Ivana Katz
Top 10%
Web Development
Owner at Websites 4 Small Business
Member Since April 2013
Dee Why, NSW, 2099
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Ivana is a website designer, specialising in small business websites. She understands getting a business online can be a daunting task and makes it easy to get your website created as quickly and smoothly as possible. But she doesn't stop at design. She is committed to providing you with the most up-to-date information about website marketing. She writes for a number of high profile publications including SiteProNews. Follow her at http://www.facebook.com/Websites4SmallBusiness
Qualified skills
Reputation
Is there a difference between hiring foreign and local web developers?
Over the years I have spoken to many customers who had their website developed offshore and these are some points they have brought up in regards to hiring a local website designer vs offshore designer/developer.Get a website designed offshoreProsSave moneyConsCultural and work ethic differencesDifficult to manage from afarLanguage barriersTime differencesLack of local market knowledgeLimited technical supportLack of trust to deliver what was promisedGet a website designed locallyProsKnowledge of local marketUnderstands website design trends and securityAble to design advanced websites including shopping carts, membership portals, etcCan help with website marketing and search engine optimisationTroubleshoot and fix up problemsConsCosts more than offshore developer
What’s the cost to build a Shopify, Squarespace, Wordpress or Magento store?
This is a little tricky to answer as there are many components that influence the cost of a website. But if you are just starting out in business and looking at a relatively simple website, here are some costs you will need to include in your budget1. Domain NameDomain name will depend on the type of domain name – some domain names are more expensive than others, but generally speaking you are looking anywhere between $45 - $140 per year.2. WebhostingThere are great variations on hosting prices. Just with anything else, you get what you pay for. If you find a company that offers webhosting for less than $150 per year, chances are your website will be on a server with thousands of other websites and will most likely very slow to load. Also tech support is generally minimal or via email only.For the majority of small businesses, you can get decent shared hosting from $25 per month.3. SSL CertificateAn SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate is a digital certificate that authenticates the identity of a website and encrypts information sent to the server using SSL technology. Encryption is the process of scrambling data into an undecipherable format that can only be returned to a readable format with the proper decryption key.The cost of SSL Certificates varies between $50 - $300 per year4. Website Design & DevelopmentHow much your website design will cost will greatly depend on the size and functionality. A 5-10 page informational website will generally cost between $1000 - $2500.An ecommerce website (one that sells products) generally costs between $2,500 - $10,000, depending on how many products you have and the complexity of the set up.5. Memberships / PluginsYou may also need to pay for additional services, such as Landing Page Builder, Email Automation, Calendar Booking System etc. Although many companies offer free versions, these are generally very limited. So depending on the membership level and service provided – you can be paying between $10 - $300 per month.6. CopywritingIf you don’t feel confident in writing the copy for your website, you may want to consider hiring a professional copywriter. Cost will depend on how many pages you will need. A good copywriter will cost from $1000+.7. MarketingOnce your website is built you will need to set a budget for promoting it and that can run from several dollars per day if you are running Facebook or Google ads - to several hundred per month for search engine optimisation and content building.8. Tech Support / MaintenanceMany designers and developers offer tech support / maintenance packages, which means you are paying for x hours each month of their time to help you update your website, upgrade it or to recover it if your website stops working or gets hacked. Cost is generally from $100 per month.So these are just some rough figures to give you an idea on how much getting a website created by a professional website designer will cost you.However, I would not look at what you spend on a website as an expense, but rather an investment in your business. If done and marketed correctly, your website can generate thousands of dollars in sales every day.
How much do digital agencies charge to build a website for a small business?
