How we bill time spent on a project

RiverGate bills projects by the hour (Typically $35.00 to $65.00 / hour), depending on the scope and nature of the project). Our first consultation is generally free.

Depending on the scope of the client needs, we often do some research or preliminary work prior to our first meeting or in order to develop a reasonable proposal of services. This too is generally free.

If a new, or existing client requests an unusual amount of research, prior to a meeting, we may elect to charge some or all of the research time to the client but only with the clients pre-approval.

Compare our prices

In doing our pricing analysis, we found that the typical web design (static web pages) costs range from $25.00 / hour up to $200.00 / hour. For more intensive development and interaction pricing may jump as much as 150%. RiverGate encourages you to compare costs and more importantly review potential designers work.

Quality has a price of course, but with pre-planning on your part we can help you to get more "bang for your buck". It's a good idea to not only review the prospective web developers work but also to check references. Feel free to contact some of the clients of the web developer (E-mail works for this). Here are a few tips on what to inquire about:

1. Ask about pricing (of course).
   • Was the pricing reasonable compared to the results?
   • Were there "hidden" costs?
   • Did the developers offer itemized invoices?

2. Ask about the service before, during and after the project.
   • Did the developer have your business interests in mind?
   • Was the web developer, skilled, organized, and helpful?
   • Did the developer clearly have a strong knowledge of the web development process as it relates to business goals?
   • Our customers are often new to the internet but we feel that by working with RiverGate, they mature quickly and appreciate our efforts to deliver results.

3. Ask about the quality of the development.
   • Was the graphic design of good quality?
   • Was there custom programming (i.e. - javascript, database, CGI)?
   • Were there complaints by people visiting the site?

How to keep your cost down

A fair amount of our efforts are spent in client training and explaining the Internet, and how the Internet works. We realize that many clients need this service. That's why we try to inform and guide our clients in a way that they can help us to streamline the web processes and reduce time and costs. Much like any other business process, the most cost effective web solutions are planned out in advance and organized.

Because of our talents and experience we can achieve a great deal of production in a relatively short time if the client can help us pre-plan and pre-assemble materials and graphics. We have an extensive amount of software and tools and pre-designed templates that also helps us to work efficiently.

• see our Frequently Asked Questions concerning keeping development costs down.