E-commerce Web Design
Increasingly businesses are setting up websites as more and more customer research and purchasing is carried out online. Often businesses do not have the skills in-house to set up a website, so they turn to a web design company with the expertise to produce and run the site for them.
Most web design companies do not just design the website, but will also offer some or all of the following services; hosting, contact forms, e-commerce and in depth statistical analysis of your website. However, if you are setting up a website which has e-commerce capabilities, you will also need to set up a merchant account with a bank, or other provider to allow you to process the online payments.
Web design agencies can also provide content management systems which mean non specialists in your business can update content on the website quickly and easily. Bringing this task in-house can help reduce the costs of running a website for your business.
Web Design Companies in Worcester
There are a number of local and national companies who provide ecommerce website design in Worcester. Local companies based in Worcester include Blue Fusion Web, SkyBlu Web, and Top Spin Web Design. Other larger companies that cover the Worcester area consist of Approved Website Designers and K2 Designers. A full list of companies that cover the Worcestershire area can be found online.
All these companies have their own websites which include portfolios of their previous work which can help you choose a shortlist of designers. It is important to then meet the people involved to discuss the requirements for your site and allow them to give an accurate quote for the e-commerce website you want. As well as looking at the companies' portfolios, it is also a good idea to ask for testimonials from previous clients to help ensure any work was completed satisfactorily.
Prices for E-Commerce Web Designers
The cost of setting up a website will depend on what you require on your site. Prices for producing a basic e-commerce website that can accept PayPal can start from around four hundred pounds. The more pages and features the business needs, the higher the price will be. Bespoke sites can cost several thousand pounds to set up.
Many companies include the cost of the domain name and twelve to twenty four months free hosting in the overall cost of the site. On top of this, there will be charges for maintenance on the site as required. Maintenance costs can either be charged by the hour, or a set monthly fee can be paid to the design company to cover a certain number of hours of maintenance. In Worcester, the hourly charge for website maintenance can start from around fifteen pounds.
Of course, the design and maintenance will not be the only costs involved in setting up the website. There are also transaction charges for each payment made through the merchant account. However as almost twenty per cent of sales now take place online, the increased turnover should outweigh any investment in the website.
