The Awesome Website
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Way. Look, I’m psychic. I know who you probably are. You’ve got a small business, right? Maybe a mid-sized business. Maybe you’re an entrepreneur, working solo. Or maybe you just have a hobby that you’d like to showcase online. You want — nay, NEED — a website, because this is the 21st century. But you don’t want to spend a fortune. We should talk. Look, a fully-customized, pimped out, Flash-intensive super site is going to cost you an arm and a leg. But, similarly, the cheap sites out there being built by people like your neighbor’s 13-year-old look like total shit. Fortunately, there’s a middle ground. And congratulations, you smart person… you’ve found it. At this point, I could give you every little detail about what you can expect in an Awesome Website, but for now, I think that you’ll get the best feel for it by checking out a demo site. That’ll show you exactly the type of website you can expect. So go check out the demo site. I’ll wait while you do that. Johnny, you’re a skilled and sought-after and handsome developer. How are you willing to do all of this for this cheap? You may recognize “Wordpress” as the baddest, awesomest, roughest and toughest blogging software out there today. Or you may not recognize it at all. Either way is cool. The bottom line is that the Wordpress software gives me the architecture from the get-go, so I don’t have to build it by hand. I can fancy it up, drop in your content, add your logo if you have one, do some technical wizardry, and hand you a pimpin’ website in a small fraction of the time it would take to build one from scratch. Wordpress? Are you setting up a BLOG for me? I thought this was a website! Or, alternatively, what the hell is a blog? Wordpress is well-known as the software behind the very best “blogs,” which are like online journals. (The demo site has a blog. Check it out.) But, there is a way to use Wordpress as a normal site, so that it’s not so “bloggy.” The site I set up for you won’t look like a blog. When you go to most blogs, you just see a bunch of recent blog posts on the homepage. When you go to these sites, you see a normal homepage, some other normal pages, and then a blog as sort of an aside… which I can even omit if you’d like. What do I get in my Awesome Website? 1. Five pages: About, Contact, Home, and up to two other pages of your choice, all filled with whatever text and images you give to me. (If you don’t have text and images ready yet, I’ll put in dummy info that you can change later. It’s easy; don’t worry.) 2. A blog: Your site will include a blog unless you specifically tell me you don’t want it. Blogs are great. Not only do search engines love them, but they allow you or anyone else in your company to easily add fresh content that readers or prospects can keep coming back to check on, or even subscribe to receive updates through email. 3. A contact form: This will allow people to contact you easily. Check it out. 4. A cool look: You’ll pick the “theme” of your blog, which will determine it’s look. There are zillions of free Wordpress themes out there. One of the best places to find them is the Wordpress themes directory, but you can also Google “free Wordpress themes” and find a ton. You tell me which theme to use and I’ll put it up for you. 5. Helpful plugins: “Plugins” are little software programs that make your blog work better. Here’s the ones I’ll install for you: • wp-spamfree to fight blog comment spam 6. A half-hour video that will show you how to maintain the blog, add images, add new pages, write posts, and so on. Can you add more pages for me, customize the “theme” so it looks a little different, or do anything else to fancy up the site? Please just keep in mind that for this price, I can’t do additional services, customize sidebar widgets, or design logos, but we can absolutely work together on whatever you’d like for an additional fee. (It’s still going to be a ton cheaper than any other website you’d find of this quality.) How much of a hassle will this be for me? Then, as an optional step, you could send me whatever text and images you’d like to use on the site, on which pages. (Please note that if you don’t have content for your site yet, I’ll put in dummy copy. You’ll be able to replace it later, at your leisure… and you’ll totally know how to do it because I’m giving you the video instructions I mentioned in point #6 above. This point is cool because it allows you to get set up NOW, without having to wait until you have every single one of your ducks in a row!) Are there any additional costs? I offer two hosting options, both of which would be paid directly to the provider by you. One costs about $72 for a whole year, paid up front. The other costs $10 per month, paid monthly. The first option ends up being a lot cheaper but has to be paid in one lump sum. For that reason, I prefer the former. Your call. (I’ll email you after you order to discuss this, so you don’t have to do anything now.) How long will the process take? So are you ready to rock and roll? Your own fab website in just a few days, for super cheap? Hell, I want to hire myself because it’s so good. But that would be stupid. But you can hire me. That wouldn’t be stupid. In fact, it would be way smart. GET YOURS!
