FAQ/Terms

What will my website cost?
Websites start from £400 for a simple site with no more than four pages (if you have artwork already) rising to £650 (if you need a couple more pages or would like me to design a simple banner and colour scheme). Contact me to talk about costs for larger sites. Also see When do I pay you? below.

Will my site be mobile-friendly (i.e. easily read on smartphones and tablets)?
The sites I build recognise the kind of device you’re using and adapt accordingly. Google is now using this capability in its algorithms and boosting the rankings of mobile-friendly pages in mobile search results. If you’ve ever tried to look at a site where you have to zoom in to read the text, you’ll understand why it’s so important.

I haven’t got a domain name or web hosting. Can you sort that out for me?
It’s best if you do this yourself, though I can help you make decisions about what it should be, point you in the right direction and even talk you through it on the phone. The company I use and recommend is machinenetworks.co.uk.

Many web designers will do all this for you and even host your domain. Believe me, if you ever decide to move to a different designer, extracting your site can be quite tricky. And what about the ‘web designer run over by a bus’ scenario? I prefer my clients to register their own domains and arrange their own hosting. It gives you autonomy. As a client once said, ‘It’s more grown up’! 😉

How long will it take to build my site?
I will agree a time schedule with you including a proposed completion date. This time schedule is dependent upon you providing the content and feedback as agreed, any delay will impact on when I can complete and this may be affected by other contracts.

When do I pay you?
I start work on receipt of ½ of the agreed total fee. You pay the rest when the site is complete and before it goes live. Payment should be made by bank transfer. Payment may also be made by PayPal; there is a 4% additional fee for this.

What if I want you to amend my text or add additional features after the site is launched, Jan?
I can do this for you. There is a minimum charge of £60 which is for up to one hour of work and it's £60 an hour pro rata after that. Clients find I can do a great deal very quickly, and I can always give you a quote if you need it.

"Amazing speed and efficiency and an unfailingly friendly response." Paul Roberts, Concert Pianist

Do I have complete control over the content?
You certainly do! Your site must truly represent who you are; authenticity is vital in marketing your business therefore I encourage you to write the text yourself or commission a copywriter to do it for you. I will happily point out any typos I spot and any grammatical errors, clichés etc.

What about search engine visibility?
Having your website is simply the first stage – you then have to make sure people can find it, and also drive traffic to it yourself (for example, by using social media). I use search engine optimisation strategies when building sites; however, much is dependent upon how clear you are about precisely who you are focusing your marketing towards. One thing you’ll need to do is identify ‘keywords’ (i.e. the terms people would type into the search engines in order to find you) and then include those in your text. We can talk about this when you commission the site.

Ask me a question – email me and ask more