Do I need a website?

Having a web presence in the 21st century is essential to the success of all businesses, large and small. 70% of UK households have internet access and 64% of all internet users regularly purchase or evaluate goods and services online (from the ONS). Therefore a website can lead to a dramatic growth in visibility, trade, efficiency and effectiveness.

What’s included in your service?

We look to create a great, personalised website for all of our clients; a site that reflects your needs and corporate image. To that end, we always meet our clients in person so that we can really get a feel for you and your business and what sort of site you require.

We look to our clients to provide us with information on their existing corporate image (logo etc) and the main text content of the website. We also ask you to take the time to provide us with your likes and dislikes in regard to other websites (for content, functionality, styling etc) but also colour schemes and layouts. This really helps us deliver a website to be proud of.

We then provide a complete service that includes the design and creation of your website, domain name registration, hosting, email account setup, launch of your site and maintenance for a year. We also endeavour to enhance your results in the major search engines (Google, Yahoo etc).

Our maintenance program is subject to a fair use policy but includes content updates, technical support and some further development. This can be extended beyond the initial year if required.

How does your service work?

We like to have an initial consultation in person to discuss your needs, likes/dislikes and to gather content (text, images) etc. Prior to this meeting we will provide you with a questionnaire to help you structure your thoughts and requirements. We will then design and build a prototype of your website which we will evaluate together in a second consultation. At this point any changes to the design or functionality of the site can be finalised before you sign off on the design and we progress with the full website build.

We will launch your site on the web, provide you with access to your email accounts and remain on hand for any further support or maintenance that’s required.

How much does it cost?

Every business has different requirements from their website, and as such estimates are always made on an individual basis. However, simple information only websites can cost from as little as £100 (not including hosting) provided that you can supply all of the text and graphics electronically and you know what style you want. For more complex sites or where text and pictures are not available, a price of between £150 and £300 would be typical. For sites with bespoke features and significant functionality you will need to budget extra. See What’s included in your service? above.

Explain the jargon!

Sorry for the confusion! We aim to take all of the hassle out of creating and maintaining your website so you don’t have to worry about any of this stuff. However, here’s a few definitions:

Your domain name is the address of your website. For example, www.sidderswebdesign.com is the domain name for this website.

Every website is hosted on a web-server, which is a computer that is set up to allow the world to access your website via the internet. We do not provide hosting services directly, but instead use very reliable hosting providers which are specifically geared up to ensure that your website is always available. The cost of hosting is typically less than £5 a month and is usually paid up front (which makes it cheaper it still). We will take care of all of this.