Website Design Agency in London - FAQs

• How do I contact you ?
• What is the procedure for the website design process ?
• How can I convey my ideas to the designer ?
• How do we make a decision on the design?
• What if I change my mind ?
• How do I get my content to you?
• What about other content such as video or audio ?
• What about image content?
• What if I need my site translated into another language?
• Will my website look good on all computers?
• Will my website be fast loading?
• Will my website be accessible to disabled users?
• What software is used in the design process?
• How quickly can I get my website online?
• Are there any other factors that could delay my website?
• What if I'm not happy with the design at the end?
• Will my website get found on the search engines?
• How far up the search engine listings will my website be?
• What if I need to update my content after the website is finished?
• How do I update my own content?
• How much will it cost?
• How can I keep the cost down?
• What happens if the website takes longer than the agreed deadline?
• What if I already have a website and just want a few changes?
• Are there any other costs aside from design?
• Who owns the website?
• What about any artwork?
• What if I want to move my website off your servers?

How do I contact you?

Call us on 0845 644 1484 or email us - we will arrange a meeting (either at our office or at your place of business) to discuss your needs. Alternatively, if you are near to Croydon (South London) then please feel free to drop into our office at 94 Southbridge Road, South Croydon. We are open 9.00 - 17.30 Monday to Friday, and by appointment Saturday.

Here you can view a map of the area.

What is the procedure for the design process?

First of all we arrange a meeting to discuss your design requirements, and from this we will draw up a plan of the site together with a quote. There is no obligation at all at this stage. If you decide you would like to accept the quote we will require a deposit before we can get started on the design.

How can I convey my ideas to the designer?

When you meet us, bring with you any text/images/brochures that are relevant to the site. If you know some websites that you like then write down the 'www.' addresses and bring them with you. This will give the designer an idea of what you are looking for.

How do we make a decision on the design?

The designer will give you two or three initial design templates based on your specifications, to set out the general structure of the page and decide on colour schemes etc. Once you decide what you like or don't like, we can then work on your choice and arrive at the final 'look' for your site.

What if I change my mind?

We always expect there to be a few changes to the overall design, and we will work with you to make sure that the final design is what you want. However, once the look of the site has been agreed and we are at a later stage in the design, any major reworking of the existing design will result in additional charges if substantial extra work is required. We will of course inform you of this at the time, before we do the work, and will only go ahead when we have your say-so.

How do I get my content to you?

If it is text, you can email it over in a 'Word' or 'Notepad' document, fax it to us or send it in the post. We prefer to get the text in a digital format as this saves us time having to manually input the text. We can also write your company text if necessary (this will be reflected in the quote), but where feasible we prefer your own words. Bear in mind also that if your website is to do well in search engines it needs to have informative and relevant text on every important page. This should ideally be written by the person who knows your business best - you.
Images can be sent by email if they have been 'zipped' with WinZip or similar. Alternatively we can use images from a CD. If you do not have the images in a digital format, then we are able to scan in photographs, although the quality of scanned images may not be as good as digital images. Simply send your photos / brochures in the post, or drop them into our office. If we have to do a lot of scanning and image resizing or retouching to get useable image content for the website this will add to the cost of the whole design. Again, we will of course inform you of this at the time, before we do the work, and will only go ahead when we have your say-so.

What about other content such as video or audio?

We will need the video clips on a CD or DVD. Audio clips should be in MP3 or Real Media format, or alternatively a CD will do. Please note that we cannot use copyrighted music and video without the owner's permission.

What about Image Copyright?

Please be aware that we cannot use other people's imagery without their permission. This is for your protection as image companies do not sue designers for copyright infringement, they sue the website owner!

If you do not have your own images, we can either arrange for a photographer or select some suitable images from Stock Photography sites.

What if I need my site translated into another language?

No problem, we have translators who can convert the site into your desired language. This can either be worked into the quote from the outset or charged at an hourly rate.

Will my website look good on all computers?

With so many different operating systems, browsers and screen sizes the only way to achieve an 'optimum' look on everyone's screen is to offer different content to different users - effectively have a number of different versions of the site. This can involve significant extra work and will increase the cost.

However we design all our websites to display consistently in the most recent versions of the popular browsers and platforms - mainly Internet Explorer, Firefox and Safari on either a Windows PC or Mac. We also make sure that the most recent previous versions of browsers are catered for. Depending on your target market you might find that a high percentage of your visitors use one particular screen resolution or platform; in this case we would recommend that your design is 'optimised' for that user group whilst still catering for all others.

