faqs website design

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general
do i really need a website?
how much will it all cost?
we would like a website, but don't have the time to sort it out...

the design
what is a Flash website?
do you only produce Flash websites?
do i need to use a local web design company?

the process
i would like you to design our site, what happens next?
can i see my website as it's being designed?
how long will it take to design?
how do i update or change the website?

search engines

will my website be found on search engines?
will search engines index a Flash website?

domain names, email & hosting
what do i need for a website?
can we register a domain name with you?
can you provide email accounts & hosting?
what if i already have email accounts & hosting?





do i really need a website?

back to questions

All companies or organisations can benefit from having a website. With the internet becoming more easily accessible (at home, in the workplace, or when travelling), people are increasingly using it as a means of finding out more information about something they are interested in.

The public now expects businesses and organisations to have a website... one that can, at the very least, supply basic information and a means of getting in contact. A website has become nearly as essential as a telephone or fax machine or printed brochure.

We receive a lot of enquiries from clients who only want to let people know who they are, what they can offer, and provide their contact details.

We have therefore created some 3-page standard layout sites that can be customised to reflect your exisiting branding or marketing strategy. We include email accounts, hosting, and search engine optimisation and submission.

Please click here for an example of one of the layouts...

This package is a simple and cost effective solution for providing key information about your business, with high quality design, that we can usually implement within a matter of weeks.

Even if you're not sure about having a website, we highly recommend that you buy a domain name for your email address, and at the very least have a single page site that just has your contact details on. So many companies still use the free email accounts provided by their Internet Service Providers... which can look very unprofessional.

 


how much will it all cost?


back to questions

We can design websites to meet most budgets. Our standard layout sites are ideal for small businesses that require web presence at an affordable price. Please give us a call if you would like more information (telephone +44 (0)161 237 1500).

Bespoke solutions take more time to design and produce, and therefore cost more; it's difficult to give an indication of the cost without understanding your exact requirements.

If you need email and hosting, we include these for free for the first year as part of our design service. Thereafter we charge £125/year (ex VAT).

The cost of website maintenance (or changes to the content) can vary and is usually charged at an hourly rate, as and when necessary.

 


we would like a website, but don't have the time to sort it out...

back to questions

We find that a lot of our clients are very busy and can't find the time to commission a website and organise the information that forms the content.

However, because it can often take a number of months for websites to be successfully ranked by search engines, we always recommend that you get a basic site up and running as soon as possible. You'll get some web presence straight away, and we can submit the URL to the search engines.

Our standard 1-page and 3-page sites are a
simple and cost effective solution for providing key information about your business, with high quality design, that we can usually implement within a matter of weeks.

Please click here for an example of one of the layouts...

Then once you have some more time, you could add more content or pages, or have the entire site redesigned in response to feedback, creating a more refined design.

If you're concerned that you don't have any photographs or images to use on the site, we can either source royalty-free stock photos, or help you to commission a professional photographer.

 


what is a Flash website?

back to questions

It's a website that is developed using Macromedia Flash software. Flash websites deliver unique, high impact web experiences that attract and excite visitors with vector based graphics, interactive buttons, and animation, together with MP3 audio. The level of interactivity is far greater with Flash than it is with standard (HTML) websites.

We believe that it can be used to produce graphics and effects that will ensure your site stands out amongst the competition.

Although there are very few design limitations, we tend to utilise Flash in a very subtle way. This could be simply the way text and images are positioned on the site; the visual appearance can resemble that of any printed material.

 


do you only produce Flash websites?

back to questions

No, we can produce a standard HTML site if you prefer. We often integrate HTML pages into our Flash sites anyway, where the content is predominanty text based (such as this page), or for image enlargements.

 


do i need to use a local web design company?

back to questions

No you don't! Everything can be done over the internet, by email or over the telephone. We design websites for a number of companies worldwide and rarely meet our clients... this also helps to keep our website design prices low!

 


i would like you to design our site, what happens next?

back to questions

We first need to determine your requirements and establish the brief; we can then calculate a fixed price quotation. Once you are satisfied with the initial discussions, we will send you an Agreement form to read, sign and return with a deposit. We will then commence the design process.

