Hi, I’m Joyce, I’m an internet marketer (which means a lot of things). I’ve worked on large and small professional website services, in Vancouver and beyond. I’ve been there, done that.
You can read more about my website services, and what makes them so special, on the following page of my site:
https://www.joycegrace.ca/wordpress-website-development-design/ (it’s a pretty good primer for what you’re about to read).
I now offer affordable web design in Vancouver, using a ‘design in the browser’ approach. This makes your website development and design project a lot faster, and simpler too.
But – it doesn’t skimp on quality. I care too much about my work to offer anything less than a job done ‘right.’
This process works great for startups, or those on a budget. It’s for clients who trust me to make design decisions as I go, without a lot of approvals along the way.
Let me explain!
The typical, long, and expensive way to do web design and development projects (for really professional website needs)
If you’ve gone through the professional web development and design process before, you’ll know that it’s a time-consuming, multi-step task.
Professionals in the industry should be doing research on your brand and competition before putting together a design. Some sort of proposal – in written or spoken format – may come at the end of this step.
After that, they may start by showing you a simple wireframe or layout, which also determines your content architecture. Ideally, you would have provided content for this step. But most of the time, that’s a ‘wish’ – most people don’t consider content at this stage (though, they should).
The layout wireframe is usually followed by your approval. Then it goes to design phase, where aesthetics are brought in, as an ‘overlay,’ often using Photoshop.
Then your approval is requested again.
Sometimes, as the client, you’ll have multiple design templates to choose from. That makes it really confusing (you know how it is – the more options you have, the harder it is to make a decision).
If decisions at your organization are made by committee, this process gets drawn out even longer. This is because, for some reason, everyone’s opinion has to have some influence in the process (which is absolutely not productive, and makes for a worse end-product, by the way).
Then, when the design is finally approved, a website goes into development phase. That can take weeks. It can involve multiple people.
After that, it needs quality assurance. I’ve seen agencies miss this step (and it annoys me). It’s hard work to get this far in a web development project. At this stage, everyone – including the client – just wants it done. The minor mistakes are overlooked, because everyone is exhausted.
Then comes a final approval by you. That’s when you submit revision requests, or spot mistakes, start entering your content, and so on.
Then the developers have to work on your revisions, before the site goes live.
In the end, even a simple website design and development project can take months. It can also cost a lot (for very good reasons – the work entailed above is extensive, and multiple people need to get paid).
In some cases, all of the stages above are needed – especially when there are many stakeholders who want an opinion in the process (everyone loves to be a ‘designer’). Or, when the website project is so detailed in its scope and functionality, it demands a detailed, multi-sign-off, project management system to go with it.
But you know, it’s not always necessary.
I have learned that in a lot of cases, I can produce a very similar, but affordable web design for my clients, with a lot fewer steps in between. That then costs less, and makes the website process faster, too.
Ready to get started?
My contact info:
me@joycegrace.ca (try joycegraceweb@gmail.com if that doesn’t work)
604 817 9962 (try e-mail first if possible)
Save time and money: learn how I carry out affordable web design in Vancouver, combined with web development in one ‘go’
The TL;DR of what I’m about to explain:
In this style of web design delivery, you’ll trust me, as a professional, to do what I do best. You tell me what you like, the colours you approve, the content you want to display and the purpose of your website.
Then I do it.
A few weeks later, you get a fast, affordable web design, and be on your merry way.
So, no long interviews, no big research phases, no layout and design approvals, and no ‘stages’ – I just go at it.
Yes you can ask for changes afterwards. But they are billed by the hour.
Very bluntly: we save a lot of time and money because of the fewer hours devoted to customer ‘hand holding’ in the website design and build process.
Let’s get real for a second:
This is a lot like, if my uncle asked me for a website. There would be no web agency process involved (come on, we’re family! He’ll trust me!). I would make it for him, he would get what he gets, and he’d be happy with it :)
Because, honestly, he’s too busy running his business. He doesn’t care one iota what a website looks like. He also doesn’t care about the techy details I could ‘sell’ him on. He just knows he needs a web designer (because he lives in the 21st Century). And, he doesn’t want to waste money on nonsense.
