Do you have a limited web development budget?web design

We are a small web design company that has been designing web sites since 1997. We specialize in affordable small- to medium-sized web sites that are professional in appearance, yet easy on the budget. Look at our portfolio to get an idea of the quality of our work.

We realize that many people, clubs, and small businesses want to have a web site, but they are concerned that the expense of creating and maintaining one might be more than they care to spend. Your site can be up and running for as little as $150, and in most cases no more than $350 in initial outlay costs. (Check out our prices.)

Getting started

You want a web site, but you don't know how to go about doing it. Actually, it's easier than you think. Whether or not you choose Stratford Web Design Studios to design your site, here are the basic steps:

  1. Decide what you want: What is the purpose of your web site? Is it primarily a "web presence," to let the world know that you're out there? Is it mostly an informational site, such as a club web site? Are you going to be selling something on your site? (If so, what types of payment are you planning to accept — checks, PayPal, credit cards?) How often is your site going to be updated? Are there sites similar in type to what you have in mind?
  2. Choose a web design company: Check out several companies. Look at their portfolios to get an idea of the quality of their work. Are their sites cluttered and difficult to navigate, or is it easy to find your way around? Are the site designs professional-looking, or are they amateurish? Look at their prices and see if they are within your budget. (Many of them do not post prices, but instead invite you to request a quote.) With us there are no up-front costs. Payment is due after the design is approved.
  3. Arrange for hosting and domain registration: You will probably want to register a domain name (e.g. mywebsite.com). Also, you will need a hosting account, which is space on a server where your web site will be posted for your visitors to access over the Internet. We can recommend low-cost domain registration and web hosting services, and we can help you set them up.
  4. Gather the information for your site: Compose documents with the text that you want to appear on the various pages. Collect graphics (photos, charts, etc.). Do not "borrow" graphics from other web sites. If you don't have your own graphics, there are several sites where you can purchase inexpensive stock photos (like the photo above, which came from Fotolia).
  5. Approve the design: If you decide to use Stratford Web Design Studios, we will design a site and post the proposed home page on our server. Between us we can decide on any changes that might be needed. At this point you can decide whether or not to go ahead with the project. If you are not satisfied with the design, you can change your mind and there will be no cost to you. Otherwise we will continue to develop the site on our server, and payment will be due when the site is transfered to your web hosting account.