Frequency Asked Questions
You have questions, we have answers. Below are questions most often asked by our customers.
What are the benefits of having a web site?
What's the procedure to get my site online?
How much does a web site cost?
How long does it take to get my site online?
What are the benefits of having a web site?
A website can reach out to new markets or it can help retain your current customers. It can act as a multi page advertisement or it can be an online business that generates its own income. It can act as a meeting place, a resource center or even entertain. If you need to advertise, inform, sell, communicate or entertain then a website can be built to fit the bill.
An advantage of the web compared to traditional media is availability. The web is available 24 hours a day to a global audience. This creates an opportunity to provide valuable information for your customers. A professionally designed website can:
- act as a multi page advertisement
- display the products and services you provide
- enable customers to purchase goods or services
- allow reservations to be made online
- convey branding identity and promote trust
- provide contact information or direct contact through email
What is the procedure to get my site online?
1. Free initial consultation.
We determine the purpose of your website and gather information on your target audience.
2. Research
We research both the local and global competition to help determine the best online strategy for your business. Using this information we modify our plan and discuss the look and feel of your site. We explain the technologies involved in the more complex designs using plain language and offer pricing packages on the variations we discuss.
3. Domain Name
Domain names are decided and registered.
4. Draft
A draft site and/or samples are prepared for your approval.
5. Production
All resources required for the project are collected or produced.
6. Ongoing Consultation
We design and develop your site with ongoing consultation and testing.
7. Site goes live
After your approval the site goes online with your choice of web hosting partner.
8. Fine Tuning
We monitor the traffic to your site so we can make suggestions for improvement in either holding the web users attention or increasing the number of visitors to the most important pages.
How much will a web site cost?
There are five basic costs.
- Domain name registration
- Site hosting
- Web Design and development
- Promotion
- Maintenance
Domain name registration
You must register a domain name for your business. The name must comply with certain rules. A well-chosen domain name can help customer recognition and increase traffic. We will register your domain name as part of our hosting, domain registration and site maintenance package. Check to see if your domain name is available below.
Site hosting
Most small business website hosting requirements fit into the £190 per year or £50 per quarter package depending on the size and technology required for your site. This price also includes the domain name and basic site maintenance.
Web Design and development
Websites vary considerably in size and complexity and so does the time and therefore cost to build them. Most of the websites we design cost between £900 and £2000. In a nutshell, you are paying for the time involved in building the site and the level of expertise required to make it work.
If you would like a web design quotation, you can call us free on 800 213 1309 or complete our Free Estimate Form . We will then contact you to discuss the pricing options available.
Options to achieve your site objectives are discussed in our initial consultation so you can choose the most cost effective method to suit your business. We give a fixed quote with clear design objectives agreed upon at the beginning of the project.
Maintenance
The Internet is a dynamic environment and stale web sites just get passed over. Your site needs to change regularly to keep visitors coming back. Three options are:
- We build a database driven site where you can edit your own content. Initially more expensive (£300 - £700 per module) but free of any ongoing maintenance costs. This option is best for medium to larger websites or any website where content is to change regularly.
- Our experts perform any changes.
- Update the site yourself with the right software and very little training. You will need to purchase software such as Macromedia Contribute 3 for about £149.
How long does it take to get my site online?
Websites vary enormously in content and complexity. The time involved to create them is a reflection of this. It usually takes about 1 to 2 weeks for a small site with up to 5 pages. For larger sites with interactivity, rich graphic content, flash animation, original photography or advanced programming it can take 3 weeks or more. A large e-commerce or database driven site will usually take 3 weeks or more. Hosting and domain name registration only take a few days.
What do I need to supply?
Because you know your business and market best, your input is valuable to designing an effective site.
It will save you time and money if you have any of the following items:
- text content
- company logos or letterhead
- quality photographs or images
- brochures
- previous print advertising material
If your business does not have the time or the resources, we can take care of all the content. This can include copy content, original photography, logo design and branding.
What is a Domain Name?
Your domain name is an address where Internet users can find you on the web. An example is www.yourbusiness.com. You should have a unique domain name for your website.
Check domain name availability
What is Web Hosting?
All the files for your website are kept on one or more computers called web servers. The server computer is said to be a host for your site. In other words, they look after your site and ensure it is available 24/7.
The web hosting requirements for any site vary according to the technology used to create it. The standard of the service can vary greatly from one company to the next. The speed and reliability of service are crucial as is the level of customer support provided.
We use high quality servers with a guaranteed uptime of 99.9%.
