Below
are just some of the questions
we encounter from new clients
every day. Click on
any of these and go directly
to it’s answer. Feel
free to submit your questions
to us. We’re
here to help.
Web
Design/Development
Website
Hosting Services
Programming Services
- I
want to have a database
of all the products
I sell, so people
can browse and search
them through a shopping
cart. Can
you create a site for
this?
- I
need to be able to
have separate pricing
for regular and wholesale
clients. Can
you help me?
- Do you offer programming
services that will allow
me to make changes to the
text or images on my site
without calling you?
Promotion and Marketing
- How long will it
take for my website
to show up in the search
engines?
- Can your company
make my site rank in
the top 10 on searches?
Payment Terms
- What
are your payment
terms? How
does the payment
process work?
- What forms of payment
do you accept?
Web
Design/Development
1. Why does my business need
a website?
Websites are simply
an incredibly affordable
and effective way to
market your business.
Unlike the yellow pages,
websites are inexpensive,
are accessible from anywhere
in the world, and can
carry much more information
than even a full-page
listing. Unlike a brochure,
you won’t have
any printing and distribution
costs, and you can easily
update your site with
ongoing changes. A
website will increase
public awareness of your
company. The Internet
is on 24 hours a day,
so potential and current
customers are able to
learn about your products
and services at their
own convenience in an
interactive, compelling
manner. And your employees
won’t waste time
on the phone fielding
frequently asked questions
or mailing out printed
materials when PlanetGuide
sets up your website
to address common inquiries. Consumers today expect
any company worth doing
business with to have
a website. They see it
as a sign of credibility
and dedication. As long
as your site is professional-looking
and well-designed, a
website will put your
business up in the same
league as larger competitors.
2. Why
should I hire a
company to design
my website when
I can do it myself?
In this day
and age, there are literally
hundreds of do-it-yourself
web page authoring programs.
It is very conceivable
that you or a friend can
create a website on your
own. Planetguide has been
building and hosting websites
for over nine years, and
many of our sites have
won awards and praise based
on their innovative design
and programming. We are
continuously informed of
the latest development
trends to properly build
and market your site to
potential customers. Plus,
with our one-on-one customer
assistance, you can be
assured that your site
is being developed by qualified
internet professionals.
3. Do
you only design websites
for companies?
Although PlanetGuide’s core business is creating company websites, we also
develop sites for non-profits, community organizations, clubs, special events,
and individuals. Don’t hesitate to ask us for a free quote.
4. How
much will it cost?
Every project is by nature custom-made, we do not have a set price list.
Our knowledgeable staff will determine a price by evaluating your needs and estimating
the amount of time for research, concept development, and production plus any
expenses. We typically set up an initial meeting to discuss your business needs
and determine how the web can work for you. We then provide you with a
detailed estimate of the costs involved and specifics on what we can provide.
5. Do
you redesign existing
sites?
Yes, we do. Typically, a site redesign is quicker and costs less than building
one from scratch.
6. I
don’t live in
the New
Orleans area. Can you
still design my company’s
website?
No problem. PlanetGuide will learn about your goals and discuss concepts over
the phone and through e-mail. We can receive your files electronically and through
FedEx or the US Postal Service. The private Web link we create will allow you
to monitor our progress on your site from anywhere.
7. How
long will it take?
It really depends on the scope of the project, but typically a logo design will
take 1-2 weeks. Web sites on average start at approximately 4 weeks and up. We
estimate a timeframe all your graphics and content have been submitted. We have
found that gathering the needed materials for your site can be confusing for
some clients, so we have a customized sheet that is submitted along with your
contract of the typical items needed to get you online as quick as possible.
We do make every effort to adjust our schedule to accommodate your needs, but
in some cases rush fees do apply.
8. How
does PlanetGuide
go about building a
website?
Please
see our methodology page
for an overview of our
process.
9. How
does the creative process
work?
After being assigned
a project we schedule
information-gathering
meetings with you and
your staff. We discuss
your objectives, preferences,
target audience, and
detailed descriptions
of all the user features
and benefits of your
product. We then research
your industry, audience,
and competition and develop
two mock ups for your
review. After one concept
is chosen, we then modify
it to your desires and
produce the final version
for approval. Took make
a long story short, once
a final version is approved
we then complete the content integration and any required programming, you
review for final approval and then the site is set live.
10.
How
long will it take for
my website to show up
in the search engines?
This depends
entirely on when the
search engines send out
their web crawlers or
spiders to catalog your
site. This can take 1
week or 6 months! We
help the process along
by submitting your site
to the search engines.
This lets them know you
would like to be added
to their queue for indexing.
11. Can
I monitor PlanetGuide’s
progress as the site
is being constructed?PlanetGuide
will create a private Web
link to be used for viewing
progress on your site and
for testing. The knowledge
of this link is strictly
limited to the parties
involved.
12. How
do I get a high ranking
in the search engines
for my website?
High ranking in
the search engines is dependent
on a host of different
factors, including amount
of keywords in your content
and linkages. Never trust
a web company that says
they can guarantee first
page placement on Google.
For one, Google does not
design their search engine
to be easily manipulated.
And even the world's top
search engine experts would
never claim to have a search
engine "figured out".
The best way to be placed
high in the search engines
is to write a lot of good,
relevant content for your website. This gives your site a lot of credibility
and offers tremendous value to web users. Additionally, work with a reputable
search
engine marketing firm to pursue an aggressive placement campaign.
13. Can
I see some examples
of your work?
We are so glad you
asked! Of course,
visit our portfolio,
to review some samples
of some of our favorite
designs as well as our
client list. If you don’t
see what you have envisioned,
please give us a call. With
over nine years of experience
we can’t show all
our work. We’d
love to set up a meeting
to hear about your idea
and show you some of
our archived designs
that may be similar.
14. What
can I expect to receive
if I select Planetguide
as my design company?
In addition to outstanding
website development and
graphic design services,
you'll also receive:
- Friendly and courteous
answers to any questions
or concerns you may
have
- Knowledgeable, helpful
technical support that's
easy to understand
- Fantastic customer
service - even after
the project is complete!
- Proven ideas, suggestions
and tips to help your
business grow even
more!
15. Once PlanetGuide
builds my site, does
it belong to me?
Everything
about the site—content,
structure, design—is
yours. If you prefer, you
do not have to choose PlanetGuide
to provide hosting, and
you are free to hire someone
else to make any future
changes to your site.
Website
Hosting Services
1. What
are the costs associated
with my website?
The main expense for
a new site involves its
conception and design.
As websites can vary
widely in scale, how
much your site will ultimately
cost depends upon its
size and functionality.
Other start-up costs
include purchasing a
domain name and registering
your site in search engine
directories. PlanetGuide
agrees on a fixed price
with each client before
beginning site design,
so you won’t have
to worry about any surprise
hidden costs.
Once your site is built,
it needs to be hosted
on a server in order
for Web users to be able
to access it. PlanetGuide
offers a variety of different
hosting packages for
a monthly fee. Click
here to learn more.
You
may want to periodically
update or make changes
your site. Some updates
you can perform yourself
free of charge. For other
changes, PlanetGuide’s
fees depend on the amount
of work needed.
2. Do
you maintain your own
servers? Where?
Planetguide has been
maintaining its own servers
since our inception in
1997. We pride ourselves
on being on top of the
latest technology to keep
our clients’ sites
online and running smoothly. We
are also easily accessible
if there is a problem to
assist our clients and
their needs. Our servers
are located in New Orleans
in a high rise knock center. We
weathered Hurricane Katrina
with less than 15 hours
of downtime and are prepared
for any event with proven
back up plans in place.
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