12 000 rubles for the site. Is there a business outside Moscow?
Today we can say with confidence that we have abandoned the development of complex and expensive Internet projects in favor of budgetary, simple solutions for 12,000 rubles. Instead of one dissatisfied customer, we get ten satisfied, and the business itself has become stable, profitable and, most importantly, predictable and predictable. I have long promised to tell you how we do it. In December, we stepped over the bar “21 sites per month” and are ready to share our secrets.
Not so long ago I wrote an article on the topic “A black hole in the cost of developing websites” , the main idea of ​​which was that you need to work on corporate websites either in the range up to 20,000 rubles, or from 150,000 rubles. In the first range, you can offer the customer a good box solution, and in the second, something more or less unique. In the middle, most projects are unprofitable. Why this happens, I tried to tell in a previously published article, but for now let's move closer to the topic of this post.
Two years ago we made a decision and began to shift towards budget sites. You understand that the demand in this segment is much higher, but the competition just rolls over. At the same time, you will agree that there are very few known studios that operate in the range of budget sites. There are several reasons for this. You can offer low prices when you have 3-5 clients, you work alone and without any legal entity (maximum - IP). Then you either close, because it is impossible to work at night, accepting new orders and supporting existing customers at a more or less normal level, or picking up people and raising prices. At the same time, there is less customer flow, which makes it possible to provide services at a normal level. This is the usual way of becoming all web studios.
')
But the flow of customers who want to get a product for a modest 10-15 thousand rubles remains high, and we really did not want to abandon it. Let's see who these customers are. In most cases, these are beginning entrepreneurs or entrepreneurs opening a second, third, fourth ... business without the presence of substantial capital. What do they really need?
Two years ago, we assumed, but now we can say with confidence that, in addition to low cost, these people need quick results. Coming to your studio, they can say that it is not. Do not believe. In 99% of cases, a novice entrepreneur (and not only a beginner) wants a quick result from the money invested. He needs to quickly make him feel that the site benefits, and his business is in demand by potential customers. When an entrepreneur feels it, he has a desire to develop, and when there is a desire, there will definitely be a result in business. To achieve high speed without losing in quality - has become for us the main task.
In order to achieve this goal, we had to form a product, limiting the basic functionality of the site and the method of working with the client. Of the main functional modules, we left the management of text sections, a directory with a basket, a form generator, news, a photo gallery, search, and everything related to SEO. These functionals solve 90% of the site tasks for small businesses. By design, we began to offer only one option with subsequent edits, if any.
So, we set a goal - in 5 days to create websites for our clients, including design, programming, content, hosting and training. Due to automation and introduction of standards, we in 70% of projects approached this figure. I'll tell you how.
12 000 rub. for the development of the site - this is 24 hours of work of our team with a commercial cost of an hour - 500 rubles. Total for 24 hours you need to make a website: prepare the design, connect the management system, make the basic content and put it on the hosting. Ideally, it is necessary that it would be possible to advertise immediately after laying out the site.
Document management system. This billing offers, contracts, invoices. For this we use our own on-line system. You should not expect that the contract offer and electronic money will be widely used by this category of customers. Despite the sum of 12 000 rubles, almost all clients want a contract with a blue seal and payment of bank transfer. You need to be ready for this. In the understanding of customers in this price category, 12,000 rubles is quite a decent amount for the site.
On the preparation and shipment of CP, the contract with the details of the client and the account, the total should take no more than 30 minutes. Only links to on-line documents are sent to the client.
System of accounting / task setting. We use redmine. Ideally, one project is one task that moves from one developer to another in stages, as on a pipeline. The system should allow changing the stage of the task and keep track of the time spent on it. This will be needed later, for summarizing statistics for the month and for reconciliation with standards.
Software platform The manager deploys a site preinstalled with all modules on the test site (the assembly is deployed from SVN when the button is pressed), adjusts it according to the client’s wishes (structure, content). Here is the software basis and TZ developers ready. The designer makes the design and, independently, by simple magic actions introduces the design to the site. For this, we use a proprietary system that allows you to quickly and fairly flexibly carry it out. Layout is (it is typical). It remains software tuning, so that the modules would meet the specific requirements of the client.
To support projects (of which there are already more than 400) we use the OTRS application processing system. This is a free, fully functional ticket system. The system makes it possible to distribute tasks among several managers, control the quality of the support service and many other advantages.
Developer guidelines. We get a ready site in 24 hours. To the manager we allocate 4 hours for the execution of documents, TK for developers, project management, coordination with the client. Designer for the design of the site pages and attachment - 7 hours. A coder to add content content - 1 hour. Programmer for tuning modules - 2 hours. Content Manager for the preparation of texts and content - 6 hours. 4 hours for testing and quality control and reserve.
