Website Design For Manufacturing Companies, U.S.A First Values

FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions About Website Design for Manufacturing Companies

We thought it would be helpful if we shared some of the questions we often receive so you can streamline your vetting process. Keep in mind that many of these questions and more are answered in our initial calls, plus we have the added benefit of showing you live examples of successful projects.

How much does a manufacturing website cost?

Since this question is the most common, we’ll start here, even though it’s a lot like asking how much a car costs! The answer is: what sort of car (website) would you like to buy? Well here are two types of websites a manufacturer might consider, and here they are with associated costs:

Custom Designed Informational Website

This type of website applies to most manufacturing service providers (contract manufacturers, fabricators, machine shops, injection molding shops and more). This type of website should include the following features:

Clear overview of each service on a homepage that builds credibility and has sufficient content length to rank in search engines.
Landing pages dedicated to subtopics. For a fabrication shop, these subtopics may be “welding”, “cutting”, “stamping”, and more.
RFQ Form
Careers Feed
Blog Feed
Key Personnel / About Us

Custom Website Average Cost: $7,500 for website design and development, and $300/Page for content writing services*.

Template Website For Lower Budgets & Small Shops

We’ve created a program for manufacturing companies that are just getting started and part of that program includes a template website. A template website is a pre-made layout which reduces project scope by eliminating the design phase – thereby lowering the budget. The key elements of this website remain the same as a the custom designed informational website, but does not provide flexibility in the way those elements are presented.

Template Site Average Cost: $2,500 and $300/page for content writing services*.

* Note: These prices are very rough guidelines, and companies with many ecommerce products and large turnkey operations should expect additional expenditure that will ensure a comprehensive and detailed website.

What’s the timeline for a website project?

We estimate the average custom website project to take 3 months from start to finish. Keep in mind that this is an average, and larger projects take more time, whereas a template website can take quite a bit less.

Who manages the website after it’s finished (can we edit it)?

We empower our customers to take as much of a role in their new website as they would like to have. We provide you with an administrative training session after its build so that you can perform basic tasks like posting new content or articles, editing existing content, adding photographs or videos, and other items you might want to do on a regular basis. Clients who want us to handle all of it, and never wish to log into their administrative dashboard, can establish a monthly retainer which involves estimating how many hours they’ll need per month, and then they will receive a discount on our hourly rate ($125/hr), for that bucket of hours.

How does the content writing process work when your company doesn’t know as much about our product as the client does?

The majority of our customers hire us because of our industry insight and specialization in the manufacturing space. We’ve gathered the experts we need to satisfy our (often very particular) manufacturing clients. Part of that expertise comes in the form of asking the right questions, and gathering information from key players in your company, then writing content in your voice. This process helps us:

Ensure you’re satisfied with the content after it’s completed
Ensure the content written has all the elements it needs so that your site shows up in search results when your ideal customer is searching

What is the client role during website design and development?

While we’ve devoted years to reducing the client workload during the project, we still need your input. We’ve consolidated the points at which we need input to make your time investment as low as possible. The points where we need input are likely to include:

A detailed kickoff meeting in which we learn about your strengths & weaknesses, and discuss the best way to present you visually
A review of your website wireframe, or the bones of the site without much flair
A review and feedback session on the website design, or the visual without the functionality
Potential incorporation of feedback and re-review of design
Content writing interviews with a key player in your company (sometimes more than one) client review of written content and feedback final website review on a staging server (content, design, and functionality)
Website Training

What’s the functional difference between a template website and a custom website?

A custom designed website includes a wireframing and design phase of the project. During this phase, our graphic design team uses the information we’ve gathered to create a unique branded design that presents your company story visually. While our template has been created to fit a broad swath of the industry, it may not allow us to completely show the unique aspects of your company. That being said, we have used both website types to create very successful lead generation campaigns.

Do we own all of the assets you create?

Yes, after your final payment has been made you will own the website and may take it. The same holds true for the content we’ve written. This is not the case with all website design firms! Make sure you ask the question if you’re selecting a web company.

Why should I hire your company?

Most of our customers have previously worked with a marketing or website design firm. The reason these customers are looking for a fresh start is because – in their words – “the company we worked with was unable to wrap their heads around what we offer and what our customers would be looking for”. weCreate is owned and operated by a champion of manufacturing who has a passion for helping manufacturers grow. We’ve provided consulting for the U.S. Trade Commission, volunteered for positions in trade organizations, and created an online marketplace for manufacturers. Our understanding of the industry as a whole contributes immensely to our customers’ success.

Can I expect to see new business from the website you create?

Our services are ROI focused – meaning that when we work for a manufacturer, we intend for them to receive a return on their investment. Your website can be compared to a retail location. The way you present yourself here will have an impact on the visitor, and their likelihood of purchasing. Just like a retail location though, your signage may attract some passersby, but you will still need to advertise. We typically see a 10-20% increase in traffic from a new website launch because of the SEO best practices we incorporate, but with an actual SEO campaign after the site is launched, we can see 100-200% (and sometimes more!) increase in traffic over 12 months.

What are the on-going costs we should expect after the website is finished?

Two main expenses are natural after a website is built. These two are:

Hosting (Monthly)
Domain and Plugin Renewals (Yearly)

Hosting is the home for your website files. The server which these files “sit” on allows the web to access the files and display your website to the world. There are a wide range of hosting providers out there but not all are created equal. weCreate has hosting experts that manage servers in data centers around the world to provide the best solution to our customers. We carefully allocate the resources required for each unique website to run quickly and to be secure. Depending on the server resources needed your hosting will likely range from $60 to $120/month.

Your domain is the web address for your website (ex. yourcompany.com). You purchase this name from a registrar and must renew it every year, or purchase a multi-year renewal. The fee for a domain renewal is between $20 and $30 per year.

The costs listed above are the only non-negotiable ones. If you’re looking for significant growth, you should expect to invest in the marketing activities we recommend in our initial talks.

Should I work with a consultant outside of weCreate during our project?

weCreate takes a consulting approach to each project. One of the reasons our websites and marketing campaigns are so successful is that each project contains the cumulative knowledge base of our years working in the manufacturing space. When we use a successful strategy for one client, we are able to apply that to others. When it comes to marketing and web strategy consulting, we are a one-stop-shop. That being said, we have relationships with outside consultants who rely on us when their clients need websites. We ensure that the consultant’s expertise is respected and incorporated into the project. If you’re already working with a consultant, rest assured that we can establish a working relationship and that both contractors can add value to the achievement of your goals.

Are we never going to hear from you again after the website is completed?

70% of our clients work with us to grow their company after the website project is finished. Why isn’t it more than 70%? Believe it or not, there are companies out there that are happy with their current revenue. Trust me, I don’t get it either. At any rate, throughout the process of building the website, you will hear our perspective on your growth potential and what you should consider investing in after the website is complete. Do you have to wait until the new site is launched to start working towards growth? Absolutely not! Since high reliability services like Search Engine Optimization do take time to reach an ROI point, many of our customers like to get started on this concurrently with the website project. All SEO work already done can be migrated to your new website, so you’ll be a few months ahead of the curve when the website is launched.

Where can I see some examples of your work?

You can view some of our work in our portfolio. It has numerous examples of manufacturing websites we’ve made over the last 10 years. If you’re interested in learning more about the websites we’ve built, contact us today.

If you have questions that weren’t addressed in the FAQs let us know and we will promptly respond!

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Frequently Asked Questions About Website Design for Manufacturing Companies

If you have questions that weren’t addressed in the FAQs let us know and we will promptly respond!

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