Frequently Asked Questions

• How much does a website cost?
That depends. I charge by the hour but I expect you will want an estimate. When I know the specifications of your project, I will give you an estimate of the number of hours and cost. If there are changes, that could affect the final cost. If there are unforeseen complications, I will alert you before we reach the estimate. Please ask me if you have any questions.

• Do you require a deposit?
Yes I do. You can expect  it to be about 30% of the estimated final cost.

• How do we work together?
If possible, I would like to meet before we start. I have found that meeting makes working together more personal. There are less misunderstandings. I like work and work can be a joy. It also produces the best results.After that, we will Skype. Skype is essential to how we work. Skype allows us to share our screens. We can show you preliminary designs and more importantly, we can give you tutorials. It is important that you have enough bandwidth to Skype while sharing your screen.

• What are your hours?
The virtual doors are open from 9 am – 6pm, Monday through Friday.
Except for site emergencies, don’t expect timely replies on weekends, holidays or after hours.

• What about emergencies?
I take a laptop with me when I travel and should be able to fix most issues with it.

• What about maintenance after my site is up and running?
I recommend that you use Stefan Matei for maintenance after your site has launched. See what he offers here: WP Maintenance. Stefan and I have been working together since 2008. He does the advanced coding. To keep your costs down, if you work directly with him, I don’t need to charge an administration fee.

• Is it really true that your accounting department does quarterly billing?
Yes it is. I think it is because they are always at softball practice or doing volunteer work, but they maintain that this is the most cost effective way to do business.

• Is it true that you do not have a cell phone?
Not true. I did get one, but I rarely use it except when traveling. I am always at my computer. I never leave. Ask my wife.

• Can a website be made using WordPress blog software?
Yes it can. Since 2008, almost all of the websites I have built are powered by WordPress. Here is a link about using WP as a content managing system or CMS. That might be a bit technical, but consider the answer to be yes.

• So, WordPress is the best solution for editing my site? 
In my opinion, yes. Recently I read that almost 22% of all websites are now powered by WordPress.

• Is WordPress easy to use?
There is a bit of a learning curve. I would compare it to learning MS Word. We include tutorials but you should take notes. Like most programs, if you don’t use them weekly, you forget the process.

• What about SEO? I am not an expert on Search Engine Optimization (SEO). What’s more, I am dubious about the lofty claims made by vendors hawking their expertise. Fortunately WordPress has many SEO features built in or I add them through plugins. To take advantage of this, I am collecting SEO 101 articles that I think explain “best practices” here on my delicious.com account.