Team. Of course, in order for the conveyor to work, we need a well-coordinated team in which people value time and are focused on results. We have made an important discovery. Due to restrictions in the form of standards, the result of a team often exceeds all expectations. “We used to do it in a month, now we do it in 5 days” - our employees spoke (at first) with surprise.
What do we get at the output? A link to examples of works cited at the end of the article, but for now we move on.
The main focus now is on two very important types of work.
1) This is a basic SEO optimization that goes in all our projects. Formation of headers, meta tags, sitemap, robots.txt and more. Due to this, many regional sites go to the top without any investment in promotion. Of course, we miss part of the income without charging for SEO-optimization of projects, but word of mouth works, as well as possible, and leads to new potential customers. If the site gets to the top, it will certainly be seen by competitors and partners and, of course, will ask who made it.
2) Filling the site . It is no secret that this is the weak side of most customers. And if we do not do the main content of the site ourselves, then, most likely, it will remain hanging empty for the rest of the time. At the same time, a client who does not have the time and qualifications to fill it will think that there are no customers for his services on the Internet. It's funny, but true. A small business cannot afford to have a marketing and content manager on staff, while a manager has completely different tasks. Therefore, what would the client see the result from the site, we take the filling. The exception is the product catalog, according to which we fill only a few products for each branch.
As in the headquarters of hostilities, before the managers visually expanded picture of events (in addition to the redmine).
This allows you to quickly control the time spent on the project, the status of projects and the load of developers. At the end of the month, we are going to, summarizing the statistics of work on projects, studying the experience gained in order to finalize the software platform and the introduction of new functionality.
At the end of the month there is a vote for the best site (in the opinion of all our employees), which we publish in the section “Site of the month”. And again in battle!
Our main task is to ensure that the customer does not become disillusioned with the Internet as the source of customers. To do this, we are promoting the idea of ​​a phased increase in functionality, we select only those customers that we can help and try to do it quickly. Further, as it grows, the client can order an exclusive, expensive solution, but this is no longer our business ...
We have abandoned the exclusivity of projects, opportunities to participate in competitions for the best site, large budgets and famous customers. In exchange, we received:
In one material all, of course, difficult to tell. I described what was achieved to date. I am sure that there are a lot of questions and arguments. As far as possible I am ready to answer them.
Next, we expand the geography and look for partners whose task coincides with ours - to help small businesses. For mutually beneficial cooperation, we have partnership programs, technology and a great desire. Partners can be a hosting company, 1C franchisees, SEO companies and all those who are looking for opportunities to expand their business by offering website development services.
Vasily Churanov and the web-canape team
Foreword
Not so long ago I wrote an article on the topic “A black hole in the cost of developing websites” , the main idea of ​​which was that you need to work on corporate websites either in the range up to 20,000 rubles, or from 150,000 rubles. In the first range, you can offer the customer a good box solution, and in the second, something more or less unique. In the middle, most projects are unprofitable. Why this happens, I tried to tell in a previously published article, but for now let's move closer to the topic of this post.
We decided to reduce the price by 10 times and increase profitability.
Two years ago we made a decision and began to shift towards budget sites. You understand that the demand in this segment is much higher, but the competition just rolls over. At the same time, you will agree that there are very few known studios that operate in the range of budget sites. There are several reasons for this. You can offer low prices when you have 3-5 clients, you work alone and without any legal entity (maximum - IP). Then you either close, because it is impossible to work at night, accepting new orders and supporting existing customers at a more or less normal level, or picking up people and raising prices. At the same time, there is less customer flow, which makes it possible to provide services at a normal level. This is the usual way of becoming all web studios.
')
But the flow of customers who want to get a product for a modest 10-15 thousand rubles remains high, and we really did not want to abandon it. Let's see who these customers are. In most cases, these are beginning entrepreneurs or entrepreneurs opening a second, third, fourth ... business without the presence of substantial capital. What do they really need?
What does a novice entrepreneur really need?
Two years ago, we assumed, but now we can say with confidence that, in addition to low cost, these people need quick results. Coming to your studio, they can say that it is not. Do not believe. In 99% of cases, a novice entrepreneur (and not only a beginner) wants a quick result from the money invested. He needs to quickly make him feel that the site benefits, and his business is in demand by potential customers. When an entrepreneur feels it, he has a desire to develop, and when there is a desire, there will definitely be a result in business. To achieve high speed without losing in quality - has become for us the main task.
In order to achieve this goal, we had to form a product, limiting the basic functionality of the site and the method of working with the client. Of the main functional modules, we left the management of text sections, a directory with a basket, a form generator, news, a photo gallery, search, and everything related to SEO. These functionals solve 90% of the site tasks for small businesses. By design, we began to offer only one option with subsequent edits, if any.
So, we set a goal - in 5 days to create websites for our clients, including design, programming, content, hosting and training. Due to automation and introduction of standards, we in 70% of projects approached this figure. I'll tell you how.
