May I ask how much would a similar site to this cost ?
Discussion
This is the site http://www.central-london-apartments.com with lets say 20 properties ?
Also another question is how much a month would a seo ask to be placed on the first page of google ?
Also another question is how much a month would a seo ask to be placed on the first page of google ?
It depends. If you are willing to do the design yourself then something like this http://ithemes.com/ireal-estate-wordpress-theme-re... would be a cheap option.
If it was a bespoke site then the sky is the limit.
If it was a bespoke site then the sky is the limit.
That's not a hugely complex website but it'll certainly be more than a couple of grand, especially if you use a developer who understands on-site SEO and optimises each page. Top of my head figure says about £10-15K (though I don't have anything to do with websites so could be miles off!)
Regarding on-going SEO costs - it'll depend on factors including the target keywords, the timescale for results, the SEO work of competing sites and how much effort you and your team are willing to put into things like content creation.
Regarding on-going SEO costs - it'll depend on factors including the target keywords, the timescale for results, the SEO work of competing sites and how much effort you and your team are willing to put into things like content creation.
Dick Dastardly said:
That's not a hugely complex website but it'll certainly be more than a couple of grand, especially if you use a developer who understands on-site SEO and optimises each page. Top of my head figure says about £10-15K (though I don't have anything to do with websites so could be miles off!)
Regarding on-going SEO costs - it'll depend on factors including the target keywords, the timescale for results, the SEO work of competing sites and how much effort you and your team are willing to put into things like content creation.
It seems a very high number but that could be because it has so many properties , I believe they have 150+, so a lot of pages Regarding on-going SEO costs - it'll depend on factors including the target keywords, the timescale for results, the SEO work of competing sites and how much effort you and your team are willing to put into things like content creation.
This seo stuff is of a lot of interest to me either way and I know google do the sponsored links but I personally never click on them so im reluctant to use their service .
I have looked at templates but for what I do a micky-mouse site will not do
I have asked for a few quotes however im really lost at the prospect of spending 2k+ and not getting the product I need
frosted said:
Dick Dastardly said:
That's not a hugely complex website but it'll certainly be more than a couple of grand, especially if you use a developer who understands on-site SEO and optimises each page. Top of my head figure says about £10-15K (though I don't have anything to do with websites so could be miles off!)
Regarding on-going SEO costs - it'll depend on factors including the target keywords, the timescale for results, the SEO work of competing sites and how much effort you and your team are willing to put into things like content creation.
It seems a very high number but that could be because it has so many properties , I believe they have 150+, so a lot of pages Regarding on-going SEO costs - it'll depend on factors including the target keywords, the timescale for results, the SEO work of competing sites and how much effort you and your team are willing to put into things like content creation.
This seo stuff is of a lot of interest to me either way and I know google do the sponsored links but I personally never click on them so im reluctant to use their service .
I have looked at templates but for what I do a micky-mouse site will not do
I have asked for a few quotes however im really lost at the prospect of spending 2k+ and not getting the product I need
Have you considered outsourcing this to rentacoder or elance etc?
I have recently outsourced the website development for a project I'm working on because I just don't have the time to do everything myself (website is just 1 part of 3 software components). Being a software developer myself, I wrote quite a detailed spec (37 pages) to make sure we're clear on what I want, and I managed to negotiate a price of $1000! :-) I reckon what I've asked for is more complicated than the website listed here too.
I've not had it delivered yet, but I'm confident it will be fine.
I honestly think you could get yourself a clone of that website for under £1k.
The number of properties is largely irrelevant. The property details are stored in the database - it's the same page to display any property - just a different record retrieved from the database and presented. 1 property or 1,000,000 properties - no extra work.
Good luck
I can see some sense in that , actually I have thought about sourcing someone from another country to do the work , I can see it being a bit risky due to not knowing who to trust . Any ideas where I can look to get started ? I have a website , while it's very simple it does look ok , it could be 100 times better. Even managed to get myself on expedia , lastminute etc , what I would really want the seo and the actuall website to bring me leads and not to rely on such any other channels . They normally charge 16% and that is something I really want to pass on to customers
Edited by frosted on Monday 22 March 21:33
Be careful with these rentacoder/elance types - in my experience, they usually give you messy code, and the one thing they don't practice is attention to detail.