More importantly, he DEFINITELY doesn’t want to be spending his day deciding on colors and design-ery stuff he knows nothing about (though, it would be fine if he did want to do that).
So, I sometimes call this the ‘uncle’ website :)
And, you know what? His ‘uncle’ website can be just as good as, or even better, than the brochure-style sites that people pay $10K for out there. I’ve seen that rate come with no e-commerce, no special functionality – just a display of text and photos in a drag-and-drop website builder, which anyone can use. Yes, really. I’ve seen it happen. And, I’ve had to audit and fix sites like that, too.
Ready to get started?
My contact info:
me@joycegrace.ca (try joycegraceweb@gmail.com if that doesn’t work)
604 817 9962 (try e-mail first if possible)
I’ll do a ‘design in the browser,’ and it’s how websites should be made, technically
I’ll let you in on a secret most web designers won’t tell you. Are you ready?
Photoshop is not meant for designing websites. Surprise! It’s meant for photography. Or print design. Whatever. It was just not made for websites, initially.
But, it’s helpful – or it was – for showing web design clients what their end-product would look like, before a developer turned those designs into coded websites.
It’s typical to involve a program like Photoshop (and Sketch, or others, these days), when working with a designer, who is not also a web developer (i.e. a coder of websites).
And that’s fine. It’s not wrong, per se. And, as mentioned above, it is a totally necessary step in some cases, and for some web design clients.
But, these days, the web is much different than it was 10 years ago. Its technology has advanced. We can now make websites without needing the Photoshop previews first. In fact, it’s faster, and more accurate when we do without them. Because then, we only design for what the browsers do naturally, and well.
So, out came this new methodology for making websites. Some coined it, “design in the browser.”
But, others had been doing it for a long time already.
It basically requires that a web developer and web designer come in hybrid form. One person would, ideally, be trained in both skills. They would design a website at the same time they are coding it, all the while in the browser.
It’s rare though – to have one person understand both development and design. Not many schools teach this way either. And, this is not the same as hiring a designer to use a DIY, drag-and-drop website template builder to make you a website. I actually mean, the designer would know ‘real’ development skills.
So anyway, this way of building websites is up-and-coming (it has been for a while). It’s modern, and it’s the ‘new’ way.
It’s also faster. And because it’s faster, it can be cheaper (though, variables matter when using the word ‘cheaper’ here…you’ll see what I mean below).
That’s essentially what would take place when you hire me to make you an affordable web design. I would act as your Vancouver web designer, and your web developer. Those two things would happen at the same time, and not as two separate steps.
What do these simple, ‘affordable’ websites cost?
It depends. That part can’t be answered in a few words. But, on average, expect roughly $3,000 CAD + applicable taxes as a starting point…ish. And, remember, these are still high-quality WordPress sites, made by an experienced SEO and e-marketer in Vancouver, not using a DIY, drag-and-drop builder!
Whether or not that sounds like a drop in the bucket to you, please, do keep reading to learn more!
Ready to get started?
My contact info:
me@joycegrace.ca (try joycegraceweb@gmail.com if that doesn’t work)
604 817 9962 (try e-mail first if possible)
WARNING:
If you are a picky, micro-manager personality, this service probably won’t be beneficial to you. I’m fine with meeting your needs – we can still work together (I’m a perfectionist too!). But this ‘simple’ process only saves you money if you trust me (and my own perfectionism, expertise and experience).
It won’t help your bottom line, or your end-product, if you’re going to lose sleep over the tiny details of what you like and don’t like on your web design!
In other words, if you ask for many revisions, you may end up paying more than would be the case with a structured, professional, pre-packaged website project, as noted above. I also offer this service, and have done it many, many times!
The project-managed websites (described above) will help you stay on track, so the project doesn’t go overboard on budget, or drag on unnecessarily (for your needs). A systematized approach to web design and development will give you plenty of opportunity to state your preferences in advance, in a properly-priced package for what you want.
Those planned websites, with pre-defined scopes, start at around $6,000. That’s compared to the start of around $3,000 or so (please see notes above) of the simpler process.
