Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a website cost?

I am asked this question a lot.

Typically I provide an individualized quote for the person/company asking, but I find many people just want a general cost.

Here is an original research project on the different tasks and costs involved with starting a new website, based on 400 expert opinions. Check out what a website costs.

Here are some thoughts on the cost of a responsive website.

What makes a website great?

Purpose, visuals, content, and clear navigation.

It’s always bad when users have to guess to figure out how to navigate your site. In short, accessible design (and good design in general) is predictable. There should be no guessing to how elements behave or how the UI will look like on different pages. Navigational elements should appear in the same order and place on your site and functional elements should behave the same from page to page.

Why do you want to optimize your site for mobile devices?

As part of their search algorithm, Google looks at the code for your site and how well the site is rendered on mobile devices. If your site has a lower ranking in their PageSpeed Insights tool, that can affect your ranking in the major search engines. There are more people in the world using mobile devices than desktop computers.

Do I really need a privacy policy?

The short answer is yes.

A privacy policy is required to clearly communicate to your website visitors that you are using cookies and why.

Since I recommend Google Analytics for all my clients, I also recommend a properly worded privacy policy explaining the tracking we have implemented. Learn more in this article.

For Canadian citizens, please refer to the Privacy Toolkit for Businesses prepared by the Federal Government. Here is some advice on words to avoid when writing your privacy policy.

Do I really need a custom solution?

With the plethora of free tools and online services for creating a website, why hire a professional?

Free sites are rarely free. With free site-builders, your site exists as part of their service. It can be difficult to extract your content and replicate its functionality. Advertising on your site should benefit you, not the service provider.

What is SEO?

Search engine optimization or SEO is the process of adding and editing your website content with the goal of increasing your relevance to specific keywords so that your site appears higher up in the listings of major search engine.

Optimizations also include modifying HTML and associated coding to both increase its relevance to specific keywords and remove barriers to the indexing activities of search engines.

Read SEO in a nutshell for a more detailed explanation.

How can Google Ads help my website?

Google Ads can help draw visitors to your site. Using a pay per click campaign, you can select keywords, that when searched for, trigger the display of your ads.

Here is a nice explanation of how the Google Ads selection process works.

Keyword selection is crucial and it pays to do your homework. Data analysis of keywords and keyword phrases can make a huge impact on the success of your ads.

What is Web Hosting?

A web server that stores the actual files for the site. The domain name is linked to the web hosting account via a set of addresses called DNS entries.

When a web browser tries to view a web address (starting http://), the first thing it does is convert the first part of the address from a name (like www.ttllp.co.uk) into a numeric address that tells it which webserver to contact to ask for the page.

The conversion is done by asking a Domain Name System (DNS) Server. Most Internet Service Providers run their own DNS servers and their customers' computers get the details when they connect. How does DNS work?

Domain names are purchased on a yearly basis and are owned by a ‘registrar’.

 

Who do I recommend for Domain Name Registration?

I recommend 10dollar.ca for domain name registration. Here is a site that lists the costs for top level domain names. I have used their services now for over two decades.

I recommend Web Hosting Canada for hosting .

Why not consider hosting your site on my server? Ask me for more details.