What should it cost to set up a web-page?

[Ian Grant]

Excellent point about Flash for websites.

Apple doesn't support it, seems intent on abandoning it and IIRC Adobe is working on a non-Flash software. Given the increasing prevalence of Apple, that should tell you which way things are trending.

And Apple bought & own Macromedia, the originators of Flash.

Apple are possible the most evil of all companies in computing.

Ian

 

[tlitody]

Excellent point about Flash for websites.

Apple doesn't support it, seems intent on abandoning it and IIRC Adobe is working on a non-Flash software. Given the increasing prevalence of Apple, that should tell you which way things are trending.

I think apple will support it but not until adobe produce a less processor intensive version. The issue for IPads is the battery consumption and flash will use that up pretty quick at 24 frames per second. The battery in an IPad would get much shortened useable time when playing any video so its not really a flash issue at all, its a battery issue for apple to sort out. But if you want super light and slim that's a problem. But having said that flash has been getting more processor intensive in the last couple of major releases (9 and 10). This likely due to a big increase in the use of actionscript which is like javascript in that it can be very processor and memory intensive if not written well.

 

[tlitody]

And Apple bought & own Macromedia, the originators of Flash.

Apple are possible the most evil of all companies in computing.

Ian

No they didn't. Adobe bought Macromedia.

 

[russelri]

My first photography site I created myself using html/css. However, I found updating pictures was quite laborious and I was spending too much time at the computer making changes to the site. I've also considered a custom site done by a Web Design company, but found them quite expensive especially with the on-going costs for hosting/support. Since then, I've used ifp3 with great affect, they are reasonably cheap and provide an admin interface which is pretty self explanatory. They have lots of different templates to choose from and also they support Ecommerce, SEO, site stats which is neat. My only gripe is there is a limitation on the customisation of your site such as adding ads etc.

 

[A_M_Johnson]

To give you an idea what a site like mine would cost, take a look at http://cafe1956.com. It is non flash so it works with any device.

I do Wordpress development and would charge $1000,00 to create the site and set up the Google checkout system and calendar, image gallery's, training etc. In my area that is about typical.

 

[Mainecoonmaniac]

If you don't need anything special or sophisticated, just post it on Flickr. It's a no brainer when it comes to posting photos. Also they just got together with Getty to do stock licensing. Another thing to consider is maintaining your website. How much are updates? How easy is it to work with the web designer? Other consideration is SEO (Search Engine Optimization) to so prospective clients could fine your site? I would also avoid having your site created with Flash for now due to the popularity of Ipads and Iphones.

 

[sly]

I am REALLY regretting not coming to the APUG community first for advice. What was I thinking?

I'm currently making maybe $2000/yr with photography. Spending that or more than that on film, paper, chemicals - but I've got a fairly good stock pile of some stuff now. The idea of the web page, of course, is to expand that, but more than half, and maybe all or more on setting up a webpage, seems kinda stupid. I don't expect to be able to quit my day (and night) job any time soon, but hope to some day as the 24/7 on-call gets harder and harder.

I've sent an email asking for a break down of costs so far, and projection of costs in the immediate and further future. Told him to hold off on anything else until I decide whether to continue.

(He does do this stuff for a living - local chamber of commerce and fund raisers and the like. I'm guessing he's never done photography before.)

 

[Mainecoonmaniac]

If you want a web presence, try Flicker. It's FREE and it's good. There's also another photo community that will offer support also. I think your money is better spent in photo gear and materials too.

 

[tlitody]

I am REALLY regretting not coming to the APUG community first for advice. What was I thinking?

I'm currently making maybe $2000/yr with photography. Spending that or more than that on film, paper, chemicals - but I've got a fairly good stock pile of some stuff now. The idea of the web page, of course, is to expand that, but more than half, and maybe all or more on setting up a webpage, seems kinda stupid. I don't expect to be able to quit my day (and night) job any time soon, but hope to some day as the 24/7 on-call gets harder and harder.

I've sent an email asking for a break down of costs so far, and projection of costs in the immediate and further future. Tols him to hold off on anything else until I decide whether to continue.

(He does do this stuff for a living - local chamber of commerce and fund raisers and the like. I'm guessing he's never done photography before.)

