FAQs

On this page you will find answers to the most frequently asked questions we get. The questions and answers are organized by category for your convenience.
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Questions and Answers About Domain Names

Do you register domain names for me?

We prefer not to, for the very simple reason we want you to be in control of your domain name.

Sometimes when you have a designer or 3rd party register your domain name you may find that they have retained ownership of the domain, or the account is in their name and you do not have access to that account. If you need to change designers you may encounter a problem.

We suggest using GoDaddy.com to register your domain name. They are full service domain providers with excellent live 24/7/365 customer support. We would be happy to help walk you through the steps, but it is very easy to do.

When I register my domain name should I sign up for hosting?

No. Unless you have already discussed with your designer what your hosting requirements will be, you may end up with a design that will not work with the hosting plan you purchased.

Many times clients will register their domain name and take an inexpensive hosting plan as part of the package, only to find when the time comes to load thier site it will not work because they do not have an adequate plan. they then have to upgrade or change hosting companies altogether.

Questions and Answers About Website Hosting

Can I choose where I have my site hosted?

The short answer is yes. “Web hosting” is separate from “web design” and every web site must have web hosting. We suggest hosting your website where you registger your domain name. Discuss with your designer what your hosting requirements will be before you sign up for a hosting paln so that you get the correct plan for your site.

Some web designers offer hosting services. if at any time during the life of your web site you need to change your designer you may need to find new hosting. If you want to change your host, you must also find a new designer.

DFW Web Design offers hosting as a convenience and we also work independently with several 3rd party hosting companies that we would be glad to suggest.

When I register my domain name should I sign up for hosting?

No. Unless you have already discussed with your designer what your hosting requirements will be, you may end up with a design that will not work with the hosting plan you purchased.

Many times clients will register their domain name and take an inexpensive hosting plan as part of the package, only to find when the time comes to load their site it will not work because they do not have an adequate plan. they then have to upgrade or change hosting companies altogether.

What type of hosting plan will I need?

That depends on the type of web site you have designed.

If you are just going to have a basic web site using html pages without any self-administering applications then you can probably get by with a basic unix hosting package.

If you are going to have self-administering applications or other interactive elements or a database backed section (product catalog, photo gallery, shopping cart etc.) then you may need something more than a basic hosting plan. Ask your designer what is best.

If you are going to have a WordPress site then there are specific hosting requirements that you will need and you should check with your designer and hosting company for the paln that will work best for you.

Questions and Answers About Website Design

How much does a web site cost to design?

The cost of your site depends on many factors:
How many pages will it have
How many special applications it will have (photo gallery, blog, product catalog, shopping cart, etc.)
If there is any media to be used (video, music, etc.)
Will you be using online forms
and others
The only way a designer can tell you how much a web site will cost is to talk with you to get a clear understanding of exactly what you want.
Even then, as a job progresses, the estimate for a site may change as you decide to change or add pages, applications or other elements to your web site.
Other factors to consider in the price are the hosting fees and the costs to keep your site updated.

How much input do I have in designing my web site?

That is really up to you. Some clients want total control, even providing an illustration of the layout and color scheme they want, others leave it totally up to the designer.

What we try to do is find out as much about your business as we can, your preferences in terms of look and feel and provide you with a couple of 1-2 page demo layouts to help you decide the look that you want.

From that point on we provide a virtual web site during the design process so that you can see the design as it is being created and make changes along the way, so that at the end of the process there are no surprises and you got exactly what you wanted.

Will my website be a template or reflect my company's image?

Many web design companies do use “templates” of web pages and then customize them with the company name, logo and other pertinent information.

If you want your site to stand out from the masses and/or if you want to continue the “look” of your company’s marketing materials, you are looking for a custom web site. Custom web sites are more costly, but they give you total control over how you present your company to the world as well as greater ability to create a site that performs strongly with the search engines.

WordPress sites use “themes”, which some wpuld consider templates, with which to create the graphic interface. These themes are highly customizable to help you get more of a look you want.

How long does it take to build a site?

It all depends on how big a site you want, what features you want included, what are your goals for the site and how quickly the client can provide the material (images if necessary, and written content) to the designer.

A simple, two-page site might graphically laid out in a day, but if the client takes a week to provide text, then the site will take a week to complete. A large e-commerce site could take weeks. Often, even after the original site is created, changes and updates continue as your online business evolves.

The only way to accurately estimate how long it will take to build your site is to have an in-depth conversation with your web designer about exactly what kind of Internet site you want and set up a timetable for providing content.

For what screen size/resolutions do you design for?

People use all types of devices for viewing content on the internet. They use desktop computers, laptops, tablets, iPads and mobile phones. Each device has a different size screen and resolution so we design websites to be responsive, that is adaptable, to whatever device and screen size is being used. Our responives websites will work on all devices.

Do I own the art and design and all of the files for my site?

If you have any artwork or design done for your site be sure to ask your designer if that becomes the property of your company or if the designer retains ownership of that creative work.

Many designers will retain the ownership (copyright) to both the website design and graphics. If you want to be free to use the materials and change designers without starting over, you want to purchase the copyright to your site.

At DFW Web Design, we give you ownership of the complete design and artwork as well as a copy of your files.

After my website is completed are there monthly charges? If so, for what?

With DFW Web Design after the initial design is completed there are no other charges relating to design unless you want to make changes.