Get a simple website made in Vancouver, with as few, or as many features as you need; just pay for what you want
This website design and build process is not based on a pre-packaged rate with a defined scope of work. Those are priced much higher, because there is more involved (though they do have limits to what is included).
The quality of the build for this type of website is the same as the more professional websites I work on. In fact, this is still considered a professional web design in Vancouver. But here, I’m using the term ‘professional’ to refer to the structured, organized, milestone-based and months-long process of agency web designs.
I’ve simply noticed that many people who come to me have websites that are so outdated, and so poorly built (regardless of what they cost), they would still be miles ahead with my simple, affordable web design service.
And, they would be perfectly happy with what I can produce for them, at a lower rate, and with less hoops to jump through, than an agency process (which I can also provide!).
This type of website build would be done by the hour, where everything is billable – even change requests, troubleshooting, phone calls, etc.
But, when I do these sites on the hour, they can come out much cheaper than the package prices. This is because there would be less documented planning involved, fewer customer approvals, and fewer (if not zero) sub contractors I’d need to hire.
So let’s do a pricing comparison example:
An ‘agency-style’ Vancouver web design and build, with my business, would cost a minimum of around $6,000 CAD + tax (if applicable). Pretty typical, if not low, for the level of work I do.
It would involve multiple people, and include the quality points you can read about on the following page of my website:
https://www.joycegrace.ca/wordpress-website-development-design
With the ‘design in the browser’ approach, a website build is priced by the hour. This is why I can’t tell you the exact price. However, after speaking with you, I could guesstimate that a site you’d want, for example, could take…let’s say, 30 – 40 hours, or so. Sometimes less, sometimes a bit more. This is just an example.
My rate is $85 an hour for most web development tasks (see more on that in the FAQs).
So, at 30 hours, that’s $2550 CAD + tax (if applicable).
At 40 hours, that’s $3400 CAD + tax (if applicable).
At 50 hours, that’s $4250 CAD + tax (if applicable).
That’s still a lot less than $6,000 to start!
And, the fewer revisions you ask for, or the simpler your needs are, the more you can expect the costs to be on the lower end of that scale. (And, by the way, I rarely get revision requests on my web designs – people are often very satisfied with my results! If anything, it’s teeny, tiny changes that I usually get asked for – like for the font sizes or colours in certain spots).
Can I make a decent (if not great), brochure-style website in 30 – 50 hours? YES – that is absolutely possible!
But again – your total price will depend on the level of detail you want, the components of your site design and functionality, and the number of revisions you request.
For example, we if start talking about different layouts for each page, custom illustrations, special plugins or e-commerce inclusions, the price will go up, because more hours will be required for those things.
At the lower end of 30 – 50 hours, designs can come out to be simpler than the more elaborate sites, but only because of budget limitations. If you are ok with me spending more time on this type of site, the design detail can be extended. Though honestly, I don’t think an inexperienced eye will notice much difference :) Plus, if you wanted something elaborate, my guess is, you wouldn’t have read this far on a page with, “affordable Vancouver web design,” in the title. If I’m wrong, let me know :)
To find out a good guess of your expected website pricing, please contact me! Let me know what you’re looking for. I can give you an honest opinion on what I think will work for you, within your budget!
If I can’t help you, or think you’d be better off with something else (even if it’s buying a cheap, pre-made theme), I’ll also let you know! I have been known to tell people not to buy from me! It’s because I honestly, truly don’t see the benefit for them.
Ready to get started?
My contact info:
me@joycegrace.ca (try joycegraceweb@gmail.com if that doesn’t work)
604 817 9962 (try e-mail first if possible)
So what’s the difference between the two types of websites? What don’t you get with this affordable Vancouver web design service?
Basically, these sites can come out much cheaper than the ‘pro’ package website prices, because there is less planning involved, fewer customer approvals, and fewer (if not zero) sub contractors I’d need to hire.
So, you won’t get the following:
- An extensive discovery process where I interview you, learn about your brand and research your competition.
- Extensive content structure planning.
