Web design FAQ

I'm interested in your services. What information do you need to provide me with a quote? 
The first thing we need is a brief.  This doesn't have to be very detailed.  The key things we need are:

1/ A site map of your website.  This is the navigation menu for your website. For example:

Home
About us
Services: > service 1> service > service 3
Location
Contact us

2/ Any functionality your website may need to have such as content management, user registration, and e-commerce.  Let us know what your website needs to do, and what parts you need editing access to. 

3/ References to other websites that may be similar to what you have in mind, preferably within your industry.

We won't copy them, but this helps us to have an overview of what kind of design you find relevant for your site.  We will do our own research, and discuss your goals and marketing strategy to assess the project.

What guarantees do you offer?
We pride ourselves on maintaining happy clients and effective websites.  If you are not completely satisfied with your designs after up to 10 versions have been produced, we will refund your deposit.  We will also give you 10% of the total fee back if the job is not completed on time (subject to terms and all content being provided in full on the first day of the job).  In addition, we provide a free marketing review after 3 months to ensure that our services are more than just a short-term solution.

What special offers do you offer?
If you already have copy and materials ready for us before we start, we will reward your co-operation with a 15% discount.  We provide 3 months' free web hosting for start-ups, and initial marketing consultations come as standard

For SEO projects, we offer a free website review and keyword analysis worth £350.

 

What after sales service can I expect from Codastar?
We like to think that launching your website as only part of a strategy that includes a marketing plan (before) and promotion (after).  SEO is likely to be one of the steps needed to develop your online presence. We also support you with statistic reports so we can evaluate how the strategy is progressing, and re-assess if needed. Please read the Web Marketing of our site for a deeper insight into the services we offer.

Are your websites SEO friendly?
YES - providing your brief doesn’t force us otherwise (flash animations, for example, are strongly disliked by search engines). We take great care to use coding that allows search engines to crawl and “like” your website. Our quality SEO is built into our service from the beginning, by building the solid base of a search engine friendly website.

Do your websites take accessibility guidelines into account?
Yes. This is also part of building a search engine friendly website, as search engines consider a minimum level of accessibility as important.

How much does  a website cost?
This really depends on the size of the project - whether a lot of programming is required to implement certain features, or if it is straight forward. We provide relevant quotes based on a brief and a chat with you.

How long does it take?
This again depends on the size of the project.  Although we have completed projects within a fortnight, the average timeline is usually 3 to 6 weeks.  We will give you an assessment of the time scales involved once we’ve had a chance to assess your brief and discuss the project with you.

Am I obliged to keep my website with you, or can I move to another web host or supplier?
Not at all! In fact, we are happy to host your website wherever you wish, so please let us know at the briefing stage if you have a preferred web host.  We offer web hosting so that we can develop sites on a server that we know is trustworthy, but this is entirely optional.   We also operate a fair trading policy, where we would surrender all relevant usernames and passwords so you never have to worry about moving the website elsewhere.

I sell products and not services, can you help me?
Yes.  While our main focus is the service industry, some of our clients have second businesses selling products, and they prefer to use us for all their web needs.  Therefore we do handle (successful) website aimed at selling and promoting products. 

The line between product and service can also be very blurred. For example, one of our clients (Phillips Plastics) manufactures and sells promotional plastic packaging. However, their unique selling point lies in the custom design solutions they provide to their clients. Their service is as important as the product. If you are interested in working with us to sell a product, we'd love to hear about it! 

What is web hosting?
The physical space on a computer (called a server) where your website files (pages, pictures etc) reside physically. Websites are not operable without hosting. We can advise you on the web host you choose, or work with your preferred host.

Do you provide web hosting?
We do provide high quality web hosting.

Do you do e-commerce websites?
Even for our service projects, we do often integrate e-commerce.  For example, membership and subscription services can be run this way.  In addition – although this is not our focus – we have successfully created a number of product-based e-commerce sites.

Can I have an email addresses at my domain name
Yes. As many as you need.

What is the difference between a web designer and a web developer?
A web designer is able to create a full website, bar certain sophisticated functionalities – for example a content management system, the ability to sell online, or upload files from an admin area.  These functions need to be programmed rather than designed, and this is where the web developer comes in.  Sometimes web designers are referred to as front-end and developers as back-end for this reason.

What is website maintenance?
Website maintenance is simply the service of keeping your website fresh, by modifying content such as text, pages, pictures, or video. Anything we change on your website after it is launch is website maintenance. If your website has a CMS (content management system), you can in effect do a lot of the web maintenance yourself. We offer web maintenance services at hourly, monthly half day and day rates depending on your needs.

If I choose a content management system, how can I be sure that my site stays search engine friendly? 
We only use CMS systems that do not have a negative impact on search engines, so there is no need to worry about this.

Is it true that there are hidden costs associated with web design services?
Not in our world! Typically, we would discuss your project with you in depth before putting a proposal forward. That proposal is very comprehensive and details everything that we will do as part of our agreement. Providing you do not change your objectives half way through the project, there will be no change in pricing or hidden costs at our end. The budget agreed for the work is what you will be invoiced for.

How can I update my website?
If you opt for a website with a CMS (content management system),  you can easily update the website content yourself by logging in to your private admin account and using the simple, user friendly editing tools of your CMS.  If your website does not have a CMS, you will need a professional to edit your website when you need.

Am I obliged to use Codastar for any site maintenance once my website has been created? 
No, we never force anyone to be with us forever. You will be provided with all relevant usernames and passwords, allowing you to take your website somewhere else if you so wish. We never prevent a client from choosing another supplier, should the need arise.

Will my site always be available?
Nobody can guarantee that. Hosting (where your website is) is nothing more than a computer called a server, and servers do go down, from time to time. Usually, the down times are fairly minimal these days and you can easily go for an entire year without a minute of down time. However, we cannot guarantee that it will never happen, and that is why we have 24 hour support for our servers and clients.

Can I see how many people have visited my website?
You will be provided with full traffic statistics with your hosting package, or we can install Google analytic software, which will also effectively track all your traffic. In addition, if you choose our reporting services, we will analyse your statistics for you each month, interpret them, and let you know where improvements can be made.

Do you provide training for my Content Management System?
This is an optional service, but we do provide on-site training for you and your team.

Do you redesign existing websites?
Whilst it is often best to start from scratch, we are happy to update and revise an existing website. 

What happens if I do not like the design?
This is one of our key guarantees. We will work on your design until you are 100% satisfied and approve it in full or offer a full refund if you feel it is not working (full terms on our proposal or call us for further details).