The Website Design & Build Process

Can you show me some websites you’ve done?

We sure can! You can see tons of our latest work, updated monthly, on our Website Portfolio page.

How long until my website is ready?

For most projects it takes five to six weeks, and only three weeks for StarterWeb. For a more detailed answer you can click here to read our blog article “How Long Does It Take To Get A New Website?” For rush options, see the “What if I need my website done fast?” FAQ below.

What’s included in a website project?

Everything!
As part of your website project, we will:

  • Design your site based on our Website Design Dialogue with you and several Client Reviews.
  • Build out content pages using your wording or (optionally) our writers.
  • Perform foundational SEO (that many other’s skip!)
  • Launch your website on our Professional Hosting.
  • Provide ongoing Advanced Support and more!

When your project is complete you will have a world-class, professional website – working for your business 24/7. Of course there are a lot of details in between each of these steps – and we take care of all of them. No hassle for you!

Will we come up first on Google?

An important part of our Launch Process is “foundational SEO” so that search engines like Google will see your website code is doing the right stuff.

Getting to the top of page one on Google is hard, expensive work. In most industries you need to spend at least $36,000 per year, every year, to even compete for a page 1 spot. If you have the budget for that, great!

The reality is that micro-businesses survive and thrive on word-of-mouth and referrals. What you should be doing is building a website that helps you connect with and capture new referrals. One that supports all the things you already do! For a micro-business, a relationship website is a more practical fit than rolling the dice on SEO. That’s what we specialize in – relationship websites.

For more on this important subject please check out a blog article we wrote about where your website will rank on Google.

Which package is right for me?

Consider the following:

  1. If you need desperately need to be found on Google Maps, choose Google Starter.
  2. If more reviews would help your business grow, choose Google Starter.
  3. If your business is heavily built on once or twice a year recurring customers, choose Relationship Builder.
  4. If you can’t benefit from, or are already taking care of the first 3 points, Social Media is the next step.

Of course, these are generalizations and your mileage may vary. For a more detailed answer, please visit our blog post “Which website package is right for me.” Or, get in touch with our team and we’ll be happy to help!

How long is the agreement?

Our plans include 12 months of service. After those twelve months are complete you can downgrade at any time. Most importantly you own your website. Of course, you can add-on or upgrade at any time.

For a more in-depth answer, please visit our blog article “How Long Is The Contract?

How many pages can I have on my website?

As many as you want! Most companies we work with have between 1 and 30 pages, but there are exceptions.

We will create your initial pages for you as part of your project. You can add hundreds or thousands of pages from there (and we’ll be happy to help.)

Is there anything I need to do before we first meet?

No, not really. We’ll walk you right through the whole thing.

In fact, we have a carefully curated plan for that first conversation. We want to make sure we understand your business and exactly what you’re looking for, so we can give you the best product and a rock solid price. We call that our Website Design Dialogue. We will use our Website Design Dialogue to make sure we understand your needs and your goals. If you like, you can fill out that new website questionnaire right now.

If you want to get a jump start, here are a few things you could do (completely optional though!):

  • Find three websites you like.
  • Start a list with what information and photos you want on your website.
  • Fill out our New Website Questionnaire or give us a call at (540) 376-7008
  • Start a list of how you want your new website to be different from your current one (if you have one already.)
What if I don't like the design?

To be honest, we’ve only ever had this happen once and we fixed it. We’d do the same for you.

We also do a lot to prevent this from ever happening. Here’s a few things:

  • We begin every new relationship with our extensively curated and constantly updated Website Design Dialogue meeting to ensure we understand your goals, vision, and style.
  • Your project is led start-to-finish by a Client Representative whose JOB is to make sure you LOVE your website!
  • Each project starts with a detailed Kickoff Meeting where we go over sites you like, uncover the reasons, discuss the layout together, and more!
  • Each website design package includes meetings where we review the design together to get your feedback.

