The Real Scoop About Hiring a Web Company (& The Fees Involved!)

All of these add up and must be covered by the pricing structure that the web solutions company sets up for their clients. Now that you have a little background on the costs of running a web company, we will discuss the various items that you will commonly see on proposals from web design companies.

Web design & Pricing Terminology

So what controls pricing? Why are prices so different?

You have probably already asked yourself why is the range in prices so huge? What is it that makes one web site cost NT$60,000 and another one cost almost NT$ 1,000,000? They look almost the same!!

1. Well, the answer to that question is the same answer as to when you hire somebody to build you a house. If you contract a big firm that has built entire business malls, like the 101 building in Taipei, then that will cost a lot more than if you hire your neighbor's nephew who just graduated from engineering school. The big firm has very good and very experienced engineers who have run projects like these many, many times before. They KNOW where most problems will occur. 

The nephew is a lot cheaper but he is also a lot more inexperienced and just doesn't have the know-how it takes to create something like the 101 building. He might be able to create something that on the surface looks like the 101 but as soon as you scratch the surface the building comes crashing down OR the front door won't open OR the windows are stuck...you get the picture.

Remember the old saying, "you get what you pay for..."? The same logic applies. Don't settle for cheap as it might be more costly in the long run to fix the problems that would have been avoided if you bought what you needed in the first place.

So the question then goes back to - What do you really need? Do you need the 101 building?  Make sure to first understand what you need then get the right guys for the right job!!

So does this mean a firm that has the capability to make a 101 mall can't make something that is smaller and that doesn't cost as much so that it can suit your needs better? Of course not! A good firm will have a range of products and services to accommodate your needs. However you shouldn't expect a 101 building for the same price as a smaller house built by your neighbor's nephew...... 

Also, you should understand that when you hire somebody like a nephew, he is just ONE man. When hiring a good reputable firm, you are hiring a TEAM that should cater to all your needs. Obviously, a TEAM will have more know-how and experience than ONE man....don't you think?

2. Another thing that affects price when building systems or creating  web sites is whether or not the company you are hiring already has a solution like the one you want, meaning that they have already developed something similar, could be a similar function or a similar design. Obviously that won't cost as much as doing it from scratch. HOWEVER, that doesn't mean that it should be free!! Just because the web solutions company already has developed something like what you need, you can't get it for free because it still needs to be customized for YOUR needs. This is also where many clients make a related mistake by saying; "Yahoo, Google or eBay already has this function, why can't you do it for me cheaply?"

Well, consider how much Yahoo, Google or Ebay and the like spent on R&D costs, how much they invested to create and develop that functionality...AND keep in mind that these are also most likely proprietary . Meaning all these giant technological firms won't share their technology with others for FREE. If others want the same thing they have to develop it themselves.SO just because you can see it at Yahoo doesn't mean that everybody else has the same technology or functionality. It costs money to develop!! Are you willing to spend that money?

FINALLY

You need to FIRST understand EXACTLY what kind of web site / web solution you need so you don't buy something that is too BIG or too small, If you buy something too big, you might not have the staff who can manage such a system but if it is too small then it won't do what you need AND it won't grow with your company needs in the future. 

The company you want to hire is the company that:

• can answer these questions for you
• can honestly tell you and guide you to what you need and don't need
• has vast and diversified experience of technology so that they don't just build the same thing over and over again
•  communicates clearly with you in a way that you understand
• doesn't try to sell you something you don't need
• has a library of useful, already developed helpful internet business tools
• has a good reputation and a record of good clients
• is willing to listen to you