FAQs

Answers to some frequently asked questions on web design and our services:

• Design and Development Related FAQs
• Project Management Related FAQs
• Payment Related FAQs
• Common Questions

Design and Development Related FAQs

How long does it take to have a web site designed?
Answer: The required time to complete a project varies, depending on the web site size, design complexity, programming requirements and our current schedule of other projects in hand. We will give you a time estimate when we provide the project quote.

Do you recommend full flash web sites?
Answer: No. Search engines cannot index full flash web sites. If you want to use flash on your web site, we recommend using it only in header or menu. Please check this page for more information.

What Do I Put On My Site?
Answer: That depends on the purpose of your web site. If you run a business website you should include as much information about your products or services that your customers would want to purchase from you.

What is the difference between a “static” and a “dynamic” site?
Answer: A static web site is written in HTML only with may be CSS and Javascript. Here each page is a separate document and there is no database that it saves the contents in or pulls the contents from. What this means functionally is that the only way to edit the site is to go into each page and edit the HTML – so you’d either have to do it yourself using a webpage editor like Dreamweaver or pay ewebdesigncompany to go in and edit the site each time you wanted something changed.

A dynamic web site is written using a server side scripting language, like php and uses a database like mysql. You have more options with such a web site. For instance, we can make an area where you can log in and change various parts of the site, such as adding information or products. This is because each page is constructed based on the information in a database, and the information in that database can be changed via a graphical admin interface. Dynamic sites can reduce ongoing maintenance costs if you don’t want to change things yourself with a webpage editor or with the HTML. They usually cost more to develop, as they require more complex coding and a content management utility needs to be developed to help you manage your website information.

Another benefit of dynamic sites is that they allow you to change only the content of the site and not the design, so you will not be able to accidentally break the visual style of the site. They have other benefits when sites start to get very large, as they make data management much more efficient and your site more expandable. However, for a small (10-15 information page) website does not usually need a CMS if you want to keep the development cost down and do not need frequent updates.

Why do you ask for a detailed system requirements?
Answer: To build a house you first need a blueprint. The detailed system requirements or specifications we ask from you help us develop a clear, cogent, coherent and useful blueprint for your dream web site. If there is no definite list of systems requirements to begin with, we would not know which features you might need. Creating or adding features for your web site then would become a confusing task.

What about payment gateway and shipping integration on ecommerce websites?
Answer: We have experience working with all common payment gateways; such as paypal, linkpoint (authorize.net), 2CO etc. However, if you have some special requirements regarding this matter, we are open to discuss with you.

How do I update my website myself?
Answer: There are many different methods which can be used to update websites. If you have a small website consisting of just a few pages and will only wish to make changes very infrequently, then usually it is more cost effective simply to ask ewebdesigncompany to make the changes for you.

We can provide an on line content management system where you can either update individual products/pages/services or particular sections of your website. e.g. company news.

How many designs do we get?
Answer: We usually provide one design mock up based on your requirements and concepts. After the initial mock up, we will make a reasonable amount of changes to it per your request. The initial mock up will be created per your instructions and the sample sites you provide. If you do not like the design which we have suggested for you at all, we will discuss further with a view to ascertaining what type of design you would like to see and create a 2nd design prototype for you.

Project Management Related FAQs

What after-sales support do you offer?
Answer: We will fix any bug with the system or create features as necessary for free, if they were part of the original system requirements or something we agreed on doing for 6 months after the site is launched. But usually your ticket will remain open forever. You can come back after one year and post any issue with the system in the PTS. If it was part of the original requirements and something we were supposed to complete, we will do it without any extra cost. For any new feature or additions, we will give you new quotes.

How do you manage my web solution project and how do I communicate with you?
Answer: Your project will be maintained through a simple project tracking system (PTS). You can log in to the system after we open a ticket for you there. Then you just post your queries, inputs, update or status requests as text message (with attachment if you like). A project manager will be assigned to your project/s. The project manager will reply to you in the same method. You will get a email notification every time we post in the PTS. You can then log in to the system to post your reply. This is our most preferred method to manage a project. Everything will be centralized (no need to send and receive hundreds of mails that can get lost) and there will be written record of all the requests, so we can refer back to any of your message. Also our developers have access to the ticket system; so they can take any necessary actions as soon as you post. Besides that we can also make use of yahoo/msn messengers for real time conversations or call you on the phone if necessary.

