Click here for some ideas on how to keep your website fresh and interesting.

Can you update my website for me?

Sure. I would be happy to update an already-existing website that someone else created for you. That can be as extensive as redesigning the site completely, or as simple as just updating your address or phone number, or adding some new information. Those kinds of changes are very quick to make.

Do I need a website?

It's becoming more and more important for anyone who has any kind of information they want to disseminate to be able to do it via the web.

The web allows you to communicate with anyone in the world; it gives you a virtual soapbox to air your views, showcase your talents, try out your ideas.

I think anyone can benefit from a website. If you're a writer, a website gives you a place to communicate with your readers between books, keeping them interested and engaged. If you're an artist, a website can be a place to post a virtual portfolio, a place to send potential buyers of your art, or just a place to point to with pride.

Only you can decide if you need a website or not, but the fact that you're here indicates that the answer is "yes."

How much does a website cost?

They're all different. I charge by the hour, because one person's five page site can turn into someone else's 100 page site, and that way, if your site is that five page one, you know you're not subsidizing other, more complicated, sites.

Once we've talked about your website needs and expectations, I'll give you a rough estimate of total cost, but it's only an estimate--all work is billed on an hourly basis. The first hour's consultation, which generally involves several emails back and forth, and possibly a little prelimimary layout work, is free.

If you want to own your own domain name (www.yourownname.com), they are very inexpensive right now. Initial registration costs around $20 for two years, then $10/year thereafter. You will also need to have your website hosted somewhere, which just means that you make arrangements with a company to store your website pages on their computers so that anyone in the world can access them at any time.

Hosting generally costs somewhere around $15/month, depending on where it is hosted, with a $50 one time set-up fee. Registering a domain name and arranging for hosting is something that I can take care of for you, as part of my web design services.

What information do you need from me?

Just send me an email and tell me who you are, what kind of business you're in, and anything else you can think of that might help me in designing a website for you--what your favorite (or company) colors are, what your interests are, what you like (and don't like) in websites you've seen.

It's also helpful if you can give me URLS (website addresses) of some of your favorite websites in terms of the way they're laid out or designed. That will give me some idea of how to start to design a site for you.

If you already have a website that you would like to update or re-do, I can do that, too. Just send along the URL and I'll take a look at it and tell you what I can do to help you with it.

Once I get started on the site, if you have any logos or corporate artwork that you need me to incorporate, I'll need original copies of those, either in digital form (on a CD or ZIP disk or emailed to me) or in paper form, which I can scan.