BWD

Buckley Web Design

Frequently Asked Questions

How long will it take?

We can build a site in as little as about a week. On average it is about a 2-3 week process from beginning to end. Some of this depends on us - although pretty much as soon as you give us something, we do our piece of it right away. Sometimes we have to wait for the client to provide us with information, photos, logos, brochures, etc.

In the beginning, if you do not have a domain and hosting, there is a timeframe for registering the domain and getting it hosted before we can begin to build the site.

Near the end of the process there is usually some back and forth, as we want the site to look how YOU want it to look, so we will rework it until you are happy.

Once we submit the completed site to the search engines it can take weeks to months for the site to show up on the search engines. Google is about 6 months. The site may show up right away, and then due to sandboxing will go away and then come back months later. However, if someone types in your site address they will find you.

How much for a basic site?

A basic site is usually five to eight pages with a few extras, such as photos, flash, logo creation etc. A basic site is priced at $100 per page. We require a fifty percent deposit, with the remaining balance due when we are done building your site.

Can you get me a top ranking on Google?

No. No one can guarantee you top ranking on google or any other search engine. There are techniques that can encourage better ranking on search engines. We use the techniques that are acceptable and recommended. Some techniques can improve your ranking but are not acceptable, and may actually get your site kicked off of certain search engines, or can cause user problems, so we will not use these. Also you can buy advertising space with google or other organizations which may also improve your ranking, but we do not get involved with that end of things. Top ranking on search engines may not even be important to you if you are a local business looking to do business with local customers. In that case your best bet is to market your website by listing it in your ads, on your trucks and signs, and on your business cards. We also suggest adding your site to your Google Maps listing.

What would I put on my site?

Most sites contain some basic information, on different pages, such as Home, About Us, Contact Us, Services, Portfolio, Testimonials. We can help you to put this information together, using marketing materials you may already have, and also by asking you some basic questions about your business. There are also many a-ha ways of using your site which would depend on your type of business. In researching different businesses and talking to business owners we have developed a list of interesting things to put on your site. News flashes, menus, online pizza ordering, weekly or monthly specials or coupons, online appointment scheduling, these are just a few of the ways that a website could be used to make things easier for you and for your customers and prospects.

What's a domain?

A domain is your web site address, or internet name for your company. Some may refer to this as a URL. It usually starts with www. and ends with .com Just like you have to register a company name with the town or state, you have to register your domain name. If someone else already has it, you can't have it. If we are going to help you to register a new domain, we will ask you for your top three choices, in case the first one is gone. We recommend always using .com rather than .net or .biz, or you would use .org if you are a non-profit group. Most prospects and clients are going to look for a .com rather than a .net or .biz There are specific reasons for using the different suffixes which we won't get into here.

What's Hosting?

Hosting is basically what keeps your website up and running. Having a hosting account is like paying the cable company. If you don't pay the cable company and you turn on your tv, you won't be able to watch anything. If you don't have your site hosted it's like it's not there.

Can I do the hosting myself?

Yes. We can help you to sign up for a hosting account. Costs are generally less than $200 per year, and can be paid up front to the hosting company with your credit card. You can register a domain and set up hosting at the same time with many companies. You will have to renew the hosting account and the domain annually, and will have to remember to pay the monthly fee.

I have pictures of my work, my truck, my staff, can you put those on there?

We sure can. It's best if your photos are digital. You can email them to us or give us a disk to work from. If you have printed photos, the best option is for you to scan them and send them along to us. We do not recommend using scanned photos. We can also resize your photos, crop them, and use various techniques to improve the look of your photos. We can use photos within various pages of your site for aesthetics, and we can also create a wide variety of portfolio pages for your site using your photos.

Will a website make me money, and can I sell my products online?

You probably will not see an immediate or noticeable increase in business from your website. However, we are in an era where not having a website could cost you business. More people are now looking to the internet for their information and are forgoing newspapers and phone books. If you have a website you certainly have an edge over your competitor who does not. And, if most of your competitors have one, and you don't, you are definitely at a disadvantage. The companies that do a lot of ecommerce business tend to be the national Big Box stores. If you do want to sell products online,we can build a basic ecommerce page for your site, using paypal. We would charge an additional fee to build you an ecommerce page, and we would need you to work with us in getting the accounts set up.

I saw a competitors site that I really like, can you make mine look like that?

We are able to create any type of site. If you've seen a site or sites that you like you can give us those site addresses and we will look at them. We will not copy anyone's site. However we can help you achieve a similar look with your site. Our goal is to build you a site that you will love and that you will feel reflects the image you want to project. Keep in mind that many sites you see out there are very attractive, but also very expensive. You may think you want a basic five page $500 site, and then the site you see that you like is a 20 page $2500 site. We can build it, but the question is does your budget allow for that? One option is to build a five page site with a similar look and then perhaps upgrade in a year or two when your budget allows.