Below are FAQs broken into 3 topics. I hope you will find the answers you seek but if not please contact us. If you are looking for pricing please check services where you can link through to the individual packages. Or take a look at the full web design process.
Project Questions
HOW DO I BOOK?
To start the process you will need to complete the booking form here.
HOW FAR IN ADVANCE SHOULD I BOOK?
At least 6 weeks, you will need to give yourself time to complete the questionaire and review the specification; plus you need to gather together content and images and make sure your branding is ready. You might also wish to involve a professional copywriter or photographer in which case 3 months might be more realistic.
WHAT IS THE PROJECT START DATE?
This is the date we actually start work on your designs. Prior to that we will have carried out all of the groundwork, completing the questionnaire and approving the specification.
WHAT ARE YOUR PAYMENT STEPS?
WORDPRESS & WOOCOMMERCE
You will need to pay a 25% deposit to secure your booking. Then after the design and approved and before development starts a further 25% will become due. Then the remaining 50% will be due just prior to launch once you are 100% happy.
HOW DO I PAY?
You can pay by BACS as a UK customer, international clients have the option of bank transfer or payment via PayPal.
IS THE BOOKING DEPOSIT REFUNDABLE?
We are afraid not, once you have paid the deposit we will reserve that slot for you, if you cancel we will have an empty slot that we potentially cannot fill. When you pay your deposit that secures your booking and ensures you are comitted to our project.
DO I SIGN A CONTRACT?
Yes our contract is really important as it details what we can expect from each other and the foundation of the project. The contract is short, straightforward and very balanced.
HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE?
It varies depending on the platform, you can get more info by going to services and clicking on the individual packages.
DO YOU WORK WITH ALL INDUSTRIES?
Yes we love to work with a range of business sectors, it makes life much more interesting. We might not always be the perfect web designer for you and we will have worked that out before we get to the booking stage.
DO YOU WORK GLOBALLY?
Yes absolutely, Tracey has been working with businesses across the world since the business began in 2006. The process is exactly the same for clients overseas as it is for UK clients.
WHAT SIZE BUSINESSES DO YOU WORK WITH?
Entrepreneurs, startups and small and medium sized businesses, plus smaller charities and other non-business organisations.
WHEN DO YOU NEED MY CONTENT?
We will need your content prior to the start date of your project. This will need to be provided to as part of the groundwork. We need your content to make sure we design for it, rather than trying to fit it in afterwards.
We will need:
- Website text content for every page of your website including pages, portfolios, posts and products if you have a shop.
- Images including galleries/portfolios/posts and products if you have a shop.
DO YOU WORK WITH EXTERNAL DEVELOPERS?
No never!
All of the design and development work is done in house. Tracey has 18 years experience in coding and has been building WordPress bespoke websites since 2009.
DO YOU WORK WITH OTHERS?
Yes, we regularly collaborate with other professionals. We work with graphic designers for branding; professional photographers; copywriters; social media experts and can recommend partners to work with you.
Web Design Questions
WHAT PLATFORMS DO YOU WORK WITH?
WordPress or WooCommerce for online shopping.
DO YOU OFFER ECOMMERCE ONLINE SHOPPING?
Yes eCommerce websites are built with WooCommerce. Have a look at the WooCommerce Web Design page.
WILL MY WEBSITE BE BESPOKE?
With WordPress & WooCommerce your custom design will be unique to you and a custom theme will be built, we do not work with off-the-shelf themes or templates.
ARE DESIGN REVISIONS INCLUDED?
Yes of course, nothing goes live until you are 100% happy. We will provide your initial designs for your review and we tweak them until you are happy. There are no limits to the number of revisions.
We have been doing this a long time and listen carefully and take time to absorb the essence of your brand, so there are usually very few or often zero revisions.
I DON’T EXACTLY KNOW WHAT I WANT, CAN YOU HELP?
Yes of course!
This happens a lot and we are very used to this question. We are experienced in building a very wide range of websites and can advise on the content that you will need and the placing of that content. We can provide a home page planner and some examples of sitemaps (the family tree of pages in your website). We can provide examples of how others in your field have done it too.
You will feel much more comfortable about everything once we have planned out your website.
HOW MANY PAGES CAN I HAVE?
You will have 12 pages included in your website package, this is the number of pages that we will create for you. If you would like us to craft more pages for you, we can do that and fees are included in the invidual package pages.
You can duplicate pages we have created and update the content yourself. Ongoing there are no limits to the number of pages you can create yourself.
CAN YOU HELP ME WRITE CONTENT?
The first thing we would say here is that you know your business better than anyone and so the best and most authentic content your website could have will come from you.
With caution and a bit of editing you could create a little AI content with an engine such as chat GPT.
If you really don’t want to write your own content, we can recommend a copywriter and that would be our recommendation over computer generated text.
ARE IMAGES INCLUDED?
No, you source all of the site imagery. We would always recommend that you employ a professional photographer to provide authentic imagery for your brand. Alternatively you can buy royalty free stock images but proceed with caution, some are very well used. Either way we can recommend our favourite suppliers!
CAN I HAVE A BLOG?
Yes.
WordPress and WooCommerce provide blogging solutions and a blog comes as part of the default package.
CAN MY BLOG BE MIGRATED?
Yes it can!
If your blog is being migrated from and to the same platform it is free. There is a charge for migrating in blogs from external platforms.
CAN I HAVE A NEWSLETTER SIGNUP FORM?
Yes it’s included in the package.
WordPress offers options for email marketing. Or you can use one of the email marketing plaforms such as MailChimp, AWeber or Brevo.
WILL MY WEBSITE BE SECURE?
Yes.
