Questions on Web Design, Application Development and more
Here's a list of the most common questions we've answered for our clients over the past several years. We're not tired of answering them, but we feel it is best to compile a list for you to review in one convenient place. We hope you find the information helpful, and we certainly hope we are able to answer your questions on website design, search engine optimization (SEO), content writing and web application development.
If we've been unable to answer your question(s) on this page, please don't hesitate to contact us right now. We'll get back to you within 24 hours with an answer!
How long does it take to design and build my website?
Every website project is different, but most web design projects can be completed in 2-4 weeks. Add 2-3 weeks if you want your existing web content to be replaced by optimized website content (one of our specialties) developed by a top copywriter who knows how to impress potential clients and improve the ranking of your website.
Some of our clients have tighter deadlines than others, and we do our best to deliver your website within that time frame.
What do you need from me to build my website?
To build your website, we will require some of your time, expertise, and general information about your business. We will determine early on whether you will choose to have us write your website content, or if you will be tackling the content development on your own.
Most of the initial work is learning about your business and establishing your unique selling point to properly market your business amongst your competitors. If you choose to develop your own content, we will require page text and images from you. We will also require other materials such as your company logo and any downloadable materials. Once we have collected/compiled your content, we will review the materials and offer our suggestions if we see any room for improvements.
Can you write our website content for us? How does this work?
Professionally written and optimized website content is arguably the best investment you could make in your website.
Choosing to professionally develop and market your website content will provide you with a competitive advantage over other websites in your industry.
Our content development and marketing professionals are not only exceptional writers, they understand the web, and can optimize your content for the search engines. The process from start to finish is quite extensive, and much work is put into the planning stage of the project.
You are involved at each step of the content development process, starting with an interview (or series of interviews) to learn more about your business, the goals for your business, and how we can best present your company to gain the highest ranking possible.
Another advantage to professionally developing content for your website is the time savings. Most of our clients choose to utilize our content development services because they simply don't have the time to dedicate to this.
They also understand the importance of "let's do it right the first time", and they realize that the money invested in this is not only going to significantly improve the end result, it will free up their time to continue focusing on their business.
We write the text, we choose the photos, and we present everything to you for your final approval before the pages are published.
Putting the content development task in our hands also ensures that the project moves along in a timely fashion.
Here are a few examples of websites that have professionally developed content:
- Canadian Immigration Group (visit website: www.cig-ab.ca)
- Kiriak Law Office (visit website: www.kiriak.com)
- Healey Law Office (visit website: www.healeylaw.ca)
What is "Responsive Design" and why is it important?
A responsive website design adapts itself to the screen/display of the user, regardless of screen resolution, to provide the most optimal user experience. This means that you build ONE website that adjusts its design to be optimized perfectly on a widescreen monitor, iPads/tablets, and smartphones such as the Samsung Galaxy S8, iPhone 8 and iPhone X.
It's no longer a choice of whether to build a responsive/mobile-friendly website. It's a must in today's world.
Can we expect any delays during the development of our website?
Delays happen, but we do our best to plan our time accordingly. We typically juggle multiple projects at the same time, and each project gets equal time to ensure it is moving forward. The most common delays that we experience are waiting for feedback and collecting your website content (if you choose to develop it on your own).
Do we need to meet in person to get the website project started?
We are definitely open to meeting you in person; however, It is not critical that we have a face to face meeting in most cases. Many of our dealings have happened over email, phone calls, or using technologies such a FaceTime and Skype video calling. Some of our clients are international, and we do our best to keep in touch with email, phone, and video calling. We take pride in returning our messages and emails in a timely fashion to avoid dragging out conversations and slowing down any decisions being made on project related matters.
In what format should I prepare and deliver my content to you?
Microsoft Word documents are usually the best method - it enables us to copy and paste your text paragraphs into our coding program/text editors and allows for easy manipulation (if necessary). Handwritten text that is scanned and emailed to us in documents will have to be typed out and its likely to come with additional costs, so its best to stick to a digital format if possible.
Photos can be of various different formats such as JPG, GIF, PNG, PDF, and TIFF. Those are only a few of the available options - please contact us if you have content/photos that are in different formats than those identified here.
Is there a limit to the amount of content or pages that I can have on my website?
Absolutely not! We've designed and built websites of all sizes and can honestly say, the more the merrier. Look at it this way, if Google was analyzing two similar websites that both talk about the same topic and one site had significantly more content than the other, its likely that Google will get more information from the larger of the two sites. It can then position the larger website in a broader set of search results; if the content is more elaborate, it is likely talking about various topics that the other website is not.
With that said, where there's more content and optimization, it will likely increase the project costs. The best approach is to outline your budget and the main topics and do what you can to work without exceeding your spending limits. Contact us with any questions you may have regarding website content - we're here to help!
What is website hosting? Does Selaris offer website hosting?
Yes, we do. Website hosting services are essential when you have a website. Each website on the internet is being "hosted" using a server (an internet connected computer designed to store and share your website with everyone on the internet). Contact us for more information, or if you have any questions regarding website hosting for your website projects.
I want to manage my website and the content. Do you have a Content Management System?
Yes, our Content Management System (CMS) gives you the tools to manage your website content without having to contact us to add or change various aspects of your website. The CMS we've developed is quite simple and works great in comparison to some other options out there that are found to be confusing for the average person. Contact Us for more information on Content Management.
What can I expect from Selaris for ongoing support for my website or web-based application?
Outstanding customer service and customer support are very important to the health of our business.
Each and every website we develop is customized to your business, so we take full ownership of the support of your project, even long after we've completed it. We'll fix any bug-free of charge - no questions asked - provided that the website or application has not been edited by another party.
We function similar to a hospital emergency room; the most critical issues are dealt with immediately, and those that can wait, will wait. We put quite a bit of work into our projects and perform significant bug testing, so its quite unlikely that you will deal with errors on a regular basis.
Once my website is finished, can I have someone else manage it for me?
Yes, you sure can. Although we would encourage you to "stick with us", there are certain situations where it makes more sense for you to take control on your own. As long as we have control of the website maintenance, we are happy to fix bugs and errors for you that may arise. Additional charges may apply if we are asked to repair a website or web application that has been maintained by another party.
Can you guarantee that my website will be online 100% of the time?
As much as we'd like to say "Yes", the best answer we can give you is "we sure as heck hope so". We very rarely encounter situations where our websites are offline, but due to power outages, server maintenance, and other unforeseen problems, these things do happen from time to time. If/When they do happen, you can rest assured that we're working hard to minimize the downtime for our clients and keep our websites up and running.
I'd like an email address with a customized name for my website. Does Selaris offer this as well?
We sure do! What you're referring to is called a domain name. A domain name is an important aspect of your website that identifies your website on the internet. These names correspond to an IP address that a server understands, but luckily, a domain name is an easy alternative method to finding a website. For example, the domain name for this website is selaris.ca. Domain names come with an annual registration fee, and once you own it, you can create email addresses with it.
There are certain rules you need to follow when you create your own domain name, but you can check GoDaddy (or another domain name registration company) for those. Feel free to get creative with your domain name, and add some keywords that help to identify your business! If you need help creating or purchasing your domain name for your website project, please contact us - we'd be happy to help you!
I want to manage my website and the content. Do you have a Content Management System?
Yes, our Content Management System (CMS) gives you the tools to manage your website content without needing to contact our web developers to make changes to your website.
Our custom developed CMS is easy to use and is a better option in comparison to some other more complex platforms out there that have proved to be too confusing for the average user.
