Sibrah:
Only if you see the handiwork of our web designers. Some took good templates and mess them up in the name of delivering a unique work.

coolsix:
Left to me, if you are to design a website for me, you would build from scratch in the programming language that i choose

coolsix:
Some reasons why they are cheap:

- They do not design the template
- They do not design the application backend
- They use pre-built web templates and modify
- They use already built web applications.

I do not believe in so called designers who use a script for design.. I mean, a script that is already done(I don't care if they paid for it)

For example, if i want you as a designer to design/develop a blog for me, i would not accept Wordpress as a Portfolio , neither would i accept any pre-made blogging script/application.. I expect an application Built From Scratch!!!!!! Not something i can easily download/install myself.

Now tell me, how many Nigerians* Let alone Nigerian Developers* can develop a web application from scratch? Without Using another existing app? 99% Blogs in Nigeria are using Pre-made blog solutions e.g Wordpress, blogger, etc.... 98% SMS Websites are using Pre-made SMS Softwares... I have not yet seen one Nigerian website using a Never-before-seen application.. No matter what platform the website is..

So Mr OP, they have to be cheap... Those who claim to be expensive, good for them, if they find the clients who would buy it... Left to me, if you are to design a website for me, you would build from scratch in the programming language that i choose.. That is what makes you a developer.. Anything outside that.. Better be cheap!!!

-Signed-- Victor!

onyengbu:
@ bolded, you cant really say that for sure. Not every Nigerian developer shows off their project. 99% is just too high naa. Do you know how many Nigerians on freelancer.com winning bids and delivering.
People are building great apps which might not be popular or not for Nigerian audience everyday.

coolsix:


Now tell me, how many Nigerians* Let alone Nigerian Developers* can develop a web application from scratch? Without Using another existing app? 99% Blogs in Nigeria are using Pre-made blog solutions e.g Wordpress, blogger, etc.... 98% SMS Websites are using Pre-made SMS Softwares... I have not yet seen one Nigerian website using a Never-before-seen application.. No matter what platform the website is..

-Signed-- Victor!

onyengbu:
@ bolded, you cant really say that for sure. Not every Nigerian developer shows off their project. 99% is just too high naa. Do you know how many Nigerians on freelancer.com winning bids and delivering.
People are building great apps which might not be popular or not for Nigerian audience everyday.

CreativeWeb:
@OP, what do you take coreldraw to be? Do you know that a small logo designed with coreldraw can cost 5000 USD?

Concerning ur post, web design is in categories. There is no sane person that will build any custom web app or custom wordpress site for less than 200k. But someone like me who is a wordpress geek can customize a wordpress theme for 20k. With 20k and under one day, I can customize a premium theme and it will look awesome. I am an html5, css3 and php expert. But there is not client ready to pay for custom website. So what I do is that I have a premium account with some wordpress market places. I can simply get a theme, install and add plugins and tweak the website to my client's taste.

The point is that some people doesnt have integrity and they dont know even basic html. So even if you pay them 200k, they wil stil not deliver an awesome website.

Go to freelancer.com and see core web developers ready to build a custom web app for you within 14 days for 500 USD (80k Naira).

So if you have the skill and knowledge, u can bring down ur cost and build portfolio and relationship.

designexploit:


I understand all that, but does that make your design cheap... a vital question that need to be answered. Don't you want to make money and more money for yourself? Will you not update these website for your clients? Your view has not really answered my question so...?

coolsix:
Some reasons why they are cheap:

- They do not design the template
- They do not design the application backend
- They use pre-built web templates and modify
- They use already built web applications.

I do not believe in so called designers who use a script for design.. I mean, a script that is already done(I don't care if they paid for it)

For example, if i want you as a designer to design/develop a blog for me, i would not accept Wordpress as a Portfolio , neither would i accept any pre-made blogging script/application.. I expect an application Built From Scratch!!!!!! Not something i can easily download/install myself.

Now tell me, how many Nigerians* Let alone Nigerian Developers* can develop a web application from scratch? Without Using another existing app? 99% Blogs in Nigeria are using Pre-made blog solutions e.g Wordpress, blogger, etc.... 98% SMS Websites are using Pre-made SMS Softwares... I have not yet seen one Nigerian website using a Never-before-seen application.. No matter what platform the website is..

