Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some frequently asked questions that we get about web design...
What is a web designer?
Good question, let's find out.
Suppose for a moment that you've decided to build a house. Now you aren't going to do the actual work yourself because you're going to hire a contractor. Your contractor will design, construct, and decorate your house for you. When completed, (s)he will give you the keys to your new house.
Now, how would this house building evolve? Would you simply say to the contractor "build me a 2000 sq ft house" and leave the contractor to provide all the design elements, the colors, textures and furnishings? No, you wouldn't. While the contractor could provide you with a 2000 sq ft house, it's very unlikely that it would meet your wants, needs, or desires.
So you provide the contractor with a guide to how your house should be constructed, what it should contain, and how it interacts with your neighborhood.
Your contractor does all this after signing a contract with you. The contract spells out a role for each person involved in the construction. If you can provide some of the labor, your costs will be lower. If you provide the right input, you are assured that your house will truly be what it is you wanted.
Nobody knows how you want your house to look, feel, and communicate better than you do. Your contractor can make some educated guesses about you and place those assumptions into your house, but will you be really happy with the results? And wouldn't you expect the contractor to charge you more for providing these things instead of you providing them yourself? Time is money, and contractors don't give away their time.
So, what do you do? You provide the contractor with input about how your house should look, feel, react, communicate with others and then your house gets built the way you want it. It says what you want it to say. It's comfortable, and it looks good. You're happy.
Now a little substitution game: Replace "contractor" with "Web Designer", replace "house" with "web site", replace "design elements", "colors", "textures and furnishings", "info" and "input" with "content". Replace "neighborhood" with "customers". Now go read the story again.
That's what a web designer is. (S)he can build you a web site. The more input you provide, the better able your designer is able to meet your wishes for your site. You provide the building blocks the designer uses. If you want the designer to provide the building blocks, don't complain about the additional cost. Time is money, remember?
What is a web site/Homepage?
A web site is a place on the Internet where you can tell people about your business, your hobby, or your personal interests.
How will a web site benefit me? Why should I have one?
A web site will give you 24 hour a day, 7 day a week exposure to people world wide. If you are a business, or even a hobby and want people to see what you have to offer or have accomplished, then a website is the best value for your dollar. Compare the cost of a website to the cost of magazine or Radio/TV advertising, and I am sure you will see the benefit. It is the most cost efficient way to spread the word about your business or hobby. You may tell the world as much or as little as you want.
How do I decide on what the web site should look like?
Your personal likes and dislikes as well as favorite colors should be discussed with your web designer. A good web designer will ask you many questions. Design, content, ease of navigation, and speedy download are a few of the things to consider when deciding what you want your site to look like.
Why should I pay a web designer when I could get my friend to do it for free?
With today's WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) editors, most anyone can build a web site. Not everyone can do it well.
The old saying, 'you get what you pay for' is still a very good one today. The first impression that your web site makes upon your visitors will be a lasting one. You are paying for the web designers expertise and knowledge as well as their talent. There are good websites and there are bad web sites. The Design and Function as well as speed of downloading play a large part in what distinguishes a good website from a poor one. You will get custom design, which means that your site will be original, and will reflect your tastes.
What is included in the cost for web design?
Original custom graphics, original, custom html layout, custom scanning and submission to search engines. For more information, see our price list.
What is HTML?
HTML stands for the hyper text mark up language. This is the language that all internet browsers use to understand what should be displayed and how it should be displayed.
How long will it take to have a site designed?
This depends of course on the size and complexity of the site. It also depends on the length of time it takes to decide on a design and layout. Once this is decided, and the content has been forwarded to the designer, then it should take only a couple of weeks to get your site online. Whether your site is 5-10 pages or an extensive site of 20-30 pages, you should be given a time frame of when you can expect your site to be completed. Of course the competition date also depends upon the timely forwarding of the photos and text content that will make up the site. We do not take on more commitments than we can handle. As we progress with your site, we will post it and inform you of where you can go to view the progress. You may then monitor the progress and development and offer your input.
I do not have internet access, can I still have a website?
Yes, sure you can. Your web designer will arrange for your site to be hosted on a good server.
What is Web Hosting?
