The powerfully versatile content management system (CMS) with the funny name!  Gone are the days of expensive Web design suites and high-priced webmasters.  Now you can take full control of your website — without any programming knowledge or HTML training.

“Open-source” software, which now powers a significant percentage of business sites on the Internet, is available at no cost and the developer community is continuously updating it.  They are also busy building new plug-ins to add virtually any imaginable feature, often at little or no cost.

Everything is modular, so changing the look and feel of your Joomla site can be as simple as installing a new template.  Adding a “widget” (like those quote boxes available from Progressive and Safeco) usually takes but a few minutes using the Custom HTML module that comes with the core Joomla software.  And best of all, the editing and upkeep your Joomla site is done entirely from within your Web browser.

Your website hosting company must install the core Joomla 1.5 software on the Web server and provide us with access to the program folders in order to install everything.  This has been an major issue with some IT people, so please check with yours before getting too excited about having a Joomla site.

Most retail hosts include it in a script library (such as Fantastico) that is available in the admin area of the hosting account.  If you can’t find it there, ask your host to install it for you.

Here is our list of recommended website hosting companies

Custom Programming
Additional design or setup work is available on an hourly basis.  We can modify a template or build one from scratch.  We can set up additional extensions for added functionality.  Currently, this work is available at $115 per hour.

Website Hosting
If your current website hosting company doesn’t support the free Joomla software, you may incur additional fees to move your site to another host.  Click here for a list of recommended website hosting companies.

Domain Hosting
If you don’t already have a domain (“dot.com” address), it can cost about $35 per year for domain registration.  Click here for a list of recommended domain hosting companies.

Extensions & Plug-Ins
In most cases, the only other expenses might be for any commercial plug-ins and components that you wish to install on your site.  You can purchase them directly from the vendor by browsing to extensions.joomla.org.  They usually come with step-by-step instructions or you can hire us to set them up for you.

Many agencies choose to sign up as a ongoing service customer, even just for a few months, until they feel comfortable with the update and maintenance of their website.  For only $110 per month, you’ll receive 1½ hours that may be used for training or further development of your site. 

Details and enrollment

How do I get a design that’s unique to my agency?  The word “template” is used in Joomla to identify the package of images and styles that make up the site design.  Unlike normal HTML websites, the layout and content of a Joomla site are separate — the design is stored in a template folder while the content is maintained in an SQL database.  This makes it very simple to change the look of your site without having to redo each page separately.  So even if you have a unique design created for your agency, it will be contained in a “template” that is installed on your Joomla website.

Changes to the color scheme are included in the package price, however, if you want more elaborate changes, they will be subject to billing at our normal hourly rate.  If you are a ongoing service customer, you can use your time allotment for this type of work.  You can also make changes to the template yourself, using any web design or graphics program you wish.  Instructions are freely available on the Joomla website at www.joomla.org.

The templates created by Aspenglow Services are guaranteed to work on the site we set up for you.  There are also literally hundreds of other Joomla templates available on the Internet and many are free or inexpensive.  Click here for our current list of "favorite" template sites.

In most cases, we can reconfigure them to work on your existing site or you might have to ask the template designer for help.

There are many options for online quoting:

• Your new site includes a free forms module called Mad4Joomla that enables you to build as many forms as you want.  These forms submit to an email address, so they are not secure and shouldn't be used to gather private information.
• If your carriers offer online quote "widgets", they can easily be installed on your site, usually in a few minutes.
• For as little as $495, you can sign up with NO ReKey, a service that hosts secure quote forms that can be embedded into your site.  When a prospect submits the quote, it is stored on an SSL-enabled server where you can download it.  If you are running the AMS-InStar system, you can even drop it into your download folder so it will automatically update your client and policy screens.  For details, please contact Stephanie Hulcher at 253-549-7370 (and be sure to tell her that Kim sent you).
• We offer a collection of pre-built HTML forms that can be installed and customized for your agency.  They, too, submit to an email address and are not secure unless installed on an SSL server.  For details and prices, please contact us at 970-323-3456.

As a rule of thumb, a standard Joomla site takes about 10-15 hours to set up.  This includes all of the features shown on our demo site, plus the time necessary to create your custom design and add content to each page.  A Custom Website Package is recommended for anyone interested in launching a Joomla website for their agency.

We are in the process of launch a comprehensive online help desk site at www.aspenglowservices.com/help.  It will contain step-by-step instructions for many of the tasks you wish to perform on your new website.  It will continue to grow in the upcoming months as we add new instructions plus tips and tricks for getting the most from Joomla.

You can find answers to your questions on the Joomla.org website as well as in their community forum.  We are also available to assist with whatever you need... just let us know how we can help!