So Mr OP, they have to be cheap... Those who claim to be expensive, good for them, if they find the clients who would buy it... Left to me, if you are to design a website for me, you would build from scratch in the programming language that i choose.. That is what makes you a developer.. Anything outside that.. Better be cheap!!!

-Signed-- Victor!

ediko5:
This is was i have been lamenting about website design/development in Nigeria.

Sincerely speaking when i first started as a website designer, i know had intermediate knowledge of HTML & CSS and also good knowledge about WordPress design. and then i use to charge 10k for website design.

But since i started learning professional web development (I mean real professional web development) anytime i hear about any web design/development project less than 50k, i feel like crying because having known what it takes to code a website from scratch and if he site has to do with JavaScript and PHP and other programing languages (You Know What I Mean).

Just Yesterday, a man who contacted me to build two website for him (a news/magazine website and an eCommerce website) send me a message that he has find some on FIVERR that build the websites for him for $15. That my price of 75k for the two website is too expensive. I told him that i can't collect even $300 for the work.

The presence of novice in the web design industry has made web design look cheap when the professional is an highly intellectual profession.

Sometimes i weep for myself has a future web developer and application developer.

But i have come to realized that the best way for professional developer to make money is to focus on premium themes/templates development and application development and leave the public jobs for the amateurs.

ZinoFego:
There is one vital point no one has talked about. Here it is; debugging codes written by someone else. If a coder falls out with a client, aside the fact that the client will pay much more to get someone else to get the website functional, it'll be very likely difficult for the new coder to understand the codes of the first person. This may lead the client to starting all over again. I've found myself in more than one occasion.

Is any website actually coded from the scratch? I do not think so. Let me explain this, the compiler and IDE that you using as a coder is similar to the same platform used by a Joomla or WordPress platform user. You'll write your codes but depend on a compiler and IDE to generate your website. On the other hand, the Joomla guy enters a his parameters, his website is generated. The coder didn't develop the compiler neither did the Joomla/WordPress guy develop his platform.

Except a firm has an IT department with employed website developer(s), I wouldn't advice using a "coded" from scratch website because it'll be too expensive to maintain.

Please use what's is convenient for you and let the other rest.

ediko5:


My oga, i think you are out of the point here please. Yes using CMS to build a website makes it easy for a novice in web design to update and put contents into a website also enable many people to work on that site.
But the theme used in building the website on any CMS platform was actually coded from scratch before it was made a CMS compatible (say Joomla).
let's assume that everyone who will use Joomla to build a site will have to code his/her website from scratch before working on the theme to make it Joomla compatible, will web design be cheap tthe way it is?
please it's not easy to learn professional web development so let us not look down on the professional and make it look cheap.

ZinoFego:
In respect to Joomla that I'm quite very familiar with, even those coded templates were developed using IDEs or compilers. In the sense of that, no one is actually coding from the scratch because somewhere along the line, you'll be lifted, you'll need help of an application or two to arrive.

ediko5:


Even with the help of some application. You did large development work.
Web designing business in Nigeria is so disgusting and embarrassing. Imagine people building eCommerce website for 5k simply because they have free access to eCommerce themes and plugins.

Sibrah:

I prefer to call such a work web uploading because such a site probably has just enough items uploaded into it to help appreciate the look of the template.
In sane climes, an organisation with an e-commerce platform should have a hand in-house to help maintain the website. Imagine that staff being paid 5k alone!
Even the so called static sites require update of info from time to time, re-theming of site for events like anniversary and theme update for new features like new bar,gallery or accordion being added.
What we have most time a guy who can quickly set up CMSes in 5 days but can't extend the theme, database or code of the CMS claiming a webmaster status. If u don't know what a webmaster is all about why not specialize in a section of web related services instead of using generic titles that puts too-weight on your shoulders.

ediko5:

5k is even much because someone told me that he found a Nigerian of Fiverr.comwho want to build a website for him @ $5 (five dollars) and up till now i don't know what will be the web designer's profit.

Sibrah: