What do budget/cost/technical knowledge is needed for a website relaunch?

May 7, 2006 7:35 AM

I have been asked to rapidly (tomorrow night) put together a plan to re-launch/re-design a website. What are the pitifalls/costs/technical factors that of which I should be made aware?

Now, I have 15 years experience related to the subject matter of the website.
BUT I know nothing about the costs/budget/technical end. Ultimately, we'll probably bring someone to actually do the work. But can i guestimate what this will all cost? or what key technical needs there will be. and how might this website pay for itself. Is there a primer?
oh, and this re-launch is secret so I can't ask any of the people who have worked on the site. (oh, and one brief addition, has the Web 2.0 "look" gone mouldy already)?

posted by Duck_Lips to computers & internet (10 comments total)

You give not nearly enough detail. Traffic? Amounts of data to be served? Hosting provisions? E-Commerce? Why the big drama around a simple redesign/relaunch in the first place? It gets done all the time. It's straight ahead business as usual.

If you have no experience at all with web design, hosting, etc, there is no way you can realistically put together a feasible plan overnight for a major web project. This isn't like buying a toaster. Unless the plan is "hire someone who knows about this."

Also, figure "the people who have worked on the site" have access to the hosting account, previous site templates and design notes, and so forth. So leaving them out of the picture makes no sense. Why would you do that? You say "we've decided to go with a new design/designer/solution and would like to end our relationship with you," and terminate it professionally (including changing login protocols for the hosting account, yah?).

So you need to hire someone to do what you are trying to do, which is figure out how to hire someone to do something you don't know how to do, if that makes any sense. Ask a business associate or two with websites you like for leads on good design and coding talent appropriate to your vision for the site. Look at comparable sites to what you want so you can show a desginer the look and feel elements, architecture, etc. Decide if you need a static or a database/CMS driven solution. Do you need to sell online? Then you need a secure host and a credit card and shopping cart system. Do you need user -generated content or other forms of interactivity? Web 2.0 isn't a look, it's a usability concept based on innovations in software.

Etc. Come back with details and I'll try to help, or others will be able to be more helpful. MeFi is crawling with pros in this business. The person you want to hire is probably online here right now. Personal contact is always nice, and judging by the spelling I'd guess this is UK/Australia, so maybe you should say specifically so someone who knows the local market can help.
posted by fourcheesemac at 8:04 AM on May 7, 2006

What kind of website is it? Why is a re-launch/re-design being done? What exactly do you mean by re-launch: complete overhaul? tweaking? What's your time frame? And why is it such a secret?

Answering these questions will enable people to give you more precise answers.

The Web 2.0 look is fine. So is the font Arial. Meaning, it'll do, but it won't standout from the crowd.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 8:06 AM on May 7, 2006

Brandon, what do you mean by "the Web 2.0 look"?
posted by jepler at 8:10 AM on May 7, 2006

http://mittermayr.wordpress.com/2006/02/03/20-culture/
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 8:26 AM on May 7, 2006

fourcheesemac is spot on. The stuff in that blog is almost pure fluff ("use rounded borders!"). Web 2.0 (I just threw up a little in my mouth) isn't some design-scheme-fad, any more than "Mouse 2.0--Now with buttons!" is a fad. It's about adding usability and behaviors to aid in the user's interaction with the site (and occasionally, make the site more efficient in terms of server-load). Without knowing any of the details, I'd estimate that the total costs will be $12,258. And 39 cents.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 9:47 AM on May 7, 2006

I find that your questions have established how much I am out of my depth.
I work for a news company, and this Friday, a managing director took me aside saying that our website is "underperforming," and changes need to be made. His fear is that changes will lead to defection and sabotage. I disagree. but I am not management. I am, to use today's parlance, a content provider and editor, I also provide the copy that ends up on the website. That ends my internet involvement.
I have decided my response. "This is not my purview, and there those who are skilled in this area who deserve your respectful critique. If you don't inform them of your views, I will." Then I duck,and say, find a consultant from those nice Mefi folk.

Cheers.
posted by Duck_Lips at 10:04 AM on May 7, 2006

Smart. You can say for sure that almost any "news organization" by definition needs a Content Management System (CMS) solution to allow continual updating and archiving of content by non-technical users. CMS is the architectural standard for "Web 2.0" solutions. Setting up an appropriate CMS, finding the right host that can handle your chosen CMS, your traffic and bandwidth, etc. at a price you want to pay, and coding the CMS to deliver the look and functionality you need is straightforward work, but the project is scalable. A simple CMS can be set up in 20 minutes with minimal technical competence. A serious commercial solution will require custom development and cost much more. You also have to worry about porting over whatever content you plan to keep from the old site (which may already be a CMS), which is not straightforward in most cases.

So you at least have a framework for specifying what kind of competence you need. If it's a commercial project, go with a reputable web design professional. Expect to pay for the quality you get.
posted by fourcheesemac at 10:17 AM on May 7, 2006

Hey Duck_Lips, I tried to contact you via e-mail with some information, but your e-mail was bounced back to me. My e-mail is in my profile if you would like to contact me.
posted by banished at 12:58 PM on May 7, 2006

Also, IMHO, anyone actually expecting a plan for a complete re-think for a website overnight is utterly ignorant of what goes into creating a useful, authoritative website. Sure, you can write something up overnight. It's doubtful it'll actually be on-target or effective.
posted by Thorzdad at 6:47 PM on May 7, 2006

Sorry if this a bit late in the game, but A list apart had an interesting article on website redesign/realign . I also thought that this article made some good points about usibility and designing from the ground up.
posted by mule at 2:27 AM on May 8, 2006