Web Design F.A.Q.

If you're interested in having a web site developed, it's only natural that you have questions. Digital Mouse Designs strives to make your web site project as simple for you as possible. We know you're not a web design expert and we don't expect you to be. That's our job!

To help you understand some basics to the business, we've developed a list of questions that we get asked quite often and provide you with the answers in the hopes that you'll have some background to begin making informed decisions about your web site project.

Why do I need a web designer?

Can't I just make my own web site?

The honest answer is yes, there are even software programs you can purchase and companies that provide make your own web site services available to help you do this. The recommended answer is no!

There's much more to creating a web site than just installing a software program on your computer and keying in a few keystrokes or visiting a self-help web site and creating what you think will be an overnight success.

Here's a good example for you. I recently had a lady approach me about putting a web site up for her. She had a very tight budget and so she had created the site herself using MS Publisher but didn't know what to do with it after she made it in order to get it on the web. She'd done an excellent job with the design (it was very cool looking!) but, unfortunately you can't put a web site online that's been developed in Publisher. It won't work. When I told her this, she then proceeded to re-do her work using some do-it-yourself software or service and brought it back to me and asked me to put this version up for her. When I looked at the new version, I was flabbergasted at the bloated code and had to tell her that in all honesty it would cost her more for me to fix the existing code than it would for me to just start from scratch. I don't know how many hours of work she put into all of this but from what I saw, I would say it was a considerable amount of time yet she still didn't have a site that was suitable for web use.

Unless you're prepared to spend countless hours studying and researching, you may find yourself extremely disappointed in the outcome of your hard work. You could wind up with a site that doesn't display properly, and not display at all in some browsers. You may have a site that takes to long to view and find your visitors don't hang around long enough to see what you have to offer them. If you you're "graphically challenged" your results could be an utter disaster.

How long does it take to make a web site?

Your designer's clock is not the only one to go by during the site development phase. Much depends on the client as well. One thing we can't stress enough is that in order to have your site completed in it's best possible time frame, have your content ready before contracting with a designer. Once the initial layout is approved, and the content is received, things generally move along rather quickly. Other than the usual steps to completion which at times can be delayed for one reason or another, one of the issues web designers run into is not receiving the site content in a timely fashion or not receiving prompt responses from the client.

Keep in mind, this is your site being developed. If your site isn't going up fast enough to suit you, do inquire of your designer, but also consider the entire picture. Your designer isn't doing this site totally on their own. We need you, your input and your consistent cooperation! With good client cooperation a rough estimate to live date averages 8-12 weeks depending on the site. Of course, this also depends on the size of the site, how involved it may be and any number of other factors including circumstances the designer has absolutely no control over.

Most web designers want to complete your site just as quickly (if not faster) as you! We are serious about our work and about pleasing you. We realize you're paying us your hard earned money. The last thing we want is to disappoint you.

How much does a web site cost?

Not surprisingly, this is generally the very first question we get from every client! To be very honest with you, asking us what your web site will cost before we have had a chance to prepare a formal estimate is a question asked in vain. When you contract for a new house or remodeling job, you need to discuss your needs and wants with the contractor before they can give you a projected cost figure. Estimating web site costs works in pretty much the same way.

Yes, we do this every day, but each and every web site is different with different needs and options. Many factors go into determining what a web site will cost. Much depends on what features you want your site to have and what you want it to do for you. Add to that the services, scripting and other necessities required to make these things happen.

Our web site planner was designed to help both of us with estimating your site costs. Yes, the planner takes time to complete, but there are very good reasons for all the questions. We don't know what you want until you tell us. The planner will help you provide us with the necessary information to develop an estimate. It will also help you to learn more about your own web site needs and to prepare yourself for this adventure into the world of web design. Once we receive your planner we are then able to discuss your project and site costs with you. The planner gives us the basic tools we need to move on to the next step. Without it, you're asking us to work blind.

After we receive your planner, we generally consult with you and only then are we able to give you an estimate of cost. Many times the end result includes discount pricing simply because instead of charging you for each and every feature, we are able to look at the whole picture. This enables us to cut development time and in turn reduces your cost. By planning ahead you may avoid costly add-on features that we may have been able to be included in the initial design process. You may be amazed to learn that you as the client, have more to do with the final cost projection than you realize!

On a tight budget? Digital Mouse Designs can work with most any budget. We'll provide you with site and payment options and if necessary - workable alternatives to get your web site up and running!

More on web site cost ...

How will people find my site?

Did you know that just because you put up a web site, doesn't mean that people will find it? Publishing a web site on the Internet does not mean it will get any visitors! You need someone knowledgeable in the service of Search Engine Optimization in order to give your web site it's best potential for getting seen!

More and more people are moving towards using the Internet for so many things. You're running a professional business, why skimp on what could be one of your most important businesss assets? Hiring a professional designer is in your best interest. We've already done the time consuming legwork for you. It will be money well spent and it frees your time to continue on with your life and "take care of business" before, during and after it's development.