Frequently-Asked Questions:
A: If you don’t have hosting, don’t go out and buy any until I tell you. But after you buy the blog setup, I’ll direct you to a GoDaddy plan that will allow you to have as many websites on it as you’d like. This plan costs right around $72 for a full year, paid in advance, using a promo code I’ll give you. (Please note that in order to qualify for the base price, you will need to pay for the full year (not monthly) and cannot use promo codes other than the one I provide.) If you can’t swing $72, I’ll point you toward a HostGator plan that costs $10 per month, paid monthly. I don’t really recommend this option because it’s a good deal more expensive in the long run. (Note that if you already have purchased from HostGator before, you can’t use this option and still qualify for the base price.) Domain names are around $10 per year. GoDaddy will give you the first one for like $2 if you buy hosting there. A: Yes, but because I won’t get the hosting affiliate commission that subsidizes the normal price, it’ll cost you an additional charge. A: If your hosting is on GoDaddy or any hosting running cPanel and offering Fantastico Deluxe or an equivalent (HostGator, DreamHost, BlueHost), then it’s $50. The upcharge is $75 for other hosting setups. A: Yes! Check out the big orange sidebar on this page for more info. A: These:
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(AKA “Stuff you can add on to this service”) People kept asking me to add this or that to their blogs and sites, so I figured I should just start offering this and that to everyone. The following descriptions are to help you decide if you want any of the add-ons. We’ll settle the details after you’ve checked out, including telling me your theme choices, signing up for your mailing list, and handling the particulars of any blog migration. Premium Wordpress Theme
Woo Themes are flat-out beautiful, right out of the metaphorical box. You’ll be able to pick any one of these themes and look like a pro from the get-go. PRICE: $100 additional (includes theme)
Thesis is somewhat of a celebrity in the world of Themes for its search engine optimization prowess and for being highly configurable even by non-techies. However, let’s face it… the default Thesis look is boring, so this service includes setting you up with a Thesis skin of your choice. PRICE: $150 additional (includes theme and skin)
Headway takes “user configurability” to ridiculous new levels. Using its unique drag-and-drop, intuitive interface, you’ll be able to rearrange page elements, style your site, add header images all without technical help. (Note: For this reason, I don’t “style” Headway for you. I set it up and you do the rest.) PRICE: $100 additional (includes theme)
Migration of an existing blog Please note that this is a “just move the stuff” migration. Your old posts won’t automatically redirect to your new site, and you’ll probably want to post to your old blog to let people know you’ve moved. PRICE: $75 additional
Mailing list setup I’ll set you up with aWeber, which is what I and most professionals use. I’ll set you up A to Z and put a signup form on your site so that people can join your list, and all you’ll need to do is to urge people to sign up and start emailing. PRICE: $100 additional
Carts and e-Commerce Because these services are still in the initial phase — I’m still working to define what they include, basically — I haven’t added them to my own cart and buying options you see over there at the left. If you’d like this option, just email me and we’ll discuss it. NOTE: All of my cart setups — including the top tier service — use PayPal and/or Google Checkout (allows anyone to pay with a credit card without logging in to anything) as their payment options. I don’t set up FULL-ON payment gateways and real time processing, but IMO most people never need it and it can cost a fortune both to set up and maintain. Also note that these carts are “I set it up and you fill it up.” I’ll hook you up with your first few products if you have them ready, but you’ll largely be adding subsequent products to the cart yourself. PRICE: $100-$600 additional depending on level of setup
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A site for that’s awesome for cheap? No way.
