faq's

FAQ's on Websites and General Design

How do I contact you?

Call us on 0151 647 6720 or email us at info@dtmarketingsolutions.com and we will arrange a meeting at your place of business to discuss your needs.

What is the procedure for the design process?

First of all we arrange a meeting to discuss your design requirements, and from this we will draw up a quote. There is no obligation at all at this stage. If you decide you would like to accept the quote we will require a deposit before we can get started on the design.

How can I convey my ideas to the designer?

When you meet us, bring with you any text/images/brochures that are relevant to your business. If you know some websites that you like then write down the 'www.' addresses and bring them with you. This will give the designer an idea of what you are looking for.

How do we make a decision on the design?

The designer will give you an initial design template based on your specifications, to set out the general structure and decide on colour schemes etc. Once you decide what you like or don't like, we can then work on your choice and arrive at the final 'look'.

What if I change my mind?

We always expect there to be a few changes to the overall design, and we will work with you to make sure that the final design is what you want. However, once the look has been agreed and we are at a later stage in the design, any major reworking of the existing design will result in additional charges if substantial extra work is required. We will of course inform you of this at the time, before we do the work, and will only go ahead when we have your say-so.

How do I get my content to you?

If it is text, you can email it over in a 'Word' or 'Notepad' document. We prefer to get the text in a digital format as this saves us time having to manually input the text. We can also write your company text if necessary (this will be reflected in the quote), but where feasible we prefer your own words. Bear in mind also that if your website is to do well in search engines it needs to have informative and relevant text on every important page. Images can be sent by email if they have been 'zipped' with WinZip. Alternatively we can use images from a CD. If you do not have the images in a digital format, then we are able to scan in photographs, although the quality of scanned images may not be as good as digital images. Simply send your photos / brochures in the post. If we have to do a lot of scanning and image resizing or retouching to get useable image content for the website this will add to the cost of the whole design. Again, we will of course inform you of this at the time, before we do the work, and will only go ahead when we have your say so.

What about Image Copyright?

Please be aware that we cannot use other people's imagery without their permission. This is for your protection as image companies do not sue designers for copyright infringement, they sue the website owner! If you do not have your own images, we can either arrange for a photographer or source some suitable images ourselves.

What if I need my site translated into another language?

No problem, we have translators who can convert the site into your desired language. This can either be worked into the quote from the outset or charged at an hourly rate.

Will my website be fast-loading?

We make sure all of our websites are coded for quickest possible loading and that all images are compressed as far as possible without reducing quality.

How quickly can I get my website online?

We can get a small contact site designed and online within one week if we have all the website content from the start. The only thing holding up the design process is content, so the quicker you can get all the content to us the quicker we can get the website online.

Are there any other factors that could delay my website?

If you already have web hosting with another company and you are transferring over the domain from them, then there may be a few administrative delays which are beyond our control.

What if I'm not happy with the design at the end?

This hasn't happened yet! We keep in contact with our clients all the time to make sure the design is heading in the right direction. We never develop any idea too far until you are happy that you have what you want. Bear in mind though that if you have chosen a basic design package there are obviously limits to the time we can spend on the design process.

Will my website get found on the search engines?

The more websites that there are offering the same services or products as yours, the fiercer the competition for search engine placement.

How far up the search engine listings will my website be?

The quick answer is that this depends on the amount of promotional work you pay for! The unfortunate truth is that in most fields of business there are so many websites vying for position in the top search engines that many will never be seen. As far as design is concerned, successful website promotion is not something which can be 'tacked on' to a project at the end of the design process - the site must be designed with promotion in mind from the outset. This will incur an additional cost.

What if I need to update my content after the website is finished?

After the website is finished, small updates (for example the addition or replacement of a paragraph of text or an image to a page, or changes required to reflect a new address or 'phone number) are free of charge. However if your website needs updating regularly (on a monthly basis or more often) you will need to consider a maintenance contract. Changes such as the reorganisation of the website structure or the creation of extra pages will incur additional costs at any stage.

How do I update my own content?

We can design a Content Management System (CMS) which will allow you to update pages and images simply by logging into an online administration area within your website. This will be classed as additional functionality and will be quoted for separately.

How much will it cost?

Each quotation is calculated on an individual basis dependent upon the amount of work involved.

How can I keep the cost down?

If you are prepared to take an active role and prepare all the text and image content in a digital format then this will save us a lot of time data inputting and scanning imagery, and this will affect the quote.

What happens if the website takes longer than the agreed deadline?

We feel that communication is the key. If the website completion date is delayed substantially because we are waiting for content from a client, then we may charge an interim payment.

What if I already have a website and just want a few changes?

We are used to working with existing designs and updating or adding to them. We will price the work according to the time it will take.

Are there any other costs aside from design?

Yes. If you don't already have web hosting and want us to host your site, the basic cost is £50 per year for up to 100MB on a Shared Hosting Server. The first year hosting charge is included in the start-up price. Should your site be large enough or busy enough then you may have to pay for a Semi Dedicated or Dedicated Server. We will be able to advise which package is best for you. In addition to web hosting you will also need a domain name (we give away a free (.com/.net/.org/.uk) domain name with any hosting package) subject to availability.

Who owns the website?

The website and all the image work contained within and connected to it are the property of dtmarketingsolutions.com. However, a fee can be arranged and once you have paid us in full for the website it becomes your property and you are free to do with it as you wish. However, please note the proviso below regarding original artwork. Also, dtmarketingsolutions.com will be able to display their name on the website, with a live link, as the designers at all times

What about any artwork?

Any original artwork, including photography should not be used anywhere else without written permission from us or the artist. This does not apply to logos we have designed for you.

Payment Terms?

We require a 30% deposit with each order. The remaining 70% is due on delivery.

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