Common Questions About Web Design
How much does a web site cost?
Imagine asking a car salesman, "How much is a car?" A Kia
costs less than an Acura, but the Acura is less than the
Mercedes. The answer depends on what kind of car you want or
need and even the options or add-ins on any particular model.
The same holds true for a web site. If you ask a designer how
much it will cost, the designer will likely ask you dozens of
questions to learn more about your goals and needs before
generating a price quote.
Just as many people research cars to find what model has the
style and features they want, you should look at web sites to
find sites that have features and style you desire for your
site.
Sites vary greatly in complexity so it is difficult to provide
an absolute price list for a web site. We meet with you, at no
charge, to discuss your needs and the goals for your site. With
this information, we generate a price quote for you.
Once we discuss the quote and come to an agreement on the
work and the price for that work. We guarantee that the work
agreed upon will be completed for that price.
Contact us for a free consultation.
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Do I need a web site?
For most businesses, the answer is, "Yes, you need a web
site." Clients and potential clients are looking for
information online. Existing clients may need more
information. If you don't have a web site - they cannot find
you online.
According to a study by the Pew Internet and American Life
Project, 63% of adults in the US (128 Million) use the Internet
regularly. And 63% of Americans expect that a business will
have a web site that gives them information about a product they
are considering buying. These numbers will only increase. The
Internet is not a fad, but a growing resource with -by some
estimates- more than 8 billion web pages available today.
This is from the
Pew Internet and American Life Project:
The Web has become the “new normal” in the American way
of life; those who don’t go online constitute an
ever-shrinking minority. And as the online population has
grown rapidly, its composition has changed rapidly. At the
infant stage, the Internet’s user population was dominated
by young, white men who had high incomes and plenty of
education. As it passed into its childhood years in 1999 and
2000, the population went mainstream; women reached parity
and then overtook men online, lots more minority families
joined the party, and more people with modest levels of
income and education came online.
The full report provides great data.
Download a PDF of
the report. (Acrobat
Reader Required)
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My customers are local - based in
Humboldt County, CA. Do I really need a web site?
For most businesses - even businesses with local clients -
the answer is YES! You do need a web site. People are looking
for information online. If you want them to find you, you must
have a web site!
If you are looking for a web presence without incurring the
expenses of a full web site, consider a GoDaddy package.
These pages range from a small mini-page to a two page site, and
range in price from $75.00 to $275 per year. You can get a
lot for very little.
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Why do I need a web site? What good is
it?
There could be many different reasons for having a web site.
- Promote products and services to new customers.
- Web sites provide credibility and a professional image.
- Service existing customers
- Provide information about your business 24 hours a day
- Increases the value of your advertising.
- Sell product online
Promoting your products and services to new customers is very
important to your business. Selling products online can be a
very cost effective way to increase sales. The web site provides
an effective way to communicate with clients at their
convenience. A web site can also be a very efficient tool for
providing information to your current customers too.
A good professional web site provides credibility. It's like
having a stunning outdoor sign and a professional business
card. If you want to look professional, you need a website.
An effective web site increases the value of your advertising
because all of your ads and promotional materials point readers
to your website. Your yellow pages ad may not have much room,
but if the web address is there, a potential client can learn
everything about your business - without even picking up the
phone.
When we meet to discuss your web site project, we work with
you to establish the goals for your web site.
Contact Funnygate Technologies to
learn more or for a free consultation.
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Why do I need a professional web site
designer? My neighbor/nephew/son will make one for me.
When greeting a new client, you don’t show up in jeans and a
t-shirt. The aisles of your store are probably not cluttered and
disorganized. You have worked hard to build a sense of
professionalism in the physical aspects of your business, and
you want your marketing materials to reflect the same
professionalism.
Websites are no different. From look to layout, your website
speaks to your customers. By its appearance and content, it
tells them things about your capabilities and even the courtesy
they might experience in dealing with you. If your website comes
across as amateurish and annoying, why should they expect more
in dealing with your company? Projecting a professional image is
a key consideration in developing an effective website.
Most amateur web designers are neither professional graphic
designers, nor are they experienced in search engine
optimization, or even professional writing. The basics of web
design can be picked up quickly by amateurs, just as a video
camera is a relatively easy tool to learn. Most businesses,
however, would not want their TV spot filmed by someone with
less than professional credentials. It is the same with
web-design. While technical know-how is important, many other
skills are needed.
At Funnygate Technologies, we combine professional design
skills with professional copy writing skills to make effective,
professional sites.
I don't know much about computers. What
do I need to do?