Otherwise, all web sites require some sort of web site hosting service, which usually incurs a monthly charge (or annual charge). Sometimes, you can receive a discount by purchasing one year of hosting in advance.

If there are any additional charges beyond hosting fees depends on whom you hire as your web designer. If you are charged a monthly fee for updates and maintenance, make sure you understand exactly what changes the designer will be making and if there are any limits placed on the amount of changes/updates you can request. Also Clarify what happens to the fee if you do not require any changes or update during a month.

In addition, some designers/developers will charge monthly for search engine optimization. Beware of those companies that charge outrageous amounts for this service. As a rule, if you see a monthly charge you do not understand fully, ask your designer/developer to explain it completely to you.

Questions and Answers About Website Maintenance

How often should I update my site?

As often as you need to. If information about your company or products and services cahnge then you need to keep your website updated with the latest information.

Most websites have a lot of static content to them, content that does not change. If this is all you have then maybe you need to update your site twice a year.

The important thing to remember is that out of date content can hurt you with search rankings but updating too often for the sake of updating for the search engines can also hurt your rankings. The best approach is to fine tune the content you do have and make sure it is relevant to the search terms and keywords that you target for search results.

How does your pricing work for updating sites?

We offer two ways in terms of pricing, for updating sites.

The first is for those who make minimum changes during the year. For this you would want to consider our hourly rate which is billed in 15 minute increments. That way if you only have a few updates during the year then you would only pay for the actual time we spent making those changes.

On the other hand if you have a site that requires frequent updates, then we would be happy to talk with you about a maintenance agreement fixing a rate for a certain amount of time each month.

The option is yours based on your needs.

Can I make my own updates and changes to the site?

Yes, depending on the type of site or application you have.

A WordPress site is 100% self-administering allowing the site owner to update information as needed. There is a learning curve to WordPress and it is not as simple as using Microsoft Word. We do provide training and help for a fee.

In some cases, if you only need to update a photo gallery, a FAQ section, or a catalog, your designer can set-up during the design process self administering programs that allow you to make changes online to just those sections of your site. Or we can add Content Managment Editors to certain pages or sections of pages that would allow you to make changes on your own.

Most hosting companies allow you access to your web site files through a control panel or you may use an FTP application. From there it is a matter of having the proper skills and software to be able to make your own changes.

We would be happy to discuss all of the options in detail, so contact us to discuss.

Questions and Answers About Website SEO

How long before my site shows up in the search engine search results?

It will vary with each search engine and directory. After a site is launched and submitted to the search engines, it can take 4-6 weeks before a search engine like Google will index your site (add it to their database). Then it can you can take up to 3months for your site to begin showing up in search results. It probably will not show up in the first three pages of results for up to 6 months, if at all.

There are many factors involved in how your site will rank in searches. Some of these factors include where your business is located in relation to the person searching, teh category you are in and your competitors and the actual search term that was used by the person searching. It is very difficult to optimize a websitge for every conceivable search term.

Beware of companies that tell you they can have your site showing up immediately on the first page of Google. These are generally scams.

Can you guarantee a top placement in all the search engines?

No company or individual can guarantee top placement in all the search engines, unless you pay the search engines to be listed that way.

If a company tells you otherwise and then takes your money, you are being ripped off. A good web designer can explain to you how search engines work and will use worthwhile strategies to increase your site’s performance in search engines.

Why doesn't my site show up in all the searches I do?

The biggest problem with optimizing a web site for searches is that you really never know what search words and search terms a person may use to find a site.

There is no standard way to search. We did a recent survey for a client and found that visitors to their site during a given month found the site by using as many as 40 different search terms. Some terms were similar, but yet they still were different.

Location has a lot to do with search results. The search engines look at the location (by IP address) of the person searching and give them results that are closet to thier location. Two people on different sides of town may get different search results because of thei location.

We can help you develop an optimization and marketing plan that will help your site come up in the most important searches.

What strategies do you use to get my site to perform well?

Having a nice looking site does not guarantee that people will find it on the Internet. Good designers will know how to design your site wisely.

The content of your site, the actual words that you use in your web page, significantly effects how you do in a search. Use of keywords in your content and relevancy of your content has a major impact on your search results.

A good designer will make sure your Titles, Descriptions and Metatags to reflect key words and phrases from which you would like to be found in search engines.

Beware of the designer who says he uses special tricks to get you into the search engines. Search Engines and Directories are constantly developing ways to locate websites that are trying to cheat the system. Doing “tricks” could potentially get your site banned from the search engine listings.

Contact DFW Web Design for more help with SEO.

General Questions and Answers

Can I hire you as a consultant only?

Occasionally, you may want to consider ways to improve your site or optimize its performance with the search engines and want another opinion. DFW Web Design will be happy to discuss any needs you might have or provide you with an evaluation of your current site. We charge an hourly fee.

Can I place any type of content on my site that I want?

One of the advantages of the Internet is that it is a great forum to express your individual interests and tastes. There has been, and continues to be, discussions on censuring the Internet. Each of us needs to make a personal choice as to what we will participate in and to what level. If you want to place something on your web site that is subject to moral interpretation, you should ask you website designer if they are willing to create the web pages.

You also need to check with the hosting company. Many web hosts will not allow pornography, hate messages, or other questionable material.

At DFW Web Design we do not deal with pornographic, hate and otherwise legally questionable content.