Specific to Dry Creek Digital:
How do you work and what can I expect?
What do I need to do on my end to get the web site made?
Do you design using templates?
What do you mean by "per page" cost?
What types of things cost extra?
General Web Developer Terminology
Miscellaneous
My web site was just finished, why am I not finding it in Google?
:: How do you work and what can I expect?
- If you're local I can meet with you and discuss what you need. It's great if you have some web sites picked out that you really like before we get together. I can do this over the phone and on-line too, but I prefer to get together in person.
- I work up a few mock designs and put them up on the web (connected to my web site) for you to see. [I email you a link to the mockups.] These would be non-functioning, full size, home page mockups.
- After you approve a design I send you an estimate for the work. (Of course I need to have a good idea of how many pages you want and what you need on them to make an accurate estimate) It has a small contract built in which I would need to have signed and sent back to me along with a deposit for 50% of the estimate before the work on the actual site starts.
- After receiving the signed contract and deposit I get to work on the real site. At this point I need to have all, or most of the content; text, photos, graphics, etc... and know where you want them put on your site. I would also need to have the information to access your web host via FTP to change and upload the pages. If you don't have a domain name or web host, either you or I can set that up. I charge a small fee for setting up things like a domain, host or domain email. Along the way you'll be able to see the progress of a fully functioning version of your web site on my server so you can see exactly what it will look and act like before we put it up on your host server.
- After a working version of the site is approved by you, I put it up on your host server for you, provided that is set up already, and viola, you're on the web! At this point I'll send out a bill for the remaining balance due.
- I submit your web site to Google, Yahoo! and the Open Directory Project. This will jump start your site with the search engines. However, it can still take about a month or more before you start seeing your site come up in a search. ^top
:: What do I need to do on my end to get the web site made?
In order to get your site up and running as soon as possible this is what I'll need from you:
- Links to web sites (URLs) that you like the look or feel of. Maybe even some you don't like so I know what to avoid.
- A list of the pages you want to have in your site. Think of it as categories.
- Content, meaning the text you want to have, photos, logos, graphics, etc and where you want them on your site.
- Information you need on any forms you may need and where the form data is to be sent.
- List of keywords to be used on the HTML code to help optimize your site for the search engines. Also to be used in the description in the code for the same reason.
-
Web
Host information if you have one. This is generally in the email you got from your web host after you signed up:
- Host name: like "host.com"
- FTP host: like "ftp.host.com", etc...
- Host directory: like "/www/pages/", etc...
- Login/username
- Password
- Answers to questions
along the way.
—Communication is very important during the design process. I like to use email to ask questions, show you things and get your feedback. Whatever method of communication we agree on, it is very important that I am able get a hold of you in a way that I can have questions answered in a timely manner. Any lag in our communication can slow down the process of getting your site done. ^top
:: Do you design web sites using templates?
No, all my web sites are custom designed. However, the ecommerce section, if any, of your web site will most likely be made using a template. I can usually customize these in a limited way (colors, logos, buttons, formatting) depending on the ecommerce software used. I also may use a customizable Flash template or third party software for some Flash galleries and slide shows. I also make custom Flash animations. ^top
:: How long will it take?
It can really vary. First we have to go through the design process and agree on a final design. Then, it depends on how large the web site is going to be, if there are any extra, more time consuming elements like ecommerce, web forms or Flash animation on it. It also has a great deal to do with if I have the content from you to put into the web site. It can also depend on how quickly and clearly we are able to communicate along the way. If I am busy on a lot of other projects at the same time it can also take longer. I have gotten web sites up and running in under a month when all goes smoothly. It can also take several months for the reasons stated above. Generally the better prepared you are the faster it will get done. (How to prepare) ^top
:: How much does it cost?
That's not a question I can answer without knowing what is going to be involved with your web site. I am usually able to give you a better idea after we have gotten together for a discussion of what you'd like. Before I start working on the web site I will write up an estimate using the information I have at that point.
I basically charge per page + my hourly rate for graphics, photo optimization, web programming, Flash animation, typing content (if necessary) and any other extra miscellaneous work beyond putting the pages together. The per page price also can vary. The home page is generally more expensive than the 2nd level pages. The 2nd level pages can vary according to how simple or complicated they are to put together. ^top
:: What do you mean by "per page" cost?
When I say "per page" I am referring to each page I make. A page is usually a separate category accessed by a link or tab in the web navigation. Included in the "per page" price is putting the elements of the pages together. That means putting the text, photos, graphics, navigation (if any), simple javascript for rollovers (if any), CSS and any other elements onto the pages. It also includes optimizing the pages for search engines, testing the pages in several browsers and OS combinations and uploading the pages to your web host.