When the full-service developers (like myself) take on a job, we do it as if it was our own site. No stone is left unturned and no corners are cut. There are no compromises and you get a high quality product.
You *DO* get what you pay for - believe me. Yes, a Proton will get you places just as well as the BMW, and on the surface it is hard to see how a BMW is multiple times more expensive than the Proton from a purely functional standpoint, but when you get to the heart of it, the quality is worth it. Each and every time, if you ask me.
The other problem with these rentacoder types is that there is nothing stopping them from spending a little more time modifying and packaging the code you have paid for, and then selling that as standalone software. They are effectively earning an income off work that you have commissioned, and don't be surprised to see clones of your code popping up elsewhere. There is no legal recourse either.
Of course there's nothing stopping people like me from doing that as well, but we tend to have a code of conduct regarding our work (and our charges mean we earn a fair wage, thereby eliminating the need for us to resort to moonlighting, as it were).
When the full-service developers (like myself) take on a job, we do it as if it was our own site. No stone is left unturned and no corners are cut. There are no compromises and you get a high quality product.
You *DO* get what you pay for - believe me. Yes, a Proton will get you places just as well as the BMW, and on the surface it is hard to see how a BMW is multiple times more expensive than the Proton from a purely functional standpoint, but when you get to the heart of it, the quality is worth it. Each and every time, if you ask me.
The other problem with these rentacoder types is that there is nothing stopping them from spending a little more time modifying and packaging the code you have paid for, and then selling that as standalone software. They are effectively earning an income off work that you have commissioned, and don't be surprised to see clones of your code popping up elsewhere. There is no legal recourse either.
Of course there's nothing stopping people like me from doing that as well, but we tend to have a code of conduct regarding our work (and our charges mean we earn a fair wage, thereby eliminating the need for us to resort to moonlighting, as it were).
-DeaDLocK- said:
Be careful with these rentacoder/elance types - in my experience, they usually give you messy code, and the one thing they don't practice is attention to detail.
When the full-service developers (like myself) take on a job, we do it as if it was our own site. No stone is left unturned and no corners are cut. There are no compromises and you get a high quality product.
ThisWhen the full-service developers (like myself) take on a job, we do it as if it was our own site. No stone is left unturned and no corners are cut. There are no compromises and you get a high quality product.
The number of properties is a slight red herring. For a site like this you're buying the system into which you put your information, so you can add/remove/edit property details at will. And from my quick browse of the site, that system is not trivial. It's not like someone has just put all the info into Word and hit "Save as HTML".
Other than that, I go along with DL above. Go on a personal recommendation, someone you can work with through the project and someone you can speak to afterwards to refine and tweak to meet your needs.
I agree that spending that amount of money can be scary, so you need trust and an open dialogue with whoever you find to do the site. If you go for the cheapest you can get, you won't be getting the best you can get.
SEO wise, the site needs to be built with this in mind from scratch, but *you* have to lead on what is important, and work with the designer/developer to get it right. Whoever does it should have some ideas, but you can't just assume that the developer has your level of industry knowledge.
And don't forget two things re: SEO
1) It is constant and ongoing
2) There is no such thing as "first page guarantee" (I suspect your industry is quite saturated which makes it even harder)
Other than that, I go along with DL above. Go on a personal recommendation, someone you can work with through the project and someone you can speak to afterwards to refine and tweak to meet your needs.
I agree that spending that amount of money can be scary, so you need trust and an open dialogue with whoever you find to do the site. If you go for the cheapest you can get, you won't be getting the best you can get.
SEO wise, the site needs to be built with this in mind from scratch, but *you* have to lead on what is important, and work with the designer/developer to get it right. Whoever does it should have some ideas, but you can't just assume that the developer has your level of industry knowledge.
And don't forget two things re: SEO
1) It is constant and ongoing
2) There is no such thing as "first page guarantee" (I suspect your industry is quite saturated which makes it even harder)
I know that the site has to be seo oriented from day one , that's why I'm reluctant to use a template .