We cannot anticipate changes in web browser or operating system technology. If new versions of either come out that require changes to the code of a website in order to remain compliant, we reserve the right to charge for this extra work.

Will my website be fast-loading?

We make sure all of our websites are coded for quickest possible loading and that all images are compressed as far as possible without reducing quality. If we are developing a Flash site for you we always suggest doing an HTML site as an alternative for people with slower connections.

Will my website be accessible to disabled users?

If required we can design websites to be compliant with the most stringent website accessibility standards. This means that we optimise the design content and navigation so that they are compliant with technology such as screen readers. For more advanced flash websites we often recommend providing a text/html only version of the website for partially-sighted users and users on slower connections.

What software is used in the design process?

We generally use Adobe Photoshop, Macromedia Flash and Dreamweaver for design, although if we are doing Search Engine Optimisation for you then your website will be finished 'by hand'.

How quickly can I get my website online?

We can get a small contact site designed and online within THREE days if we have all the website content from the start. The only thing holding up the design process is content, so the quicker you can get all the content to us the quicker we can get the website online.

Are there any other factors that could delay my website?

If you already have web hosting with another company and you are transferring over the domain from them, then there may be a few administrative delays which are beyond our control.

What if I'm not happy with the design at the end?

This hasn't happened yet! We keep in contact with our clients all the time to make sure the design is heading in the right direction. We offer a number of choices and never develop any idea too far until you are happy that you have what you want. Bear in mind though that if you have chosen a basic design package there are obviously limits to the time we can spend on the design process.

Will my website get found on the search engines?

The more websites that there are offering the same services or products as yours, the fiercer the competition for search engine placement.

How far up the search engine listings will my website be?

The quick answer is that this depends on the amount of promotional work you pay for! The unfortunate truth is that in most fields of business there are so many websites vying for position in the top search engines that many will never be seen.

As far as design is concerned, successful website promotion is not something which can be 'tacked on' to a project at the end of the design process - the site must be designed with promotion in mind from the outset. Please visit our Search Engine Marketing section for more information.

What if I need to update my content after the website is finished?

After the website is finished, small updates (for example the addition or replacement of a paragraph of text or an image to a page, or changes required to reflect a new address or 'phone number) are free of charge.

However if your website needs updating regularly (on a monthly basis or more often) you will need to consider either a database-driven site or a maintenance contract. Changes such as the reorganisation of the website structure or the creation of extra pages will incur additional costs at any stage.

How do I update my own content?

Firstly you will need an HTML editor or web design software program (such as Microsoft 'Front Page' or Macromedia 'Dreamweaver') in which to edit the HTML pages, and then you will need an FTP (file transfer program) to upload the files to the web. Don't worry if this sounds beyond you - we are happy to either give you help to do this or we can design a Content Management System (CMS) which will allow you to update pages and images simply by logging into an online administration area within your website. This will be classed as additional functionality and will be quoted for separately.

How much will it cost?

We generally work from £250 per day or from £50 per hour. Our quotes are based on the amount of work involved, not a 'per-page' mentality.

How can I keep the cost down?

If you are prepared to take an active role and prepare all the text and image content in a digital format then this will save us a lot of time data inputting and scanning imagery, and this will affect the quote.

What happens if the website takes longer than the agreed deadline?

If the website completion date is delayed because we are waiting for content from a client, then we may charge an interim payment.

What if I already have a website and just want a few changes?

We are used to working with existing designs and updating or adding to them. We will price the work according to the time it will take.

Are there any other costs aside from design?

Yes. If you don't already have web hosting and want us to host your site, the basic cost is £65 per year for up to 100MB on a Shared Server. Should your site be large enough or busy enough then you may have to pay for a Dedicated or Semi Dedicated Server. One of our advisors will be able to decide what package is best for you.

In addition to web hosting you will also need a domain name (we give away a free ".co.uk" domain name with any hosting package).

We would also strongly recommend that you go for one of our promotional packages, so we can ensure that your site is search engine friendly. Our promotion section has more information on this.

Who owns the website?

The website and all the image work contained within and connected to it are the property of our parent company New Era Internet until we are paid in full. See our terms for full definition. However, unlike other design companies, once you have paid us in full for the website it becomes your property and you are free to do with it as you wish. However, please note the proviso below regarding original artwork.

What about any artwork?

Any original artwork, including photography, which we have done for the website should not be used anywhere else without written permission from us or the artist. This does not apply to logos we have designed for you.

What if I want to move my website off your servers?

We do not charge hosting transfer-out fees, but you may hurt our feelings!