Digital Marketing Frequently Asked Questions
What is a domain name?
Think of a domain name as an address on the Internet. Your domain name is stored all around the internet with a “pointer” that tells everyone where to go to look for the files and programs that make up your website. Your domain name (www.yourname.com) points to your hosting account.
What is Hosting?
Your website is made up of many files and programs. Those files and programs must be stored on a computer (known as a server) that is connected to the Internet. Your hosting fee is the amount you pay for the storage needed and the connection to the internet. It takes the right expertise and equipment to make all of this happen reliably and securely. Your email hosting and your website hosting may be on the same server - but we recommend that they be separate.
Will you provide hosting for my website?
We only provide website hosting if the client is participating in one of our Care Plans. This is because we put a lot of weight in the security and upkeep of a website, so we cannot offer - nor do we recommend - low cost hosting solutions. To find out about our Care Plans and what they offer beyond hosting please click here.
Do you host email?
No. We believe in doing what we do best and therefore stick to designing and developing digital marketing solutions and websites. We DO however have a strategic partner that we team with for email hosting who does a bang up job. Once you sign on with us you’ll have access to our partners as well.
Care Plan? What’s a Care Plan and why do I need one?
Our Care Plans include features such as hosting, complete site backups, security scans, software updates, and even website content and functionality updates, depending on the selected plan. We know these items are essential for keeping a website safe and secure, as well as up and running without issue. This is an optional but highly recommended service we offer for our clients. If we did not build your website but you are interested in a Care Plan - please contact us so we can discuss.
How much does a website cost?
If I had a nickle for every time….
This is a trick question. I usually like to answer it by asking “how much does a house cost”? Obviously a website isn't’ going to cost you as much as a house (well - most websites anyway) - but the concept applies. Do you want the small one bedroom condo on the 1st floor, or the big colonial on 2 acres, or the penthouse on 5th avenue? We can build you any house - I mean website you wish - but the investment will vary depending on your needs, goals, desires, etc. Please take the first steps to get started and we’ll talk to you about your budget and what you can expect...
How do I get started?
The best way to get started is to get your ducks in a row before you reach out to someone to build you a new website. We have developed a series of expectations that you would be aware of, and then a series of questions you should be able to answer, which will help guide you and us toward a successful partnership. It may very well be that we’re not perfect for each other. That’s OK. If we’re not we’ll be happy to refer you to someone who can meet your needs - but reading our list of expectations and filling out the questionnaire will help us both get started.
Short answer: getting started is as easy as 1, 2, 3:
1. Read this: Are You Ready?
2. then read this: The Process
3. then fill out this form!
Can you design a logo for me?
Yes. We have designed logos (and business cards, brochures, etc) for a variety of clients. We prefer that these items be part of an overall digital marketing strategy and project, but if you need a logo let us know.
What is a blog?
A blog is a series of articles or news items or pieces of “content” that are posted to your website. We recommend that you have a blog in order to keep the content on your website fresh and relevant. Google likes for your website to have new content as often as possible. It helps to keep driving traffic. If you need us to provide blog content we can develop a plan as part of the overall strategy.
What is WordPress and why do you use it?
WordPress is a tool that provides a lot of built in functionality and structure for building a website. It is a Content Management System, which means that you will be able to update the site yourself - without the need of any programming or technical knowledge. This allows you to keep things up to date and fresh without having to 1) pay for someone else to do it or 2) wait for someone else to do it.
We use WordPress because of the functionality that is built in - which saves us time and therefore saves you money. WordPress currently powers over 25% of the entire web. That’s right: one quarter of every website in the world is built with WordPress and that number grows daily. It’s that popular because it is the best solution. That’s why we use it.
Do you provide training?
If we build your site you’ll have access to training videos and a training manual. These will walk you through the process of updating your own website. We no longer offer live training session as a standard service because we found that people forget things almost immediately. The videos are much more efficient. That said - special exceptions can be made.
What is Search Engine Optimization (SEO)?
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a two part process. First, you must set up a website so that the search engines (namely Google) know what the site is about and can therefore rank it appropriately. There are things we can do behind the scenes that will help your SEO results - and we do these things for all of our clients. Secondly, there are “off-page” tasks that need to be performed on a regular ongoing basis in order to help build “Authority” for your site.
The important point is that there isn’t some magic “set it and forget it” Search Engine Optimization trick we can perform (no one can). It’s a lot of work up-front, and then even more work on an ongoing basis, to get your site to rank high in Google and other search engine results.
The number one thing YOU can do is have great content on your site. That starts with what you and we write prior to launching the new site - as well as continued fresh content in your blog. After that, an ongoing optimization campaign is essential.
Will my site be optimized?
As mentioned above we will do what we can to optimize your website for search engines. This means that we will perform “on-page” activities and will provide good SEO content (if that’s part of the project).
We also recommend at least a minimum optimization plan of some sort on an ongoing basis. We can discuss that in detail if you wish.
On-Page? Off Page?
On-Page SEO refers to all the things that you can do ON your website to help you rank higher, such as page titles, internal linking, meta tags & descriptions, page speed, etc.
Off-Page SEO refers to all the things that you can do directly OFF your website to help you rank higher, such as link building, citation management, press releases, guest blogging, etc.
OK - exactly what SEO tasks can you do for us
We can perform the following SEO related tasks:
Keyword Research and Analysis
Link Building
Guest Blogging
Press Releases
Citation Management
Content Marketing
Blog Writing
On-Page Optimization
Bookmarking
Social Link Building
Can you help with Social Media?
We can. We have strategic partners we work with and you’ll have access to those partners when you work with us.
Will you write the content for my site?
Some of it, sure. We give you the option actually - if you wish to write your own content or have someone else do it - that’s fine. If you need us to write it - we can do that too. We won’t write it all though. Often we’ll only be able to write the more generic parts of the site. You’ll have to provide things like “about us” or “bios” and probably specifics about your products or services. Every project is different - so let’s talk.
Understand though, that if you are writing your own content we can’t wait for it. We’ll build and launch your site, and if your content is ready, great. If not then you’ll have a lot of “coming soon” pages. That’s on you, sorry.
Can you help with Pay Per Click or GoogleAdwords?
We can, yes. If you are interested in this service please let us know.
LET’S GET STARTED!
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