| Question 1 |
Why should I hire a professional to design my Web site?
Think of it this way. When you're looking for new car stereo, you most likely start by searching the telephone book. You find a few stores in your area and call them to ask about brands, models and pricing. Once you've decided which stores offer what you're looking for, you drive over for a look around.
What happens when you pull into the parking lot of a store that looks run down? One that has obvious signs of neglect? One that looks as though the owner should have it condemned? If you're like most people… you keep on driving!
Why? Are you afraid to leave your car with that stereo shop for fear it will get stolen? Do you think the store might not be honest? You don't know these people, but from the image they portray… you are suspicious and skeptical.
The same thing applies to your Web design. When visitors come to your Web site, they are either rolling their eyes or smiling.
In many cases, your Web site IS your business. It is the image you present to the Internet world. We also know that there is a lot going on behind the scenes that contributes to your site functioning properly. A professionally designed Web site will give your business the foundation it needs to succeed by using the latest technologies and design applications, by being search engine compatible and by displaying correctly in a variety of browsers. When you hire Divine Web Design, you get the skills, knowledge and expertise that only comes from years of hands-on experience.
| Question 2 |
What products do you use to develop Web sites?
For Web publishing, we use Macromedia Dreamweaver. Dreamweaver generates very clean HTML code that meets W3C validation standards.
For Web graphics, we use both Jasc's Paint Shop Pro and Adobe Photoshop because they provide clear, compressed graphics that load fast so as not to keep your visitors waiting. Some other products that we use include Adobe Illustrator and Macromedia Flash.
| Question 3 |
Why don't you use FrontPage?
The reason that we don't use FrontPage is because it generates a lot of HTML code that is only recognized by the Internet Explorer browser. That means that a site built with FrontPage will often display beautifully in Internet Explorer (as both FrontPage and Internet Explorer are owned by Microsoft), but will be a jumbled, unreadable mess in the Netscape or Opera browser. Click here to see a side by side comparison of how a site built with FrontPage displays in Internet Explorer and Netscape.
We believe that cross-browser compatibility is important and we design Web sites so that they view properly, and work as intended in Internet Explorer, Netscape, and Opera.
| Question 4 |
How much will it cost?
Unlike other web design companies who hide their pricing, create arbitrary quotes based on how much they'd like to make, or charge monthly fees for life; we are honest and upfront about our pricing structure. Nothing you don't want or need is forced upon you. You'll have a clear understanding of the cost before the project begins and no surprises when you receive the final invoice.
| Question 5 |
How long will it take?
If you have the text for your site written before the design process begins, it generally takes 2 weeks from start to finish. Text should be in electronic format, preferably MS Word format. Not having your copy completed before the design process can significantly delay the production of your site.
For your convenience, we offer reduced rate Text / Web design packages that provide you with additional savings when choosing both services.
| Question 6 |
Who owns the completed Web site?
Once the final payment is received, you will receive 100% ownership of your Web site.
| Question 7 |
What is a domain name and why do I need one?
Every Web site must have a domain name. A domain name is your Web site's unique address on the Internet.
As an example, the domain name for Divine Web Design is
http://www.DivineWebDesign.net
The most common domain names will end in .com, .net, or .org, but there are many more to choose from.
Although you are free to use any domain registrant you choose, Divine Web Design offers domain name registration for only $20.00/year After your registration, you will be given full access information to your own, personal domain name control panel. Manage, update, transfer or change your registration information any time you choose with no hassle, no waiting and no additional charges.
| Question 8 |
What is hosting and why do I need it?
Your Web site needs a home on the Internet - a place for all your domain name, Web page files and graphics to reside. You buy or rent Web space through a hosting company. Most hosting companies offer monthly, quarterly, and yearly packages.
Hosting fees vary greatly depending on your needs. Your hosting package will need special features if you plan to have a storefront on your Web site, if you will be connected to a database, or if you have special programming requirements.
| Question 9 |
What web services do you provide?
We provide
* Professional Web design
* Logo design
* Web site maintenance
* Web site banners
* Web site graphics
| Question 10 |
Can you explain the design process?
We have a five-step process as explained below:
Step One - Contact Us
Simply use our contact form to send us a short description of your project. Together we can review the details, specific requirements and the end result you want for your site.
Next, we'll provide you with a quote for the total cost of your site creation. This interaction provides us both with the information and insights we need to decide if our relationship will be mutually beneficial. If we are agreed - we move onto step 2.
Step Two - Make a deposit
You'll be provided with an invoice for 50% of the total of your quote. This deposit can be made via our secure server using Visa or Mastercard. We also accept PayPal payments.
We will accept personal checks but we do require 100% of the estimated total up front. There is a 3 to 5 business day waiting period for all payments remitted by personal check. Your project will begin once your payment has cleared.
Step Three -Your insight is vital!
While we may be the Web design professionals, you have vital information about your business, your customers, your likes and dislikes that will make your site a success. In order to make the exchange of information quick and easy, we offer you a choice of two different Web design worksheets.
* The Comprehensive Worksheet is highly recommended for those who are unsure of their Web site needs and design preferences. It will help you define your goals and vision for your site while giving us insight into your individual taste and style.
* The Quick Start Worksheet is for those who already have a good idea of what they want their Web site to do and how they want it to look, or those choose not to fill out the longer comprehensive worksheet.
Step Four - Provide us with feedback
We will provide you with a rough draft for viewing within one week of receiving your completed worksheet. Your feedback will help us to determine which direction to take. We may only need to do some tweaking, or we may completely start over.
Step Five- Test and launch
Once you have approved the final design, we add and format the copy (text) to all the pages and set up your desired features, such as contact forms. Once everything has been approved by you, we upload your site to the Web and fully test its functionality. We make sure that your site can be viewed as intended in Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator, and Opera versions 4.0 and above.
The Web design process generally takes 2 weeks. To alleviate any unnecessary delays, we recommend that you have the majority of your copy written before your design begins. Divine Web Design offers discounted copywriting and Web design combo packages as a one-stop solution to your Web design needs.
| Question 11|
What is your payment policy and what type of payments do you accept?
We receive 50% of your estimated total as a deposit prior to beginning work. We accept Cash, Check or PayPal payments. The final payment is due immediately upon completion of the project.
We will accept personal checks but we do require 100% of the estimated total up front. There is a 3 to 5 business day waiting period for all payments remitted by personal check. Your project will begin once your payment has cleared
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Why should I hire a professional to design my Web site?
Divine Web Design also provides a variety of print products and services.
