Here to help with frequently asked questions about Website design.

Web design

How Long Does It Take To Create A Website?

The length of time it takes to create a fully functional website is based on several factors. Custom design work can take anywhere from 1 - 4 weeks, depending on the complexity of the design and the number of revisions you require. The development phase requires an additional 1 - 6 weeks, depending on the number of pages, and the functionality required. Of course, these are general guidelines, and we will make every effort to meet the timeframe you have in mind.



What Is The Average Cost For A Website?

It is difficult to quote an average price, due to the enormous range in requirements for a site. According to BusinessWeek Online, a designer might charge £2,000 or more for a basic Web site, not including Web hosting fees. If you check out any of the review sites, you'll see that a 4 - 6 page template-based site will cost around £400-£500, while a full custom design will come in closer to £800 - £1500. Other authoritative sources generally quote in the £1,000 - £2,000 range. There are many, many factors that influence the ultimate cost of any given website, and we encourage you to read our article regarding Website pricing for more information and guidance in searching for your Website provider.



How Much Do You Charge For Web Site Design?

A fully customized, unique website design starts at £449, and page development is £50 - £75 each. Pricing for other services and functionality are outlined separately on our pricing page to help you determine and control the amount of your investment. We also provide our clients with a detailed estimate before any work begins.



What Kind Of Technology Do You Support?

We specialize in XHTML, CSS and Flash, but are very experienced with JavaScript, DHTML, XML, PHP, and others. Although it's unlikely, if there's something we can't do, we can reach out to our network of partners for additional services (at no additional cost to you).



Can I See My Website While It's In Progress?

Absolutely! In fact, we encourage it. We build your website on our development server, and provide you with a username and password so that you can log in and monitor the progress of your site. During this phase, we encourage your feedback if something isn't quite the way you envisioned it or if you've changed your mind. Once your site is ready and you have provided your approval, we release it live on your server and submit your URL to the major search engines.



Using a Web Site Builder Provided by a Web Hosting Company

Building a Website by yourself can be very rewarding for those with good IT skills. Web design templates are usually included with Web hosting services or website packages and you should be looking for sites with easy-to-Use Design Tools with features such as "drag and drop", and free images.



How Do I Choose a Web Designer?

For your Web site to be effective, it has to send a professional, clean, well-organized, responsive, lively, and up-to-date image. But choosing the right professional designer is the key to your site's ultimate success. The following are the most important considerations when choosing your Web designer:

1) Web Design Experience

As you begin your search for a Web site designer, start with their reputation. Take a look at some of the websites they have designed and follow up with references. Look for a well-established firm that has a proven track record for professionalism both in their designs and their business practices. A professional Web design firm will be able to provide multiple examples of great Web site designs and references of happy and ongoing client relationships.

2) Technical Skills

When you hire a professional designer, you are paying for effective design along with technical expertise. Keeping abreast of the latest Internet tools and trends is key in designing a Web site that stands out from the crowd. A professional designer will inform you of new Web tools that are most applicable to your business. These can include blogging, video and audio and animation, community-building, targeted advertising and marketing, buzz or viral marketing (internet commentary and feedback) and brighter colors, richer designs, bolder use of text, and illustration elements. Most Web designers will also be able to implement various research tools that analyze your Web site's performance. For example, analyzing the performance of each Web site page so you can see how many people are visiting your site, how long they are spending on each page, and how long it takes for the pages to upload.

3) Web Site Security

Strong attention needs to be given to protecting the data on your Web site from online threats and making sure your site maintains visibility 24 hours a day without interruption. From protecting your email to securing your server and any transactions on your Web site, your designer should provide advice on protecting the exchange of data that is paramount to your site's integrity. For example, a well-designed Web site will install and prominently display any SSL Certificates or Site Assure Seals on critical pages throughout the site where customers may be hesitant to submit personal information or financial data. Securing your Web site is vital to gain customer trust.

4) Photography, Graphics and Logo Design

Images, graphics, photography and a custom logo will help to reinforce your brand identity online.

Design should be crisp and clean making sure every page is easy to read and follows a logical reading path for both the human eye and the search engine spider. Professional designs should provide the ideal balance of proven effective design layout combined with customized image features. The images used on your website should always reflect your brand identity.

5) Writing Skills

Professional copywriters will showcase your business in clear and memorable language, with an emphasis on accuracy and marketing. The first page of your Web site should quickly and easily define the purpose of your business and make it easy for people to find out exactly what you do. Your customers will quickly tire of a Web site that may look good but contains no meaningful content. Text should be easy for your customers to read, but must also contain keywords for your business that will make the text more easily read by a search engine, whose job it is to find and rank your Web site.

6) E-Commerce

If your goal is to sell your products or services online, make sure you pick a designer that can demonstrate successful e-commerce Web design and can provide the specific features that you need for your business, such as; integration with accounting software, ability to offer discounts and special promotions, product quantity limitations that match your inventory, technical support and security compliance.

7) Online Marketing

Additional expertise of a professional designer includes online marketing that will generate more visitors to your Web site and make sure potential customers know your site exists and can easily find it. Some of the tools that your designer should be able to demonstrate include; search engine marketing, search engine optimization (SEO), online advertising, press release optimization, e-mail marketing, link exchange, and more. Many online marketing tools should be discussed when your Web site is in the early design stages as they need to be incorporated into the coding of your Web site. A professional designer appreciates the need to have marketing functions built-in to the Web site design.