We’re confident we can design a website that you’ll love! If we don’t get it right the first time, we’ll work really hard to understand what we missed and build a website that meets your expectations.

What do you need from me as your client?

We love to hear this question asked. Just the fact that you would honestly ask this question means we’re going to love working together. We’ll bend over backwards for someone who is genuinely doing everything they can to help us help their business. Here’s three things:

  1. Be honest. Tell us what you like or dislike. Share with us your goals, dreams, concerns, ideas, and opinions.
  2. Be communicative. If you need more guidance, let us know. If you need more time, ask for it. If you’re unclear on a request, speak up. Respond to calls and emails in a timely manner, so we can help you better.
  3. Be proactive, especially with content. Schedule dedicated time to work on writing your content and organizing your images.

For a more in-depth answer to this question, please visit our blog post “What Do You Need From Me In Order To Build Our Website?

Website Design Pricing

 

How much does a website cost?

Our website packages start at around $2,000 and include a complimentary year of hosting, maintenance and support. Learn more on our Packages & Pricing page.

Do you offer something more affordable?
There are several ways we’d love to help! These include full-length recordings from our guest speaker series, affordable a-la-carte website support, and a 1-page website package we call StarterWeb.
Are there any extra charges or fees?

No. We keep pricing simple and clear. Everything most small business websites need is included and listed in our Packages & Pricing.

Before you pay or commit to anything, we will provide you with a written proposal. We'll go over it with you to ensure you know exactly what you are getting for your investment.

What if I need more pages?
No matter which package you chose, you can add more pages, and we'll be happy to help. When we meet together to discuss the website strategy, we'll make a recommendation for which pages (and how many) will be most effective for your website. We'll provide you with clear, flat-rate, upfront pricing starting at $200 per page. We can also add pages to your website later, currently starting at $300 per page.
Are you writing my website content?
We believe that the best website content is a collaboration of your business expertise and our website strategy experience. No one knows your business better than you, so while it’s best if the wording comes from you, we want to help!

We have a content writing guidebook exclusively for our clients. Not only can we provide you with a copy of the guidebook, but we'll even sit down and go through it with you step by step at no additional charge if you like. Our project manager can also introduce you to some writing tools we find helpful, which will make things even easier. And we'll enhance your website with titles, descriptions, and snippets at our discretion.

Other Questions

Who will own my website?

You will own your website 100%. Once you complete payment the website is yours. We can even provide you with all of the server-side files via download link.

For why this matters please visit our blog article “Will I Own My Website and Why Does It Matter?

I already have a website, can you help me?

Yes, absolutely we can! We especially love to work with WordPress websites, but we can work on any website. Give us a call at (540) 376-7008 or send us an e-mail. We’d love to learn about your challenge and get you the help you need to maximize your website! And if we have a colleague who’s skill sets are better suited to your goal, we’ll make a introduction to ensure you receive the best possible website support.

Give us a call at (540) 376-7008 or send us an e-mail.

Can I have a blog on my site?

Yes! And you should, and you should use it every month! We’ll even write it for you with our Relationship Builder package.

Newsletters and blogs are a great way to maintain a relationship with past customers to help more of them keep coming back.

Who will I be working with?

If your new website is being built or your website is being redesigned, your point of contact throughout the design-build project will be your Client Representative, Kristin.

Once the website project is completed, your point of contact switches to our website support team, led by our Creative Director, Antonella.

Can I sell products on my website?

Yes, but this is an additional feature. We can definitely set up your website to sell your products. We have created business websites with simple order forms as well as full-function shopping carts (e-commerce.)

What if I need my website done fast?

For a custom designed website, our standard time to completion is five or six weeks. If you need your website built faster, we highly recommend just adding a temporary placeholder page to your project for a nominal fee.

When you need a full, custom website turned around in just a few days, we offer the following rush options:
14 Day Rush: +30%
7 Day Rush: +50%