This is a little tricky to answer as there are many components that influence the cost of a website. But if you are just starting out in business and looking at a relatively simple website, here are some costs you will need to include in your budget1. Domain NameDomain name will depend on the type of domain name – some domain names are more expensive than others, but generally speaking you are looking anywhere between $45 - $140 per year.2. WebhostingThere are great variations on hosting prices. Just with anything else, you get what you pay for. If you find a company that offers webhosting for less than $150 per year, chances are your website will be on a server with thousands of other websites and will most likely very slow to load. Also tech support is generally minimal or via email only.For the majority of small businesses, you can get decent shared hosting from $25 per month.3. SSL CertificateAn SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate is a digital certificate that authenticates the identity of a website and encrypts information sent to the server using SSL technology. Encryption is the process of scrambling data into an undecipherable format that can only be returned to a readable format with the proper decryption key.The cost of SSL Certificates varies between $50 - $300 per year4. Website Design & DevelopmentHow much your website design will cost will greatly depend on the size and functionality. A 5-10 page informational website will generally cost between $1000 - $2500.An ecommerce website (one that sells products) generally costs between $2,500 - $10,000, depending on how many products you have and the complexity of the set up.5. Memberships / PluginsYou may also need to pay for additional services, such as Landing Page Builder, Email Automation, Calendar Booking System etc. Although many companies offer free versions, these are generally very limited. So depending on the membership level and service provided – you can be paying between $10 - $300 per month.6. CopywritingIf you don’t feel confident in writing the copy for your website, you may want to consider hiring a professional copywriter. Cost will depend on how many pages you will need. A good copywriter will cost from $1000+.7. MarketingOnce your website is built you will need to set a budget for promoting it and that can run from several dollars per day if you are running Facebook or Google ads - to several hundred per month for search engine optimisation and content building.8. Tech Support / MaintenanceMany designers and developers offer tech support / maintenance packages, which means you are paying for x hours each month of their time to help you update your website, upgrade it or to recover it if your website stops working or gets hacked. Cost is generally from $100 per month.So these are just some rough figures to give you an idea on how much getting a website created by a professional website designer will cost you.However, I would not look at what you spend on a website as an expense, but rather an investment in your business. If done and marketed correctly, your website can generate thousands of dollars in sales every day.
There are 5 main components to creating a website 1. Domain Name2. Webhosting3. SSL Certificate4. Website Creation5. Memberships / Plugins etc 1. Domain Name Domain name will depend on the type of domain name – some domain names are more expensive than others, but generally speaking you are looking anywhere between $45 - $140 per year. There are some premium domains, which can cost thousands of dollars, but that is generally an exception. 2. Webhosting There are great variations on hosting prices. Just with anything else, you get what you pay for. If you find a company who offers webhosting for less than $150 per year, chances are your website will be on a server with thousands of other websites and will most likely be slow to load. Also tech support is generally minimal or via email only. If your website gets a lot of traffic and if you have many large files, then you may need to consider Virtual Private Server or a Dedicated Web Server and this can set you back between $100 - $2000 per month. However, for the majority of small businesses, you can get decent shared hosting from $25 per month. 3. SSL Certificate An SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate is a digital certificate that authenticates the identity of a website and encrypts information sent to the server using SSL technology. Encryption is the process of scrambling data into an undecipherable format that can only be returned to a readable format with the proper decryption key. Whilst in previous years you only needed SSL certificate if you were accepting payments online, these days you need to have SSL Certificate for all websites, otherwise Google marks your website as Not Secure. The cost of SSL Certificates varies between $50 - $300 per year 4. Website Design & Development This is a bit more difficult to answer as much will depend on the size and functionality of a website. A 5-10 page informational website will generally cost between $1000 - $2500. An ecommerce website (one that sells products) generally costs between $2,500 - $10,000, depending on how many products you have and the complexity of the set up.As there is a lot of work involved in setting up a professional website, if you find someone who is charging less than $800, I would definitely check out their references and portfolio.5. Memberships / PluginsYou may also need to pay for additional services, such as Landing Page Builder, Email Automation, Calendar Booking System etc. Although many companies offer free versions, these are generally very limited. So depending on the membership level and service provided – you can be paying between $10 - $300 per month.So these are just some rough figures to give you an idea on how much getting a website created by a professional website designer will cost you.Naturally once your website is built you will need to set a budget for promoting your website and that can run from several dollars per day to several thousand per month.To make it easy for our clients to budget, we have put together packages, starting from $990.
7 costly mistakes to avoid when designing a new website
Every week thousands of new websites are uploaded on the internet, but only a few of them become successful. The main reason is that many entrepreneurs are focused on the look of the website and do not take into consideration what their visitors would like to see and what the search engines need. By planning ahead, you can avoid these costly mistakes that so many new website owners make. Mis...
Great question John. This is a problem that most small business owners face.