- Written documents and reports explaining what your site will be like, the agreed-upon goals, and the reasoning behind all the design decisions.
- Design proofs made in Photoshop before being developed into a website, for your initial approvals and change requests.
- Second or third design proofs for final approval.
- The hiring of outside designers and developers on my part (for most cases).
What do you still get with the cheaper website pricing?
- Modern designs standards, largely customized for your brand, using a pre-made theme as a starting point. This includes the set up of typography standards, and in some cases, other in-content design elements like form designs, newsletter sign up forms, buttons, call-out boxes, a custom icon-font and so on. A home page layout and one additional, interior page layout are typically included.
- Built in the Genesis Framework with a WordPress CMS.
- Some advice and guidelines on the content structure of your site.
- Mobile, responsive web design and development considering high-density, retina displays.
- Technical SEO built into the site’s foundation (never a guarantee of ranking, which is impossible). Please know this is not everything that SEO requires – getting your site ranking on search engines is an ongoing process.
- Basic WordPress security set up on your site (never a guarantee you won’t get hacked – that’s impossible, and depends on other things too).
- Site speed optimizations handled during the build and design process.
- Quality assurance checks before the site is delivered to you.
- Regular communication on the progress of your site.
Optional add-ons for both types of websites
The above inclusions cover the most typical, basic needs of any website (if not more). Many, many clients are perfectly happy, and ‘set to go,’ with only the above (which is plenty)!
However, some people require more. And, in a lot of cases, I can help with that!
In any scenario – whether going with the highly planned, documented website process, or the hourly-based, ‘design in the browser’ website, the following would be optional, and would extend the budget:
Additional template design & coding – This refers to each additional custom template we make (such as for the blog area to look different than the ‘About’ page layout or grid design, for example. Or for a locations page to have a new layout, etc.). Please inquire if you will want to go with this, however, so I can get you a more accurate estimate based on your needs, or let you know of other options to potentially reduce this cost.
Other custom functionality not discussed, written about or estimated beforehand – Examples include: the ability to have different sidebars on different pages, e-commerce or e-commerce extensions, job plugins, learning management systems, calendar plugins, CRM integrations, back-end custom fields for pre-defined content input, any client-side ‘dummy proofing’ of the back-end beyond existing WordPress and theme availabilities, Gutenburg editor styling integrations in the back-end, additions to the WordPress content management functionality, Google AMP framework integration, other plugins, etc. If you have questions (or assumptions) about anything that is included or isn’t, please ask me in advance!
Content planning (no writing involved) – This is hierarchy planning and pre-planned URL redirects for new pages, if necessary. Note that some suggestions on this topic are usually given anyway. If you need help beyond the ‘included’ content planning, we can discuss this.
Content writing or edits – This would be a separate service, with a separate estimate. More on this can be read about here: https://www.joycegrace.ca/vancouver-web-copywriter/
Content migration or inputs – I can set up few pages for you during the regular, website build. However, typically, this is something the client does after I hand off a themed website to them. With the hourly-based website plan, you are welcome to hire me to do additional content formatting on the site, or migrations for you. Sometimes, extra software is needed. I’d let you know if that is the case.
Photography finding fees, edits and purchases – You may need professional, royalty free photographs, or photographs you have permission to use on the web, not just in print. Stock photography purchases alone can be between $25 to $50 usually, it depends on the seller.
SEO services – Though sites are built with SEO in mind to start, they may not solve all your SEO needs, as that is usually an on-going and extensive activity. Thus, further SEO services would be extra. More details and pricing can be seen on this page: www.joycegrace.ca/vancouver-seo
Extensive or custom illustrations, diagrams, charts or any animations – Most people do not need this, but please inquire if you’re not sure.
Logo design, revision or formatting into proper web files – Note that it will be up to you to send vector format files of your logos, plus any association, provider or customer logos, etc. that you want on your website. If you don’t have these already, a new designer would charge to re-draw these into the right format we need for the web. Please ask for more info on this, if you don’t have them. Vector formats end in .eps, .svg or .ai and NOTHING ELSE. No PDFs, no jpg, pngs, .gifs or anything other than the aforementioned file types will do.
