Questions, questions, questions...
Over the years, we've seen that our projects have thrown up a number of common client questions. Below is a selection of some very frequently asked questions. Please remember, if you can't find your question asked here, just contact us and we'll be happy to answer.
- How much does a web site cost?
- Why will you ask me what my budget is?
- Do I need a Content Management Solution (CMS) for my web site?
- Will a CMS mean that my content will be great?
- What is Search Engine Optimization (SEO)? Do you provide SEO services? How can I help my web site to have a good search engine ranking?
- Do you provide web and email hosting?
- What technologies do you use to build your web projects?
- What kind of support can I expect when my project is completed?
- What is web 2.0?
- Some web sites look different in different browsers? Why? Shouldn't my web site look exactly the same in every browser?
How much does a web site cost?
This is actually a very common question and is impossible to answer without knowing more about your project. A web site can be as simple as a three page static HTML site, or as complex as a content managed, e-commerce ready, database driven application. If you need to get a rough cost from us, just give us a call or contact us and we'll be able to speak and find out a little more about your project. Once we have an idea of what you need, we can provide ballpark figures.
Why will you ask me what my budget is?
We don't ask about your budget so that we can try to charge you as much as possible! There are always a number of ways to approach a particular problem or project, and of course there will be different costs associated to different solutions. How much is a car? Well, that depends on what you need it for, who will be driving it and many other reasons. It's the same with our projects.
If you're able to let us know roughly what your budget is, we can think about how best we can provide a solution that fits your particular problem and fits your budget. It also means that we don't waste your time on project proposals that have no realistic chance of entering into production.
Do I need a Content Management Solution for my web site?
Does your web site have a lot of regularly updated content? If the answer is yes, then you should at least consider the implementation of a Content Management System (CMS). A CMS can automate the updating process and allow you to make changes on a structural and content level. You won't normally be required to have any html, coding or other technical skills as the CMS will be designed for an average computer user, not a web designer or developer.
A CMS will have does have a cost implication for you project and this is something that you need to consider carefully. It may be that your level and frequency of web updates don't demand an overly sophisticated solution and a simple HTML static site will suit your needs. If you're not sure, just ask us and we'll be happy to help you decide how best to proceed.
Will a CMS mean that my content will be great?
No. Great content is like a great relationship - you need to work at it over time. If you don't pay attention to your web content; if you liberally confuse uppercase and lowercase text; if you don't respect the information hierarchy; if you try to shoehorn content into an area where it doesn't belong; if you don't treat your site with care and attention then no CMS will help you - you'll simply end up with the site that you deserve! We do our best to provide the tools that allow our clients to deliver great looking relevant content to their site users and clients, but it's important to recognize where the CMS capabilities end and where user responsibility begins.
What is Search Engine Optimization (SEO)? Do you provide SEO services? How can I help my web site to have a good search engine ranking?
SEO is the practice of allowing your web site to be viewed by the search engines as favourably as possible. A site that is well built (that is accessible and standards compliant with well written, validated code) will go a long way towards achieving this. But there is nothing better than well crafted, relevant and regularly updated content. If the search engines notice that your site is never updated, it won't rank high for relevance and the overall page rank will suffer.
As a company we don't provide dedicated SEO services. But we do make sure that the web sites we design and build go a very long way to achieving visibly good SEO results. For that extra 10%, if you need it, you should consider using the services of a reputable and dedicated SEO provider. There are many good companies who can help with SEO work and we're happy to recommend trusted partners in this area. But remember, if anyone promises to get you to number #1 in google, be wary - there is no magic formula and no absolute guarantees of top page ranking!
Do you provide web hosting?
Yes, we do offer web hosting to our clients. We have our own server which we control and can offer all the support and maintenance that you would expect from a good hosting provider. Our clients are of coure not obliged to host their web sites with us, and we're always happy to accommodate our clients' needs and wishes. If you would like more information about our hosting, please do get in touch.
