How To: Your Web Design Budget

How do you, as a small business owner, decide how much to spend on a web site? You can find pricing that ranges from $500 to $5000 or more (US) for basic business web sites. How do you decide a good price? What should you look for in a web designer? What price range offers the greatest value?

Fear not, my intrepid small business owners, I have written an article that will help guide you through th process. "How To Set A Web Design Budget" is written just for the entrepreneur looking for great web design and realistic pricing. We share the secrets to choosing a great designer, and a great deal!

Who Can Design A Sunset?

If man invented sunsets, only the rich would ever see them. Thankfully, this magnificent art is a free gift from our Creator.

I was recently looking at sunset photos I captured during my years spent in Phoenix, Arizona. Doing so, I realized how many memories of those glorious moments I have. Indeed, those sunsets are of greater significance to me than any movie or television show I've seen. Perhaps there is an as yet undiscovered emotional benefit that comes from appreciating a beautiful sunset. After all, who of us does not like to receive beautiful gifts? This priceless gift is a daily reminder of our Creator's love for humankind.

See more Arizona sunset photos in my photo blog stylepeterson.com. This photo was captured in Papago Park, Phoenix, Arizona. Sunset colors reflect on a palm tree lined fishing lagoon in this desert park.

Great Web Design Is On Sale!

I know that many of who visit my web design portfolio need a great web site, but feel that our web design services may be too expensive. Well, now is the time to give us a call! We are having our annual web design sale and this is your time for a great deal on stylish, effective web design!

The truth is, that our web design fees have always been reasonably priced to serve the small business owner and entrepreneurial start-ups on a budget. We take great pride in creating web design that can compete with the best on the Web at any price. So take a look at our web design portfolio and contact us for a free, no obligation price quote. You will never have a better opportunity for a great deal on Newark1 web design!

Secrets to Longevity?

"People who don't smoke, are physically active, drink alcohol in moderation, and eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day live 14 years longer, on average, than those with none of these attributes." The conclusion is based on an 11-year study of 20,000 people. —UC Berkeley Wellness Letter, U.S.A.

50 Ugliest Auto Designs

Looking at really bad design is fun! I got a kick out of an article in Business Week of the Fifty Ugliest Cars of the Past 50 Years. I think the choices made are dead-on. The Hummer is on the list, as well as the Cadillac Escalade, two of the most recent monstrosities to come out of Detroit. I personally loved the design of the Delorean however, and don't agree with its place on the list. It was a pretty exotic design for its day although it may seem a bit dated now. See if your clunker made it to the list!

Consumers Hate Slow Loading Web Sites

I know how you think. You are convinced that the world is waiting with baited breath to see the spinning, gyrating, blinking, 'thingamabob' you insist must be on your home page. So, you tell your web designer to make it work, confident that any potential customer visiting your web site will be hopelessly smitten by the spinning, gyrating, blinking, 'thingamabob' on your home page. Your web designer adds it to your site . . . But it comes with a high price. That slow loading Flash animation keeps visitors waiting 20, 30 seconds or more. Worse, it may be causing you to lose customers! Here is proof:

The Gomez Survey, which was conducted in December of 2009, found that the vast majority of consumers expected web pages to load quickly regardless of what time of year the site was visited, and that goes for travel, retail and most any other type of "serious" site. If it's a business, and it's online, consumers expect near-instant page loads. Anything less, and all sorts of bad things begin to happen.

The Gomez survey had the following findings:

•A third of online shoppers had a bad experience on a retail Web site during the recent 2009 Holiday shopping season and 15 percent found the problem to be “unacceptable.”
•These bad online experiences caused nearly one in five online shoppers to shop at another site.
•In general, 41 percent of online shoppers will only tolerate one or two bad online experiences before abandoning a retailer’s Web site.

Do you want to attract online customers? Dump the Flash and give them a fast-loading website. At Newark1.com we have been giving our clients that advice for years. Prompt service is even more important online if you want to make the sale!

Creativity Or Consumption?

Imagine if we as a culture placed a higher value on creativity than consumption. What a different world it would be! Consumerism engenders greed and a spirit of rivalry. An endless desire to accumulate the most things never brings out the best in men or society. To be truly creative requires a willingness to learn, share and cooperate, if the thing imagined is to be realized. Sadly, most of us are not afforded the opportunity to do work we enjoy. As a web designer, I am deeply appreciative of the fact that what I do on a daily basis pleases others. Indeed, I am on "pins and needles" more from the anticipation of a client's acceptance of my hard work than from waiting for the check to arrive. Work well done produces a deep sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. It adds meaning to life.

We are all inherently creative. After all, our Creator is masterfully creative. We are made in his image, with a measure of his abilities. However, in our consumer driven society, few of us can afford the time needed to explore creative urges. I remember an observation made in a recent episode of Anthony Bordain's "No Reservations" travel and food show that showcased the culture and cuisine of Indonesia. He made the comment that "everyone here seems to be able to make something." He was commenting on the creativity that seems to be endlessly woven into the fabric of daily life in that culture. Such creativity produces a better person. Less competitive, less eager to exploit the work of others, more focused on producing good with one's own hands.

If we truly valued creativity, teachers and those who have gained experience through a lifetime of good work would be given much greater respect. We would also be a happier culture, less prone to the emptiness that comes from consumerism's vain pursuits.