More Web Design Frequently Asked Questions [Page 1]
Do I need a database?
A database allows a wealth of information to be retrieved, manipulated and displayed; the web site thus
becomes a more dynamic environment allowing real-time data to be viewed. Often a database is also used as a content
management system, whereby the client updates pages directly by altering the content stored in the online database.
For small sites a database is probably not worthwhile, but for larger sites it is becoming almost essential, ensuring that
the site is up-to-date and relevant. Ecommerce sites selling more than a handful of products will also require a database,
as will sites requiring a 'log on' facility.
To add a database to a site is not expensive, and with many hosting packages one or more databases are included; the
cost comes from creating the coding so that the database information can be retrieved, added to, edited or
deleted, with each site likely to be unique in terms of its needs.
Do I need a web designer?
That depends upon your level of expertise and the time you have available to set up the site. There's no
particular requirement that means you need to use a web designer, but hopefully the advice received, together with
the final result, will make the option to choose a professional a worthwhile one.
Will the site look the same to everyone?
How a visitor 'sees' a site depends on the display resolution of their monitor, the browser they are using, and their
own computer settings; web designers generally ensure the site will look very similar (but not necessarily exactly the same) for
a range of common browsers e.g. Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, and Safari.
Who owns the completed design and updates?
For sites updated or created by ComeUpSmiling, then once final payment has been made ownership of the overall design is passed to the client; however, this does
not include any php database coding application(s), which are thus used under licence, or any coding for which Third Party copyright is already
held (e.g. for certain database functions and special effects), or any Royalty-free images which are under a separate licence
- consequently, such coding and images cannot be used in any other context or application.
You are based in Teesside but I'm miles away, is that a problem?
Roughly half of ComeUpSmiling's clients are from the local area e.g. Stockton, Stokesley, Ingleby Barwick and Yarm;
the rest range from the Scottish Highlands to Portsmouth, with email and phone ensuring that contact with clients, wherever they're based,
is never a problem.
Do you offer Search Engine Optimisation?
Google, like other search engines, ranks sites using a wide range of criteria, which
they keep secret and tinker with regularly. Among the many criteria used are: title, keywords, internal and outgoing
links, keywords appearing in domain name, and heading, keywords appearing early on etc. It's far easier to achieve
a high ranking if the search keywords match 'Lowry and Jones House Sales', as opposed to 'London Estate Agent' where
potentially hundreds of sites might have opted for these same keywords. Some clients unknowingly make a top ranking impossible before they even talk to a web designer, in that
they register an unsuitable domain name.
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is consequently
a complex topic and best dealt with by specialist SEO agencies; their charge options often seem as complex as SEO itself,
and paying hundreds or even thousands of pounds a month is apparently not unusual. Some SEO companies charge by the hour,
or by Google ranking. You do need to be very clear as to exactly what you're getting for your money and exactly what the
SEO company is going to do to get you on to page one - and what happens if they don't? One unfortunate aspect of
optimisation is that it can take a while before any improvements become apparent.
A quick way to get on to the front page of Google is to use Google AdWords, but again this needs to be looked
at very carefully to ensure that the cost (which can be significant) reaps appropriate benefits. Adwords advice and optimisation
also comes under the umbrella of most SEO agencies. The cheapest option is to do it yourself; it may take far longer and score 10/10 for frustration, but there
are a wealth of sites offering free SEO advice, together with various inexpensive software packages to help make the task
a little easier.
For these reasons, ComeUpSmiling does not offer SEO, and
a client should be wary of anyone offering page ranking guarantees, especially if it's at a relatively low cost.
ComeUpSmiling is happy to offer advice and make appropriate changes to a site's keywords etc, but can offer no
guarantees; sometimes small changes to the meta tags and the initial text can bring an improvement. It's often surprising as to how many
sites, generally those designed using some package or other, are missing even the most basic of meta tag content; however, the
exact relevance of - for example - the keywords atttibute to Google and other search engines is debatable.
Do you offer Flash web design?
A Flash web design offers a series of image-rich animations which visitors tend to either love or hate;
drawbacks can include a long loading time, plus search engine and accessibility concerns. ComeUpSmiling does
not offer Flash sites or updates, although we do sometimes add simple Flash animations to an occasional page, working on the
principle of only adding such components if they serve a useful and effective purpose.
I've designed a site in Word (or Publisher or PowerPoint), can that just be uploaded?
The design still needs to be coded appropriately; while designs in Word can be exported directly to the Internet,
the coding is very difficult to adjust and there may well be problems with the different browsers. However,
as the site has already gone through the initial design stage, this will normally be reflected by a discounted price, but
the exact amount will depend upon the complexity of the design. Some businesses opt for a graphic designer to create the overall
design, then use a web designer to code it.
More Web Design Frequently Asked Questions [Page 1]
ComeUpSmiling Web Design, Frequently Asked Questions
