FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Does everyone need a website? How can it benefit an organisation?

Firstly it is very important to think through exactly what it is you need from a site and what you expect it to achieve by having one.

Although it is common practice for organisations of all sizes and trades to have a website, you need to be realistic. Having a website will not necessarily lead to increased sales. For many, the immediate need for a website stems from wanting to provide information about the company that the visitor can easily access and read at their leisure - there is no hard-sell. You can direct existing and potential customers to your website to find out more about your business. If the site is well produced it should encourage people to do business with you. You may eventually decide that you want to do business with your customers directly online. This obviously requires a lot of planning!

Ok, so if a client has decided they want a website - what happens next?

Once you have decided that you would like a website you need to think about exactly what you want. Although I will be able to help with ideas - it is often a good idea to think carefully about the style of site you want. You might pick up ideas from other websites you like - or have ideas on themes and colours. I encourage my clients to participate as much as possible in the design to ensure the end result is exactly what they want. I will even provide a questionnaire to help get you thinking. Ultimately I will always be on hand to assist in design decisions and give direction to the project. The ideas and suggestions you provide act as a working brief.

Having consulted the client - how do you design the site?

Once I have a good idea of what it is the client is looking for, I will begin the design by sketching the lay-out on paper. Right away I am building up an immediate picture of how the site could look. Generally I use table structures to lay-out page content in the correct positions.

Therefore the sketches contain rows and columns with content such as text and logos placed inside the table cells. I will then use a graphics package (such as Photoshop or Fireworks) to build the site 'front-end'. I also use build the graphics which occur on every page of the site (such as the logo). The work is then exported into Dreamweaver to integrate into the site's table structure. The created design is then saved as a template - from which all site pages are created. The final step is to add content to the pages (such as text and images) and prepare the site for launch.

Do I need to find somewhere to host the site? Will it have a domain name?

I am quite happy to sort out appropriate web space for you. This will include a domain name (i.e. yourbusiness.com). Alternatively, you make your own arrangements for web space.

Once the site is launched - can changes be made?

Yes. You can contact me regarding any changes to the site after launch. As a web designer, I am keem for the site owners to have control over the site. I will even suggest the use of a content system such as Macromedia Contribute - which (as the name suggets!) allows people to contribute to the site very easily without the need for knowledge of HTML or web design. The site's design and structure will be unaffected by such changes.

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