Web Design FAQ
General:
- How much does a website cost?
- How long does it take to get a free quote?
- What if I don’t like the design?
- Is working with an out-of-state design firm problematic?
- What makes you qualified to develop my website?
- How quickly can my website be up and running?
- What are the steps of developing my site?
- Can you revamp my existing website? Will I save money?
- Can you design business cards and stationary to match...
- Do you use templates? Will my website be unique?
- Website templates sell for $50, why don’t I buy one of those?
- How will I update my site?
- How will people find my site?
- I need images for my website, who’s going to provide them?
- I need text for my website, who’s going to provide it?
- How do I pay for my site?
- Who retains copyright ownership of the website?
- How do I get an idea for what type of layout my site...
- How can I get custom icons for my website?
Miscellaneous:
- What is XHTML & CSS?
- What is Flash?
- What’s going to be the URL of my website?
- What are typical annual costs for site upkeep?
- Can you recommend a quality, affordable web host?
- How can I get my site to appear on Google and Yahoo?
- How can I get my site to appear on Google as #1?
- What’s required to run an online store?
- How do I accept online credit card payments?
- What browsers will my site be compatible with?
- What resolution will my site be compatible with?
- How can I track site visitors? What statistics can be tracked?
- How will I supply images and text for my site?
- Why does my site need a contact form?
- Will I be given the raw source files of my website?
- Should my website be hosted on Linux or Windows servers?
- Will my website be secure?
- How do I effectively update small changes across...
- What is an FTP Client?
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Q: How much does a website cost?
A: It varies. Websites range from $1,000 to $50,000 depending on scope, complexity, and tech needs. For an accurate estimate, we need to know the project details. A custom 10 page, non-Flash site averages $1,000-$2,000. Prices increase with size and features.
Q: How long does it take to get a free quote?
A: Under 24 hours.
Q: What if I don’t like the design?
A: Our development pipeline is built around giving clients a design they'll love. Before starting, we work closely with the client to pin down a site's specs and aesthetic. Once we have a sense of the client's tastes, we present a mockup. From there we grow the design in small steps and get client approval after each one. Any problems that arise are addressed immediately.
Q: Is working with an out-of-state design firm problematic?
A: No. We successfully coordinate with clients around the country. Face-to-face communication is great, but frequent phone chats and emails can be just as effective. We like to get client okays as we iterate and host mockups. Any outstanding issues are ironed out by phone.
Q: What makes you qualified to develop my website?
A: Our work speaks for itself, but it's also worth mentioning that we've been deploying websites since 1999. We're up-to-date on the latest development trends and are experts in Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Flash, Illustrator, XHTML, CSS, JavaScript, AJAX, PHP, and MySQL.
Q: How quickly can you build my website?
A: Fast! With timely client feedback we can complete a small to medium sized site in 2-3 weeks. Larger projects require more time. Expedited service is available per special request.
Q: What are the steps of developing my site?
A: We use an iterative development pipeline:
- Client requests free consultation
- We discuss project requirements
- Sharp provides a free quote
- Client greenlights project
- Client signs development contract & makes the initial deposit
- We discuss, in greater detail, site layout and specs
- Sharp presents several design mocks-up
- Client approves a mock-up
- Sharp develops a site template
- Client approves
- Sharp populates template with content
- Client approves
- Sharp polishes out remaining bugs
- Client approves & makes final payment
- Sharp hands off site and source files to client
Q: Can you revamp my existing website? Will I save money?
A: We can revamp a site, but that doesn't guarantee lower costs. If the design changes are minor, and the site is coded in XHTML & CSS, you'll save money. If the redesign is drastic, it's often faster to build the site from scratch, in which case you won't save much.
Q: Can you design business cards and stationary to match my website?
A: Yes. Branding is something any serious business should consider.
Q: Do you use templates? Will my website be unique?
A: No, we do not use prefabricated templates. Every website is uinque, designed 100% from scratch.
Q: Website templates sell for $50, why don’t I buy one of those?
A: $50 templates have their purpose, but consider:
- A unique template costs around $1500, which is equivalent to the unique design you'd be getting from us.
- Templates are limited. They're not tailored to your business and only work for small sites.
- Turning a template into a functional site requires coding skills and/or specialized applications like Dreamweaver.
- The most work-intensive part of site development is formatting content and ironing out the bugs. A template doesn't save you this effort.
- A template won't have dynamic functionality.
A: Visual editors like Dreamweaver and FrontPage are one option. If frequent updates are planned, consider requesting a custom admin page. Or, subscribe to our maintenance plan: tell us what to update and we take care of it.
Q: How will people find my site?
A: Beyond traditional advertising there's organic search engine traffic and pay-per-click (PPC) ads. A well optimized site can generate substantial traffic from Google, Yahoo, and MSN. Alternatively, Adwords PPC ads can generate immediate traffic. We can help you leverage of both.
Q: I need images for my website, who’s going to provide them?
A: Client provides images. We can acquire images (stock photography) on a client's behalf at an hourly rate + purchase costs.
Q: I need text for my website, who’s going to provide it?
A: Client provides copy (text). We can write copy at an hourly rate or sub-contract it out.