Sadly, $500 doesn't get you very far these days. Sure one can spend money on PPC, but when that runs out, where do you go from there? I would say majority of small business owners do not understand how to choose the best keywords for their campaigns and even if they do, oftentimes their websites are not set up to convert visitors to paying customers.
So I would recommend investing in education and learning about online marketing. There are plenty of great websites, which offer training courses - Lynda.com and Udemy.com are two I've come across. Once you understand what options you have, you can make a wiser decision where to invest your marketing dollars.
Why are my website backlinks not appearing on Google Webmaster?
Great question. I've been wondering about that myself, as I also noticed big backlink discrepancies in WMT - my numbers climbed quickly as I signed up for Google Authorship from 6,000 backlinks to 21,000 backlinks within a few weeks, but then suddenly started dropping again. Right now I'm hovering around the 16,000 mark and can't figure out why. Someone suggested using http://siteexplorer.info - not sure how good it is but may be worth checking out.
6 Steps to Create a Successful Small Business Website
If you are considering setting up a new small business website or looking to improve an existing one, here are some tips to get you started in the right direction. 1. Register a Keyword Rich Domain Name Register a domain name that includes keywords related to your business. For example, if your business name is Jack Black & Sons, it is a good idea to choose a domain name such as: manly...
How do I keep on top of Google's changes that might affect SEO?
James, yes a great point about becoming a Google verified author (point 4). This will boost your credibility with Google and increase click through rate, as your photo will appear next to your content, articles and posts in search results.
How do I keep on top of Google's changes that might affect SEO?
Great question Henrik. There seems to be so much panic everytime Google makes changes to their algorithms. So the first thing I'd like to say don't panic. If you are not employing any black hat techniques your website should be fine. Despite all the changes that have been made, 3 things have remained constant.
1. Keep the content on your website original and update it regularly
2. Get as many backlinks to your website as you can (ie. one way links from other websites, rather than reciprocal links), as Google sees those as a vote for your website.
3. Keywords and key phrases should be incorporated in each page’s title, headings, description and meta keywords as well as in alt tags of your images.
One point that has come up recently is getting involved in Social Media, as search engines now watch how you interact with your visitors.
You may wish to read the following article which provides more info:
http://www.seo-news.com/search-engine-optimization-getting-back-to-basics/
Also subscribe to Google's YouTube Channel for up-to-date information:
http://www.youtube.com/user/GoogleWebmasterHelp?feature=watch
7 costly mistakes to avoid when designing a new website
Every week thousands of new websites are uploaded on the internet, but only a few of them become successful. The main reason is that many entrepreneurs are focused on the look of the website and do not take into consideration what their visitors would like to see and what the search engines need. By planning ahead, you can avoid these costly mistakes that so many new website owners make. Mis...
6 Steps to Create a Successful Small Business Website
If you are considering setting up a new small business website or looking to improve an existing one, here are some tips to get you started in the right direction. 1. Register a Keyword Rich Domain Name Register a domain name that includes keywords related to your business. For example, if your business name is Jack Black & Sons, it is a good idea to choose a domain name such as: manly...
Is there a difference between hiring foreign and local web developers?
Over the years I have spoken to many customers who had their website developed offshore and these are some points they have brought up in regards to hiring a local website designer vs offshore designer/developer.Get a website designed offshoreProsSave moneyConsCultural and work ethic differencesDifficult to manage from afarLanguage barriersTime differencesLack of local market knowledgeLimited technical supportLack of trust to deliver what was promisedGet a website designed locallyProsKnowledge of local marketUnderstands website design trends and securityAble to design advanced websites including shopping carts, membership portals, etcCan help with website marketing and search engine optimisationTroubleshoot and fix up problemsConsCosts more than offshore developer
What’s the cost to build a Shopify, Squarespace, Wordpress or Magento store?