Web hosting means finding a server on which to place (publish) your website so others can see it. Most Web Designers will be able to supply space for your site at a very minimal fee or be able to advise you on where to host your site. This gives a much more professional appearance to your site, with no pop up advertising to distract your visitors.
What does Domain Name mean? What are the advantages of having a Domain Name?
Domain names give you a higher profile on the Web and they make you easier to locate. Domain names are portable. You can move your site at any time to any server and still be found because your domain name does not change. Having a domain name means you can change web hosting services without losing customers. Your new web hosting service will point people to the same web site. This way, you can to change hosting services to find a better deal, or receive better service without losing viewers or breaking links. Without a domain name, your web site name (URL) changes each time you move, which is confusing to customers.
Why Buy A Domain Name?
Domain names are a business essential! In today's business world, a domain name and a web presence are a must. All major businesses have domain names. The Web is now a part of everyday commercial life and your domain name is your identity on the Internet. A business web site without a domain name is difficult to find and looks unprofessional.
The Web is where people and customers around the world find information about you, your products and your services - 24 hours a day. Here online buyers, suppliers and partners come together. Securing a domain name ensures that your company name or product names are on the Internet.
$25 - $35 per year is a small price to pay for increased credibility in the eyes of potential customers.
Why should I pay to have my website hosted when there are lots of free web servers available?
Free servers are great for those just starting out. The reason for having a website is to get people to visit, and view the things you wish to show them. Free servers must exist by advertising. They place pop up ads, banners, or bars on your site. To do this they must insert java scripts into your html coding. This makes it very difficult for the search engine robots to index your site. Free servers are not as fast, efficient or reliable. Visitors to your site find the advertising annoying and distracting. Ultimately, the choice is yours, free server or paid server.
What does 'custom design' mean? What are Custom graphics?
Custom means designed just for you. You will not run into the same design anywhere else on the internet. Your site will be unique to you and your business/hobby. Custom graphics are part of custom design. A website is made up of what graphic artists call "Website Sets". These are Backgrounds, headers, dividers, accent bullets, and frames for pictures, all designed to match and make your site unique. A lot of time and work go into the designing of these web graphics. Good graphics can make or break a website.
I notice on some sites that there is a copyright at the bottom, can you tell me what that means?
When a graphic artist and/or web designer custom designs something for you, be it a graphics (including background sets, framed photos, etc.) or a HTML pages, their work is automatically copyrighted. This means that it belongs to the author, not to the site owner. For more information on copyrights, click here.
Is it important to keep the information on my website up to date?
It is vital to keep information current on your website. People will return again and again to view your site if you keep the content fresh and up to date. It reflects poorly on your site if the content is not kept current. It is strongly advised that you build into your budget the cost of regular maintenance/updates for your website.
What is 'maintenance'? What does 'updating' mean, and what does this include?
Maintenance is revising outdated information on existing pages and resubmitting your site to the search engines on a regular basis. Updating is adding information or pictures to pages. Changes made to custom graphics, changing the style or look of the site, are not considered maintenance or updating, it is considered redesign. (I.E. changing backgrounds, graphics, etc.) Adding pages to a website is not considered maintenance. Updating is billed at the regular fee for additional pages. Revisions and/or additions are done on an hourly basis or if agreed on previously, it can be done on a yearly fee basis payable in advance. No matter which way, the cost of maintaining your web site is based on the time it takes to do so. This time is charged at $30.00 per hour, billed in 15 minute increments. This means that if it takes less time to do updates/maintenance, then you are only billed for the time it takes, not the full hour. Situations may vary, so we are open for discussion on this matter. Arrangements can be made for either monthly or yearly payment of Maintenance/update/hosting fees as well...
How do you expect to receive payment for your services?
Upon reaching an agreement to proceed with a website design, 50% of the quoted price will be paid as a deposit. The balance will be due upon completion of the site, as the final price of the site may be higher or lower than the quote dependant on your needs/desires for your site. Payment can be paid via PayPal or US postal money order. Once the deposit has been received we will begin work on the site.
If you have questions that have not been answered above, please feel free to contact us for answers.
Additionally, if you are interested in web design services by us, please feel free to email us and let's chat!!