FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
How much will it cost?
No two websites are the same. Every client will have their own individual requirements – number of pages, e-commerce options, booking system integration, live chat or any of the other marvellous innovations of which WordPress sites are capable. For this reason, I can only provide a price once I know what exactly you want from your website. Having said that, my quotes for a typical ‘brochure’ site of four to five pages with contact form, social integration and customised content start at £800. (Easy payment options are available for startups). This includes hosting, SSL certificate, maintenance, back-ups and unlimited updates for twelve months. If that seems expensive, getting estimates from any other web design agency will show that it’s actually incredible value. If you want to research it yourself, there are a couple of independent articles on this topic here and here.
Wix / Squarespace / Weebly sound easy enough to use and they’re cheaper. Why don’t I just use them?
Fair comment. They are cheaper and they sound easy. If you have plenty of time and are keen on learning new technology one of these might suit your needs. However, in my experience people are seduced by the low fees but then quickly run into problems: they don’t have a clear (workable) design to begin with, they don’t know what should / shouldn’t be on there and, above all, making their site look how they want is much more challenging than it appears. In addition, the vast majority of ‘build-your-own-site’ platforms are hosted on very, very crowded servers which means your site will take a performance hit. On top of that, nothing will beat the personal support offered by Sites by James where a real human being (me!) can resolve technical problem which crop up along the way, enabling you to focus on what’s really important: your business.
I don’t have a domain name yet. Can you advise me on what would be suitable and/or register one for me?
Certainly. I’m happy to help out on what makes for a good choice of domain as this will be an important decision going forward. It’s important to note that the registration will be done in your name though. A domain name is a crucial part of your business identity and you should always own the rights to it.
Can you provide all the content for my website?
Yes. This is all part of the service. The copy (text) will be written by me in conjunction with you in a way which shows your business in its best light, helping to retain old customers and gain new ones. If you’d prefer to write it all yourself, that is of course perfectly fine. As far as images are concerned, I use royalty free stock images although I can take new photographs myself or use the ones you provide.
What content updates are included in my hosting package?
All content updates which don’t require major design changes are included, e.g. site-wide font change, image changes / additions, copy changes / additions and pretty much any content which falls within the scope of existing pages. Major site changes, e.g. redesign, special functionality (e.g. a blog / membership section or e-commerce functionality) or additional pages would be chargeable.
What does your 24 hour monitoring and support look like?
I use various online reporting tools which will tell me if, for example, your site goes down for any reason. This is extremely rare but it means I’ll see it before breakfast so I can fix it as quickly as possible. Clients who notice a problem, need a content update or just some advice can contact me by phone or email and I will deal with it asap during normal working hours (8am-5pm Monday to Friday). Outside that time, I aim to respond equally quickly but, inevitably, sometimes it may be a few hours before I’m in front of my desk.
Can you design a logo for me?
Yes. I’m happy to do this as part of the design package.
How many custom email addresses can I have?
As many as you want.
What happens when the 12 months are up?
Over the 12 months you get to see the value of my service and when the year’s up I have a good idea about how much support you need with the site going forward. Based on that, I will then quote a monthly price for continued hosting, maintenance, updates and support. If you don’t think that it represents great value you are then free to take the site elsewhere.
Can you create and manage social media for my business?
Sure – I do this already for an antiques market in London, Charing Cross Collectors Market. To give you an idea, I write their weekly blog posts and create linked media for their Facebook, Google My Business, Twitter and Instagram accounts. I also create ad copy, (examples of which you can see on my other site), web copy (for Shreddy) and SEO-led content for the good folks at mightybiker.com.
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