Look at this way, if you seriously think this web site is going to pay for itself within 12 months of going live, then whatever it costs it will be worth it because after that time it will be all profit. But whether it will pay for itself is always the 64,000 dollar question. Depends on how much you are paying for it, whether your work is saleable online and how good your search engine indexing is. I guess your work is pretty good as you are already selling it. So then the question is really how good will the search engine indexing be? I can't answer that because we just don't know. But if its average then you will make at least a few sales a year. So based on a few sales you know how much you will make so you can work out how long it will take to get your money back on it. If the first year it just pays for itself then I'd carry on with it. If you think it'll take 3 years to get your money back, then I'd drop it quick.
We really can't answer how many sales will you will make. Only you can guesstimate that but most peoples experience is not many.

I would add that if you are showing work in galleries and art fairs then giving your card to interested people can result in subsequent sales via the web. So its not just search engine indexing that drives people to your site.

Always a good way to go is to use one of the cheap online hosters such as clickpic for a year or two and if they generate worthwhile sales, you can think of having your own bespoke site if you really want one. That keeps up front outlay to a minimum while you test the water to see if your work is saleable online.

 

[JBrunner]

If your friend is already 70% over his estimate with no end in sight, he didn't know what he was doing in the first place. The only mitigating factor would be if you have changed the design or specs since he gave you the estimate. You need to have a sit down and nail down the parameters and price if you are going to continue.

 

[Colin Corneau]

Flickr, etc. are NOT a website.

They're fine for an additional outlet, but don't count on it to be a credible main display for your work.

 

[rst]

Lillian,

in the meantime I would start with this: (there was a url link here which no longer exists). Maybe not as flexible as a highly customized solution, but I think the presentation is OK and there seems to be an integration with paypal as I can see people selling prints there.

Cheers
Ruediger

 

[Marco B]

a paypal equipped site for photographers can be purchased for $40 at

Dead Link Removed

I'm using it and it's pretty easy to setup and maintain. trouble is, if it's not exactly what you want, you have to talk to the creator.

This looks very much like FotoPlayer. Fotoplayer is another option for you. It has Paypal sales / Shopping Cart integration as well, uses some Flash by default, but can be set to run without Flash support (HTML version) in the software configuration. Don't know the exact differences though...

It is available as a JAlbum skin or plugin to Adobe Lightroom, Picasa or Flickr.

Detailed user guide:
http://www.fotoplayer.com/userguide/

 

[toyosnapper]

Setting up a web site

Hi,
If you want cheap try <weebly.com>. It's free & easy to do; bit frustrating in places but worth trying. See <imagesbydennisdavis.weebly.com> Good luck.

 

[Sethasaurus]

I used to do web design but it did my head in. This is mainly because the clients never came up with the content.
In your case, you have loads of content, and the fact is photography websites have been done before - You shouldn't be paying someone to build it from scratch unless you have some requirement that doesn't fit any of the multitude of templated sites out there.
And don't balk at the mention of template sites - most of them can look nothing like the template when you've finished messing around with the design.

I have often almost fallen over when told how much people pay for websites. Sure, you are paying trained/educated people but seriously.. Websites are like diamonds - We pay so much because we EXPECT TO pay so much. The reality can be something different.

I would say that 70% error is a BIG error in an estimate. I paid someone $400 once to do a panel job that he quoted at $200. To me, that is a 100% f*ck-up. I also found out the guy used cheap materials.

If I was you, I'd set apart some time to demo some of the photo gallery sites that are out there. Believe me, there are a LOT of them.
I have used one solution in the past called quickCart and I like it. It has everything you want. There is a free version and paid versions, depending on your requirements:
http://opensolution.org/quick.cart,en,9.html
Demo is here:
http://opensolution.org/Quick.Cart/demo/?sLang=en
With any site that has user-managed content, you will have a learning curve, but it's not that hard and if you don't feel up to customising it, find a smart 12-year-old to do it for you

I know you already have money invested, but if you come to the conclusion to begin again, try this solution.

I think it really is that good, because it keeps things simple, and who wants to spend all day in front of the computer? (HANDS DOWN YOU LOT!). (And it's built with PHP, the way good websites are).

(Oh, and I have no affiliation with opensolution.org, I just really like the product for what it does).

I hope that helps. Please don't pay thousands!

 

[Q.G.]

[...] (And it's built with PHP, the way good websites are).

Looking at the stats of websites, i can't help but notice that about 1/3 of page requests are for php-related pages (that don't exist at the sites in question), and are attempts to take over control of the site through a php-provided back door. Avoiding php has denied such attempts.
(By the way: many attempts also target MySQL. Pitty for the attacker(s), also not present at the sites in question.)

So i don't know about that "the way good websites are"...

 

[patois]

I have seen great work by http://arlosites.com/ and they are pretty darn cheap.