sm web designs studio web design for female founders
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strategy based web design
for female founders

Website design frequently asked questions

I like to keep things as simple as possible, here are some questions I get asked regularly.

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When can you start my project?
Places in my schedule are booked on a strictly first come basis (on payment of the deposit and signing of the contract) and can change weekly. I am usually booked out a month in advance. If you’re thinking of booking I recommend doing so as soon as possible to avoid any disappointment. Please contact me for my latest availability.
Do I have to sign a contract?

For all branding and website work a contract will be issued and work will not commence until the contract is signed and deposit paid.

For small design work a contract imay not be required, however, payment of your invoice is taken as acceptance of my Terms & Conditions.

How & when do I pay?

All website bookings are paid for via instalments. An initial 35% non-refundable deposit is required upon booking, this is to secure your place and covers initial design stages, 25% is then due once the development site has been built and is ready for you to review. The remaining balance is then due before your website goes live.

The final balance is due before any artwork is released to you.

Payment can be made via BACS. Please note I no longer accept cheques.

I have a tight deadline, can you fit me in?
Generally, I am booked up a month in advance. However, a rush service may be available but this does depend on my schedule at the time of your enquiry. An upfront rush service fee is applicable of £100.
I'm in, how do I book you?
Great, all you need to do is complete the form here and I will be in touch to talk through your project 🙂

web design faq's

How long does it take?

I have a 4-6 week work process.

Week one is to develop your branding and/or website design.

Week two and three is dedicated to the website build.

I also include a buffer week as the design and revision process can sometimes take longer than a week.

It is important that you are available within the 4-6 week work process for quick feedback.

What platform will you use to create my website?
WordPress. Read more about it here: https://wordpress.org/
Is SEO included?
My skills are design & development, not SEO. That said I build websites to SEO best practices and Google guidelines. Your website will be optimised for search engines. Getting on the first, second or third page of a Google search takes time and a good search optimisation (SEO) strategy.
Do you write the content for my website?
No, this is something you can either write yourself or hire a Copywriter to do on your behalf. If you need a Copywriter I can recommend one for you.
Do you provide the images/videos?
No, you will need to source all of the site imagery and /or videos. This may involve an organised photoshoot or stock imagery, I can recommend photographers, videographers and stock image sources both free and paid
Do you offer website hosting?

Yes, I provide WordPress hosting for your website. I can set this up on your behalf for an additional one off fee of £40.00.

My hosting packages are paid monthly via direct debit starting from £12.99.

If you already have hosting, I can work with them to get your new website live.

Are WordPress updates & maintenance included?
All clients receive 14 day free maintenance and support. Following the free support period, I then offer monthly maintenance and support plans starting from £50.00 Full details of my maintenance plans can be found here: Peace of Mind WordPress maintenance & support
Do you provide technical support?

Hosting/Technical issues with WordPress usually only occur when hosting storage limits have been exceeded, horrible spam comments on your blog haven’t been regularly deleted or something has been manually amended within the Theme Functions file or a new plugin added by yourself has caused a conflict.

If any issues arise which are due to hosting or server issues, it is the responsibility of yourself and your host to resolve this (unless I host the website for you).

Is my website safe from hackers?

Your WordPress website will have a security plugin installed that will prevent spam comments and helps keep the overall site secure and free from hackers.

Obviously, I can’t 100% guarantee your site will never be hacked.

It is important to keep all passwords as secure as possible, don't use the 'remember me' tick box on the login screen and don’t share these with anyone.

Keeping your WordPress site up to date will ensure your website stays secure, view my maintenance and support plans.

Is my website backed up?

Once your website is live a full back-up will be taken. After this, you can then either decide to back your site up yourself or sign up to one of my maintenance plans which includes daily realtime back ups of your website. I use BlogVault* for all my maintenance plan clients and my own website.

Of course, you will be able to do this yourself too if you wish – I recommend this is done monthly and stored securely.

* Affiliate link

Do you set up domains & emails?
I can register your domains and emails during the hosting set-up. This will be charged at the same rate as your chosen host bills. I don’t offer support for setting up emails on your chosen email client (i.e. gmail/iPhone…).
Will it work on mobiles?
Yes, your website will have a responsive design, this means that the design will scale to look good on mobile devices and tablets and will work in exactly the same way as it does on a laptop or desktop.

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It's a casual, 30 minute chat no strings attached.
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