* 22 YEARS *

Custom Webdesign Frequently Asked Questions

We want all of our clients to be 100% comfortable and confident when working with us. We are always upfront and honest every step of the way. We have answered some of the most frequently asked questions that previous clients of our have had. If your question isn’t answered here, feel free to contact us directly.

 

1. Define each phase of your website development process from signature of contract through hard launch. Include estimated timeline for each phase.
Kick off design meeting – Month 1
Meetings to discuss the mockups and revisions

Code site into CMS – Month 2
Meetings to discuss content strategy and workflow

Populate content – Month 3
Review the site with a fine tooth comb – Two weeks before the soft launch.

2. What information is generally needed from the Client in the Discovery phase?
We will need many things. We will need original art for the brand, including a brand guide, if there is one. Access to the existing sites and other third party services like MailChimp, social media accounts, and Google analytics/search console. We will also need the keyword goals and key messaging that will be used on the site. Finally, we will need to identify what are the key goals for the above-the-fold content on the homepage.
3. How often does communication take place with the Client during each phase of development?
We communicate with our clients several times a week during the design and development process. We also try to have a meeting every other week. We are very keen on getting the information we need to be as efficient as possible.
4. Is communication done via phone, email, or using a project management software?
We communicate usually via email, and we receive uploads through Box.com. We use Asana internally to keep track of all of your tasks and Slack to talk to everyone on the Team. We could put you on our Slack as a guest so you can reach out to us with things, if you would like that much contact. We can also Skype if you would like some face-to-face meetings or screen sharing.
5. What is your preferred CMS?
We build most sites in WordPress because it is the easiest one for you to learn to use and the one that is most forward compatible. We have experience with many other CMS’s and will adopt them for a specific reason.
6. Is the site backed-up? Hard back-ups? Cloud? How often?
Here are the backups that we have:

1. Cpanel daily, weekly and monthly with several retentions

2. Server image daily, weekly, and monthly with several retentions

3. Amazon S3 off-site backup of the Cpanel backups

4. Amazon S3 off-site backup of the WordPress install via Orion

7. Describe your hosting options.
We have a 64GB DDR4 SDRAM dedicated server using Easy Apache 4, PHP 7, LSPHP for the handler and Cloudlinux to virtualize your account. We cache everything with W3TotalCache which makes the site run faster. We are experts in the performance and security needs for the WordPress CMS. We have had to protect many sites from the threat of ideological enemies.
8. Does this require signing another contact? If so, what is the cancellation policy?
The design work and the hosting sit on one contract, but you can host the site month-to-month. We have no long-term hosting contracts. You can certainly host some other way, but I would not advise it.
9. Specify the costs associated with each hosting option.
The costs can vary based on needs. Request an estimate today.
10. Detail what is included in your monthly management.
We have two hosting services – the actual virtual dedicated hardware/software which includes the backups above and the security for the server and the regular upgrades. Then managed service which includes a warranty for all plugins for two years after launch and regular updates to the WP core and corresponding plugins.
11. Detail any reports included in monthly management.
We send out a 360-Comprehensive Site Report each week which covers uptime, security, traffic, basic SEO, backups status, and page speed.
12. Will Client have log-in credentials to the site to update content and other resources?
Absolutely.
13. Does Company provide training once the site is launched? If yes, how many hours? Is there any additional cost for this training?
Yes. However, the cost will vary based on need. Request an estimate today.
14. Does Client have full ownership of website?
Absolutely. We only request to put our brand label at the bottom of the site to attribute the work to our firm.
15. If Client wants to move from your server and house elsewhere, is there a charge?
If you needed us to help you move away from our hosting, we would bill at the hourly rate, unless you opted for your own server with LiquidWeb. Then we would manage the migration for free.
16. Does Client have full ownership of art, graphic design and all elements used on website?
Absolutely. Period. Once any art is created the source files and the finished product files would be owned by you.
17. Is there a charge in delivering art, graphic design and elements to the Client?
No. We just send all art via our own Box.com account.
18. Will video launch from the server, YouTube, Vimeo, other?
We think that Vimeo is the best way to host video on the website.
19. Does the Company submit to Google for indexing?
Yes, we submit a sitemap. Our estimate also includes writing 500 redirects. Don’t underestimate the importance of this. This is one way we are different from other firms because we also know the implications of launching a new CMS and preserving SEO status.
20. How many people on your team will work on this project? What are their functions as it relates to the design and development of the site?
Most likely five people will work on this: project manager, graphic designer, frontend web developer and coder, and two content managers.
21. What is the process for changes and updates the Client needs the developer to make once the site is launched? What is the general response/turnaround time?
Ongoing development is broken up into small tasks billed at the hourly rate, with a turn-around time of one to two business days. For larger post-launch projects, the turn around time varies and these projects are either new contracts or billed at the hourly rate. We can create a retainer for a set number of hours each month, if you would prefer a fixed cost through out the year.
22. Describe your recommended CMS solution at a glance, including the products, any modules, and hosting architecture. If you don’t yet have enough information to recommend a preferred CMS, please indicate those that you would consider for this engagement.
WordPress is the CMS that we recommend. It brings the greatest functionality to the market at the lowest cost.
A simple Google trends would show that Joomla is on a death spiral, Drupal is for those organizations that want
to pay more and rely more on coders, and thus has a small following at the bottom, and that WordPress is
generally on a healthy upward trajectory.

23. Approximately how many organizations use the solution being proposed? If that is unavailable, please provide a similar indication of the prevalence of the solution.
About 75 million sites are on WordPress, with over 60% of the market share.
24. How long have you been implementing the solution and approximately how many implementations have you performed?
We have been doing WordPress since the beginning and have literally built hundreds of sites, each bringing its
own unique set of requirements.
25. What is the role of this type of work in the company’s portfolio (% of revenue, etc.)?
A majority. Though we do a lot of digital marketing work as well, which is something that we can talk about later.
If you go with you us, you will not only have competent web developers, but also digital marketers who will
seriously drive you to try to get a CTA on the homepage that will make a difference for your organization, and
turn your site into a lead generator, not just a static brochure.
26. How much of your work is performed on-site, if any?
My role is the project manager and public face of the company. I drive my team to deliver 125%. I also will do
some of the systems administration work and also the application coding.
27. Briefly describe your post-implementation support (methods of support, hours, any dedicated contacts, etc.).
We have a hosting and managed service product that takes care of the mechanics of hosting and upgrading the
site (as well as security and backups). Our response time is typically 5 seconds, if there is an issue with the
site, so there is a layer of service that you don’t see that literally takes care of you and gives you the VIP treatment.

We can create a retainer for a set number of hours each month, if you would prefer a fixed cost through out the
year. Or we can bid a fixed price or bill at the hourly rate, which is currently $85 for basic tasks.

Again I would be the point of contact if there is an issue or other post-launch tasks, so that the task is assigned
to the right person.

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