AThe price for a website is one of the most common questions we get. This is a very good question, but it's also a difficult question to answer without first setting some parameters. How much does a car cost? How much does a house cost? There is no simple answer. The best analogy we like to use is to think of a website like building a house - you’ll need to tell the builder how many bathrooms, bed rooms and if you require an attached garage or not before he can tell you what the house will cost or how long it will take to build. Even then, you have many decisions. Vinyl siding or stone, granite or laminate countertops, carpet or hardwood and the type of appliances to name a few. Each decision will drive yours costs up or down depending on your tastes, needs and most importantly what you can afford. Like building a house, it's typically imperative to have a budget in mind before even starting discussions. We realize this can get confusing as people generally have an idea that a Ferrari costs more than a Honda, or a 5,000 sq foot house costs more than a small duplex, but often have no concept of cost drivers for web design.

We realize this isn't the black and white answer you hoped for! To give you a starting point, a basic website budget would likely start at $2,500 and range as much as twenty fold (or more) from there depending on the scope, scale and working assets. Some cost drivers include:

• Working visual assets - for example, if you require a completely new look or we are starting from scratch that is a much more complex project than one where we design following pre-existing brand assets;
• Functional requirements - for example, feedback forms, photogallery, content management system or ecommerce;
• Security requirements - do you need portions of the site secured for members only, or staff only etc;
• Systems integration - if your website needs to share content with Sharepoint, an external database or accounting software for example;
• Writing - do you have your content written or require web writing?
• Many, many more...

Because every project is unique, it truly does depend on the details. To figure out what range your project is in, please fill out our comprehensive request a quote form. You don't need to have all the answers now, but these starter questions will get us going in the right direction. We are happy to provide you with an obligation free quote.

AWebsite technology is always evolving and our developers stay on top of the action by practicing their development techniques, continually researching the industry and committing to learning.

We generally operate in a .NET, mySQL/MSSQL, jQuery environment, but we are also comfortable with most web development technologies

For technology specifics, read more about the web development technologies that we use.

ANot only have we impressed our clients, we think they are pretty impressive too.

Take a look at our web design project samples gallery. Please contact us as we'd be happy to provide you with more information.

ASearch Engine Optimization is a high priority for us and our clients. There are a lot of different aspects to getting good search engine results. From the sitemap, to how the website is setup, the way the content is written, how the site is developed and then there are the factors involving how a user will search for your product/service/business and how the different search engines works. We don't rely on tricks, and we don’t make promises about exactly how high your site will rank. But our websites are built on the same standards that the search engines recommend, and our clients’ sites have had success being found. Read more about our search engine optimization services here.

AWhile there are many great tools to make web design accessible to the masses our craft is hard to master. We strive to constantly evolve and learn the latest techniques in order to provide our clients the best possible solution. Subtle nuances like performance, code structure and server configuration are things that a novice developer may not completely understand, yet all have a huge impact on your brand perception and search engine placement. Using tools like Wordpress you may be able to use a templated theme and get yourself online, but there is no substitute for a properly developed, thoroughly planned and highly tuned professional website.

Using 10+ years experience and the latest techniques we apply equal efforts to both the VISUAL appeal of your website and the TECHNICAL.

Visual Appeal: Don't think it matters if it looks great? Are you happy to let your IT department 'design' something as long as it works? Read this great article explaining how the human brain can't help but separate a great design from the brand perception of your business - In Defence of Eye Candy.

Technical Build: Don't care how its built as long as it looks good? Are you happy to just install a Wordpress Theme, install 15 plugins and shazaam you are online. Read our blog entry on how website performance not only impacts your search engine ranking but also your brand perception - How well your website performs weighs in on search rankings.

AWeb hosting is a service that allows individuals and organizations to make their own website accessible via the World Wide Web.

For any website or application to be accesible on the internet, it has to be hosted somewhere. We take care of hosting for most of our clients so you don't have to worry or bother with the details. We can register your domain name, direct it properly and just make sure it all works. View our web hosting services page for details. Price will vary with the specifics of what you need, so if you'd like to discuss this further, drop us a line!

ASomnia Productions Inc., which is our legal corporate name, was incorporated in the province of Alberta in 2001. In our industry, that is a long time and we are proud of our long standing proven track record.

AIn our experience, being located in the same city as us does not have a huge impact on the project. Our Approach section outlines what you can expect when you engage our services.

Our philosophy is to find a balance between overwhelming you with details and decisions, yet also providing you with an opportunity to weigh in at every key point of the process. At every major project milestone, we ask our clients to provide "sign-off" so that they know exactly what we are going to do for them.

This can be done remotely or in person - it's up to you! We have worked with clients all across the country and North America and most clients are completely happy to work via email, phone, skype or other remote communication tools.

AIt depends on the nature of every project. Our approach section outlines our typical process. Sometimes your website or application can be up and running within a couple of weeks, other times it may take a few months.

The variables for this timeline include your availability as well as the complexity of the project. We understand that some projects are on a more urgent timeline, and we will work with you to make sure we can meet your time table.

AUsually not. We include all costs in our initial project quote, to avoid any future surprises. This includes hosting.

If you would like ongoing search engine optimization services, we do have a special ongoing service that we can offer you for a monthly fee.

Most of our clients' sites include a content management tool, so that they can edit/add/delete their site's content as often as they like without any further cost. We prefer to give you control of your own website content!

AMany of our clients come to us because they want to sell their products or services online. We are experienced with customizing e-commerce tools for a variety of business types.

Whether is's an online store or just transaction processing that you are looking for, we can help.

AAn intranet, put simply, is a network of shared information that is accessible across your organization. They are closed environments, limited to only those that you wish to permit access to.

We have helped a wide range of clients with designing and developing intranet systems, saving them time and effort as they manage information and intellectual property across their team.

AA web "app" (application) is an application that is accessed via the internet., with a specific use and access requirements. A website is intended for a general purpose and a general audience. For example, www.cnn.com is a website but sumopaint.com/app/ is an online app.

We design and build both!

AThe most important thing for you to think about is how you envision the site's users interacting with the site. What is the primary bit of information you want to send to them? Is it two-directions, or one?

For example, many sites are information-only sites, providing one direction information to the users. Some are communities, facilitating conversations among users. Some sites are intended to sell products. What is the primary thing that you want your site to do? That is the WHAT.

Once you know that, we can help you with the rest; the who, where, when and how.