd like. Or else simply sketch out your ideas on a piece of paper. There are practical constraints in web design but just about anything you can visualise on paper is possible, at least as a starting point. It's often best to start with the wildest possible idea and take it from there.

WE CAN ADD POP-UP SLIDE SHOWS and simple ANIMATIONS if you like for no great extra cost. Prices for these are negotiable because the time they take to build can vary enormously, but again we tend to charge reasonably. With format we can tackle most things. The menu bar at the top of this page, for instance, could be made to stay at the top of the screen like a tool bar while the page scrolls underneath it (though this cuts down on the screen space). Some people like static menu bars down the left or right of the screen, but again it cuts down on active screen space. With design it helps if you have a general idea of what you want before starting and can show us examples of sites you particularly like, but we can talk you through the options and design something from scratch if you like.

Supplementary pages are useful for showing enlargements of pictures or attaching reports, reviews or other appendices. They are useful for sites with a high picture or information content, by letting visitors choose whether or not to look at them in detail.

If you want to cover a lot of different topics, drop-down menus can help keep your page uncluttered:

Or if you'd like a scolling news panel on your front page that's easily done, as you can see from the example on the right.

THE FIRST THING is to sit down and sketch out on paper what you want. We can advise from scratch if necessary but it's easiest all round if you have a rough idea of what you want to begin with. That will also make it easier for us to give you an estimate of the likely cost.

If you want your own domain name (i.e. www.joebloggs.com) we can either just point you in the right direction or arrange it for you. The advantage of getting your own domain (apart from the neat address) is that you have full control over it and can let any web designer go in and make changes whenever you like. Alternatively you can save money by leaving your site attached to our address (i.e. www.CrescentMoonWeb.co.uk/joebloggs), which is free for the first year.

To register a .com domain name typically costs about £50, and this has to be renewed every two years. Other names such as .co.uk, .net or .biz cost less and may be preferable anyway depending on the nature of your site. Reserving a space with a commercial server also typically costs about £50 a year but prices are constantly falling and this is just a very rough guide.

  CrescentMoonWeb.co.uk