The Gamajo Process

I‘m open, friendly and approachable.

I say that at the outset because I know that web development can be a daunting prospect for the uninitiated and the last thing people need is a ‘techie’ whose interpersonal skills making working together difficult.

I used to be a teacher, so I have the patience and ability to explain what may be quite complex concepts to those who aren’t technically-minded.

Many developers let their clients do all the work here but I think this can be a recipe for disaster. I know that clients appreciate help in putting the brief together because I can make helpful suggestions based on my expertise and experience.

My approach to our working together starts with a few questions. I’ll get you to consider and convey your site’s purpose, its target audience, how interactive it needs to be, whether there will be regular fresh new content and whether there’s a requirement for ongoing client editing. If there’s an existing site I’ll need to know why it isn’t meeting your needs. Is there insufficient site traffic? Is the number of leads disappointing or conversion to sales poor?

I’ll also be keen to get a handle on the other sites in your field or industry that you like and why, the keywords that should be targeted and how well your existing site is performing.

One of the most telling bits of information comes from your answer to the question “What’s important to you about this site?”

Armed with this information, I can develop the best solution, present it in an outline document and quote a price.

Most important of all, I like to have a contract in place that clarifies the expectations of both parties.

Turnaround times

Size and project complexity are the major determinants of the time a job will take.

A simple tweak to a site may take a few minutes. Installing and customising a Thesis Theme on WordPress to a provided mockup may take a few hours. Complete sites where no hosting or domain exist, or where I need to sub-contract out part of the work, may take up to a week, because third parties are involved.

Large complex sites, especially where a custom database design is needed may take a month or longer.

Cost

Cost is important to both of us. After all, it’s your budget and it’s my income. My approach is to get this out in the open, so expectations are managed and there are no surprises!

I cost a project based on the time I think it will take and the complexity of the job. A typical project would be costed up at £30 per hour but I can give a better indication once you’ve made contact and listed your exact requirements. That said, there are a number of smaller jobs that I do for a fixed rate fee.

Incidentally, for larger projects, I work on the 50/25/25 basis. That is, once the requirements have been discussed and a brief finalised then 50% of the cost is due. That compensates me for the time so far, and shows me the client is equally committed to the project as I am. Once the work is complete, then 25% of the original cost is due and once this is paid, then the site is made live. After an agreed period, usually a week or two in which the client can highlight issues not previously identified, then the final 25% is due to be settled.

All prices are quoted before any work is started. If an issue is discovered for which a change in the quoted price is needed, then I will discuss this with you before continuing.