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Frequently Asked Questions
How does it all work?
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When you order a custom web site design from Phaedra Web Design you work hand in hand with your designer to create a web site that meets your business or personal needs. Every detail, from the look and feel of your site to your site functionality, is customizable! There are five distinct stages to your web design project, and they are:
1. Free Consultation
2. Logo/Template Design
3. Site Construction
4. Testing
5. Go Live!
Your Free Consultation
The first thing we would like you to do when you decide you desire to hire Phaedra Web Design to create your custom web site is fill out our Free Consultation Form.
When we receive your information we will review your current site (if you have one) and contact you with our recommendations and any questions we may have before we can provide your quote. We will also give you an idea of when we can start on your project. Once we have agreed upon the details of your project and the pricing for your job, we require a 50% deposit on your project to hold your start date.
Design Phase
On your start date your designer will contact you to begin the design process of building your new custom web site! Your designer may start by touching bases with you again about your design objectives, if some time has passed since you have provided a quote request. Often on the first day of your project your designer will have samples for you to review, which you will receive as .jpg attachments at the email address you provided to us with your Free Consultation Form.
You may be provided with one sample initially, or several.
Once you receive your samples you are welcome to ask questions or provide feedback and direction if what you see isn't exactly what you were looking for. We want you to love your new look! And for your customers to enjoy it as well. Your web site is your livelihood or favorite pleasure, and an important investment. We are here to custom tailor a home on the internet for you and your business that exceeds your expectations.
Usually within 1-10 days we will have an approved piece of art to work with. At which time we will begin building your site. It is imperative that you have all related content ready for your project and provide it to us at this time, if you haven't already.
Site Construction
Whether we are hosting your static website or you have decided to utilize a dynamic content management system like Pappashop, Shopify, Wordpress or Blogger- you will have access to a test site during the duration of your project. We will frequently converse with you about various aspects of your project. You will have the opportunity to let us know right away if you need us to make content changes. Some aspects of your site will not work correctly during the course of construction. We will let you know what to expect, so that you can enjoy watching your site being constructed before your eyes.
Once we have created your new custom web site to your satisfaction and ours, we will begin testing your site.
Testing
Everything is done, and it looks great! We're ready to go live! But wait! We had better make sure everything works just right, first. Once we have "finished" your project we always like to spend some time testing functionality and making final adjustments to your website. While we are checking links and making certain your site views great in the most popular web browsers- we invite you to make note of any last minute changes you might require. And then, pay the remainder of your due balance, and we'll go live!
Go Live!
The go-live process for your site will vary depending upon varying conditions. We will let you know what to expect when it is time for your site to go live.
After your site is live you will receive one or several important emails from your designer with links to tutorials or specific information about your new web site that will help you make the most of your new home or place of business on the web. Please feel free to ask us any questions you have about your web site at any time for the lifetime of your site. In the first week after your new site is live we will be happy to fix any issues with content or functionality if they arise. However, this is not the time to change the colors or navigation or add new functionality to the site. If you need these types of changes we will bill you our hourly rate.
How long does it take?
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Your product or hobby is unique, your project is unique, and the time it will take us to create your new web site will depend on a lot of factors including:
- Current designer availability (click here for available start dates.)
- How much time we spend in the design process...
- The size of your project
- How fast you respond to any correspondence we might send
- Whether or not there are any unexpected interruptions in your project.
Phaedra Web Design is operated by hard working, dedicated, talented chicks. With kids. And husbands, and responsibilities besides those in our careers. We will always do the best job we can do, in the shortest possible time. On that note, we don't like to rush either! Our attention to detail is what sets Phaedra Web Design apart from the rest.
Typically an e-commerce web site design or static web site design takes 2-3 weeks to complete from start to finish. Some projects can take up to two months to complete.
If you need your project finished by a certain date it is very important that you plan in advance for your project to allow us plenty of time to meet your needs. You can start planning today, just fill out our Free Consultation Form! We will be in touch with you very soon to discuss your new e-commerce or personal website.How much does web design cost?
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We can build a custom website on your small business budget! A custom blog, which you can use to generate interest and income for your business by simply writing about yourself, your hobby, or your product, starts at just $399.
Need a new logo for your business or personal site? Your logo needs to be recognizable, make a point, and serve the overall look and feel of your e-commerce web site or store front. If your old logo is tired, or your new business needs a new logo to go with it- we can help! For just $199 we will provide you multiple revisions, a low resolution copy for web use and a high resolution copy suitable for printing on business cards and correspondence.
(Yes, we an create a custom website and matching logo for you, that you can update yourself and utilize to talk about your life, your hobby or your business, for less than $600!)
For more information and a look at our base pricing, visit our Pricing page. For the customer who needs to utilize a shopping cart to sell their products on their website or needs multiple design projects accomplished, we ask that you fill out a Free Consultation Form so that we can provide a custom tailored quote and any personalized recommendations for your project. We feel that it is very important that we provide a necessary service at a price that small business owners can afford.