Requests for specific stacking or scaling requirements that would not be according to default browser standards – While ALL sites I build are responsive websites, modifying the most typical, browser scaling or stacking scenarios would come at extra cost. This is because they sometimes require extra coding. For example: you want an element on a secondary column to go above an element on a first column, when viewed on mobile phones. The browser naturally puts it lower on the page. This is an atypical request, to change the browser’s default behaviour. So, to customize it would require extra coding, which costs extra.
Licences and third-party purchases – I will ask you to purchase your own licenses of some plugins, icons, fonts or other elements we may use during development. This is so that you will fully own your site, and the licensing will not be tied to me (in case, for any reason you can’t reach me, or want to hire someone else to work on your site). You will be told about these options beforehand!
Hosting, e-mail or domain registration – The payment of these components are not part of professional web design or development services. In my opinion, you should always own these separately from your website services!
Ready to get started?
My contact info:
me@joycegrace.ca (try joycegraceweb@gmail.com if that doesn’t work)
604 817 9962 (try e-mail first if possible)
FAQs on my ‘affordable,’ design-in-the-browser web design services:
Will you work with a Genesis theme that I choose?
Not necessarily. The theme I pick for you will be based on some technical factors, and the general direction of where I’d want to take the site design, based on the goals you give me.
More importantly, people probably won’t be able to recognize the template I begin with, and what ends up being the final site. This is because I will do customizations along the way (the extensiveness of which will depend on the time budget and my judgement calls).
So, it would be pointless for you to pick a theme, expecting that you’ll get that result, when you won’t. These are still customized websites.
Don’t forget that a lot of the Genesis themes are customizable. So the theme demos you see on their site are not necessarily all that the theme can do. It’s best that I make the theme decision, because of the technical, back-end stuff that I can set up for you with less work, based on what I understand to be your needs.
Do you only work with Genesis themes by StudioPress?
Yes. I would build your site with a theme based on the Genesis Framework, by StudioPress. This is the only framework I currently work with. That said, they are high quality themes with security and SEO standards built right in. They are also set up to make my job much more efficient.
What if I want a drag-and-drop website builder? Will you put that in for me?
Drag-and-drop solutions create many problems on websites. They result in code that is not semantic, and quite frankly, a huge mess in the back end. They can also slow down your site considerably.
In my view, they should only be used in very specific cases. But none of those cases would involve hiring a professional like myself to do it for you. That would be counterintuitive. They are designed for non-coders, and non-professionals.
If you really want a drag-and-drop website builder, I would recommend that you set one up yourself :) There are many to choose from!
Will you set up my domain, e-mail and hosting?
In some cases, I can help you with this. But I can’t do it all for you, practically speaking. I will ask you to purchase your own services, under your own name, and with your own billing info (which you won’t give to me to do for you!).
This is so that you own your organization’s online identity, and all its components. This is crucial to protect you. It means you can lock me out at any time. It also means you will be responsible for the health of your website, ultimately.
I can make recommendations, or let you know of service providers I use for these things. And I can help you do some of the set up after you’ve purchased them. But you will be the end decider of any third-party provider you choose to handle these services for you.
The answer to this question will be different for each client I work with. So, let’s discuss this more, before I can say whether I’m the person to help you with these steps.
Will I have any input into the design of this style of website?
With the simple, hourly-based website, we can use a colour and font scheme that you prefer. I may give input here, and am happy to help with suggestions. Feel free to send me sites you like and don’t like, so I get an idea of what you’re after.
Once you decide, however, I will make the site based on those simple factors, using my judgement. You won’t get a preview of the website before I make it. It will be largely done by the time you see it for the first time.
You are welcome to ask for changes after it is completed. Though, since this is a website service billed by the hour, just know that extensive change requests will inevitably increase the total price of your website.
Some changes may be technically out of scope, or beyond my ability. This is rare, but it could happen. I just want you to be aware that requests for changes can come with limitations.
Contact me to get started!
My contact info:
me@joycegrace.ca (try joycegraceweb@gmail.com if that doesn’t work)
604 817 9962 (try e-mail first if possible)