Frequently Asked Questions
GENERAL PROJECT QUESTIONS
PRICING
E-COMMERCE
CMS (Content Management System)
DOMAIN NAME REGISTRATION
HOSTING
SITE PROMOTION
General Project Questions
How long have you been designing web sites?
Tim Tedder has been involved in graphic design projects since the
1980's and then started designing web sites in 1998 while working
with Know Software, Inc. T2Designs started soon afterward with a
primary focus on web site design. [top]
What kind of web services do you provide?
Web site designs, site redesigns, CMS, search engine optimization,
pay-per-click campaigns, domain name registration,
web hosting, web maintenance, and custom graphic design. See our full list of services.
[top]
What kind of sites do you design?
Our niche seems to be in designing informational, promotional and
e-commerce sites for small business, medium business and nonprofit
organizations, although we have also been involved in helping with
smaller, personal projects. For a more detailed description, read our Project Focus. [top]
How long does it take you to complete
a project?
Although some small projects are completed within a week or two,
we say it typically takes (from the time a design is approved and
we have all the content from the client) about 30-45 days to finish
a site... 60-90 days for an average dynamic (e-commerce, for example)
site. [top]
Do you offer consultation to potential
clients?
Yes. Potential clients are welcome to email or call for free consultation
regarding any web project being considered. Tim Tedder will also
meet with local individuals and businesses at no charge. On-location
consultation outside the Anderson, Indiana area is provided at a nominal
fee. [top]
Do you require a signed contract?
Usually, yes. However, ongoing work for established clients do not
require contracts, nor does work I do under a freelance
web designer arrangement. [top]
Pricing
How much do you charge for your services?
For more specific pricing information, take a look at
our Web
Pricing page. Each project is unique, so it's impossible to give a firm number
without knowing more about a client's needs. Our fees for new sites
have ranged from a few hundred dollars to over $12,000. We provide free online estimate request
forms so people can get an idea of what their web
site might cost.
For work that is billed on a per hour basis, our
current rate for most web work is $60/hr. Pre-paid
service hours may be purchased at significant discounts. [top]
Why are your rates lower than other professional
design services?
When T2Designs was launched, it had to keep project costs down in
order to attract clients in a local economy that was suffering. Although
our client base has grown and now reaches across the U.S. and Canada,
we have worked to keep our prices very competitive.
We believe we are the perfect solution for the individual
or organization that needs more than a site designed by their uncle
or high school neighbor... that needs a professionally designed site
but cannot afford the fees typically charged by web designs firms.
[top]
Why are your rates higher than some online design
services?
Our original designs are priced a bit higher because they're worth
it. Many online "designers" don't even actually design
the sites themselves; some require you to choose from templates.
(We give you that option, if you want it.) Others promise you everything
and then deliver you much less. We've helped a number of customers
who tried a cheaper design service first... and got what they paid
for. [top]
Do you offer any discounts?
Yes! T2Designs offers many ongoing service
discounts to our clients (for example: free domain name registrations and reduced fees on other standard services). Additionally,
we offer a 10% discount of design services for qualifying nonprofit
organizations.
Clients may also save significantly on our normal hourly rates
by pre-purchasing
service hours.
[top]
When do I have to pay you?
For the typical project, we ask for 1/3 of the project fee when
the contract is accepted, 1/3 when the design is approved, and the
balance when the site is completed. Projects that are priced under
$500 may require 1/2 payment up-front. 1-Page Projects require payment in full prior to start of project.
Hourly and ongoing services are billed at the end of each month,
sent to you by email (or snail mail, if you prefer). [top]
How can I pay you?
Most clients pay by check, but you can also pay
online by using a credit card or your PayPal account. [top]
E-Commerce
Why does it cost more to create an e-commerce
site?
Because there is a lot more work that goes into building a site
that manages the products or services you want to sell and then provides
the means by which a customer can order them online.
There are online services that offer to let you build a relatively
inexpensive e-commerce site, but these sites tend to be generic-looking,
limited in versatility, and often require a steep learning
curve. [top]
How many products can I sell online?
You can sell just 1 product (or service), or as many as you want.
[top]
How can I accept payment for my products/services?
There are many different options. Which one you choose depends on
what you're offering, the volume of sales you expect in the first
year, and the resources you currently have to work with. We can help
you decide which options are best for you. Here are your options
(from least expensive to most expensive):
- Personal check or money order.
- Online pay service like PayPal.
- Credit card processed offline.
- Credit card processed online. [top]
Can I use my PayPal account to accept online payments?
Yes! Whether you're selling one item (or service) or multiple products,
we can incorporate a PayPal shopping cart into your web site design.
Customers can pay your using their credit cards or PayPal funds.
And this can be done without having to purchase a merchant account
or a security certificate for your site. It's a great option for
small businesses, including home businesses. Learn how to open
a Pay Pal account now. [top]
If I don't want to use a service like
PayPal, what do I have to do in order to accept online credit card
payments?
In order for your business to be approved for credit card payments,
you will need to set up a merchant account with a financial institution
that provides these services. You'll have to go through an approval
process and there are fees involved.
Additionally, a percentage of your sales will go toward processing
fees and you will need to pay for a security certificate (about $100-150
per year) that allows your site to process credit card information
privately & securely.