Is there such thing as one person who do the web design and code ? Or I need 2 different people or a team ?
Can anyone throw me a rough figure ?
Is there such thing as one person who do the web design and code ? Or I need 2 different people or a team ?
Can anyone throw me a rough figure ?
Edited by frosted on Tuesday 23 March 11:04
How urgent is the work?
I take on board what people are saying regarding Rentacoder, and with 16 yrs professional software development experience myself, I'm well aware of the nightmare that I could be letting myself in for... BUT, I have commissioned a team off Rentacoder because a) I don't have the time to do it myself and b) I don't have the funds to pay for the rates that UK developers want.
If you can hang on a month or so, my site should be ready and I'll let you know the developers I chose if I'm happy with them. Of course, I might be just become another subscriber to the 'keep away from rentacoder' idea... Time will tell...
I take on board what people are saying regarding Rentacoder, and with 16 yrs professional software development experience myself, I'm well aware of the nightmare that I could be letting myself in for... BUT, I have commissioned a team off Rentacoder because a) I don't have the time to do it myself and b) I don't have the funds to pay for the rates that UK developers want.
If you can hang on a month or so, my site should be ready and I'll let you know the developers I chose if I'm happy with them. Of course, I might be just become another subscriber to the 'keep away from rentacoder' idea... Time will tell...
boony said:
How urgent is the work?
I take on board what people are saying regarding Rentacoder, and with 16 yrs professional software development experience myself, I'm well aware of the nightmare that I could be letting myself in for... BUT, I have commissioned a team off Rentacoder because a) I don't have the time to do it myself and b) I don't have the funds to pay for the rates that UK developers want.
If you can hang on a month or so, my site should be ready and I'll let you know the developers I chose if I'm happy with them. Of course, I might be just become another subscriber to the 'keep away from rentacoder' idea... Time will tell...
In your case, it may well work out, given your specifications are very precise. They tend to do only as little they need to, without asking obvious questions in the likely event that would mean more work.I take on board what people are saying regarding Rentacoder, and with 16 yrs professional software development experience myself, I'm well aware of the nightmare that I could be letting myself in for... BUT, I have commissioned a team off Rentacoder because a) I don't have the time to do it myself and b) I don't have the funds to pay for the rates that UK developers want.
If you can hang on a month or so, my site should be ready and I'll let you know the developers I chose if I'm happy with them. Of course, I might be just become another subscriber to the 'keep away from rentacoder' idea... Time will tell...
But a lot of regular folk don't know how to write a proper spec. Even if they take the time, they write a functional specification, rather than a functional AND technical one.
But two points still stand: if you get properly formatted, efficient and commented code that you can edit yourself without figuring too much out, I would be surprised (but would be happy to be surprised, so do keep us posted!). And don't be shocked if you chance across SiteX one day which uses the exact same code.
Thanks for the replies , actually I have started with a template which I havent chosen myself due to the fact its a small familly business and the vote went against me by 2-1.
I got in touch with a few SEO companies and they told me a rough figure of 400-800 pcm for top 20 ranking in Google and that will take up to 3 months due to the fact Im not appearing on google at all at the minute .
I think at the moment I will go ahead with the twmplate website and just optimise it for seo.
if anyone can talk to me about SEO stuff please get in touch
I got in touch with a few SEO companies and they told me a rough figure of 400-800 pcm for top 20 ranking in Google and that will take up to 3 months due to the fact Im not appearing on google at all at the minute .
I think at the moment I will go ahead with the twmplate website and just optimise it for seo.
if anyone can talk to me about SEO stuff please get in touch
rentacoder: it will be very cheap, but you will not get good quality SEO-optimised code and it may or may not be to spec. There is a danger that even though you highly specify what you want, halfway through the dev will realise they aren't able to deliver profitably and will not complete the project. However, when I used it (an experiment as a dev myself), copyright by default is with the client ("work for hire"). This makes it practically impossible for coders to legally use code from other sources, or to resell the code they develop. I had to specifically negotiate copyright over the code (with an exclusivity period), and this was very unusual. So if you discover a clone of your website, there IS legal recourse, but may or may not be worth pursuing.
