You ask. I'll try to answer.
People have many common questions that they ask when it comes to hiring a web designer and the process of website design in general. Below are some of the most frequently asked questions that I receive. If you have a question that is not addressed here then please feel free to email it to us and we'll post it here with an answer.
Q: How much does a website cost?
A: Website costs vary, depending on a number of variables such as site size (number of pages), graphical content, and purpose of the web site. On average, most designers charge about $700 - $1,200 (this is usually in U.S funds) for a basic 8 page website. Switchwebs charges about 30% less than that. However, it is really difficult to put a price just on "a site" as there are so many variables that can make a site cost more or cost less. With Switchwebs, you can get a basic, yet still quite robust, 4 - 6 page website for as little as $400.00 Cdn. All quotes provided by Switchwebs.com are given in Canadian currency.
[to top]
Q: How do I get my website onto the Internet so that people can see it?
A: Once your website has been built, all files in it will be uploaded to a "host computer". This host computer is called a "server" and is set up for you when you purchase an account with a Web Host. When a someone types in your address in their browser, it looks up the address and will find it on one of these server/host computers, which assign your website a special numerical address. Once the address has been found the server computer makes the files in that account available to the browser, displaying your web site as it interprets the site's HTML code. The browser is simply a program designed to read HTML code (and a number of other computer related web languages) and then display the page into a format similar to Word. You don't see the HTML code, just the result of the browser's interpretation of the code which tells it what type of font is being used, what images to show and where to show them and how to format the page for your screen.
[to top]
Q: Do you assist with selecting and setting up a web host and how much do they cost?
A: Yes. Costs vary depending on the type of account that you will need for your website. If it is a large, e-commerce type site with lots of product images you will pay more for a plan that gives your more space for your files on the host's computer. Other variables include certain web host services such as mailing lists, sub-domains, spam filters, secure/password protected pages, etc. On average you will be looking at paying anywhere from $4.99.00 US to $25.00 US per month for a basic, or standard, web host package for a good, reliable web host that has good up-time and tech support.
[to top]
Q: What else do I have to spend money on after I get a website and a web host?
A: With my clients, the next purchase involves submitting their website to the search engines. When considering traditional advertising costs, this cost is minimal but very effective. Generally, the charge is about $30.00 U.S. As part of the maintenance phase of any of my sites (if the client has selected that option in the Service Agreement) we continually monitor your site's rank in the various search engines and make changes as required to improve your rank. This may involve some changes to the text on some of the website's pages so that I can insert or change "keywords" which are used to index your site and rank it accordingly. Major changes are not made unless prior consent is given.
[to top]
Q: What about my website's name? Can you get me the .com or .ca name for it?
A: Yes. This is called your "domain name" and once purchased (registered) it cannot be altered. We can consult with you about an appropriate domain name if you don't already have one selected. Once you have decided on one we will perform a search to verify that the domain name is in fact available. If available we then go ahead and register it in your name. If it is not available, say the yoursite.com version, then we have the option of looking at the others, such as yoursite.net., yoursite.org., yoursite.biz., yoursite.ca (if you're in Canada), yoursite.family, etc. Generally , registration of domain names is done in one, two, three, five and ten year time periods. The average three year registration costs about $70.00 US. The name, once registered, is yours to hold and keep for as long as you keep your registration fees up to date. We can monitor your domain name for you and will notify you when it is about to expire. Afterall, you have a business to run and this one small detail that you don't want to forget about - it could cost you your domain name.
[to top]
Q: Why do these search engines need to know where my website is?
A: Search engines are an integral part of the Internet, as you will likely know if you've ever searched for anything on the web. When you go through the process of having a website designed and then uploaded to the Internet you want people to be able to find it. Your friends and business aquaintances will be able to find it because you might have emailed them the website's address or it might be on your business card. But what if someone is searching for your particular service or product and all that comes up is your competition? Certainly, no sales or leads to be had there. When your site is submitted to the search engines, they give it a rank that determines what page it will be listed on when someone searches for what you are offering. You could be ranked on page 1 or you could be ranked on page 1,220,340. It all depends on how well your site is set up, how well it is optimized and whether or not it has been submitted either manually or through a submission service.
[to top]
Q: Do you take care of the website after it is finished?
A:We tend to look at websites as "never being finished". To stay current and up-to-date, websites need to remain fluid with the ability to change and modify as the need arises. We take care of all maintenance related issues long after the site has been built. These issues might include changing the photo images on a site to freshen it up or possibly to add a new page/s that would enhance the functionality of the site and to benefit visitors in one way or another (for example, adding a F.A.Q. page such as this). Other modifications to a website during its post-build, or maintenance stage, include edits to the text (adding / removing text, fixing typos, changing a telephone number, rewording a sentence or paragraph, changing the colour of a font, etc.) as requested by the client. All maintenance is charged on an hourly basis.
[to top]
Q: How do I hire you to do my website?
A: If you like Greg's work and have decided to hire Switchwebs.com as your designer we would proceed to send you (regular mail or email) a Service Agreement that will contain your estimate, all of the design related specifics of the website build and any additional items that might have arisen. Click here to view a screen shot of my Service Agreement. This agreement must be signed and the original copy returned to me with a deposit covering 20% of my quote before work begins. Upon completion of the website, we upload all files to a private test server where you can view your new product and then inform me of any changes or modifications that you would like completed. Once we have final approval and all looks ready to go we require full payment of the remainder of the balance as will be indicated on the Service Agreement. Upon receiving this payment we will then proceed to upload the entire site to your web host account/server where it will then become "live" and viewable on the Internet.
[to top]
Q: I already have a website but I want it redone. Do you do that?
A: Yes. If you send me the address (URL) of your current website we'd be more than happy to take a look at it and then supply you with an estimate on what we would charge to re-design it. These types of designs are often cheaper than the "complete, built from scratch" websites as most of the content is already present and all other items such as domain name registration, web host setup, etc are already in place. We generally go in and change things such as the banner, optimize or change poor quality images/photos and might re-format the text so that it is more readable or to present it in a more organized and user-friendly manner.
|
Simple, uncomplicated websites that won't empty your wallet. Professional, clean, crisp designs that are up to date, well organized and easy to navigate are the end product.
