Effective, affordable web design

These are the common questions we get asked about websites, how we build them and how website projects work.  If you have a question and it's not here, just get in touch.

What is your process for creating a website?

This will depend slightly on the type of site and whether we are partnering with a design agency, but the main steps in a web project are:

1. Establish the website's goals and how they fit with the overall business goals. This is so we can plan the site structure and content.
2. Confirm the detail of content and functionality requirements. This may have been discussed at a high level prior to the project kicking off so we may just need to revisit some of the detail. If you have functionality on the site (such as booking or payment capabilities) we will dig into the detail of how you want each piece to function.
3. We then get into the design, from both a structure and visual perspective. If we are working with your graphic designer, we will work to their specifications and will only need to clarify any areas at this point. You sign off the design based on images that show you what the design will look like.
4. You provide the content
5. We then begin to build your site. At this point we will need the content because we can't build it without it. Once the site is sufficiently progressed, we may provide a 'preview' version if this is needed to help answer any final questions about layout or functionality. This is when you should test any functionality such as sign-up forms, contact forms, payment and booking functionality. Note – this is not for the purpose of re-visiting the design.
6. Once we're both happy, we will make the site 'live'. Within the first week, we will provide you training (if in Auckland) or site specific user guides.

Throughout the process we will let you know where we are at and what we need from you to progress.

Will we be able to update the site ourselves?

Yes, once the site has been launched. All our sites (unless it is a holding page) will have a content management system to make updates quicker and (relatively) easy.

If the content is made available, we will upload it for you. This is because you will not yet be familiar with the system, and you'll have enough to do getting the content together! We will provide you with a user guide that will explain how to update the site.

There are some areas you won't be able to access however, as these are only available to web developers with the right knowledge and experience. Adding functionality to a site can only be done by a web developer.

Can you build Wordpress sites?

Yes, but we believe that Wordpress is best suited to sites that are blogs - this is the original reason it came into being and a lot of how Wordpress works can be traced back to these beginnings.

We do not use Wordpress as our first preference, as Joomla! is a better fit for the majority of the sites we build.

What software will I need to maintain my site?

You only need a browser and internet access. However, if you are going to upload images (and we recommend you do so the site is more interesting!) you will need graphics editing software. If you don't have any we can make some recommendations about which one you can consider purchasing.

Can I pick the hosting provider (or use the one I have)?

Not normally, no. As experienced web developers and managers, we choose our web hosting partner very carefully based on support available, security practices and technical suitability.

Web hosting is a complex technical service. Each web hosting provider has different policies, technical environments and level of support.

If we have to use a host and environment we have not used before, we have to spend time verifying their technology is suitable and this adds extra time on to the project.  The extra cost to you can run into the thousands. We may find their set up is not suitable for your site requirements.

Can you give me a fixed price?

Our project proposals are estimates. Generally the end costs work out to be almost the same as the estimated cost, but decisions made during the project process that can change the cost include:

• If you want additional features and functionality that you did not ask for up front
• If you want to change a visual design element after the design has been agreed
• We will have included a set number of pages within scope of the project. If you add more pages this means more work to set them up and configure them so this will increase the cost
• If we purchase images on your behalf
• If we need to significantly edit or enhance the content you provide (particularly images). If you provide content that is contained within another document that has to be extracted and edited, this will involve more work and therefore cost.
• If you do not provide content using the provided template – for example if you provided it in PDF format or as printed copies, we have to manually extract the information.
• If the project is delayed because we have not received the content or decisions on functionality we may charge a fee to keep the project on hold, as this is still using up resources. It also takes more time to revisit and review a project.
• Domain registrations are an additional (annual) cost.

Why can't you create a website for only a few hundred dollars?

No - we are experienced, skilled professionals who spend time and apply expertise to build sites that work well. Cheap web services will be compromising something somewhere – either on the quality or features of the design. Search optimisation or technical security are amongst the first things to go.

Or they will leave important decisions like architecture and conversion paths up to you, and unless you have experience with these, the site will not be as effective.

Why do you ask for a deposit?

Planning a website – even before the build starts – requires time and resources so this deposit covers our time to do this.

It also books in the web development resource needed for the project, so you won't get superceded by someone else.

How do I go about getting content for my website?

We provide you with a template with each page and promotional element for you to copy your text into. This is to make sure we get all the bits we need.
We have a range of suggestions about how to go about collecting the content if you don't know where to start, so we'll help you along!

But you should start this process as soon as you make a decision that you want a new website.

How long will it take?

It depends on the scope of the project - the size of the site and the functionality required. If it is a custom design it will take longer than a template design.

Although we can actually create a site in next to no time (i.e. days) once the design has been decided on, the availability of content – i.e. images and text is what almost always determines how long a site takes to create from 'go' to launch.

Like good tradesmen, web designers and developers will already have projects on the go and we will schedule your job according to our existing workload.  If you delay the provisioning of content, or signing off the design this can put your project out of schedule and will likely cause delays.

Do you guarantee a first page listing in Google?

No. We have quite a few articles on search optimisation on our blog that covers this area. We do build search optimised sites, but a first page of Google ranking takes concerted effort over a period of time.

What support do you offer after our site is launched?

We are available for ad-hoc support as an when you need it for a fixed hourly rate.

We also offer ongoing management and technical support as part of our management packages. These are an easy and affordable way to get an expert to manage your site for a fraction of the cost of employing a full time web developer or online marketer. You get all the benefits with none of the headaches.

End FAQ