Number of pages: has practically no relevance to the cost, unless you want to pay for someone to type in the content, write copy etc.
SEO: has two components - a well structured website, and "marketing". The first is a technical thing, and will require a competent developer. This will get you so far, and may get you number 1 on google when searching for the name of your site. To get you number one for "holiday properties in spain" you will need to either get word out there so people will link to your site (e.g. happy customers), or to hire an SEO company to post links all over the internet. Both obviously cost huge amounts of money in competitive markets. A viable alternative to SEO is therefore advertising.
Custom vs bespoke: I don't think you could get a website like the one above in cookie-cutter form. Even if one is used as a starting point, it will require a fair bit of coding. You need a developer. Something simpler but not as polished is probably possible if someone is good at tinkering with modular CMS software (what I would call a "web designer").
Developer vs graphic designer: there are plenty of people decent at both. Like anything, there will not be many who are truly outstanding at both.
Costs: for the website, 10k seems fair as it's custom and moderately feature rich.
Number of pages: has practically no relevance to the cost, unless you want to pay for someone to type in the content, write copy etc.
SEO: has two components - a well structured website, and "marketing". The first is a technical thing, and will require a competent developer. This will get you so far, and may get you number 1 on google when searching for the name of your site. To get you number one for "holiday properties in spain" you will need to either get word out there so people will link to your site (e.g. happy customers), or to hire an SEO company to post links all over the internet. Both obviously cost huge amounts of money in competitive markets. A viable alternative to SEO is therefore advertising.
Custom vs bespoke: I don't think you could get a website like the one above in cookie-cutter form. Even if one is used as a starting point, it will require a fair bit of coding. You need a developer. Something simpler but not as polished is probably possible if someone is good at tinkering with modular CMS software (what I would call a "web designer").
Developer vs graphic designer: there are plenty of people decent at both. Like anything, there will not be many who are truly outstanding at both.
Costs: for the website, 10k seems fair as it's custom and moderately feature rich.
Thanks bog , i did think the link I posted was somewhere along 10k if not more . I meet the guys a few Yeats ago and back then they were spending 2000 pm on advertising .
The keywords are , apartments , holiday apartments , short let apartmens , holidday accomodation , with London at the end of each word due to geo
The keywords are , apartments , holiday apartments , short let apartmens , holidday accomodation , with London at the end of each word due to geo
-DeaDLocK- said:
When the full-service developers (like myself) take on a job, we do it as if it was our own site. No stone is left unturned and no corners are cut. There are no compromises and you get a high quality product.
Another +1.A friend of mine went with a rent-a-coder (against my advice) and although the work looks nice enough, the site's been hacked & defaced several times due SQL injections that should've been blocked off. Buy cheap, buy twice is the old adage.
I know you've gone ahead with a template option for now but my advice would be to discuss it with -Deadlock-.
He started work on a very similar project for a client of mine recently. Unfortunately the client cancelled due to changes in his business but not before I'd had the opportunity to be impressed with Rudi's quality, cost & professionalism.
You might be pleasantly surprised at what can be done.
Thanks for the plug PBF (for a moment there I wondered who you were!).
Frosted, you are welcome to chat to me (I give advice and an occasional piece of design work for free), but I am probably going to be neck deep for the next month or two!!!
Time for me to start thinking about hiring others, but quality control then becomes an issue.
Have any developers on here made a name for yourselves as a freelancer, and then managed to carry over that reputation to a team of people you manage? If so, how did you do it, and how do you prevent your star people running away and stealing your clients?
Frosted, you are welcome to chat to me (I give advice and an occasional piece of design work for free), but I am probably going to be neck deep for the next month or two!!!
Time for me to start thinking about hiring others, but quality control then becomes an issue.
Have any developers on here made a name for yourselves as a freelancer, and then managed to carry over that reputation to a team of people you manage? If so, how did you do it, and how do you prevent your star people running away and stealing your clients?
Gassing Station | Business | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff