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
Promotion and Marketing
Payment Terms
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.
3. What
is your plan in the
event of a Hurricane?
We
faired Hurricane Katrina
well with minimal downtime. We
have back up generators,
batteries and systems in
place to weather this type
of disaster. As
always, we keep our clients
informed via our website
of how they locate us at
all times and would implement
the same plan as we did for
Katrina, in the event that
another disaster would
occur.
4. Should my business
set up its own server?
We meet with all
our clients to asses
their individual
needs. If,
after we asses your business,
we feel it requires you
installing your own server
we will be with you every
step of the way. From
purchasing the best system
that is cost effective
for your business to
installation and the
best methods of implementation,
we can help. This
is a big step for many
businesses and we have
the partners and expertise
to make this process
simple.
Programming
Services
1. I
want to have a database
of all the products
I sell, so that users
can browse and purchase
them through an online
shopping cart. Can
you create a site
like this?
Absolutely, we have considerable
experience developing
online product catalogs.
Whether you have 5 products
or 500 we can customize
a solution for you.
2. I
need to be able to
have separate pricing
for regular and wholesale
clients. Is this
possible within one website?
Yes, we can create
a shopping cart that allows
users to be identified
upon login and properly
classified as a retail
or wholesale shopper. It’s
a great feature for reaching
all your potential
clients.
3. Do
you offer programming
services that let me
make changes to the
text or images on my
entire website?
We make maintenance easy!
We can provide several
types of Content Management
systems that are tailored
specifically to your
needs. You'll easily
be able to change text,
images or other portions
of the site, that we
can designate, without
having to know any programming
languages.
Promotion
& Marketing
1. I need more visitors
to come to my website.
How can you help me?
We offer our clients
more than just basic
promotion and marketing
to the search engines.
A listing in a well-known
search engine can only
do so much to bring visitors
in. After your site is
complete, we'll give
you even more tips on
how you can boost your
sales and drive more
customers to your website.
2. Can
your company make
my site rank in the
top 10 on searches?
No -- No company
or software can guarantee
a Top 10 Search Engine
Ranking for your
most valuable keywords.
Websites that advertise
such promising offers
will generally do what
they say - except the
Top 10 ranking you
receive will be under
some obscure term that
most visitors wouldn't search
your site with (thus
resulting in a top
ranking for that term!). The
only exact method of
ranking in your preferred
top 10 search terms
is through a “pay
per click” method
and will vary according
to your requested search
terms.
Payment
Terms
1. What
are your payment terms? How
does the payment process
work?
Our terms are simple,
estimates are free
of charge. We will be happy to
meet with you to discuss your project and ideas and provide you with a proposal. If
agreed upon, we will draw
up the necessary contracts and prefer a 50% deposit. We begin work immediately
upon receipt of your materials and once the site is completed provide you with
a sign off at which
time the final payment is due.
2. What
forms of payment
do you accept?
Our preferred method
of payment is a check. It
is an instant receipt for
us and for our client.
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