PROJECT SCOPE: Rebuild Website with WordPress
The St Albert Salvation Army Church contracted my services in early September 2019 to rebuild their current 8 page website in a new responsible WordPress theme using the content existing on their current website. I offered to complete the project for a fee of $1000 and promised a delivery date one week later during which I would show my client and two staff members how the website is put together so they can add, edit and change any content on the pages of the new website.
BEFORE
the 8 pages of the old website
AFTER
I installed a new responsive WordPress theme on my production site, reorganized and roughed in the menu system, copied the text and downloaded the images from the old website, located some suitable images from Unsplash, and rebuilt the website with the same content that was on the old site. It took me a day. One week later, I met with the client and two other staff members to show them how the website is put together so they can add, edit or change the content on any pages themselves and to handover the site to them.
CLIENT TRAINING PROJECT
During the training/site handover meeting, the administrative assistant mentioned it would be helpful if the new website could have a Facilities Rentals page which was not on the original website. After the meeting, I roughed in the new page so it was ready for new content and asked the client if he wanted to build the page himself or wanted me to build it for an additional fee of $100 – $200. I encouraged him to be fearless and build it himself as a learning experience (and because I don’t like to work on a client website project for less than three hours at a time and they didn’t have the text for the new page decided upon or written yet).
My client took my advice, decided to be fearless and give it a try. Now he will attempt to mirror the layout of the other pages on the now empty and ready for content Facility Page using photos of each venue he shot after our site handover meeting along with the text needed to describe the rental venues including their various costs, terms and conditions. Just in case, I made a complete backup of the website. And, am willing to help him if he requests it and is willing to pay for my time.
From my perspective, the successful outcome of a website redesign project is: 1) I have completed the project on time and on budget and 2) the client is capable of taking over from me. The problem is that whether or not the cilent is capable of taking over depends entirely upon the skills and knowledge they had to begin with and the amount of effort they put in. Things beyond my control. Thankfully, my cilent is enthusiastic to learn and that usually equates to effort.
He will also come to appreciate how much time it takes to add a new page of multimedia content to a WordPress website using the new Gutenberg editor and, best of all, come to realize that in contracting my services, he received exceptional value for the money.
I’m hoping he’ll figure it out by himself and won’t need my help so I move on and fully commit myself to another project knowing he is capable of developing their new website to suit the needs of the church. Fingers crossed.
Facility Page Roughed In for Client
The image below is of the Facility Rentals page that I roughed in for the client after our site handover meeting. He will attempt to build the Facilities Rental page with new photographs of the facilities he shot after the meeting and the text they need to describe the venues and their terms and condition all the while mirroring/ copying the layout of the other three pages on the new website surrounding this page. My fingers are crossed.
Their Facebook Page Before & After
I couldn’t help myself. As a bonus to my client, after I roughed in the new Facilities Rental page, I also created a new facebook cover and suggested they swap out the logo now on the page that is impossible to read with the “official” Salvation Army logo/branding.
Can you guess which one is the before image?
PROJECT SUMMARY
Our original agreement was for me to rebuild their 8 page website in a new responsive WordPress theme using the content that already existed on their old website. My flat rate fee for the scope of this project was $1000 as I could easily see and estimate the scope of the project. Also, I knew I wouldn’t have to chase down or wait for more content to come at some in the future, or maybe not. One week later, during the website training/site handover session, they asked for additional features such as a Online Volunteer Registration Form and an Event Calendar.
They contracted my services for an additional five hours to install a on online form plugin and an event calendar plugin and help their administrative assistant create the Online Volunteer Registration Form and populate the Event Calendar. So all in, their new website with a new theme, additional content and many more features cost $1500. If they decide in the future that they would like more training or features and more of my assistance, I advised them that my fee for additional assistance is a minimum of $250 paid in advance for a maximum of three hours at a time.