Client FAQs

HOW DO I SELECT A WEB DEVELOPER?

There are all types of internet companies selling design services. We recommend that you contact several companies and check for these criteria:

• Marketing, Content and Business Savvy - maximize your investment! Great visual designers can miss the mark on selling and content strategy. Your business model should drive the design process.
• Experience - there is no substitute.
• References and Work Samples
• Proximity - although your developer does not have to be next door, it may help if the developer can visit your business in person. (We will travel anywhere to do this.)
• Price - be careful! Rates are half the story. Its the total cost (rate times hours) that you will pay. A higher-rate company may actually be cheaper if they work faster. Larger companies will have higher overhead they must factor in. Demand proposals to be broken out in line-itemed tasks so you can understand how they came up with a fixed-price estimate total. And watch out for companies that price only by the page- a single web page can be created in minutes, or take a week, depending on complexity and function. We don't recommend hiring by the hour unless it is a small task or you have worked with the developer before and have established trust. top
  
  

Many DOT.coms HAVE CRASHED. IS THE WEB STILL A VIABLE MARKETING TOOL?

Absolutely. Even though some pure-internet business models haven't worked, overall internet traffic increases 10% each year! Soon, cel-phones will allow web surfing, increasing traffic even more. And there is no better demographic than internet users. Since the web is an active-mode of communication access (versus passive-mode like TV, print or radio), every person who visits your site requested to see it, hence they are pre-qualified! Search Engines provide the majority of most site's visitors: search portals like I-Won get upward of 10 million individual searches every day! And remember, your competition is getting business through the web right now.

It is also important to understand your specific niche/market, whether B2C (business to consumer) or B2B (business to business). B2C sites are seeing increased overall spending in 2001 than the year before (Feb., 2000 had $2.4 billion vs Feb. 2001's $3.4 Billion). Forrester Research has also tracked continual B2C increases in online spending (4.3 billion in March, 2001!) B2B sites are going strong (Forrester predicts $10 billion in online budgets by 2005).

The overall point is, the internet does some things better than others. If a website doesn't provide clear benefits and value (like any business), it fails. Traffic is up, sales are up, and the so-called internet failures are not indicative of a general trend.

See www.forrester.com for more data and reports. top

HOW MUCH WILL MY WEB SITE COST?

Many larger companies will charge $10,000 -$15,000 and even more for a major custom website. Overall prices depend on the scope of content, content complexity, design needs and functionality. However, we'll beat this price range for standard sites! Our typical minimum custom costs are $1500-2500 for 6 basic-layout pages including a feedback form. We do not use pre-built templates- we create a true custom website design, and we can even help you create or recreate your brand. Your actual price will depend on the specific scope and functionality of your project. top

MY BUDGET IS VERY LIMITED. CAN WE STILL TALK?

Of course. We can work with any budget. We also provide discounts for nonprofit organizations. Learn more about how affordable our prices are. top

HOW DO I MAKE SURE THAT MY SITE ACHIEVES MY GOALS AND GIVES ME R.O.I.? I NEED A PLAN!

Good Question. Some companies have a rough idea of what their site needs to do (Like make some money!), but need guidance in creating a specific web plan. Having a plan means less guesswork in the proposal process, and provides lower and more accurate bids. Assuring return-on-investment (R.O.I.) means applying marketing savvy and planning.

If you need a plan, Our Site Analysis service does just this. We come to your place of work and use our tried-and-true meeting process- the end product of which is a professionally-produced design document (ask us for a sample). We do charge by the hour for the meeting time and document creation (typically 6-8 hours). Having a design document allows you to get multiple bids from web developers based on a plan you know you want and provides specifics so you're comparing bids apples-to-apples. We of course provide a proposal as well based on the plan, and you are NOT charged for the time we take in preparing your line-itemed bid. top

WHAT IS THE PROCESS OF BUILDING A SITE?

Once we help create your site plan or you provide one to us, we start by creating graphic "treatments" which display branding, art direction, content areas, navigation and site/page structure. You may request one or multiple design approaches from which you choose your favorite. We then create web assets and build an HTML (web coded) model of your home page and sub page(s). Now we're ready for content insertion. The content stage can sometimes take the longest since we must work closely with you and your team's expertise to secure and finalize all text and imagery. Once the site is built and content is in each page, we add any function pieces like e-commerce or forms. We then carefully test and QA the site on a nonpublic staging server. Once we get final approval, we "launch" the site. At this point, we provide site publicity, marketing, and search engine positioning services to maximize your site's exposure. top

WILL YOU BE HOSTING MY WEB SITE?

We can help set up a hosting/server solution for you. We won't own the servers, we leave this to hosting specialists. We will handle your domain registration and hosting services setup needs. We will make sure you get the best possible deal, and no more than what your site actually needs. You will always have direct control of your hosting account and domain name, as you are the point of contact (including billing). top

WHAT KIND OF ASSETS DO I NEED TO PROVIDE?

Any assets you can provide to us may lower the total cost of the project (as we don't have to produce or find them). Assets include logos, imagery, and copy. Some companies provide web-ready text copy, or hire us to help produce the copy. If you have brochures or other print collateral, we can transform this content to a web-ready format.

The key asset is the internet marketing approach- this asset deserves special attention, and we specialize in translating your business model to the web. top

WHAT IF I DON'T HAVE ANY GRAPHIC IMAGES OR LOGO FOR MY BUSINESS?

No problem. We create logos and brand identities. Your site will look better with photographs, and we will provide research to find appropriate imagery that is royalty-free or set up a photographer to create new imagery including product shots. top

HOW WILL PEOPLE FIND MY WEB SITE AFTER IT'S ON THE INTERNET?

There is little point in a website that has little traffic. Our team provides expert search-engine positioning with advanced approaches that go beyond just adding keywords (metatags). We carefully research the most-used keywords in your field, and create invisible pages that help search engines place your site. We also advise on cross-media promotion, using your web address in print and even broadcast media to maximize exposure and increase traffic. We provide full reporting and even a guarantee! top



DO YOU MAINTAIN MY WEB SITE IF I NEED PERIODIC CHANGES?

Of course. We'll be your long-term partner, and provide responsive update services. We do not bill you like a lawyer in 1/4 hour increments- we only bill you on hourly basis, and most changes take only minutes to deploy. No retainer fees are needed, and we work fast. Check our references! top

HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE TO DESIGN MY WEB SITE?

We know our tools and we work fast. The main variable is the content stage, when we need to work with your company to collect and create content (text, imagery, animations, functional areas). Simple sites take 2-3 weeks on average, although we have created websites in a few days! top

WHAT IF I WANT TO MAKE CHANGES AFTER YOU'VE STARTED THE SITE?

Our project structure includes several milestones that require client sign-off (approval). Changes in progress that do not include work already approved may cost nothing. If you want to change work already approved, it may warrant a change order in additional hours. top

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