If you would like one of the standard layout sites, we will send you an Agreement form to sign and return, then all you need to do is supply us with the text and images, and let us know your preferred colours and fonts etc. From receipt of the content, we can usually have your site published within a week or two.

 


can i see my website as it's being designed
?

back to questions

Yes. We will give you a username and password that will enable you to login to our Project Status section, and view the latest version of your website at any time.

Please click here for an example of the Project Status window...

 


how long will it take to design?


back to questions

The timescale of a project is generally dictated by the client. If you have a deadline in mind, we will endeavour to meet it for you. The most common delay in the creation of a site is waiting for content (text/images) to be sent by the client.

 


how do i update or change the website?


back to questions

We need to establish early on how often you anticipate having to update or change the content on your website. If you don't need to make too many changes, it's probably easier to ask us to update the text or change images etc, for which we would charge on an hourly rate. We often carry out minor amendments for free.

If you need to make regular changes to the site, we recommend that you ask us to incorporate a Content Management system. This will allow you to log-on to the server and make the changes yourself, at no extra cost. However, there is an initial cost of setting this up, which depends on the complexity of the programming required.

Many of our clients just have a simple news page that they are able to update themselves, and ask us to change the rest of the site every so often.

When it comes to a major change, such as adding pages or creating new dynamic features, we would agree a fixed fee based on our hourly rate.

 


will my website be found on search engines?

back to questions

First of all, no one can guarantee that your website will be highly ranked on the search engines. If they do, check the small print!

As part of our design service, we will
optimise the site with all the necessary tags and references. We then hand submit the site to all the major search engines.

It can often take a number of weeks or even months for search engines to start ranking your site, so even though you may not depend on this type of marketing right now, it's usually a good idea to get it up and running as soon as possible.

If you require a more comprehensive approach to search engine marketing, we work with strategic partners who are able to provide a more specialised service to meet your marketing budget.

 


will search engines index a Flash website?

back to questions

Yes. Most of the major search engines can in fact find text content in Flash websites.

In Google, if you type "filetype:swf" after the keywords you wish to search for, it shows content found only in Flash sites.

However, as Flash sites do not perform quite as well in search engine results as non-Flash sites, we also add plenty of HTML content around the sites to further optimise them, and we can produce a text only version (HTML) for people with reading difficulties and again to help search engines find content.

 


what do i need for a website?

back to questions

To create a website, you generally need the following main elements:

a domain name

a unique domain name (yourname.com, .co.uk or .net etc). There are now hundreds of registration agents (ISPs) through which you can register a name. The cost should be no more than £15 a year. FKDA can register a domain for you, ensuring that you retain full ownership of the name.

site hosting

computers or servers that store your website. When a visitor enters your full website address (the URL) in the browsers address bar, the visitor is directed to the web space where the website is stored and can be viewed. Hosting costs will vary, depending on the extent of space and features provided. FKDA offer standard hosting for £125 per year.

a website

the text and image files that are uploaded to the remote (hosted) site, once the website design is complete. Costs vary greatly, from a couple of hundred pounds for a very basic site, to tens of thousands for sites that incorporate complex databases and extensive e-shopping capabilities. FKDA can offer solutions to meet most budgets; typical fees ranging from £300 to over £10,000.

 


can we register a domain name with you?

back to questions

Yes, we can register a domain name, in your name and with your contact details, ensuring that you have full ownership of it.

 


can you provide email accounts & hosting?

back to questions

Yes, we can provide as many accounts and as much hosting space as you require.

We also have a webmail facility that allows you to send and receive emails from any Internet browser; ideal if you are away from the office. Please click here for a screen shot of the FKDA webmail Inbox...

 


what if i already have email accounts & hosting?

back to questions

No problem; we can just design the website, and upload it to your existing server.

If you would prefer us to host your website, we just need to change the domain's Nameservers, which we can do on your behalf.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

if you have any further questions, please give us a call...
telephone: +44 (0)161 237 1500