You do not need to know about computers to get a web site for
your business. You need to know about your business - we handle
all the stuff about computers! All you need to do is
contact us. We'll set up free
consultation to discuss your web site design project. We
discuss your goals and start to learn about your business.
We find that our computer training experience helps us to
explain the many issues involved with a web site. We explain
the abstract or complex concerns in an easy-to-understand way.
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Will I get new business from my web
site?
It is likely that, over time, you will get new business from
your website. It is not likely that you will be overwhelmed
with work the day your site is published. A website is not a
get-rich-quick scheme; it is a professional resource for your
business. The longer your website is online, the better it will
do in searches (one of many factors). If the goal of your
website is to attract new business, that must be taken into
consideration during design.
When we discuss the goals for your web site, it may be
decided that attracting new business is a priority for your
site. Or it may not be. That is largely up to you.
Your website is just one tool in your marketing plan. While
it is a powerful tool, it must be used in conjunction with other
marketing tools to increase the sales for your business.
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How long does it take to
get a web site?
This is another difficult question to answer. It depends on
the type of site, the size of the site, and the amount of
content we are creating for you. It also depends largely on how
quickly you respond to our questions, review design materials
and draft text, as well as approve work in development.
We have completed small informational sites in just two or
three weeks. Other sites are in development for up to six to
eight months. Average sites are in development for two to three
months.
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What do I need to do? How does it work?
You have essentially three main tasks: Communication,
supplying information and materials, and reviewing our work.
We've written a few documents to help you through the process.
For more information, download the PDF file
Making the Most of Your Website.
We've outlined the
process of getting a website for you as well.
If you have any questions, contact
Funnygate Technologies and we'll be happy to answer them for
you.
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What happens after my web site is
finished?
Finished? A website is a little like a house. It's never
really finished! Just like a house, a website needs constant
maintenance to keep it up-to-date. That may mean quarterly,
monthly, weekly, or even daily changes depending on your type of
business. Maintenance is an important consideration for your
website.
Promotion is also an important aspect of your website, just
as it is in other parts of your business. You wouldn't put up a
sign (with no other advertising) and expect a major increase in
business. You should not expect your website to create instant
business without promotion - both online and offline promotion.
Your website is the central source of information for
everything about your company. Think of your website as the hub
of your "marketing" wheel. All of the spokes on your marketing
wheel point toward its all important center, where the
information is! Every ad, invoice, letterhead, business card,
coupon, packing slip, or sign should lead readers to your
website.
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Will my site be found in search engines?
Legitimate web designers and SEOs (Search Engine Optimizers)
will not make guarantees that your website will appear in search
engines in any specific position. You can buy your way into
paid listings, but you can not buy your way into natural or
organic search listings.
Search engines do not explain the complex algorithms they use
to determine natural listings. (And all search engines use
different formulas.) However, there are some generally accepted
techniques that help your website rank well in the searches.
We work hard to design and develop well optimized sites.
Good content, focused on effective keywords along with good
structure are important. We also submit your website to several
major directories and searches.
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How do you make sure it shows up in
searches?
The single most important thing we can do to assure your
website searches well is write good, useful, focused content.
Depending on your needs and your budget, we work with you to
make certain assumptions about keywords for your site. For more
competitive keywords and better funded sites, we do keyword
research to find the most effective keywords.
We construct websites that are structurally sound with good
page titles, tags, and formatting.
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I have a web site, but I don't like it.
Can you redesign my web site?
Yes, we've redesigned a number of websites for clients
throughout Pittsburgh, Greensburg, and Westmoreland County. We
redesign websites to improve the interface, the content, the
visual image, or the technical aspects of a website.
Contact us for a free consultation.
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I have a web site, but it's not found in
search engines. Can you fix my site?
It's likely that we could help you. Often we redesign sites
to perform better in search engines. This process is called SEO
or Search Engine Optimization. Generally if your site does not
perform well, we need to research keywords and create good,
useful content. We review the technical aspects of the site and
improve these as well. Contact us and
we will discuss your website needs with you.
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I have a web site that needs updated.
Can you do that?
Yes we frequently maintain websites developed by other web
developers. In order to update your web site, we will need
information about your web site host, and your username and
password.
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How often should I update my web site?
Frequency of website updates depends on you, your customers,
and your business needs. If you want to list weekly specials,
your website would need updated weekly. On the other hand, you
may have monthly updates, or every so often you may want to make
a change. We have some clients who regularly schedule
maintenance and others that call or email when changes are
needed.
If you would like to learn how to update these pages yourself,
we can offer you one-to-one training.
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