Frequently Asked Project Questions
Based on our 20 years of working closely with our customers, here are a few common questions and answers. Creating or re-designing your company website does not have to be a complicated experience. We'll make it easy for you.
Every design project is inherently different but there are a number of planning similarities that happen at the beginning. We'll start by organizing your site content with you before translating it into visual layouts and finally building the code that presents your business.
- Why hire Roberge Design instead of a bigger expensive design firm?
- Complete and direct communication with the actual designer who will be crafting your site or project creative. Larger firms often send a team of people at the beginning of a project to convince you to hire them, then SWITCH the actual development to their less experienced designers to finish up. The client suffers from the lack of skilled experience at the key stages of development. That will not happen here. Each client deserves open and honest communication.
- I don't see my industry in your portfolio. Can you create a site for me?
- Designing is presenting information - visually. We start a project by listening to the client and learning about their industry, then we design based on the client's defined business goals. Your customers need to identify with the website right away no matter what the industry. We achieve this through the use of layout and photography to build a visual relationship right away. Studies have proven that customers are more likely to respond to headline calls-to-action when the text is accompanied with a visual graphic.
- As a client, can I add input to the look and feel of the site?
- Absolutely! Your ideas are a key ingredient to the design process. We will work together to define how to present your information within a graphical user interface that works best to promote your company and your services.
- Do you register Domain Names and offer Hosting services?
- Yes, we will register your domain name and arrange hosting for you. Your company will own the domain name. We do not host the websites. We are Designers and we leave the hosting to the server experts. Many Designers say they offer hosting services and simply outsource the service while adding their logo to the page. We prefer to be honest with you and explain how the process will work. We use the world's largest hosting company http://www.1and1.com. They have great packages and offer a tremendous amount of features for very little money.
- What software do you use to code the site?
- We use the Adobe Creative Suite to design and create, but we use Dreamweaver as our primary tool to code each site (hand coded of course). We only offer custom website design. We firmly believe that each site is different and the visuals should be created specifically for each individual client. Layout, Design and Presentation.
- Can I update and edit the final website content?
- Yes, we can setup your website so you can edit the text content of the pages yourself - all from within a local web browser. There are various ways to approach this but updating the pages is quick and easy. We recommend using a content management system like WordPress as they are a mature software system now.
- What is stock photography and where do I get it?
- Sites like iStockPhoto provide vast libraries of photographs for sale. In our concept and design phase, we search for images that will help communicate your business concepts and services. iStockphoto is just one photo provider but a great place to start.
- What is the difference between static and dynamic websites?
- A static site generally means that content is posted and updated as new information becomes available, which could be daily or monthly. A dynamic website interacts with a database and allows visitors to request information and have it displayed back to the client browser.
- What is Flash and does it hinder accessing the site?
- Flash animation was very popular a few years ago as site intro movies. Unfortunately, search engines cannot find and index the information inside that Flash movie, which is counter intuitive to search engine optimization (SEO) and having customers find your site through Google or other searches. Flash is still great for presenting multiple points of interest in pre-defined areas, and highly recommended for animated ads or section header visuals.
- What is the general timeframe for development?
- After our initial client introduction meeting, visual concepts are typically developed within about 2-3 weeks, and posted for review. Once approved, the site is generally coded over the next 4-8 weeks. New content or additional functionality can extend the timeframe, but for the most part 4-8 weeks is the time needed to create a brand new you.
- Can you also add a "blog" to my website?
- We sure can. Again we recommend using a proven blog software system like WordPress, which is also a great content management system to manage the content. A blog is an extension of your web presence and we recommend creating a look-and-feel that complements your main website page design.
