Frequently Asked Questions
These are some of the questions we are often asked by new customers. Just click on the arrow under the question to see the answer.
If you can't find the answer you're looking for here, feel free to email your question and we'll get back to you with a reply.
As we don't use templates or software to automatically generate websites this isn't an easily answered question. We have built a number of sites in the $500.00 - $1,200.00 range, we have also built sites that have cost tens of thousands of dollars and, everywhere in between.
The real question should be how much will my website cost?
We have two ways to determine this: one is to work through with you exactly what you need and then provide you with a fixed price quote, the other is that you set a budget and we will work within that budget. We can usually provide you with a pretty accurate ballpark price on the spot. Ultimately, the price will be determined by the amount of time your site takes to build.
Other than paying for your website hosting each year, and renewing your domain name, there are no ongoing costs.
We don't charge per page as we find this to be a very misleading practice. Some web pages can take several days to program, others can be done in minutes. Many web pages are dynamically generated, that is the pages don't actually exist - they are created on the fly when someone clicks on a link to the page.
We calculate our prices based on the amount of time it will take to create the site.
No. The price we quote you is fixed. The only exception to this will be if you want new features added that we didn't include in our original plan.
The total cost will include your domain name registration (if required), your website hosting (if required) and, the cost of the website design and construction.
There are a number of factors that may affect on the time taken to complete a site. Generally speaking, most small to medium sites are ready to "go live" in two to four weeks. If you have any photographs and text that you want to use on the site prepared that will save a lot of time.
In general terms web hosting is renting space on a web server to make your site available on the Internet. Every website must be hosted somewhere. There will be an annual fee for hosting. At RAW Internet Design we can provide quality web hosting on servers located in Australia. We are able to tailor your web hosting to suit your site's needs. If you have an existing hosting arrangement we can normally work with that as well.
Your web hosting package will include ample storage space and bandwidth, multiple email addresses, database, and SSL certificate (security encryption).
As a rough guide, hosting for most of our sites averages around $22.00 per month, inclusive of GST.
Firstly, it is important to remember that everyone who owns a website wants to be on top of Google. It is possible to get to the top, many of our sites are already prominent on the front page for their most important search terms, but it's not easy. Anyone that promises you they can get you to Number One may be... exagerating.
To be successful in getting your site on to page one, the first consideration should be determining which are the most important search terms that relate to your business. Then, we will optimise your site to those targeted keyword phrases. The more specific the search terms you target the easier it is to acheive a high ranking.
We certainly make no promises as to your results but, we have had a great deal of success for many of our clients. Contact us and we will be happy to provide you a number of examples.
Yes. We can provide you with a simple to use Content Management System to make it easy for you to update the content of your site whenever you need.
We will also provide you with hands on training in using the system. It's quite simple to do and requires minimal computer skills. Basically, if you can send an email, you already have most of the skills needed to maintain your site.
If you can send an email with an attachment you already have the skills you need, it really is that easy.
The only software you need to update your site is a web browser (like Internet Explorer, Chrome or Firefox among others). If you want to upload photographs you will need a program that resizes (and preferably optimises) images. We usually recommend Adobe Photoshop Elements, it's quite easy to use and not too expensive. There are several free alternatives available.
Yes. We can arrange to update your site on a scheduled or ad hoc basis to suit your needs.
S.E.O. stands for Search Engine Optimisation - it is about designing your site in such a way as to maximise your ranking in search results on sites such as Google or Bing.
S.E.M. stands for Search Engine Marketing - essentially paying for advertising on a search engine, usually this is on a "pay per click" basis, i.e. you only pay when someone visits your site.
Both SEO and SEM should at least be considered as a part of your overall strategy.
It sounds tempting doesn't it? The SEO's marketing spiel.
The unfortunate truth is that you are likely to pay a lot of money and be very disappointed with the results.
Here is what Google has to say about SEO companies...
"While SEOs can provide clients with valuable services, some unethical SEOs have given the industry a black eye through their overly aggressive marketing efforts and their attempts to manipulate search engine results in unfair ways. Practices that violate our guidelines may result in a negative adjustment of your site's presence in Google, or even the removal of your site from our index."
If an SEO company makes any of the following claims, our advice is... run!
- They promise fast results
- They promise you that your site will be on page one of Google
- They have "special tools"
- They have a "special relationship" with Google
- They want to lock you in to a long term contract, at least six months
- They do SEO copywriting
- They buy back-links
- They can't or won't provide you with the contact details of several references
Generally our advice is to wait a couple of months after your site is live and then make an informed assessment.
These are each examples of off-the-shelf Content Management Systems that mainly use web design templates and "plug-ins" to produce websites. There are many reasons why we do not use such systems and choose to hand-code all of the sites we produce. One of the main issue with many of these systems is that they can be difficult for people to learn to use and tend to make updating your site a real chore.