Testing a page means looking and checking the pages for correct layout and function. ^top
:: What types of things cost extra?
Making graphics, optimizing and sizing photographs for the web, php web programming, web forms, Flash and GIF animation, typing content that would usually be submitted in digital form, javascript beyond things like simple rollovers. Basically anything beyond what's included in the per page cost stated above. ^top
:: What is Flash?
Adobe Flash, formally Macromedia Flash, is an animation program used to create Flash "movies" which consist of primarily vector graphics or video and can be interactive. Flash is often used for fancy motion ads on the web or streaming video like what you see on YouTube. What makes Flash really exciting is how dynamic it can be using actionscript.
You can check if an animation is Flash by right clicking on the animation. If it's Flash the resulting context menu will say things like "Zoom in", "Show All", "Quality", "Settings", "About Adobe Flash Player". >> More information on Flash.
Another, less sophisticated type of animation is GIF animation. This is just a bunch of still images strung together to create motion. ^top
:: What is HTML?
HTML stands for 'HyperText Markup Language'. Without getting too technical, it is the glue that holds a web page together. It is the underlying instructions to your browser that tells it how to display the page. To see what HTML looks like go to to the Menu bar of you browser. Go to >View >Source or >Page Source. The the underlying HTML of that page will be displayed. Another markup language used today is XHTML. >> More information on HTML. ^top
:: What is CSS?
CSS means 'Cascading Style Sheets'. CSS is used in conjunction with the web page's markup language to streamline the display properties of the page. It can be used as an external file or embedded into the page itself, or both. It has greatly improved the way a page can be displayed giving global instructions regarding fonts, text layout, colors, page layout and much more.
Before CSS all properties were located in the HTML files themselves, often using redundant code to style say a particular font. If the font needed to be changed the font code would have to be changed in several places on every page. It was very labor intensive. Now a font can be changed by changing one or just a few places in the external CSS file effecting the change globally to the entire web site, saving hours of tedious editing to the HTML pages. >> More information on CSS. ^top
:: What is a domain name?
The most simplistic answer to that question would be the name that is used for a web site on the internet, like 'google.com'. The name must be registered through a domain name registrar. Cost for a domain can range from about $6 - $20 per year depending on the registrar. >> More information on Domain Names. ^top
:: What is web hosting?
Simply put, a web host is a server that holds your web site. Your web site is just a collection of files and folders that are given a specific location on the server, that can be accessed via FTP, using a username and password. Basically you are paying rent to keep your web site on their server/s. Web hosts offer a variety of services above and beyond just "paying rent". There are usually different tiers of service offering different amounts of space, bandwidth, email addresses, ecommerce, databases and much more.
Web hosting costs vary widely and can cost as little as $5.00 to about $20 per month for basic hosting. Business and ecommerce hosting generally costs extra. There are two main types of web servers, Linux/Unix and Windows. Linux/Unix is typically a little cheaper. The two servers use different database types and web programming languages. You should know what types of things you need from your web host before you buy. Keep in mind that some inexpensive hosting services are overseas. Also many small web designers that offer their own web hosting are reselling it from a larger company and do not own the servers themselves. Typically most small brochure type web sites can use a basic Linux/Unix hosting package. >> More information on Web Hosting. ^top
:: What is FTP?
FTP or 'File Transfer Protocol' refers to the way in which files are transferred from one computer to another over the internet. This is done using FTP software. This is not the same thing as viewing web pages with your web browser. Files themselves can be downloaded, uploaded or overwritten using FTP to/from a remote location much like you were doing it on your own computer using Windows Explorer or on a network. >> More information on FTP. ^top
:: My web site was just finished, why am I not finding it in Google?
It can take a month or more to start showing up in Google and other search engines. If you've paid for the search engine submission service I have already submitted your web site into the index at Google, Yahoo! and the Open Directory Project. However, it can still take a month before you actually show up in the index. The Open Directory Project can take many months and I often have to resubmit web sites to it before they will show up.
Even after your web site does show up in Google your ranking can depend on how much competition there is for the same general keywords that are embedded into your web site. One way to improve your ranking is having other web sites linked to your site and how 'important' Google considers those sites. It's a good idea to check your web site's ranking periodically and perhaps tweaking the optimization of the pages from time to time if your ranking is low. >> More info on SEO (Search Engine Optimization) ^top