Frequently Asked Questions
What fees are involved when setting up a web site?
- Domain Name Registration Fee (annual)
- Web Site Hosting Fee (monthly)
- Web Site Design and Development Fee
- Maintenance Fees - When Needed
What is Domain Name Registration?
Your domain name (www.yourcompany.com) must be registered with a "Domain Name Registrar". There are many registrars out there that charge a range of annual fees from a $6.95 annual fee to a $35 annual fee. The things to keep in mind when choosing a registrar are not only cost but also ease of use. We currently recommend www.GoDaddy.com as the fee is very reasonable, $8.95 annual fee, (less if they are having a sale) and the management interface is easy to use.
What is Web Site Hosting?
Web site hosting refers to the actual computer where your web site files are located. This computer is called a "Web Server" and can be located anywhere in the world.
We can set up hosting for you starting at $12.50 per month. (Basic site - 500MB space) with a free month if you pay for the whole year in advance.
What is the Web Site Design and Development Fee?
This is the fee that we will charge you for creating your web site. This can range from $800 for a basic small web site and go up from there depending on your needs and the complexity of the web site.
What is the Maintenance Fee?
Once the web site is completed, the maintenance fee would apply for any changes or updates that you require. Our hourly fee is $50 per hour in 1/2 hour increments. The hourly fee for database work is $65 per hour also in 1/2 hour increments. Unless requested, we do not arrange a scheduled maintenance fee.
How will people find me on the Internet?
Obviously being found is very important. During the development of your web site you will be asked to provide us with key words and phrases that will help us to optimize your web site for search engine placement. This however is only part of it. Once your web site is up and running it is imperative that you include your domain name in all advertising and printed material, especially business cards.
What is "Search Engine Optimization"(SEO)?
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of increasing rank and overall presence on the search engines by making careful design decisions that improve a site's search engine importance. The higher a web site ranks in the results of a search, the greater the chance that that site will be visited. Where a site ranks in a search is essential for directing more traffic towards the site.
SEO helps to insure that a site is accessible to a search engine and improves the chances that the site will be found by the search engine.
A well-written web page utilizing effective keywords and phrases will help in search engine optimization.
What is "Web Site Accessibility"?
WAI, pronounced way, is short for the Web Accessibility Initiative, an initiative of the World Wide Web Consortium launched in 1997 to ensure that as the Internet grows in usage Web sites are designed to accommodate people with disabilities.
Web design can present barriers to people with disabilities, especially people with sensory or neurological disabilities. The WAI was implemented to ensure that Web site design addresses the needs of people with these disabilities.
What is Section 508?
Section 508 is a part of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 which requires that electronic and information technology developed, procured, maintained, or used by the Federal Government be accessible to people with disabilities. On August 7, 1998, the President signed into law the Workforce Investment Act of 1998, which includes the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998. Section 508 was originally added to the Rehabilitation Act in 1986; the 1998 amendments significantly expand and strengthen the technology access requirements in Section 508.
Section 508 is a Federal ruling on Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Standards that went into effect on 21 Dec 2000. These are mandatory guidelines aimed to make Federal web sites and property accessible to people with disabilities. Federal Web sites and property are affected by the guidelines, which were devised by the interagency U.S. Access Board. They take effect June 21, 2001.
I want to take my own photography, what graphics formats will you accept?
We will accept digital photography of course, however we can also scan photographs, negatives, and slides (scanning may incur additional fees). Our designers work on both Macintosh and PCs, so we can open virtually any file you send us.
What can I do to reduce my development cost and development time?
- Provide your own photography and graphics (logos for instance) to us in electronic format. You can provide it to us on CDROM or upload it to our web site.
- Provide all "content" (the text that will display on each page) in electronic format (in an e-mail, as a plain text file, in a Microsoft Word Document, etc.). These files can be easily sent to us as an attachment in an email. The more we have to type ourselves, the more it will cost you.
- Provide us with any content and graphics in a timely manner.