Frequently asked questions
We will continually add new questions when we find ourselves saying the same things over, and over, and over again!
What geographic areas do you cover?
The internet is a global phenomena and in many ways it really doesn't matter where customer and supplier are situated. Modern technology can bring us all closer and make us all "local". We have clients across England and Wales and as far afield as Kenya. If you already have some ideas there is no necessity to meet face to face. But if it is really important to work with someone "local" you should know that we are now based in Bridport, Dorset but still regularly visit the West Midlands and London. We are happy to meet in person almost anywhere if the project merits it, and regularly visit customers in the South West, Wales and throughout the Midlands.
Do you provide email spam filters with your hosting?
We can provide you with a comprehensive spam filtering service on our servers if you really want it. Customers expect a host to be able to supply it; so we do. However, we will be honest with you, we don't even use it ourselves! There are plenty of free and low cost solutions that give you as good or greater control and protection. So we would rather inform you about these better value options and teach you how to avoid spam in the first place. All our sites have the email links cloaked to prevent harvesting by robots and we can provide captcha/turin security on forms (though this does cause accessibility problems).
What about virus protection?
Standard feature. Your mail is scanned for viruses at the point of entry into our network. New virus definitions are checked for and updated automatically ensuring that no virus bearing email can make it to your inbox. However this does not mean that you do not need to ensure that you have up to date virus protection and firewall operating on your computers. There are many other ways your systems are at risk from attack.
What are your payment terms?
We normally require a deposit of 20% plus first year hosting and domain name registration fees at the time of order. The balance is payable when the site is finished, you are happy with it and it's published to the web. We will send you an invoice and ask to be paid in 7 days.
Why do your websites rank high in the search engines?
First, making sure that the content is attractive to search engines and potential customers. Second, hard (and boring) work. Because we start out with the idea that a website is of little use if nobody finds it, we ensure that search engine optimisation is built in from the start. Many, many hours of research and experimentation have provided us with some vital keys that we apply to our web design and marketing services. And of course that research is ongoing to make sure we are always up to scratch on current trends.
In truth the most important element is our personal commitment to finding the ways that work for each site individually.
How soon before my web site shows up in the search engines?
Once the site is finished and published on the web we will submit it to all the major search engines. At present it is taking about 24 hours to get listed on MSN and Yahoo, whilst a Google listing is taking 4-5 days. You will appear immediately on some directory sites and then gradually over a week or two others will list you. Getting listed on DMOZ (the Open Directory Project) varies depending on your business type and the workload of the human editors. Listings on niche directories can take a few weeks.
But just getting listed is only the first step. the important thing is to get you appearing high in the results for your most important keywords. To a degree this depends on your industry and competitors. At present it is taking a few weeks to get good rankings in less competitive fields. Creating a lasting relevance on the web can take 3 months, and longer if you are in a particularly competitive sector.
Can you provide a visitor counter?
Well we could, but we really do advise against it. In most cases it is not a good idea to display a counter. It is associated with old and amateur sites. It is seen by most people now as a bit naff.
What you can and should have is access to proper web statistics so that you can manage the success of your site.
What about music and animated gifs?
Please don’t ask! Only if you have good reasons and it is relevant to your business. If it’s just a personal site – OK, but otherwise it’s generally considered a bit twee. Animated gifs are strongly discouraged on sites that aim to be accessible for people with disabilities especially if they cannot be slowed down or switched off. Flashing animation is usually actually distracting rather than attracting and causes vistors to leave rather than attracting them to action.
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