Frequently Asked Questions
Some regular and frequently asked questions.
How long to build a website?
A typical website will take between 3 to 14 weeks from start to launch. This includes discovery, design, initial development and modifications. It usually depends on the supply of content and design complexity. It could take much longer if you wait until the end to start writing content.
What do you need from me?
You may ask what is needed from me to have my website built. Here is a shortlist of items that will arise in the discussions.
- Colour Pallet
- Domain Name (url)
- Hosting
- Font Style
- Images
- Look and Feel
- Written Content
- Support
- Functionality
Can I make changes to my website?
Most offeten the website is built on a CMS based platform. Making it simple for a novice or prefettional to access the website to make changes as requiered. Usernames and Passwords are created and assigned to certain levels of access to the system.
Do I need a Website?
The short answer is that there has never been a better or more important time to invest in a website for your business. A website offers a wide variety of benefits for small businesses, and most of these benefits increase in value exponentially year over year, just like the Internet itself.
FAQ
What is a URL or Domain name?
A URL (aka ‘Universal Resource Locator’) is a complete web address “https://www.mycompany.co.za/test/” used to find a particular web page. While the domain is the name of the website “mycompany.co.za”, a URL will lead to any one of the pages within the website. Every URL contains a domain name, as well as other components needed to locate the specific page or piece of content.
What is WordPress?
WordPress is an excellent website platform for a variety of websites. From blogging to e-commerce to business and portfolio websites, WordPress is a versatile CMS. Designed with usability and flexibility in mind, WordPress is a great solution for both large and small websites.
What does Responsive Mean?
A responsive website is a website that adapts to the device it is being viewed on. For example, if you view a site on a laptop and then view the site on a mobile, you should have equally good experiences of that website but not the same experience. On the mobile, the website may have a slightly different design and content may have moved to make it easier to navigate and view utilising the controls available on a mobile device.
A mobile-friendly website will give you the same user experience when you view it on a mobile device as well as a large screen. In contrast to the responsive website, there will not be a specific design for mobile usage, but the whole site will be designed and built in such a way that all features are available and equally usable on all size device.
What is Web Hosting?
Web hosting is the provision of space on a web server to store your website. The web hosting company will also provide connectivity to the server so your website can be accessed by people using the public internet. You usually “rent” this space for a monthly fee (sometimes discounted if you pay annually).
What is SEO?
SEO stands for search engine optimisation. It is a way of structuring your site and its content to ensure that you have the best chance of your website being returned in a good position when someone does a Google search for terms relevant to your business.
SEO over the years has grown and changed and become an industry in its own right. There are many companies whose sole purpose are to boost your placement on google through various techniques and campaigns.
When building a site we will always implement best practices for SEO. For more advanced SEO advice or paid campaign we will always refer you onto our trusted, specialist partners.
What is SSL?
SSL stands for Secure Socket Layer and is a security protocol to enable you to access a website securely. When you access a site which has SSL you will notice that the web address begins https:// rather than http:// (note the additional “s”). This means your interaction with that website is encrypted and information you enter can’t be stolen by hackers.
Google sees websites which use https:// as safe and the use of https may boost the ranking or your website over a non secure website. As of January 2017, Google has started differentiating between those websites that are secure and those that aren’t secure in their Chrome browser. You may see either the word “secure” or an “I” at the start of the web address. Users will have more confidence in clicking on your site if it is secure.
What is UX?
When designing a website it is very important to consider the user’s experience on the website.
An enjoyable user experience will ensure that user potentially returns, buys or recommends the website.
A bad user experience means it’s highly unlikely that the user will progress further on a website and leave very quickly.
When designing a website, we make sure we understand the needs of your website users before creating the design and considering the look, the layout, the content, the functionality, the interaction and how it all works together.
What is Accessibility?
Well designed websites allow everyone to enjoy their content. There are various techniques and guidelines which help make website content accessible.
We’ve listed some of the guidelines here:
- Ensuring images are described with alternative text, known as “alt” text
- Ensuring all website functionality can be accessed via the keyboard only
- Providing descriptive information for links
- Ensuring adequate contrast between background and text
- Providing captions and transcripts for video
- Providing transcripts for podcasts