Why do I need a custom web site?
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The internet has fast become a very popular way to locate local businesses, find and buy specialty products, learn about interesting things, network with like-minded people and make a living! Whether you have something to say or something to sell, operating your own website is easy, fun, cheap and can be very lucrative.
More than 80% of American adults are now using
the internet to find things that interest them. The internet holds an
untold wealth of opportunity for you and your business. When an
American consumer wants to find a product or location, they hop online
and hit the search engines. They are searching for you! We can help put you
in touch with your target market.
Running
your own web site can be very inexpensive! For between $4 and $20 a
month you can own and operate your own web site. We specialize in
providing low cost hosting and shopping cart options for small business
owners, hobbyists and bloggers. We offer very competitive, if not rock
bottom priced, expert web design services. It's important to us to be
able to help other entrepreneurial spirits get started, and for a price
you can afford.
Why should I choose Phaedra Web Design?
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Simply put, we go above and beyond for our customers. We are happy to provide excellent customer service, unlimited design revisions, advice and support for your systems for the life of your site. And we do it all at prices that a small business can afford because we are passionate about helping small businesses succeed.
We are happy to provide low-cost hosting and shopping cart options
that are user-friendly and comprehensive. We will work one-on-one with you to create a custom web site design
that will help you stand out in the crowd. We utilize proven SEO
(Search Engine Optimization) techniques to ensure that your site
reaches your target market. We don't skimp on the graphics or functionality. The answer is yes!
We want our work to shine so that your business can be successful.
You get to sit back and
watch your custom web site being built before your eyes, providing
guidance and feedback and asking questions during the entire process.
And when your site is live we will even send you user guides that will help you learn how to utilize your new systems.
Find out what our clients are saying about us! Click here.
What else can you do besides web design?
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We can do more than design and build your custom web site. We can write your web site content, design and print your promotional materials, provide regular maintenance to your site and even design and print your product packaging!
- Custom Print Promotional Materials: Business Cards, Stickers, Hang Tags, Promotional Postcards, Greeting Cards, Calendars, Bookmarks, Brochures, Catalogues and Packaging.
- Writing Services: Web Site Content, Product Descriptions, Articles, E-Newsletters, Slogans, Press Releases, Press Kits.
- SEO (Search Engine Optimization): Market Research, Site Analysis, Implementation How do I pay you?
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Prior to your start date we require a 50% deposit on the total amount due for all projects. (Excluding payments for printing services and premades, which are paid in full in advance.) Once your site design has been approved by you, and before we will launch your site we require that you pay the remaining 50%.
Once you have agreed to the price for your services, Phaedra Web Design will issue an invoice which you will receive via email and be able to pay securely online. This will secure your start date or spot on our wait list, if there is one.
Upon completion of your project we will again invoice you the remaining amount due on your account before we will launch your web site.
Phaedra Web Design accepts all major credit cards and e-checks through Paypal. If you decide to pay by e-check we will be unable to book your spot or launch your site until your e-check has cleared the bank.
Under special arrangement we will also likely accept your money order or check, but again, until we receive your payment and it clears the bank, we may choose not to book your date or launch your site. All payments must be made in US dollars.
Payments for web site maintenance will be requested by invoice, billed based upon actual time and materials. Phaedra Web Design prefers to invoice after the job to ensure accurate billing, but requires all payments to be made within three business days of delivery of the completed project. If you decide not to pay in a timely manner Phaedra Web Design will require payment from you in advance for future maintenance work.
Can we barter?
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We love to barter! If you have a product or service that you would like to trade for our services, let us know. We don't make any promises, we do have to make a living- but if you happen to have something we want, and a project we are interested in, then we'll consider a deal. Can you write web content for me?
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We can write custom content for your e-commerce or informational web site. Our talented writers can write promotional material for your business, add interest to your product descriptions, help with your privacy policy and terms of service, come up with a snazzy slogan and even write relevant blog posts to boost your search engine performance.
Remember when you first got a blog, how you thought that you would update it regularly? That didn't happen, did it? You have a business to run, you don't have time to write articles to post to your blog! Well, our creative writers can help you add valuable relevant content to your web site if you don't have the time or talent. With some very basic information from you we can research relevent topics and post SEO friendly keyword rich original articles to your blog that will peak your customers interest and build your reputation with the major search engines. And at a price you can afford. Can you touch up my photos?
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Our designers are skilled at photo restoration and manipulation. We use the most up-to-date, industry standard photo editing programs and have years of experience in the field. We include photo editing in every design project automatically to ensure that your final product is the best it can be. We often will crop your photos, remove red-eye, fine tune color, remove blemishes, and more. You don't even have to ask.
