Customers often ask:
How much will my project cost?

As you might imagine, project costs will vary based on complexity and size.  I charge by the hour at a competitive rate for designers / marketing professionals: $75.  An average small business website with social media connectivity and foundations for e-commerce typically ranged in the 30-40 total hour range.

How will we communicate throughout the engagement?

I am a big believer in people talking to people, ideally face-to-face.  The website offers links to email and contact forms, but rest assured that, once we are introduced and get passed some of the basics, we will be leveraging our phones and Starbucks’ as much as email!

Why shouldn’t I just try this WordPress thing on my own?

If you have the time (and yes it does have a learning curve) you should!  However, I have found that an expert set of hands, eyes and instincts makes the end product considerably more polished and professional.  It also makes it arrive at your doorstep much faster.  There are intricacies of design customization, heavy-lifting add-ons (for things like e-commerce and security), social media integrations, etc.  Leverage the fact, amongst other things, that I have waded my way through the WordPress world and know exactly what best practices are and what latest technologies to deploy for you.

Why WordPress? And what is a “CMS”?

WordPress is a very popular and intensely developed (amongst a huge expert user community) platform for websites.  It started mainly as a place where a blogger could get started quickly, easily and cheaply, but has morphed into much more.  It is one of many “Content Management Systems” (CMSs), and all that means is that the content behind your website (photos, text / copy, videos, products, events, blog posts, audience comments, etc.) are managed and stored in a standard way so that the person(s) maintaining the content do not have to know a lick about website design / development, and the website “look” can be relatively easily changed without having to fully rebuild the entire outfit!

Do you handle social media?

YES! There are varying degrees here, all of which I can do.  At the minimalist end I can ensure your social media pages are highly-visible links on your website, and that those all-too-important “Like / Share / Etc.” buttons are exactly where they need to be for your company to “go viral.”  In the slightly heavier space I can bring your social media streams into your website, i.e. a viewer would be able to see your Twitter feed.  And on the high end I can create a scenario where you make one “post” that hits every single one of your key social media streams (and your website, where appropriate.)

Can I sell merchandise on a website from Labs.ofEarl?

Absolutely!  You can sell everything from physical stock, to donations, to event tickets.

What about event management?

I can deliver a robust events calendar that enables rich event details, Google Maps integration, ticket and attendance management and non-profit campaign (donation) integration.

I’d like to manage the website in-house (not have to come back to you for content updates.) How does that work?

This is a core piece to the Labs.ofEarl value proposition.  I deliver a website that is built on top of a rich content management system so that, if you want to add another newsflash, another product, another concert, change some text on the home page (and much more), all that is required is basic experience with the WordPress Dashboard.  You can even do this on your smart phone! Oh, and by the way, I offer free lessons as a part of the package so the learning curve is smoothed out for you and your staff.

Would my website look good on a smart phone or tablet?

In one word: seamless. The websites that I deliver are “responsive”, meaning they “know” what the size of the viewer’s screen is and adjust content accordingly to both ensure things look natural and that we take advantage of the unique aspects of handhelds!