Small Businesses & Nonprofits

You only need one domain name to run a website, which needs to be renewed annually.  

• Simple domain extensions (.com/.org) run about $25 a year while commercial-friendly extensions (.inc) or high-value names can run in the hundreds or thousands of dollars per year. 
• Domain brokers regularly buy up common and popular domains so companies are forced to purchase these domain names from them. (Holding onto a high-value domain for 15-20 years can cost as little as $250; Brokers can then sell such domains for thousands of dollars.)
• It’s important to buy any intended domains as soon as possible. You can always release the name in a year if you change your mind. 
• You should buy as many as possible with similar company names (or common misspellings) before someone else buys it. 
• Do not incorporate or register a business until you buy the domain name. Once you file the paperwork to form a company, domain brokers may quickly buy your domain name based on this public filing. You might be forced to pay an exorbitant price for your company’s domain name or file paperwork to change your company’s name. 

Other good domain habits:

• Buy the easiest and most memorable domain name(s) possible
• Buy the full name of your company
• Buy common misspellings
• Buy “.com” and “.org” and others, if necessary

All of these domain names can be “forwarded” to your singular website. 

Friendly Comms specializing in getting organizations off WordPress software to template-based "website builders." 

Although WordPress provides extensive online functions, most volunteers or employees don't know how to use it. Therefore, organizations can't easily update WordPress websites. Most people also lack the level of professional graphic design experience to make many WordPress sites visually appealing. 

Large corporations can pay for that expertise. Small companies, nonprofits and religious groups benefit from a user-friendly, template-based "website builder" for quick website updates. 

Based on heavy text-based content needs, Friendly Comms uses Go Daddy's website builder. Go Daddy’s extensive licensed clip art library from Getty Images is also an asset. (Friendly Comms does NOT have a financial relationship with Go Daddy nor is it rewarded for providing new business to Go Daddy.)  Many artists and businesses with limited text-based needs find Square Space templates visually appealing. 

No website builders are perfect and even Go Daddy gets "glitchy." You simply need to assess your needs and your ability to work with the software quickly to efficiently update your site(s).

Hosting plans can be anywhere from $10/month to $50+/month depending on your website, newsletter, marketing and online sales needs.  Many small  nonprofits and businesses can get by with $17-25/month (with cheaper rates if choosing an annual plan).

• Identify the general tone you want for the website: serious, friendly, fun, earthy or spiritual, informational and “newsy,” etc.
• Identify the key sections and content you want on your website.
• Provide the website designer with written content and images you want included. (Make sure you own the copyright to all provided images. Licensed clip art is available through website builders.) 
• Optional: Identify marketing and outreach goals for your website: promote regular events, schedule regular blogs or email newsletters, etc.; Develop a schedule on what to release and how often.

Prices for building a website vary depending on the amount of information and number of pages required for a new website. Extensive archives can add additional time (and thus money) for a website designer or builder. The key is to be organized when providing content required for the site. This will keep a web designer's time to a minimum. 

• Using website builders (with pre-existing templates) saves time and money, keeping your website costs to a minimum. Using these template-based systems means non-technical people can be taught to quickly update your new site. Such websites can be as little as $2,000 for a very basic site with minimal pages to thousands of dollars more for extensive content and additional archives. (Tips: Start small and get a new site up quickly to enhance company outreach. Expand the site over time.)
• WordPress sites created by website developers can easily run anywhere from $5,000 - $15,000 ... possibly even more depending on your company's needs and the company hired to create the site. Since few people know WordPress, you'll be forced to pay for a developer or hope someone in your office knows WordPress ... and has time to regularly update the site. WordPress sites often require web builders with professional graphic design skills to be both visually appealing and intuitively organized.

All websites need to be monitored and updated based on an organization's needs, events, changing information and  budget. Therefore, the organization sets the standards based on its budget and needs.

• Monitoring can range from daily to quarterly (with temporary periods of high activity)
• Consulting webmasters  charge hourly and/or annual fees to maintain, update websites
• In-house employees, volunteers can maintain, update sites

Once a website is built, Friendly Comms charges an hourly rate for updates and maintenance (including adding website pages, content, archives and the related editing of online content). 

Promotional work, such as creating newsletters and social media posts, is billed at the same rate. 

The client clearly sets the budget based on need and whether additional publicity and promotion is needed.  Some clients only require a half hour per week while other clients have "busy periods" based on quarterly, semi-annual or annual events.  (Tip: The key to keeping costs down rests on the  preparation and organization of the client.)

Friendly Comms also trains employees or volunteers to "hand off" website maintenance directly to an organization, which can be accomplished in 2 - 5 billable hours. 

Examples of costs for Friendly Comm clients:

1. A client needed a weekly website update to promote an affiliated newsletter. (This did not involve writing a newsletter -- only promoting a newsletter written by a third party.) Posting newsletters links, related images and headlines to the client's home page and newsletter section only took about 0.5 billing hours per week. 
2. To celebrate its 300th anniversary, a Quaker meeting required a new website to promote a series of upcoming events and provide information about the meeting's history. Once the site was created, it required constant updating for one year (averaging 3-5 hours per week). Once the anniversary passed, volunteers were trained in 2 - 3 hours to monitor and update the website with minimal follow up of an hour or so. 
3. Editing content for an online newsletter, pulling images, linking online content, and then emailing (directly from Go Daddy as part of the hosting package) can run about 1.5 - 2 hours on average. It depends on the preparation of the client and how much information is provided to keep information gathering, writing, editing, and image collection to a minimum. 
4. Purely informational sites (without events or activities) can be monitored every few months or as needed. 

 Contact us about our small business and nonprofit rate structure.

Did you just record a new podcast, event or video? Did you host an online lecture, meeting or author visit? Do you have a new YouTube video to share? Get it on your website quickly -- then promote it elsewhere online!

Let others know about new content, news, events, social media posts, videos, podcasts and blogs through your website. Then promote the new website content via social media, newsletters, press releases, etc.

Even if you have active social media accounts, all social media links should point directly back to the website as the key hub for information. 

Online newsletters can be scheduled and emailed directly via the website hosting plan.

• Newsletters are  short and visual with links to updated website content. 
• Unlike Constant Contact and other email marketing services, recipients receive an email directly from your company's email address. 

Once a website is built, Friendly Comms charges an hourly rate for updates and maintenance (including adding website pages, content, archives and the related editing of online content). 

Promotional work, such as creating newsletters and social media posts, is billed at the same rate.  (See  the "Monitor & Update Your Website ..." immediately above)

 Contact us about our small business and nonprofit rate structure.