8) Ongoing Support and Maintenance

Knowing exactly what you need from a Web site isn't always clear until your Web site goes live and you can see how your customers are using it. So it can be helpful to find a professional designer that is able to provide you with a Web site designed to enable growth. Most designers can support ongoing maintenance packages that will enable you to modify or add to your Web site easily and as your needs change.



Creating a better web design

Plan Your Site
It sounds cliché, but before you begin designing Web sites, think about the image you wish to portray. What does your company do? What is your mission? A successful design will answer these questions through the "look and feel". If shoppers view a defined, coherent Web site, it shouts professionalism, unity and clarity. Post Contact Information on Every Page
Customer service is the leading reasons for customer loyalty. If you run a business make yourself accessible for your customers. Broken Links Scream "Mom and Pop"!
Broken links on web sites are a quick way to lose credibility. Keep Your Site Fresh
By updating your site frequently, customers have a reason to browse your site (don't you hate it when a site features a "winter special" in the dead of summer?). Search engines also provide points for updated content. The more fresh content you post your site site, the more frequently Google® will spider your storefront. Most search engine marketing specialists agree: adding one page of content per day (an article, a product feature) will significantly help your long-term traffic. Use one Font
Maintain consistency with one type of font (Ariel and Verdana are cool fonts) and keep the site clean. You'll convert more sales in an uncluttered, consistent shop. Keep your color scheme under 4 main colors
Using a lot of different colors can create a very busy design. Keep the colors simple so that your visitors are not overwhelmed and your site has a proper Web design theme. Remember, all graphics should match the color scheme of the logo, with occasional reds to draw attention to special deals. Link to the Homepage from Every Page
If your customer loses their way on your site, provide the opportunity for them to shoot back to your homepage. Limit Pop-up Windows
Pop-ups were the "in-thing" five years ago. Now, pop-ups are seen as an annoyance. Plus, Google® and other companies have issued Pop-Up blockers, which will destroy these pages before they "pop". Fast-Loading Sites Convert the Most Sales
Host your site on a fast server and limit the number of graphics. Online consumers like speed and so do search engine spiders. You can never error on the fast side. Try to keep pages under 100K.



Use Color in Your Web Site Design to Attract and Motivate Visitors

The purpose of every Web site design is to motivate a response from your visitor. Colour in Web page design is a crucial element in creating a sense of order and balance. Colour can make the difference between a Web site design that is dull and lifeless to a Web site that is stimulating and positive. Over use and misuse of colour can also create a Web page design that is over stimulating and chaotic, which leads to confusion. Colour, as an essential piece of Web site design, shouldn't be overlooked as the emotional response to colour can dramatically impact your online sales. The Value of Colour in Web Page Design Research conducted by the Institute for Colour Research reveals that "people make a subconscious judgment about a person, environment, or product within 90 seconds of initial viewing and that between 62% and 90% of that assessment is based on colour alone." The time we have to capture someone's attention with a Web page design is even smaller than in a physical store – so the impact of colour choice is made all the more important in Web site design. Sight is the most valuable sense online and colour used in a Web page design can influence brand recognition and product recall, as well as engage and inform visitors. Different Strokes for Different Folks Different people and different demographics are drawn to a variety of colours. The emotional response to colour depends on age of the user and context of the color. Certainly, a target audience of young teenagers will respond more positively to a Web page design with vibrant and energetic colours. In contrast, an older audience may respond better to a Web site design with muted colors. It's also essential to be sensitive to cultural and regional interpretation of color in Web site design. In order to use color to motivate your visitor, be sure to choose colors that don't offend your target market or skew your intended meaning. A reputable and experienced Web site design professional will be able to advise you on some of the most appropriate color choices to create a comfortable and motivating environment for your target customer base. Value of Contrast Are your Web pages easy to read? Using contrasting colours helps better define your Web page design and makes it easier and faster for people to scan and find the information they're looking for. When choosing a background color, many Web sites default to a white page and the most readable color text is black. Using pale colors on white makes it harder to read. Strong colours and stark contrasts in Web site design help ensure the viewer doesn't have to work too hard to read or find what they are looking for. Other backgrounds that work well for Web site design include dark blue, dark gray and black – with white being the most readable contrasting color for text in that type of Web page design. Contrasting color can also be used in Web site design to break up elements of a page and naturally draw attention to key action buttons (such as, "buy" or "register here".) Colour in Professional Web Page Design The visual stimulation provided by your Web page design will determine almost instantly whether a visitor will stay or leave. Using colour makes your Web page design pleasing to the eye and helps the viewer easily determine the purpose of the page and the desired action. A Web site design professional also appreciates the value of using white space in balancing colours on the Web page design. Don't be afraid of using white space as it is an important Web page design element since the "color" white can the eye a rest and help better guide the eye to more prominent action buttons. Colour in Web page design has both positive and negative effects on visitors and there are no rules regarding "good" or "bad" colors since the response to colour is personal. Choosing the colours that will best motivate your target audience is key to increasing sales. Consider the power of color in the food industry: Heinz introduced green ketchup and it delivered the highest sales increase in the brand's history. Use color wisely in your Web site design, and your online business will reap rewards.





Selecting a host

Images

What format should uploaded images be in?

Most web site designers will accept almost any format.



Moving a site

How do I move my current website host/designer

We take care of all the details when moving your site across to the new site. Some designers will invoice for this service so you need to check with your current designer.