This is a little tricky to answer as there are many components that influence the cost of a website. But if you are just starting out in business and looking at a relatively simple website, here are some costs you will need to include in your budget1. Domain NameDomain name will depend on the type of domain name – some domain names are more expensive than others, but generally speaking you are looking anywhere between $45 - $140 per year.2. WebhostingThere are great variations on hosting prices. Just with anything else, you get what you pay for. If you find a company that offers webhosting for less than $150 per year, chances are your website will be on a server with thousands of other websites and will most likely very slow to load. Also tech support is generally minimal or via email only.For the majority of small businesses, you can get decent shared hosting from $25 per month.3. SSL CertificateAn SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate is a digital certificate that authenticates the identity of a website and encrypts information sent to the server using SSL technology. Encryption is the process of scrambling data into an undecipherable format that can only be returned to a readable format with the proper decryption key.The cost of SSL Certificates varies between $50 - $300 per year4. Website Design & DevelopmentHow much your website design will cost will greatly depend on the size and functionality. A 5-10 page informational website will generally cost between $1000 - $2500.An ecommerce website (one that sells products) generally costs between $2,500 - $10,000, depending on how many products you have and the complexity of the set up.5. Memberships / PluginsYou may also need to pay for additional services, such as Landing Page Builder, Email Automation, Calendar Booking System etc. Although many companies offer free versions, these are generally very limited. So depending on the membership level and service provided – you can be paying between $10 - $300 per month.6. CopywritingIf you don’t feel confident in writing the copy for your website, you may want to consider hiring a professional copywriter. Cost will depend on how many pages you will need. A good copywriter will cost from $1000+.7. MarketingOnce your website is built you will need to set a budget for promoting it and that can run from several dollars per day if you are running Facebook or Google ads - to several hundred per month for search engine optimisation and content building.8. Tech Support / MaintenanceMany designers and developers offer tech support / maintenance packages, which means you are paying for x hours each month of their time to help you update your website, upgrade it or to recover it if your website stops working or gets hacked. Cost is generally from $100 per month.So these are just some rough figures to give you an idea on how much getting a website created by a professional website designer will cost you.However, I would not look at what you spend on a website as an expense, but rather an investment in your business. If done and marketed correctly, your website can generate thousands of dollars in sales every day.
How much do digital agencies charge to build a website for a small business?
This is a little tricky to answer as there are many components that influence the cost of a website. But if you are just starting out in business and looking at a relatively simple website, here are some costs you will need to include in your budget1. Domain NameDomain name will depend on the type of domain name – some domain names are more expensive than others, but generally speaking you are looking anywhere between $45 - $140 per year.2. WebhostingThere are great variations on hosting prices. Just with anything else, you get what you pay for. If you find a company that offers webhosting for less than $150 per year, chances are your website will be on a server with thousands of other websites and will most likely very slow to load. Also tech support is generally minimal or via email only.For the majority of small businesses, you can get decent shared hosting from $25 per month.3. SSL CertificateAn SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate is a digital certificate that authenticates the identity of a website and encrypts information sent to the server using SSL technology. Encryption is the process of scrambling data into an undecipherable format that can only be returned to a readable format with the proper decryption key.The cost of SSL Certificates varies between $50 - $300 per year4. Website Design & DevelopmentHow much your website design will cost will greatly depend on the size and functionality. A 5-10 page informational website will generally cost between $1000 - $2500.An ecommerce website (one that sells products) generally costs between $2,500 - $10,000, depending on how many products you have and the complexity of the set up.5. Memberships / PluginsYou may also need to pay for additional services, such as Landing Page Builder, Email Automation, Calendar Booking System etc. Although many companies offer free versions, these are generally very limited. So depending on the membership level and service provided – you can be paying between $10 - $300 per month.6. CopywritingIf you don’t feel confident in writing the copy for your website, you may want to consider hiring a professional copywriter. Cost will depend on how many pages you will need. A good copywriter will cost from $1000+.7. MarketingOnce your website is built you will need to set a budget for promoting it and that can run from several dollars per day if you are running Facebook or Google ads - to several hundred per month for search engine optimisation and content building.8. Tech Support / MaintenanceMany designers and developers offer tech support / maintenance packages, which means you are paying for x hours each month of their time to help you update your website, upgrade it or to recover it if your website stops working or gets hacked. Cost is generally from $100 per month.So these are just some rough figures to give you an idea on how much getting a website created by a professional website designer will cost you.However, I would not look at what you spend on a website as an expense, but rather an investment in your business. If done and marketed correctly, your website can generate thousands of dollars in sales every day.