We touch up your DIY product photography and make it look like it was taken by a professional. We will often find ways to add pizazz to your site by manipulating your photos. So please, do not crop or edit or reduce the size of your photos before providing them to us.
Can you design and print our promotional materials?
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We currently offer the following design/printing services:
- Business Cards
- Promotional Cards (Postcards & Greeting Cards)
- Bookmarks
- Door Hangers
- Calendars
- Flyers
- Tri-Fold Brochures
- Catalogues
- Custom Packaging
What shopping cart options / content management systems can you work with?
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Phaedra Web Design specializes in designing for the following free or low cost shopping cart/content management systems:
- Mals-e
- Merchant Moms
- Pappashop
- Shopify
- Wordpress
- Paypal
- Joomla
- Blogger
- Zen Cart
Can I talk to you on the phone?
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We prefer to converse about your project via email but we are happy to talk with you on the phone if you would like. We realize that you will be making a large investment in your business by purchasing our services and we want you to feel good about it. If you want to talk to your designer or writer on the phone please email us with a phone number/best time to call and we'll schedule a time to talk with you.
Our designers and writers are almost always online so we would like to ask that you email any information/content/questions to us whenever possible. This helps us to keep track of our correspondence, and refer to your emails when we have a question about something we have already discussed.
You will find that Phaedra Web Design is responsive to email, often getting back in touch with you within an hour, if not immediately- during business hours. (And often beyond!) What if I need updates to my site?
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Phaedra Web Design can provide scheduled maintenance to your web site on request. Maintenance is scheduled based upon your designers availability, so please let us know well in advance if you need maintenance by a specific date. Maintenance includes: updated content, product listings, gallery items, etc. Site Maintenance is billed at $50 per hour in 15 minute increments, with a half hour minimum.
In most cases your site will be based on a content management system that will allow you to update your content and galleries yourself, with no knowledge of HTML! You will easily be able to add/edit/remove new products, email addresses, site functionality and more. We work with content management systems that are user friendly so that you won't need to pay for site maintenance.
If you need to change your site colors/layout/functionality or for us to design new graphics please contact us for a quote for your job. What if I need help later, after my web site is live?
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We're here for you! If you have questions we'll answer them in a timely fashion. We stand behind our work, we want you to be successful and to recommend our services to your friends.
During the construction phase of your web site you will often be asked for input and approval to ensure that your project develops as you would wish. Once your site has been tested and launched our designers will provide you with the information and resources you will need to know to utilize your new systems/site. If you have a question or want to add new functionality down the road- we're the gals.
Do you require a linkback on my new site?
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Phaedra Web Design will include a small, discreet link back to our web site on your web pages and blog template. Upon request we are happy to create a small custom graphic that coordinates with your site design to use in place of the common textual link back. We ask that you maintain the link back to Phaedra Web Design for as long as you utilize any graphics/content/design elements created by Phaedra Web Design on your web site. In most cases your linkback will be at the bottom of your web site, and it will look something like:
Site by Phaedra
Can you fix my existing web site?
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We may or may not be able/willing to fix your current web site depending upon the systems you have in place and the existing design/functionality problems and needs. If you have a site that you would prefer to simply update or fix than to completely redesign let us take a look, we'll let you know what we think.
If you already have a web site that has been created for you by another
designer and has functionality or design issues we will
more than likely recommend a full redesign.
Please note that we will not work with all e-commerce/content management/hosting solutions. If we do not work with your current system, we will let you know and provide options to you to consider. How long does it take for search engines to list my new site?
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Once your site has been completed your designer will submit your new web site to the major search engines for you. Depending upon factors out of our hands, your site can take anywhere from 2 to 12 weeks to be listed in the search engines- and even then your placement is not guaranteed. We do our best to include relevent content and successful meta tags in your pages and utilize current best practice SEO techniques to give you a nudge up the ladder. In our experience, sites that do not have alot of competition for the same keywords get placed higher, and sites that compete heavily for the same search terms struggle more to get good returns in search engines.
We strive to continuously educate ourselves in SEO techniques and practices and recommend SEO friendly dynamic content management systems for e-commerce sites.
If you find yourself struggling to get noticed, let us know and we will provide a quote for marketing research and a tailored SEO approach. Usually you can boost your own chances to get your site indexed by the major search engines by utilizing these tips:
- Purchase your domain name for at least two years in advance.
- Provide Terms of Service and a Privacy Policy on your web site.
- Publish complete contact information on your site.
- Have a web site made that is light on code/flash and heavy in relevent textual and quality graphic content.
- Maintain your blog by posting regular relevent content.
- Utilize secure payment methods and information handling.
- Network with your friends and business associates.
For more information about how you can boost your web site's search engine performance, contact us.
I still have questions!
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Please, drop us a line! Click here to fill out our contact form, or email us:
phaedra@phaedrawebdesign.com |