What technologies do you use to build your web projects?
The basis of our web projects is good semantic mark-up of HTML and CSS; validated, accessible and standards compliant. The majority of our development work is done is Cold Fusion, but we also develop in PHP. If you have any specific needs, please let us know.
What kind of support can I expect when my project is completed?
The web is a changing and growing environment and a web site will need to evolve and adapt to retain its relevance. We're always on hand for maintenance work, fixes and further developments, and of course are very realistic about how to charge for support. If you have a trivial update or a quick and easy change to implement, we won't charge for this but will take care of it as a courtesy. If you require regular maintenance and ongoing support, we can work with you to establish a mutually beneficial maintenance package.
We'll do our best to suggest ways to keep your web site relevant and up to date, perhaps suggesting how we can refine a site feature or looking at how to implement some new technologies. Things move fast and we can help you stay current.
What is web 2.0?
We've seen client briefs that specifically ask us to create a web 2.0 web site Perhaps they imagined that we would skimp on time and effort and try to get by with an inferior web 1.0 web site! So what is web 2.0 and what does it mean for you, the client? Web 2.0 is a philosophy, not a technology and essentially refers to the current ways that web sites are created and used. Today, there is a greater emphasis on sites for community, multiple content authoring, information and data sharing and communication. In terms of design, the web has evolved from experimental design for designers by designers, to a more user-centered and user friendly browsing experience. Graphically you might see a plethora of shiny buttons and gradient backgrounds, but this is more a graphical and probably temporary trend of web 2.0 sites, rather than a definition in itself.
In terms of build, web 2.0 sites will be built using standards compliant, validated HTML/CSS code that displays well in cross -platform and -browser environments and will degrade gracefully in older, less competent browsers (IE6...). They will be built using good semantic mark up for ease of content tagging and sharing, and may make use of RSS content flagging. Pages may use technologies such as AJAX so that they can interact with the server without the whole page refreshing, making the user experience more interactive and streamlined: But again, these are simply common features, not defining elements, of the web 2.0 concept.
Tim Berners-Lee described the term Web 2.0 as a "piece of jargon". However you view it, philosophy, movement, jargon or simple growth and evolution, the important thing for our clients is that we are able to meet their needs and provide up to the minute, relevant web solutions.
Some web sites look different in different browsers? Why? Shouldn't my web site look exactly the same in every browser?
Simply put, the answer is no, you shouldn't expect your web site to exactly the same, pixel for pixel, in every browser.
The web is a relatively new, young and growing environment. The first browsers were built without clear specifications on how they should work and without clear guidelines to hand, the browser manufacturers were kind of working in the dark. Since then things have improved considerably but there are still some major differences in how some browsers interpret and display the code that is sued to build web sites.
Do you use Internet Explorer? If so, which version? 6, 7, or 8? (if you're using less than 6.0, then you must have a horrible time browsing the web - upgrade!). Or maybe you use Firefox? Or Safari? Or Chrome? Or Opera?
At digitalHappy we build our sites to follow the principles of graceful degradation and positive enhancement. This means that our site designs will use the features afforded by the latest generation browsers (Firefox 3.5 is a good example) but will also display well, although perhaps not exactly the same, in less competent browsers (stand up and take a bow IE6...).
A good example is rounded corners. We could use a style rule in the web site's CSS style sheet to create a rectangular box with rounded corners. This would work in newer browsers, but older browsers won't understand the style rules and will simply show a regular rectangle. The content on the page is delivered to everyone, regardless of browser and browser version, but the presentation is slightly different. That's what we mean by graceful degradation.
In most cases, it's a question of understanding the limitations of older browsers and the possibilities afforded by recent browsers, and how best to combine this and the importance of standards in modern web design to produce great browsing experiences for the widest web audience possible.
At digitalHappy we'll take care to explain this to our clients to ensure that there is broad understanding of the principals behind good, current web design and the way we approach our site builds.