One of the factors we consider in determining your web site goals is the Internet audience you want to reach. Although fast becoming a major force in business growth and opportunity, you should also be advertising in media such as telephone books, newspapers, maybe radio or tv. Never ever depend solely on your web site alone to make your business a success! Your web site should be considered just one of your overall business tools.

As part of our design process we implement intitial search engine optimization techniques. When your site goes live, we submit it to the proper search engines. Search engines work in much the same way as a telephone book or set of encyclopedias. We will optimize your site to help it and your business rank in the search engines. Always remember that due to the ever changing evolution of search engines and search techniques, your competition and numerous other reasons and additionally the booming growth of the Internet - there is never a guarantee of Top 10 placement in any search engine.

Can I update my own web site?

Yes, you can. We can develop your web site in a Content Management System, also known as a "CMS."

Will you save money by having your web site developed in a CMS? I've seen this go both ways and for different reasons with different clients. Some CMS's come pre-packaged with many great features that to manually add on to a static web site could get costly. On the other hand, a Content Management System can take many hours of customizing and tweaking it to look the way you want it to. Some CMS's have issues within the programming that don't become evident until you're well into the development stage of your web site. We've been involved in instances where a month's time was spent setting up a web site in a CMS only to find out that there were problems with the programming that made it impossible to use for the site in progress.

All Content Management Systems are not created equal! There are hundreds of Content Management Systems available and new ones being developed all the time. Some come with the bare essentials, others are overkill for a site. It can take many hours of research and testing to select the CMS that comes closest to meeting your needs. There is no one single CMS that precisely meets every site's needs. Keep in mind that in some cases a CMS can absolutely be the right tool, but also know that they're not necessarily right for each and every web site or the client using it.

What's a domain name?

Your domain name is your web site address. Example: www.digitalmousedesigns.com. Generally, it's the same as your business name but may vary somewhat from the original. This is because in many instances, the domain name that matches your business name may already have been purchased and registered by someone else. If you have a domain name in mind, you need to find out if it's available and if it is, register it for yourself immediately. Should you find at a later time that a different domain name is what you want, you have only spent about $10.

A domain name should not be to lengthy. You want people to be able to easily remember it. Do what you can to keep your domain name from being to similar to another. This is not so easy as there are so many domain names in use now that getting exactly the one you want may be impossible. If you need it, Digital Mouse Designs offers assistance in selecting your domain name.

You must register a domain name before you can have a functioning web site on the Internet. Always, always, always use a reputable registrar! We recommend GoDaddy, but there are other good registrars out there. We do also recommend that if you are going to register the domain yourself, contact your designer first about your choice in registrars. A reputable designer will register the domain for you in your name. It's very important that the domain name be registered to you or your business.

There are times that you or the designer may need to make changes to the required registration information or DNS nameservers. Allowing a third party (example: a web hosting service) to register your domain can lead to problems down the road. Many times they will use a "bulk registration" service which means they register your domain with whatever registrar is the cheapest and tracking it down later could be a problem. Not only do you or your designer not know who the actual registrar of record is, there are dishonest registrars who will register the domain in their own name. Getting "your" domain back later could prove to be a costly nightmare.

It's imperative that your domain be registered correctly! If you're not familiar with domain registrations, we recommend you have your designer register your domain for you. In many cases, it's a free or nominal fee service that many designers provide as part of your site development process. Respectable designers and registrars will have security measures in place to keep your information safe. You and your designer are the only people who should have access to this information. We have literally had to transfer domains to another registrar that were originally registered by a third party because we could not access the information. Incorrect domain registration can create delays in site development, live date, cause you to incur unexpected costs and other problems.

What is web hosting?

In order to be viewable on the Internet, web sites need a place to reside. They live on web servers, which are a special kind of computer hooked up to the internet. Web servers are a lot of work to maintain! So, most people don't keep their own web servers, but instead they rent space from people who have them and know how to maintain them. When someone rents space to you on a web server, they are "hosting" your web site. A hosting account is simply a place for your web site to live on the internet.

Web hosting is similar to renting an apartment in a high rise building for your site to take up residency and be seen from all around. A web site host provides the virtual "building" from which you rent the "apartment" for your web site.

Digital Mouse Designs provides web hosting services. You can view our plans and pricing by visiting our web hosting page.

What's a browser?

Short for web browser, which is a software application used to locate and display web pages. The two most popular browsers are Microsoft Internet Explorer and Mozilla's Firefox. Both of these are graphical browsers, which means that they can display graphics as well as text. Here are some links to the latest versions of IE (Internet Explorer), and Firefox. We can't urge you strongly enough to update your browser/s regularly. These are free downloads! All it takes is a little bit of your time for the download and they automatically install so if you're afraid of installs, you needn't be in these cases. It couldn't be any simpler!

Browser technology changes with every new version. You're only cheating yourself from viewing the Internet in all it's glory by hanging on to an old browser. You'll enjoy your Internet hopping so much more with an updated version.

Web site designers phase out developing for the older versions as new browser versions become available. Therefore, if you're not running as updated a browser as you could be, your site very well may not look like the one your designer created for you. If you are using an older browser, why not try a simple update! You may be amazed at the difference!