There are 5 main components to creating a website 1. Domain Name2. Webhosting3. SSL Certificate4. Website Creation5. Memberships / Plugins etc 1. Domain Name Domain name will depend on the type of domain name – some domain names are more expensive than others, but generally speaking you are looking anywhere between $45 - $140 per year. There are some premium domains, which can cost thousands of dollars, but that is generally an exception. 2. Webhosting There are great variations on hosting prices. Just with anything else, you get what you pay for. If you find a company who offers webhosting for less than $150 per year, chances are your website will be on a server with thousands of other websites and will most likely be slow to load. Also tech support is generally minimal or via email only. If your website gets a lot of traffic and if you have many large files, then you may need to consider Virtual Private Server or a Dedicated Web Server and this can set you back between $100 - $2000 per month. However, for the majority of small businesses, you can get decent shared hosting from $25 per month. 3. SSL Certificate An SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate is a digital certificate that authenticates the identity of a website and encrypts information sent to the server using SSL technology. Encryption is the process of scrambling data into an undecipherable format that can only be returned to a readable format with the proper decryption key. Whilst in previous years you only needed SSL certificate if you were accepting payments online, these days you need to have SSL Certificate for all websites, otherwise Google marks your website as Not Secure. The cost of SSL Certificates varies between $50 - $300 per year 4. Website Design & Development This is a bit more difficult to answer as much will depend on the size and functionality of a website. A 5-10 page informational website will generally cost between $1000 - $2500. An ecommerce website (one that sells products) generally costs between $2,500 - $10,000, depending on how many products you have and the complexity of the set up.As there is a lot of work involved in setting up a professional website, if you find someone who is charging less than $800, I would definitely check out their references and portfolio.5. Memberships / PluginsYou may also need to pay for additional services, such as Landing Page Builder, Email Automation, Calendar Booking System etc. Although many companies offer free versions, these are generally very limited. So depending on the membership level and service provided – you can be paying between $10 - $300 per month.So these are just some rough figures to give you an idea on how much getting a website created by a professional website designer will cost you.Naturally once your website is built you will need to set a budget for promoting your website and that can run from several dollars per day to several thousand per month.To make it easy for our clients to budget, we have put together packages, starting from $990.
Great question John. This is a problem that most small business owners face.
Sadly, $500 doesn't get you very far these days. Sure one can spend money on PPC, but when that runs out, where do you go from there? I would say majority of small business owners do not understand how to choose the best keywords for their campaigns and even if they do, oftentimes their websites are not set up to convert visitors to paying customers.
So I would recommend investing in education and learning about online marketing. There are plenty of great websites, which offer training courses - Lynda.com and Udemy.com are two I've come across. Once you understand what options you have, you can make a wiser decision where to invest your marketing dollars.
Why are my website backlinks not appearing on Google Webmaster?
Great question. I've been wondering about that myself, as I also noticed big backlink discrepancies in WMT - my numbers climbed quickly as I signed up for Google Authorship from 6,000 backlinks to 21,000 backlinks within a few weeks, but then suddenly started dropping again. Right now I'm hovering around the 16,000 mark and can't figure out why. Someone suggested using http://siteexplorer.info - not sure how good it is but may be worth checking out.
How do I keep on top of Google's changes that might affect SEO?
James, yes a great point about becoming a Google verified author (point 4). This will boost your credibility with Google and increase click through rate, as your photo will appear next to your content, articles and posts in search results.
How do I keep on top of Google's changes that might affect SEO?
Great question Henrik. There seems to be so much panic everytime Google makes changes to their algorithms. So the first thing I'd like to say don't panic. If you are not employing any black hat techniques your website should be fine. Despite all the changes that have been made, 3 things have remained constant.
1. Keep the content on your website original and update it regularly
2. Get as many backlinks to your website as you can (ie. one way links from other websites, rather than reciprocal links), as Google sees those as a vote for your website.
3. Keywords and key phrases should be incorporated in each page’s title, headings, description and meta keywords as well as in alt tags of your images.
One point that has come up recently is getting involved in Social Media, as search engines now watch how you interact with your visitors.
You may wish to read the following article which provides more info:
http://www.seo-news.com/search-engine-optimization-getting-back-to-basics/
Also subscribe to Google's YouTube Channel for up-to-date information:
http://www.youtube.com/user/GoogleWebmasterHelp?feature=watch
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