What is a Domain Name?
Answer: A domain name is the address people type into their browsers to get to your website. It’s your site identifier on the web. For example the Google domain name is: www.google.com (top of page , back to previous page)
Must I register a Domain Name?
Answer: Yes. For .co.uk domains this can be as little as £3 per year, we recommend you either shop around or visit Rapidhost regarding registering your domain name. Some domains can be more expensive than others, for example .com domains take a little more time to register & are a little more expensive but offer the most secure / professional environment, outside of Secure Socket Layer servers. Please also be aware that if you register a domain name from a company other than Rapidhost you must allow a minimum of 30 days for that domain name to be transferred and this may incur additional costs. Some new domains can take up to 90 days before they become transferable. We recommend you use Rapidhost. (top of page , back to previous page)
What is Hosting Space?
Answer: This is the physical hard drive space needed for your site files and is located on a server that is always on so that your site is available at all times, to the whole world. Please visit Rapidhost or other Hosting Providers for more information. (top of page , back to previous page)
Must I purchase Hosting space?
Answer: Normally, yes. If, however your site is a small one that you do not intend to be live for more than 6 months, you may rent space on our domain and your site address will appear as http://www.swenssonandstatham.co.uk/your site please contact us for more information regarding this option. For more long term projects you must purchase Hosting space, this can be as little as £50 per year if you don’t need a database or extra email addresses. (top of page , back to previous page)
Can I minimise these annual costs?
Answer: Yes. By buying your Hosting Space and registering your domain name with the same company you can reduce costs. Also, if for example, you decide to stop using an online store or content management solution you’ve already bought, you should contact either us or your Hosting Provider immediately so that your database can be removed and thus reduce annual costs. (top of page , back to previous page)
I already have a Hosting Provider & Domain Name can you work with that?
Answer: Yes, we can. You will need to grant us temporary access privileges to your server (ie: the username and password) so we can access your site to make the necessary changes (pending your approval) but we can just as easily work with an existing site as we can a new one. (top of page , back to previous page)
How long will my site take to construct?
Answer: This depends on the complexity of your site. Personally, my record for site deployment is six hours, but this was a very simple site with a minimum of graphic design needed and only 6-7 pages. Other sites can take longer; the average seems to be about 2-3 days so far, for most projects we’ve taken on. (top of page , back to previous page)
What are the advantages of custom photography or graphic design?
Answer: Custom photography and graphic design are crucial elements in making your site stand out from the rest. By using stock art or online pictures you’ve bought you stand the risk of having content that someone else is also using thus reducing your impact immensely. By using our bespoke services you guarantee that no-one else can possibly have the same content as you – it also makes your site look like you’ve spent thousands on it when in reality it’s cost you much less! (top of page , back to previous page)
What happens if my site contents are forever changing?
Answer: We are happy to support our work for it’s online life. You can do some simple textual changes but if you need us to make any changes for you, we are always here. We charge by the hour for this kind of support. Alternatively, you may want to consider the pro’s & con’s of a Content Management System (CMS). Put simply a CMS is an administrator’s website that allows you to update your own site and is database driven. On the negative side CMS sites all tend to look very similar and aren’t as customisable as a bespoke site, they’re also harder to search engine manage and the cost of the database needed increases the annual budget needed for your site. (top of page , back to previous page)
Will I have complete control over my site Hosting Space (admin privileges)?
Answer: Yes. Other web design companies will tie you into long term contracts while they retain complete control over your site so that any changes no matter how small have to be done through them, for a fee, additional to their annual charges. We don’t do this. We believe that it is your site and you should have complete control over it. After all, you paid for it, right? (top of page , back to previous page)
Will I get statistics about my site?
Answer: For a one off fee of £10 to cover administrative costs, we can set up webstats for you. You’ll then be able to see how many people visit your site, the country they came from, when they were there – all sorts of fascinating and useful information. You’ll even be able to see what people have typed into search engines to find you! (top of page , back to previous page)
Can I have email with my Domain Name (ie:yourself@yoursite.com)?
Answer: Yes. Hosting companies vary on amount but Rapidhost give 5 free email inbox accounts with their Hosting Space. These will need to be configured by us ready for you to use and more can be purchased from your Hosting Provider where necessary. (top of page , back to previous page)
If I 'break' something on my site, or something goes wrong how quickly can you fix it?
Answer: Bryan is always available via his mobile should you encounter any problems. If it’s something we can fix over the phone then no charges will be incurred. If, however it’s something a little more problematic then we aim to be with you (either in person, or as E-support from our office) within 2 days, this depends on current workloads, locations and time constraints however. (top of page , back to previous page)
How easy is it to administer or update my own online store?
Answer: Very easy. We use the OsCommerce™ store solution and there is a vast amount of help online regarding this product, there is also a very large community of other users who may be able to help, online. We don’t charge for providing this solution merely for customising, installing and updating it. It should also be noted that Bryan has previously administered the Hickies web store for a period of about a year and has extensive knowledge of this solution that can be tapped via the phone/email. (top of page , back to previous page)
Can you make my site appear number one in a Google search?
Answer: All we can do is try. Because of the dynamic nature of the internet, everything is shifting daily, with webmasters everywhere vying for that coveted spot! We bring some hard fought for knowledge to this area and we offer some basic search engine management with each of our sites, as standard. More management time can be purchased from us if you feel that your site is in a competitive area and needs that extra edge we can offer however. (top of page , back to previous page)
Can you offer my site in different languages?
Answer: We can provide literal translations of your site using various web based services but we’re both English speaking people. We are happy to work with multilingual site content however, with assistance from the client. (top of page , back to previous page)
Do you work for Rapidhost?
Answer: No. The reason we recommend them is because we have dealt with a large number of Hosting Providers over the years and this company have proven themselves to be the most affordable, reliable and efficient in the services they provide. It’s also possible to chat on the phone, or in their online chat room to one of their operatives in order to resolve problems as soon as they arise, something that we’ve found invaluable and almost impossible with other companies in the past. (top of page , back to previous page)
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