Web Design FAQ's
Why should I use a professional web design company?
First impression
Many times the first impression a person gets about your company is your website. The first impression and a positive online presence is everything. The first time a visitor views your website for the first time, you want them to believe your company is a professional top notch business. What you put into your website is what you will get out of it.
Uniqueness
Sure, you can create a website yourself using various means including premade templates or free website builders from hosting companies, which also use templates. This can be time saving and easy but it will not be unique or stand out.
Time Saving
Having a professional designer design and develop a website for you will save a lot of time. A lot of time goes into creating a unique and professional website. Let the professionals, who've done dozens and dozens of sites, take care of it and you will save yourself time and stress.
SEO
SEO (search engine optimization) is the process of improving your sites ranking on search engine results. Part of this process is developing (coding) your site so that search engines can easily and correctly index your site. Without the correct developing techniques, you could be missing out on tons of clicks and therefore leads. SEO is a custom process, you can’t just insert a code.
What is your web design process?
1. Contact
After contacting us, a meeting or consultation will take place, in person or by phone, to discuss your new website, or re-design. We will ask the necessary questions and take in your input and ideas. We then discuss your options and develop a plan that will fit what you need. Once we’ve planned your new or improved website, we then talk about pricing options.
2. Agreement
Once we’ve agreed on pricing and costs, we develop an agreement. The agreement will explain what to expect from us and what we should expect from you. This will outline the design process as well as the payment process.
3. Payment
Along with the agreement, in order to commence work we will need a deposit. Deposits can range from 33% to 50% depending on the amount of work needed.
4. Content
Once the agreement and deposit are submitted we commence work on your new design. Before we begin on the look of the site, we ask that you submit all material that will be needed for the site. These materials will text, photos, illustrations, or any other type of media that will need to be included.
5. Design
The design process is what normally takes the most time. This is when a customer’s response and availability will be directly related to the amount of time the website process will take. Depending on the arrangement, we may submit several design concepts. You will then give us feedback on the concept(s) and where to make changes, if any. This revision process can take hours or days, depending on the revisions needed and customer availability. Once we have final approval for the design, we move on to the development phase. After the design is complete, depending on arrangement, normally the second 33% of the total agreement will be due.
6. Development
After receiving the final approval on a design, we will begin the development phase. This is where we take the design and convert it to functional and working pages. During this process we will setup a temporary site where you can view the progress. Customer feedback is also important during this phase.
7. Completion
Once the development phase is completed, on the temporary server, we will inform the customer. The customer will view the site and give us final approval. Once the final approval is given, the site will either be handed over to the customer or uploaded to the permanent server and thus making the site “live”. Before uploading the finished site (makeing it live) the final payment will be due.
8. Maintenance
Web Maintenance is the care given to the website after it's complete, you may or may not need web maintenance. Depending on the arrangement, the customer might have a maintenance agreement with Red Ice Designs. If this is the case, we will take over any updates and maintenance requests once the site is complete.
What is this going to cost me?
This, as you might guess, will not be the same for everybody. The price will range depending on your needs, like if you ask a contractor "how much does it cost to build a house?". When we do our consultation, we take into account everything you will need to have your website completed.
Unlike many web design companies, we do not charge by the hour for web design and development. We understand the concern of running up a high bill. We take all the information given to us, from the customer, to determine exactly what it will take to complete the project. Our Company provides an upfront total on what your cost will be. We will agree on the price and put it in writing. Sometimes you can can’t think of everything when you start, but any extras that are needed along the way will be added to the final bill.
What are your policies?
Agreement
We require an agreement for any work being performed by Red Ice Designs, no matter the size of the project. We cannot start any project without an agreement being signed and returned. An agreement is only valid for 30 days after being signed by a Red Ice Designs representative.
Deposit
We require a deposit upfront for any work to be performed. Depending on the size of the project, the deposit can be 33% or 50%. Once work has begun and a customer no longer wishes to proceed, the initial deposit may not be refundable.
Extras
Once work has begun on your project, we will stick to the quote we provided. But, if there are any extras to be added to the site, such as; extra pages, implementing a CMS, providing SEO, etc. the costs will be added to the final invoice.
Domain Registration and Hosting
When we first make contact with our customers and discuss their web needs, we will ask if they need a new domain and web hosting. These are services we provide. You are not required to get any of these services through us, you can find separate web hosting and domain services. However, keep in mind that having one company provide all of your web needs makes things a lot easier for everybody.
Content
We ask our customers to please provide content in a timely manner. We cannot be responsible for a project being delayed if content is not provided to us when the project is started.
Copyrights & Trademarks
When content is submitted to Red Ice Designs for a project, we are not responsible for any content that is copyrighted or trademarked. We ask that all customers use content, either text or any media (photos, videos, etc.), that is their own or have permission to use it.
Final Payment