What if I want to add new features to the site you are already building for me?
Answer: We usually encourage our clients to not change the initial requirements in the middle of a project. That usually complicates things. We recommend going step by step. Let us finish developing that you already paid us for. We can create the new features in the next phase. This is also why you should be as thorough and detailed as possible when you prepare you final requirements or specifications for the site.

Can I make changes to the source files/database that you are also working on?
Answer: We strongly advise our clients to not make changes to the development environment themselves without letting us know first. If you want to make changes to the web site while we are also working on it, you must notify us immediately, so that our developers can synchronise our local version of the system accordingly to avoid overwriting your changes.

Payment Related FAQs

How much does a web site cost?
Answer: Most projects need independent requirements analysis before we can give you a quote on cost and time estimate. You can request Free web design solution Quote from us. To get some ideas on pricing for small to medium sized web solution and your options, please visit web design technology options page.

How much does it cost to update my site or to maintain it?
Answer: We do such works on hourly contract basis. In general, ewebdesigncompany bills graphic and web design time at US$14.00 per hour, programming time at US$16.00 per hour, System analysis and project coordination at US$18.00 per hour and other work time at US$14.00 per hour. This is for the time actually spent working on the project.

What if I do not like the design?
Answer: It seldom happens that our design is completely rejected by client. After the initial mock up we provide we will make a reasonable amount of changes to it per your request. The initial mock up will be created per your instructions and the sample sites you provide. If you do not like the design which we have suggested for you at all, we will discuss further with a view to ascertaining what type of design you would like to see and create a 2nd design prototype for you. If even the 2nd design is rejected by you, we will return your deposit with us keeping only a very nominal fee for the amount of effort we put in. Most time it is below 50 USD.

Do I need to send a deposit for the work?
Answer: In general, half of the total payment is due near the beginning of the project or after we show you some progress. For larger projects, the cost is divided into more than two parts.

How can we pay you?
Answer: We prefer to accept payment through moneybookers.com where you can use your Visa/Mastercard/AMEX. Also:

Common Questions:

Do you also provide domain registration and hosting?
Answer: We prefer that our clients buy domains and hosting from dedicated domain registration and hosting service providers. This ensures that you get the best support and expertise. ewebdesigncompany specializes in web design and system developments. But if necessary, ewebdesigncompany can help you in this regard.

Can I choose you to design my site and use my own web hosting?
Answer: Yes. We encourage that.

Why can’t I find my web site in the search engines?
Answer: ewebdesigncompany does not provide SEO services. Once your site has been built and search engines find it, they may require several weeks, or even months to actually spider and list your web site in their search results or directories. How fast your site is listed depends on each individual Search Engines database update schedule. Watch your server traffic logs for visiting spiders. However, even indexing of your web site does not mean that it will appear high on search engine result pages for any given keywords. It takes a lot of effort and time to get a web site rank high for certain competitive keywords. It is relatively easier to rank high for keywords or key phrases that are seldom used and non-competitive. For such services we recommend our clients to contact with a full fledge internet marketing company. ewebdesigncompany mainly focuses on web design and system developments.

What are some common things you recommend to your clients?
Answer: When it comes to your website, extra attention should be paid to every minute detail to make sure it performs optimally to serve its purpose.

• Never to use splash or intro page:
  Many of our clients ask for a splash or intro page to serve as doorway to the main web site. Splash pages are the first pages you see when you arrive at a website. They normally have a very beautiful image or flash animations with words like “welcome” or “click here to enter” or “skip intro!”. In fact, they are just that; pretty graphics with no real purpose. The simple fact that client can ignore this page or skip it proves that this page is not necessary to view at all. They greatly deter users from looking into the real contents of the web site. Besides, they are also very bad for search engines(SEs). The home page is the most important page on your site for SEs. If there is no real content or navigation on this page for SEs to index, you loose a lot of points in ranking high on search engine result pages.
• Do not use excessive banner advertisements:
  Even the least net savvy people have trained themselves to ignore banner advertisements so you will be wasting valuable website real estate. Instead, provide more valuable content and weave relevant affiliate links into your content, and let your visitors feel that they want to buy instead of being pushed to buy.
• Avoid using audio or video on your site:
  People usually do not like going to a site and have a music start playing out of nowhere. They may be, browsing from office or a place where silence is desired. Or they may be listening to their own music. The sudden burst of music for them will certainly be very annoying and they will leave your site promptly. Also audio or video files usually add a lot of extra information to be downloaded depending on the file size; thus, making a web page load slower.

I want you to design my web site. Now what do I do?
Answer: Please fill out our free web design quote request form to start the process.