But since credit card payments are so convenient and expected as
an online option by most web users, offering a credit card option
is something most business will provide if they don't want
to lose business. [top]
What if I don't have a merchant account?
If you don't have a merchant account (to be able to accept credit
card payments) and you don't want to get one right now, you can still
allow customers to pay you with a credit card by using a service
like PayPal. I've used it for years and have found it to be easy
and reliable. The only cost to you would be a percentage of the sales
(about 3%). [top]
CMS (Content Management System)
What is a CMS?
CMS stands for "Content Management Systems." It refers
to a means by which a person is able to easily edit and manage the
content of their web site without having to learn all the coding
that's required to build the site.
[top]
How can I make changes to my own web site?
T2Designs can code your site to be managed using Adobe's Contribute software. Once we've coded your pages to protect areas that shouldn't
be changed, we'll provide with a Contribute access key which will grant you edit
rights to your web site. If you know how to use a program like Microsoft
Word, you should have little difficulty in using Contribute to
make changes to your site.
[top]
How do I get the software? What will all it cost to do all this?
You will need to purchase your own copy (or copies) of the Contribute directly from Adobe. You will need your own computer
(Windows or Macintosh) with an internet connection. For system requirements, pricing,
and other information, please visit our CMS
page. [top]
Can I edit my site from more than one computer?
Yes, but each additional computer must be able to connect to the
internet and needs to have it's own copy of the Contribute software.
(You may purchase additional copies directly from Macromedia). [top]
Domain Name Registration
What's a domain name?
It's the common name that people use to direct their browsers to
a web site and usually ends with ".com" or ".net" or
something similar. These names are for sale through various online
services. You usually buy them for a 1 to 10 year period. You have
to renew your ownership at the end of the purchased time, or the
name becomes available to the public again.
These names are used to simply direct people to the server that
is hosting your web site. If you decide to move your site to a different
server, you allow people to still find you by "instructing" the
domain name to send browsers to the new location.
Most of the common or obvious names are no longer available. Getting
hold of a good domain name sometimes requires creativity and diligence.
[top]
What does it cost to get a domain name?
If we design your site, we will register 1 domain name for you at
no additional cost.
You can buy a domain name for $10 to $50, although you probably
want to stay away from both extremes. If you pay too little, you
may not actually own the name or may have a difficult time making
any changes to it (like directing the name to point to a new site
location).
See our list of domain name fees.
[top]
If you arrange my domain name, who will own it?
You will. We simply manage the name, but T2Designs considers you
owner. [top]
Hosting
Do I have to host my site through you?
No. Most clients ask T2Designs to arrange and manage their hosting,
but some take care of it themselves (or already have their site
hosted with a company that is servicing them well). [top]
What's included in the hosting service you provide?
We'll set up your site on a host server, define any email accounts you require, and deal with technical
support when necessary. Access to basic web statistics is included in all hosting packages except for the Level 1 package. For a nominal fee, any web site can be coded to gather extensive statistics using Google Analytics. [top]
Do you host sites on your own servers?
No. We purchase hosting space through the services of GoDaddy.com. [top]
What does it cost to have you arrange
and manage my site hosting?
It depends on the size of your site. Take a look at our hosting
fees. Annual fees range anywhere from $90 to $350, depending on your hosting needs. [top]
Site Promotion
Should I worry about search engine optimization?
Not necessarily, but probably. Most people build a web site because
they want people to find you. If your site offers services, products
or information that people might be searching for, then you'll want
to make sure they find it on your site! Just having a site on the
internet usually isn't enough; you need to have the target pages
of your site especially prepared to be recognized and properly indexed
by the major search engines.
Read our Search Submission Tips for
more information about optimizing your web site. [top]
How can I promote my site?
There are many different ways to effectively promote your site,
including off-line advertisement (print, radio, sponsorships, etc.).
You can promote your site online by placing ads on other sites, getting
other sites to link to yours, submit your site to appropriate search
engines and indexes, work to get a stronger position in search results,
pay for inclusion in certain search services, pay for advertising
like pay-per-click. To learn more about some of the ways you can
promote your own site, read articles available on Highrankings Advisor.
[top]
Can you design ads for my site?
Yes, we've created many ads of various sizes for our customers.
Just let us know what you need. Ad creation is usually billed at
our current hourly rate. [top]
How do links to my site (from other sites) make a difference?
One way that search engines rank the importance of your web pages
is by considering how important they are to other web sites. Links
to your site -- especially from other popular sites -- will likely
push your site up in the search engine rankings.
What can you do to increase your site's link popularity? First of
all, determine what
sites currently link to yours then work to increase this number.
As you make work to establish reciprocal links, follow these guidelines:
- Avoid the "link factories." Services that promise to get you
hundered or thousands of links are probably worthless. In fact,
too many links from long link lists on other sites may actually
hurt you.
- Links from popular, well established sites carry more weight,
but actively pursue links from any web site that you recognize
as good and useful.
- Text links are usually better than image links.
- Links that are within the context of information that relates
to your site may carry more weight. For example, a link to your
site within an article that talks about the kinds of services or
products you offer is likely better than a link that appears in
a reference listing along with many other links.
- If possible, request that the text used to link to your page
be the keyword or keyphrase emphasized on that page. For example,
if your home page has been optimized for the keyword "shiny buttons"
then it would be better if the link to your site appeared as shiny
buttons rather than www.lotsofbuttons.com.
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