Q: How do I pay for my website?
A: 1/3rd payment is due up front to commence project, with the remained due upon completion. We accept money order, cashier's check, bank wire, or Paypal.
Q: Who retains copyright ownership of the website?
A: Once completed and paid for, the client owns all copyrights. Sharp retains copyright until full payment.
Q: How do I get an idea for what type of layout my site should have?
A: That's the fun part. Browse around the web and bookmark your favorite sites. Be sure to check out your competitors' sites as well as giants like Amazon, Apple, Sony, and AT&T. Look through TemplateMonster, IceTemplates, and BuyTemplates. It doesn't take long for an idea to spark.
Q: How can I get custom icons for my website?
A: We can either acquire icons on your behalf at an hourly rate + purchase costs, or design them ourselves.
A: XHTML is a strict version of HTML used to code the underlying structure of a website. Content, images, and text are defined in XHTML. CSS styles XHTML, defining aesthetic factors like font, color, and position. The strength of using both lies in separating content from visual representation, allowing on-the-fly updates.
A: Flash is an interactive animation framework used to create moving site elements. While XHTML is static, Flash enables things like rollover buttons, intro movies, animated banners, and video. Flash can leave your vistors with a lasting impression.
Q: What’s going to be the URL of my website?
A: Whatever domain you buy, or ask us to buy on your behalf. Search for a Domain.
Q: What are typical annual costs for site upkeep?
A: A domain name and hosting are all that's required to keep a site running indefinitely. Domain renewal costs $10.00 per year and hosting ranges from $3 to $20 per month. All but the largest sites can survive on $80 per year.
Q: Can you recommend a quality, affordable web host?
A: There are many, but we prefer GoDaddy.com's services and pricing. We use them ourselves.
Q: How can I get my site to appear on Google and Yahoo?
A: Google uses bots to automatically crawl and index millions of pages a day. It typically takes 2-6 weeks for Google to index a new URL. Yahoo is similar, but offers a direct submission service for $300.
Q: How can I get my site to appear on Google at #1?
A: Although Google automatically indexes sites, that doesn't yield serious search traffic. Significant traffic requires high search engine rankings. Because competition for visibility is fierce, websites need to be optimized for particular keywords. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a long-term process wherein we prime a site with keywords and develop quality external links. A #1 position is unrealistic to expect, but even getting into the top 50 search results yields major traffic.
Q: What’s required to run an online store?
A: A website, a shopping cart, an SSL certificate, and an online payment gateway. Shopping cart code is purchased from a 3rd party developer and integrated into our code. An SSL certificate is purchased from the hosting company for $50/year to insure a secure connection. Online payment acceptance is set up with a 3rd party payment gateway.
Q: How do I accept online credit card payments?
A: Set up a merchant account with your bank or an online payment gateway. We're happy to provide assistance.
Q: What browsers will my site be compatible with?
A: Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera, and Safari. Together these browsers account for 99% of all web traffic.
Q: What resolution will my site be compatible with?
A: We can design a site for any resolution but recommend 800x600. As much as 10% of all visitors still view websites at 800x600. There's no sense in alienating 10% of your customer base.
Q: How can I track my visitors? What statistics can be tracked?
A: Google Analytics is a free tool that tracks and graphs website statistics. By adding a few JavaScript snippets, Analytics can track:
- Number of visitors
- Visitors by city, state, & country
- Visitor language, screen resolution, network speed, OS, browser, screen colors, Flash version, and Java support
- Links to websites supplying visitor traffic
- Keywords used by visitors to locate your site through search engines
- Number of specific file downloads
- Conversion rate, bounce rate, average time on site
Q: How will I supply images and text for my site?
A: Upload images to our server or send them via email. Text can be uploaded or sent via email in Word or PDF format. We can also transfer images and text directly from an existing site -- just give us the URL.
Q: Why does my site need a contact form?
A: Many browse the net from public terminals, other peoples' computers, or school or work. In these cases, a visitor might not have access to an email client (Outlook, etc). It might also be desirable to structure the contact form to require specific information. Lastly, it's not wise to plaster your email address on the net. It will be picked up by a spammer.
Q: Will I be given the raw source files of my website?
A: Yes, upon project completion.
Q: Should my website be hosted on Linux or Windows servers?
A: This only matters if your site replies on server-side scripts like ASP or PHP. Windows servers typically run ASP while Linux servers run PHP. We prefer Linux servers running PHP.
A: A typical website doesn't require special security. Security comes into play with e-commerce, databases, logins, and forms. We code all forms and logins with safeguards against hacking, like SQL injection. Further security can be added with an SSL certificate.
Q: How do I effectively update small changes across hundreds of web pages?
A: We develop a custom template for every site. A template holds layout elements that remain constant across the site, like the navigation bar, header, and footer. Edits made to the template automatically propagate across every page. Aesthetics are factored out of XHTML to a single external CSS file, allowing hassle-free updates.
A: An application that enables file drag and dropping from the windows desktop to a web server. It's a convenient tool for uploading bulk images, HTML, and PDF documents to a website. Our FTP client of choice is SmartFTP.
