I am presently taking on a limited number of clients per month. My goal with each of these clients is to first help them set-up and customize their Web presence using WordPress, then empower them to maintain their site themselves.

My preference is for clients in the creative or helping professions, as I see a greater need for empowered sites for people who give back to their communities in a measurable way.

If you live in the Austin area I prefer to meet in person for two sessions to discuss customizing and maintaining the site once it is set up and a template is chosen. The sessions will be very structured so the client can get the most out of the time. Though the entire process can be accomplished via email as well.

My fees are $1200 to set-up the site and train the client to maintain it. If a client would prefer that I perform more than a basic set-up of the site, or to add additional features, my hourly rate is $125.

What does the $1200 cover?

Set-up of the basic site includes:

• Walking you through getting a domain name, if you don’t already have one. The cost runs from $6 to $15 a year.
• Walking you through setting up a hosting account that will accommodate a WordPress site. I do not provide hosting services. However, I highly recommend Westhost’s personal starter plan at $6.95 a month (see link to left).
• Installing the most stable version of WordPress on the established site. WordPress is free.
• Helping you choose a quality WordPress theme. Most themes are free, but you can also purchase them - they range in price from $50 to $75 (see the Template Monster link on the left).
• Basic customization of the theme, including customizing colors and images.
• Installing some of the most important plugins for WordPress, including spam blockers and social bookmarking tools.
• Training for maintaining your new site, including an overview of the elements and features of WordPress, adding posts, adding pages, installing plugins, installing themes, upgrading WordPress, as well as an overview of best practices for optimizing the placement of your site in search engines.

The bottom line is, that once all of this is done, you will be fully empowered to maintain your own site without dependence on a Web developer.

There are no additional fees involved, unless you request I do more than this. I provide this service as affordably as I can in the spirit of the open source movement.

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