FAQ

What is a domain name?
A domain name is your web “address”. For example, on this website mydesigngarden.com is the domain name.

How do I get a domain name?
A domain name must be registered through a domain registrar. Most domain registrars charge between $8 and $15 per year to do this, however it sometimes comes free or at a discount if you buy it along with your web hosting.

I’ve come up with the perfect domain name for my site and it’s available, but I’m not quite ready to start my site, what should I do?
Go ahead and grab the name asap. For $10 per year its worth having it just in case even if you never decide to use it.

What is web hosting?
Web hosting is basically storing the data for your website and making it available to people who type in your domain name or click on a link to your site. You pay for the amount of space you need and the amount of data that is transferred (ie how many times people click on your site). Web hosting is usually available in different plans, depending on how much space you think you will need. Web hosts also offer other services including cgi scripts (for example a guestbook or form), shopping carts, databases (for example to keep track of inventory), email, and more.

How much does web hosting cost?
The cost of web hosting will vary greatly depending on your needs. If you just want to put up a page with some pictures for your family and don’t mind ads, you can get web hosting for free (of course you won’t have your own domain name either). For a similar site without ads and using your own domain you can pay just one or two dollars per month for perfectly acceptable hosting. For a business site you will want reliable hosting and decent support and for this you will pay anywhere from $5 a month on up. For most new websites, starting with a $5 per month plan is fine and you can always upgrade if you are getting more traffic than that plan can handle. (A great probem to have!)

Many people pay far too much for web hosting, often through their web designers. If a designer seems too cheap to be real, chances are they are making money off of their client’s web hosting. And web hosting is not a one time expense–for virtually no extra work, these designers are bringing in regular, lasting income–and costing you hundred of dollars extra per year.

What makes your hosting service my best choice?
If you plan to have me update your website, I recommend using my webhost because it will save me time when I work on your site, and therefore save you money. However, using my preferred host is not required. I am happy to design your site and upload it to any web host of your choosing.

I have researched some companies that I think offer an excellent service for the price and I highly recommend them, but don’t take my word for it if you don’t want to–doing your own research is usually a good thing.

How much does it cost to build a web site?
Websites vary in price about as much as cars do. With a website, as with a car, you pretty much get what you pay for from the hand-me down clunker to the luxury sedan. You can get free websites from certain companies, but they always contain ads, look cheap, and you don’t get your own domain name. You can also get inexpensive sites created with templates, but these often end up being a disappointment. They look like every other poorly designed site on the internet and can be very hard to customize and update.

On the other end of the spectrum you can pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for interactive database-driven e-commerce sites that require full time web designers to keep updated (amazon.com is an example of this). My designs fall in the middle. My websites start at $500, and discounts are available for socially and ecologically responsible emerging small businesses and non-profit organizations.

How long will it take to build my web site?
Often, the speed at which your site is completed is directly related to how promptly you communicate with me and how quickly you provide the necessary content for your site. Providing promt communication, I can set up and create a simple website in a matter of days. If your design or your site structure is more complex, it may take several weeks to several months.

I live outside of Asheville. Can you still design my web site?
One of the beautiful things about the internet is how quickly and efficiently we can communicate with people all over the world. I can design websites for anyone, no matter where they live, as long as they have regular internet access so that I can get feedback on my work.

Can I maintain my own web site or will you maintain it for me?
You are welcome to maintain your own website if you know how. If you need to be taught, I can teach you for for an hourly rate. Most of my clients prefer to have me make change to their website for the simple reason that while updating a website is not hard, there is a steep learning curve and it will take you a lot longer than it will take me to do the same thing. Major updates can also be done either by you or by me depending on your comfort level.

How do I get listed on the search engines and improve my ranking (make your website appear at the top of the list or at least on the first page?
First your site must be optimized for search engines (see below). When it is completed, I will submit it to the major search engines. Then you need to build links. This means that you must get other people to link to your website, especially high-ranking websites related to your topic. The best way to do this is to have relevant, interesting, and preferably unique content. The number one reason that people search the internet is for information. So why would another website link to you? If you are offering information (or a product or service) that would be interesting to their readers. I can help you form and implement a plan for building links for your website.

What is Search Engine Optimization?
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the practice of designing websites with the search engine crawlers in mind. The crawlers literaly crawl through your site jumping from link to link and indexing text for searchability. The most important aspect of this is for you to come up with a list of search terms that you think people might use to find your website. Pretend you are a client looking for a website just like yours, what might you type into the search engine? Then create your content using these terms as often as possible in a relevant manner. I will then use these same terms as file names, titles, and keywords. This will increase the perceived relevance of your website to the search engines in relation to these terms.

What about pay-per-click and banner advertising?
Pay-per-click advertising is when you agree to pay a seach engine every time someone clicks on your ad, which is placed at the top of search engine results. The ads come up when certain keywords are searched for and you can set limits to how much you want to pay per day. The more people who want a certain keyword, the more expensive each clickwill be.

With Banner ads, you pay for the space, no matter how many people click through to your site. Sometimes they are static, like a print ad and sometimes they are simple animations.

I always recommend that pay-per-click and banner advertising be used to supplement rather than replace good search engine optimization. Spending a little more money up-front to have a site that searches and ranks well will end up doing a lot more for your website than an expensive ad campaign.

What’s my next step towards getting a website?
Fill out my quote form or give me a call at 828.273.2402