SmartSite

The Arxus SmartSite is a new kind of website for small and mid-size businesses. The SmartSite is more affordable and delivers a higher quality website than other solutions in the web industry today. Our SmartSite development framework is a unique and innovative method of creating successful websites that meet the goals and objectives of our clients.

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Key benefits of a SmartSite:

• Reach new markets and expand sales
• Get more from your marketing budget
• Build stronger customer relationships
• Increase productivity and efficiency
• Gain a serious competitive advantage

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What the SmartSite product includes:

• Finished Website: Complete and functional SmartSite, fully tested and proofed.
• Complete Web Plan: Includes site architecture, website blueprint, industry and competitive analysis, project content list, plan for ongoing maintenance of the website, and other relevant planning information.
• Visual Design Concept: Original website design, follows usability principles (user-friendly, easy to navigate), speaks well to your target audience.
• Project Extranet: Includes our online Client Service Centre where we present all documents and other project work (such as design sketches).

+ Click to view examples of SmartSites in our Project Showcase

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About the SmartSite
At Arxus we're aware that small and mid-size businesses are a vital part of our economy, and we believe it is very important that all businesses take advantage of the Web as a tool for growth. But, there's a catch-22 here. Small and mid-size businesses often don't have huge budgets for website development. While many large companies dedicate six or even seven figure development budgets annually to their websites, smaller businesses simply can't afford it.

Many companies are forced to build their own site with little knowledge of how to do it right, or they spend very little money (perhaps only one or two thousand dollars) with an inexperienced web developer and are left with a site that doesn't do much, isn't updated regularly, and often times is worse than having no website at all. A poor website can have a negative impact on a company's image and credibility.

So what's the solution? Well, we think it's the Arxus SmartSite, a new kind of website for small and mid-size businesses. The Arxus SmartSite is based on a modular framework which makes use of proven industry-specific website architectures, proper planning, and solid design and usability principles.

The easier way to explain it is that our SmartSite is a lot like a pre-engineered building. The basic structure and method of construction are systemized which speeds assembly and lowers costs, but there is lots of room for custom planning and features to meet the different needs of any business.

The Arxus SmartSite is the best of both worlds. You get a high quality custom designed website with powerful features, and you get it at an affordable cost.

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Ballpark Costs (any taxes are on top of what is listed here)
It's tough to give an exact cost before we know what you need, but we can give you a ballpark estimate that will help you plan your budget. There are basically three levels of web development.

1. We develop a SmartSite for your business, and you take care of content development (writing a profile of your business, describing your services or products, taking a few photos, and so on). Some businesses can put this information together fairly easily, using existing brochures or catalogs or other company materials. So if you can handle the content, the SmartSite will cost you between $3,400 and $5,100. A SmartSite project typically takes 40 to 60 hours of work. The level of planning and design needed for the project affects the number of hours and the final cost.

2. We develop a SmartSite for your business, and we take care of the content development for you (or your communications agency or marketing firm handles content). Many of our clients like this option because they simply don't have the time to do it themselves. Content development typically costs between $1,000 to $3,000 for the average small business website. So let's say content costs you $2,000 (most of our content projects end up right around $2,000) and the SmartSite is a 50 hour project ($4,250). Your total cost is $6,250.

3. We develop a SmartSite for your business, and we also develop some web applications such as a Content Management System or an online email newsletter database. We don't run into this option much, since the vast majority of small businesses do not need complex web applications. And the costs are impossible to nail down. An application to power an email newsletter could be $600, while a complete Content Management System could be $10,000 or more. So the costs here could be anywhere from $5,000 to $15,000, or even higher if you truly need a very complex and expensive set of web applications and advanced features for your website.

Rest assured, we meet with all our clients to determine their needs and we give you a firm price quote before any work begins. The vast majority of our SmartSite projects fall between $4,000 and $6,000. And we never sell our clients anything that won't deliver value to their business. We believe that your website must deliver a return on investment for your business.

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