Automation, standards, team
12 000 rub. for the development of the site - this is 24 hours of work of our team with a commercial cost of an hour - 500 rubles. Total for 24 hours you need to make a website: prepare the design, connect the management system, make the basic content and put it on the hosting. Ideally, it is necessary that it would be possible to advertise immediately after laying out the site.
Development process. What we automate?
Document management system. This billing offers, contracts, invoices. For this we use our own on-line system. You should not expect that the contract offer and electronic money will be widely used by this category of customers. Despite the sum of 12 000 rubles, almost all clients want a contract with a blue seal and payment of bank transfer. You need to be ready for this. In the understanding of customers in this price category, 12,000 rubles is quite a decent amount for the site.
On the preparation and shipment of CP, the contract with the details of the client and the account, the total should take no more than 30 minutes. Only links to on-line documents are sent to the client.
System of accounting / task setting. We use redmine. Ideally, one project is one task that moves from one developer to another in stages, as on a pipeline. The system should allow changing the stage of the task and keep track of the time spent on it. This will be needed later, for summarizing statistics for the month and for reconciliation with standards.
Software platform The manager deploys a site preinstalled with all modules on the test site (the assembly is deployed from SVN when the button is pressed), adjusts it according to the client’s wishes (structure, content). Here is the software basis and TZ developers ready. The designer makes the design and, independently, by simple magic actions introduces the design to the site. For this, we use a proprietary system that allows you to quickly and fairly flexibly carry it out. Layout is (it is typical). It remains software tuning, so that the modules would meet the specific requirements of the client.
To support projects (of which there are already more than 400) we use the OTRS application processing system. This is a free, fully functional ticket system. The system makes it possible to distribute tasks among several managers, control the quality of the support service and many other advantages.
Developer guidelines. We get a ready site in 24 hours. To the manager we allocate 4 hours for the execution of documents, TK for developers, project management, coordination with the client. Designer for the design of the site pages and attachment - 7 hours. A coder to add content content - 1 hour. Programmer for tuning modules - 2 hours. Content Manager for the preparation of texts and content - 6 hours. 4 hours for testing and quality control and reserve.
Team. Of course, in order for the conveyor to work, we need a well-coordinated team in which people value time and are focused on results. We have made an important discovery. Due to restrictions in the form of standards, the result of a team often exceeds all expectations. “We used to do it in a month, now we do it in 5 days” - our employees spoke (at first) with surprise.
What do we get at the output? A link to examples of works cited at the end of the article, but for now we move on.
The main focus now is on two very important types of work.
1) This is a basic SEO optimization that goes in all our projects. Formation of headers, meta tags, sitemap, robots.txt and more. Due to this, many regional sites go to the top without any investment in promotion. Of course, we miss part of the income without charging for SEO-optimization of projects, but word of mouth works, as well as possible, and leads to new potential customers. If the site gets to the top, it will certainly be seen by competitors and partners and, of course, will ask who made it.
2) Filling the site . It is no secret that this is the weak side of most customers. And if we do not do the main content of the site ourselves, then, most likely, it will remain hanging empty for the rest of the time. At the same time, a client who does not have the time and qualifications to fill it will think that there are no customers for his services on the Internet. It's funny, but true. A small business cannot afford to have a marketing and content manager on staff, while a manager has completely different tasks. Therefore, what would the client see the result from the site, we take the filling. The exception is the product catalog, according to which we fill only a few products for each branch.
Workflow organization
As in the headquarters of hostilities, before the managers visually expanded picture of events (in addition to the redmine).
This allows you to quickly control the time spent on the project, the status of projects and the load of developers. At the end of the month, we are going to, summarizing the statistics of work on projects, studying the experience gained in order to finalize the software platform and the introduction of new functionality.
At the end of the month there is a vote for the best site (in the opinion of all our employees), which we publish in the section “Site of the month”. And again in battle!
findings
Our main task is to ensure that the customer does not become disillusioned with the Internet as the source of customers. To do this, we are promoting the idea of ​​a phased increase in functionality, we select only those customers that we can help and try to do it quickly. Further, as it grows, the client can order an exclusive, expensive solution, but this is no longer our business ...
We have abandoned the exclusivity of projects, opportunities to participate in competitions for the best site, large budgets and famous customers. In exchange, we received:
- Independence from a single client
- Ability to work with the first persons of companies that need a result, not a process
- We finally got satisfied customers and a profitable business.
In one material all, of course, difficult to tell. I described what was achieved to date. I am sure that there are a lot of questions and arguments. As far as possible I am ready to answer them.
PS What are your future plans?
Next, we expand the geography and look for partners whose task coincides with ours - to help small businesses. For mutually beneficial cooperation, we have partnership programs, technology and a great desire. Partners can be a hosting company, 1C franchisees, SEO companies and all those who are looking for opportunities to expand their business by offering website development services.
Vasily Churanov and the web-canape team
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/136408/
All Articles