• 5 min read

Free Website Preview: One Page to Help You Decide

Updated

Would a different page make it easier for your customers to find what they need? Try a sample page before deciding whether to replace the site.

You get one working page

The free preview is a webpage you can open and use. It isn't just a picture of a design.

The sample combines clearer wording with a layout for one page. You can use its mobile view to check the result. It doesn't include a complete website.

Pick the page that needs attention

Your homepage may be the right choice. Or start with a particular service customers ask about. Choose the one where customers get stuck.

If you aren't sure which page matters most, describe the problem. We can choose a useful starting point.

A web address and a short explanation are enough to start

Send the web address with a note about the problem. Technical terms aren't needed.

For a business without a website, start with its services, area and phone number. We'll discuss what the sample should cover.

Agree on timing before counting on it

There isn't a fixed turnaround promise for every preview. I'll confirm timing based on the work and my available time.

You can point out what needs changing

Review the page and tell me where it misses the business or leaves a customer question unanswered.

We should agree on the revision scope for that project. This isn't an offer of unlimited rounds.

Capacity depends on the current workload

It's just me doing the work. If the schedule is full, I'll say so rather than promise a slot I don't have.

The preview is free; a finished site is quoted

You don't owe for the preview if you decide against the project. A full build needs a separate agreement.

The current typical price for five to seven finished pages is $1,200. The actual scope gets a firm quote.

Payment for a semi-static build is due after final approval and before launch. The terms describe that arrangement.

A new semi-static care agreement costs $60 each month. It is billed for the year. Older customer agreements retain their agreed terms.

Your content stays yours

You keep ownership of the text, photographs and logos you supply. For a paid semi-static project, you own the final code.

The evaluation page uses a temporary address. Under the terms, I may remove an unconverted preview, typically after 30 to 60 days.

That explains the temporary hosting. It isn't a deadline to buy, and the preview doesn't promise a free code handover.

Check it where your customers use it

Open the sample on your phone as well as a computer. Try finding the service and the contact details.

If customers often use mobile data, check it off Wi-Fi too. A layout looking fine on my screen isn't enough.

Use the preview to judge the next step

You can compare the sample with your current page before choosing a full rebuild. A smaller correction may be sufficient.

Bring up anything the existing website must keep doing. That belongs in the discussion before agreeing on replacement work.

The preview is for semi-static work

A semi-static site has PHP pages with HTML and CSS, rather than an editing dashboard. That can suit a site whose details change infrequently.

If you need to edit pages yourself, say that early. A different arrangement may fit better.

New WordPress projects aren't part of my offer. Existing WordPress maintenance and hosting is $75 monthly, billed annually. Repair work receives a separate quote.

Agree on the limits

This offer doesn't include an entire free website, endless revisions or an obligation to hire me.

It gives you enough of a working direction to decide whether the proposed changes make sense.

Seeing it can settle the design question

A sample gives us something concrete to discuss. You can see whether the direction helps before committing to the larger project.

The services page describes the work available after that decision.

The offer has become narrower

Older wording described a whole free website and unlimited changes. That wording has been withdrawn. The current offer covers one evaluation page.

Have a page you'd like to reconsider?

Send its address and the part customers find confusing. I'll confirm whether a preview fits and when I can do it.

Tell me about the page

About Ben Huffman

Ben Huffman runs Dirt River Design, a one-person web shop in Grand Forks, North Dakota. He builds fast, plain websites for local businesses and runs ToolGrit, a free library of trade calculators.

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