Black Swan IT - Frequently Asked Questions

1. How much will a new website cost?

2. What other websites has Black Swan IT built?

3. Will Black Swan IT arrange hosting and registering of domain names?

4. How do I organise changes to the web site after it is done?

5. How do I attract people to my web site?

Q1. How much will a new website cost?

Simple one or two page websites start at around $1,000, excluding hosting and domain name registration. (See below for these costs.) The cost depends on the size and complexity of your desired website. Be highly suspect of any developer that gives a quote without finding out what you need! Book a free consultation with Black Swan IT by using the Contact Form and I will send you a quote - usually within a week.

Q2. What other websites has Black Swan IT built?

Black Swan IT has built a variety of websites for sole traders, larger businesses and not-for-profit organisations. Please visit the websites in our portfolio.

Q3. Will Black Swan IT arrange hosting and registering of domain names?

Yes, we are happy to set up hosting and register domain names for you.

Hosting costs depend on the hosting company chosen plus the amount of CPU, storage and memory required to run your website. The prices offered by Australian company VentraIP are a good indication and are detailed HERE. We recommend and use a hosting company that offers cPanel, up to date PHP and ample database capacity, plus subdomains and domain redirects. 

We can register all types of domain names. Visit our Domain Names page for prices with VentraIP.

Q4. What is the cost of changes to an existing website?

Ad hoc changes (made as required) cost $60 per hour with a minimum of $30 per change. You may also set up a maintenance plan with monthly or 6 monthly billing cycles. Visit our Website Maintenance page for more details.

Q5. How do I attract people to my web site, and how much will that cost?

There several ways to both drive traffic to websites and get your website performing better on a search. Some are free but time consuming. Others cost money. Here are some suggestions:

1. Social Media. If you have a Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or other social media account, be sure to link your website to these accounts. This can make a huge difference to your website ranking!
2. Links from other websites. The more websites that are linking to your site, the better. Write articles that get posted onto other websites and then link back to yours. Have other companies put a link to your Home page on their website.
3. Advertise. You can send them there yourself by printing your web address on cards, printed literature and advertising material. Let's face it: your website cannot perform at its best if you are not advertising it! This method can be low cost for potentially enormous returns.
4. Use Paid Placement, such as 'pay per click'. This can work well, but buyer beware!
5. Trust. Leave it up to the search engines to find you. Risky! Search engines can direct visitors to your website, but putting a site on the web does not guarantee success. Your site needs to show up in the search engine results.
6. Apply SEO, or Search Engine Optimisation. This is all about getting your website to perform well in Google or similar searches. Black Swan IT includes basic SEO in every new website development package, and as an optional add-on we can offer further SEO. Please contact us if you are interested in a more detailed analysis and quote for your website's SEO.