WordPress have plugins to help keep the overall site secure. We’ll install one during development and a good hosting company will offer an additional security layer including a firewall.
Do try to keep all passwords as secure as possible and don’t share these with anyone.
WILL I BE ABLE TO UPDATE MY WEBSITE MYSELF?
Yes.
All platforms make it extremely easy for you to use and update your content. We will provide training or user guides as appropriate and you will be up and running in no time!
WordPress is an extremely well regarded CMS platforms.
What is a CMS?
A Content Management System (CMS) is a software application or platform that allows users to create, manage, and publish digital content on the web without requiring extensive technical knowledge. It provides a user-friendly interface for content creation, editing, organization, and publication, enabling individuals and organizations to efficiently manage their websites, blogs, or online platforms.
WILL MY WEBSITE BE MOBILE FRIENDLY?
Yes. We only build responsive websites.
Your website will be built to look great on every device and screen size. Your visitor should have a fantastic experience regardless of the devices.
IS SEO INCLUDED?
Yes!
Search engine optimisation is built in from the ground up on all sites. Helping ensure that your visitors will find you on Google and the major search engines. We also use a top SEO plugin to ensure that your metatags are taken care of.
We have had plenty of success with Google over the years, with clients benefiting from page one rankings on several website projects.
Speed is very important to Google. A fast loading site on desktop and mobile will help your rankings.
Structured data is important for Google to understand your content and to ensure that when you share on social media your data is correctly formatted.
Google’s mobile-first index means Google will create and rank its search listings based on the mobile version of content, even for listings that are shown to desktop users. It is vital that your website is optimised for mobile and all of the necessary elements taken care of.
Everything is done during the website design and build to ensure your site is optimised but if your keywords are subject to a lot of competition you will need to do a bit more to get a good ranking.
At the end of the day we cannot make any promises and nobody ever should!
HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE TO GET TO PAGE ONE OF GOOGLE?
It will take between 6 months and 1 year to be fully indexed on Google and start to see some page ranking.
If there is a lot of competition for your chosen keywords you may never reach page 1. So for example if you rely on “Electrician” as a keyword you will never get to page 1 because there is so much competition.
However, if you can hone your keyword to a locality or a speciality then you have much more chance. For example using “Electrican Sherborne” or “Domestic Solar Panel Electrician” (if that is even a thing!) is more specific so you will stand a much better chance of a good ranking.
Support & Hosting Questions
DO YOU OFFER ONGOING MAINTENANCE AND SUPPORT?
Yes! we provide:
- 6 months free support for all new WordPress & WooCommerce projects
With WordPress it is necessary to carry out plugin and platform updates, take site backups and monitor the health to ensure there is no malware or hacking present. You can of course do this yourself and by the end of the free six months support period you should be comfortable with maintaining your website. However, some clients prefer us to do it for them and take out a WordPress maintenance contract.
Naturally we are always happy to help with any website we have built if you get stuck.
WHAT HAPPENS IF MY WEBSITE BREAKS?
Quite simply we will fix it or deal with the hosting company if it is a hosting issue.
There might be a charge after the initial free support period depending on the nature of the issue and the length of time the website has been live.
WHAT IF I WANT UPGRADES/CHANGES IN THE FUTURE?
No problem.
Additional and ad-hoc work is carried out on a per project basis or at hourly rate of £40/hour. We might need to schedule you in if the project diary is full but you will never need to wait very long.
WHAT IF I ALREADY HAVE A WORDPRESS WEBSITE?
We update or provide help and support for websites that we have built. Otherwise we partner with Vik Martin, the WP Nurse, their core business is providing support and development for existing websites.
WHAT IS HOSTIING AND WHAT IS A DOMAIN?
All websites need an address (URL), this is known as your DOMAIN.
You also need your own piece of space on the internet, this is where you need HOSTING.
We will need to set this up for you for WordPress, Siteground, WPEngine and Hostinger offer good packages.
WHO HOSTS MY WEBSITE AND WHAT DOES IT COST?
For WordPress and WooCommerce you should expect to pay around £200-£300/year for hosting and domain registration.
I ALREADY HAVE A DOMAIN NAME CAN I USE IT?
Yes you can.
You just need to provide login details so we can access it and point it to your new website.
CAN YOU SET UP MY HOSTING?
Yes.
Once you have purchased hosting we can set up your domain, hosting, SSL certificate and email addresses.
We don’t offer any support for email set up on your devices.
DO I NEED HTTPS/SSL?
Yes you do, it sounds a bit scary and don’t worry we will make sure it is all set up correctly for you.
Here’s why you need it:
Security: HTTPS encrypts the data exchanged between a user’s browser and your website’s server, preventing unauthorized access, data tampering, or eavesdropping by malicious parties. This is particularly crucial if your website handles sensitive information such as login credentials, personal details, or financial transactions.
Trust and Credibility: Having HTTPS enabled on your website signals to users that their privacy and security are prioritized. This can enhance trust in your website and your brand, leading to increased user confidence and engagement.
SEO Benefits: Search engines like Google prioritize secure websites in their search results. Having HTTPS can improve your website’s search engine ranking and visibility, potentially leading to more organic traffic.
Browser Compatibility: Modern web browsers display warnings for non-secure HTTP websites, alerting users that the connection is not secure. Having HTTPS ensures compatibility with browsers and provides a seamless browsing experience for visitors.
Compliance: In some regions or industries, compliance regulations may require websites to use HTTPS, especially if they handle sensitive data. Ensuring compliance with these regulations is essential to avoid penalties or legal issues.
Overall, implementing HTTPS is a critical step in securing your website and protecting your users’ data and privacy.