Frequently Asked Questions - How we work on your website
Q1: What happens when I complete your online form?
Q2: What kind of information should be on my website?
Q3: Can we use our existing logo's, style etc.?
Q4: How do you go about developing my new website?
Q5: How long will it take to design my website?
Q6: When my website is designed what happens next?
Q7: How much will my website cost?
Q8: Who will own and look after my website once
you have completed it?
What does the Jargon mean?
Q9: What is a domain name?
Q10: What is hosting?
Q11: What is search engine optimisation?
and finally ...
Q12: What happens if I want to move my website / domain name somewhere else?
Q1: What happens when I complete your online form?
Assuming you are making an enquiry about having your website designed
please give us brief information regarding the way you would like the site
to look, the type of business you are in and who you think might use the
site. Please add any other information that you think should be included
and / or might be useful. We will then mail you back with our ideas, feedback
and an idea of timescales involved in creating your site. For a quote please
use the 'free web design quote' form.
The 'Contact Us' form can also be used for
your general queries too. In either case we will mail you back promptly.
Q2: What kind of information should be on my website?
Many websites have impressive graphics and look very good. However they can be let down by poor content, old and outdated information, lack of detail and poor navigation between web pages in the site. Your existing company literature is probably the first step in creating the site for the online community. Any information should be clear and relevant to the intended audience, giving them the information they need.
Q3: Can we use our existing logo's, style etc.?
Absolutely. The importance of designing the website to incorporate the image your company wishes to project cannot be stressed enough. It is an important marketing tool that can enhance your company image.
Q4: How do you go about developing my website?
We will both need to understand what your requirements are and how you would like the site to look, coupled with what is technically feasible. What elements of your existing image (e.g. logo's, fonts and styles) are to be used and how these can be incorporated into the web pages of your site will need to be considered. We will then produce a web page or web pages to give a 'feel' for what we think will meet with for your approval. When any changes have been made and agreement reached we will then begin developing those ideas in earnest.
Q5: How long will it take to design my website?
Once we have agreed the details of the layout and content and based on a 5 page 'brochure style' website, then usually within a week. There may be revisions required or additional pages necessary that may add to the timescale for development of a live site.
Q6: When my website is designed what happens next?
We will set up a domain name and hosting (see Q9 and Q10 for an explanation of these terms). With your permission we will then place your website with a host. It should be available to the world at large within 48 hours.
Q7: How much will my website cost?
You have probably been asked this question by your customers and it's a difficult one to answer. The cost depends on how many pages need to be designed, what those pages will do and what they contain, how much content such as text and graphics you will supply or need creating. If you require more pages and functions then the cost rises in line with those extra pages and functions. We will gladly quote for your requirements and you can fill in this form for a free quote. You also need to consider a domain name (price from £7per year- see Question 9) and a hosting package (price from £30 per year - see question 10) to suit your site. We also offer these services at a very reasonable cost.
Q8: Who will own and look after my website once you have completed it?
When you 'sign off' your website from imaker as completed then you own it and can take full control of the website, hosting and domain name.
We provide three main options for future site updates after the website is completed:
OPTION 1: You can update the site yourself, this will require a web-editing package such as Dreamweaver or Frontpage, and will require some basic knowledge of HTML.
OPTION 2: We provide a Site Maintenance Service, in which iMaker will perform all future website updates for you and monitor the time used. This option is probably the best choice if you only intend to update the site every now and again.
OPTION 3: We provide an ' Updateable Website' option, that allows non-technical users to easily update information on their websites without learning HTML or fear of ruining the site design.
Q9: What is a domain name?
A domain name is the unique address on the internet of your website. This is what visitors to your site will type in to their web browser to get directly to your website. For example the domain name for this, the imaker website, is www.imaker.co.uk . As a rough guide the cost of registering a domain name is around £7 for a .co.uk name and about £12 for .com name per year.
Q10: What is hosting?
Once you have a website and a domain name you will then need to make it accessible to the internet. This can be achieved by housing your site on a computer that is permanently connected to the internet ( a server). Using a hosting service lets many users share the cost of a fast Internet connection for serving websites on a machine that has been optimised solely for the purpose. The prices of hosting vary tremendously as does the service provided, we offer quality hosting starting at around £40 per year.
Q11: What is search engine optimisation?
Optimisation is the process of creating your website to be recognised easily and catalogued quickly by search engines. Search engines like Google, Yahoo, MSN and many other search engines provide the easiest way for your site to be found. They are like enormous directories that catalogue the web and give descriptions and addresses of websites based on the search criteria a user requests. It can take some while for these search engines to catalogue a new site and there are many ways of attracting their attention sooner rather than later. We will undertake to design your site to be search engine friendly at no extra cost. However it must be stressed that some search engines can take months to catalogue an entire website. Please don't forget that you will be able to include your web address on all your stationery, advertising and vehicles which will also attract visitors to your website.
Q12: What happens if I want to move my website / domain name somewhere else?
Provided you have paid for the site and domain name then absolutely no problem should you wish to move it. The site is totally yours.
