Frequently Asked Questions
I’ve been building websites a long time. The questions I hear most often are about cost, time, and content.
Costs – Is your website making money or costing you big bucks?
Time – Time is money, learn more about what you can expect from JoMarie and Crucible Designs
Content – We could just throw stuff on your site and see what happens or we can work together and plan ahead!
Cost
Before I begin any project I do a thorough evaluation of what your website needs. With your input and my expertise we’ll come up with a plan and scope of project for your approval. You will receive a proposal with a firm quote for the design and development of your website.
Each website has unique needs and prices do vary.
Your site needs a domain name ($24/year) and hosting services ($21/month to $80/month)
All new websites need a security certificate and costs vary depending on what your site needs.
Some sites will need additional software or services such as a payment processor or reservation system. Possible costs will be professional photography, licensing, paid submissions to search engines.
Your original proposal will include these costs before you agree to the project. There are no hidden costs at Crucible Designs.
Your website is, at it’s core, just a bunch of data files. That data needs to be on a computer that is specially configured to serve the data to the internet. The web host provides that service. Your office servers are unlikely to have the software and connections necessary to be a reliable web host. We provide hosting services starting at $21/month.
Time
Many basic websites are completed and launched 30 days from the beginning of the project. Advanced sites will require more time. Turn around time often depends on your ability to put the content together. Your proposal will include a start date, rough draft deadline and anticipated launch date.
If your project is delayed because your content is delayed the projected deadlines may not be viable. Let me know as early as possible so we can adjust the schedule for your needs.
Your website needs traffic to generate results. It takes between 6 weeks to 6 months to get listed in the search engines. Pay per inclusion search engines list your site (ad) within days. Proper promotion starts with social media, press releases and inclusion of your web address on all print materials.
It’s a simple fact that the search engines like to see updated content on a website. The more competitive your industry, the more frequently you need fresh content. At a minimum, you should review your content on an annual basis. At best you should have some content that can be refreshed on a daily basis (tip of the day, blog posts, daily specials). We can often build in site updates to minimize your time investment.
Content
All our websites are created on a WordPress platform and built specifically so you can edit your content and images.
Yes. We’ve worked successfully with In-house graphic design teams to create great websites. We’ll talk to your designer and discuss proper files, formats and specs to make sure your site looks great and works great.
Before we begin working on the design and layout, we’ll sit down and identify exactly what your website needs to do and who it needs to reach. Once we’ve identified your market, we’ll adapt your existing material and with your experience develop material that will accomplish your website’s goals.
The internet is a visual media and what your visitor sees is critical to it’s success. We often recommend building a smaller site if your budget won’t allow for both quality photos and a large site. Sometimes, the snapshots you take with your cell phone will be good enough but that isn’t the norm. Products have to be attractive and exciting, location shots should be high quality and inviting.
Sometimes, but user studies consistently show that web visitors ignore stock shots – especially if they are used on many websites. It’s better to use real images taken from real life than some generic photo of people and places that aren’t relevant. And let’s not forget that quality stock photos can be more expensive than hiring a photographer for real photos.
“Hiring JoMarie was the best decision I could have ever made … She’s the best.”
Camille Conte
CamilleConte.com, HealingHeartsCards.com, ProfessionalProductionConcepts.com