Frequently Asked Questions
Click on the questions below for more details, or if you have another question please email us your question.
What is a Standard Web Site?
What is CMS or a Content Manage Site?
How long does it take to make my web site?
What is a domain name, do I need one?
What is a hosting provider?
What should we put in our site?
How do you build the site?
How do we market our site?
Is it cost effective doing business over the internet?
How do I collect payments?
Do rural web sites work?
I have a web site why doesn't it work for me?
Why doesn't my web site show up on the search engines?
I made some changes to my site to make it rank higher but now it has disappeared from the search engines!
Should I put a counter on my site so I know how many visits I have had?
Do your web sites work on all browsers?
Can you build web sites for people outside your local area?
Do you use the latest technology?
What is a Standard Web Site?
A standard web site is one that is coded in straight HTML / CSS code that will load locally on any computer with a browser or from a web server. It does not require any specialised software on the host server. The web pages are developed by a web developer and are uploaded to the web server. You will be unable to edit or change these yourself, however these web pages can be edited by any web developer and are transportable between developers and web site hosting companies. Items such as Blogs, shopping carts and forums which require active content can be integrated into standard sites if required.
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What is CMS or a Content Manage Site?
Content Managed Sites are web sites based on a software appliaction loaded on the server that allows end users to manage and update thier own web sites. To get the most from a content managed site you will need to learn some basic skills or enlist the support of someone who has these skills. Management of a CMS site can vary from simple to complex depending on the solution chosen. We recommend you do not buy sight unseen, ask for access to a sample rear end management interface to see if it suits you before you buy. Not all CMS sites are transporatable to a new server or hosting company should you choose to move, and are limited to a single backend editing system.
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How long does it take to make my web site?
Site development times differ depending on a number of variables including:
- When we get your materials?
- Do you need help writing?
- Do we have to research or find images?
- Length of review process?
- Rush jobs makes it hard to ensure high quality.
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What is a domain name, do I need one?
Yes, you should register your own domain name for two important reasons. First, a domain name remains unchanged and yours even if you change your host, move location or change your internet service provider. Secondly, a name that correctly reflects your business (e.g. widgets.com.au) helps validate and rank your site with search engines. It will also provide you with some new email addresses with a matching address to your web site (e.g. bill@widgets.com.au). Check with us before you begin and we'll help you determine the best domain name for you and help you get the lowest registration price. You can expect the registration to cost around $35 for a two year period. If you are paying more or are being quoted more, ask why!
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What is a hosting provider?
This is the location where your site (the files and graphics) will reside. This is different to your Internet Service Provider (ISP). We can help you source quotes and make some recommendations about hosting providers. You will find this can cost as little as $10 per month, depending upon the complexity of your site and its requirements. Note; price is not always a guide to what you get. There are many providers who charge extra for features that should be standard. They may try to lock you in then upsell as you develop your site. If you are unhappy with your current provider talk to us about finding a better solution.
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What should we put in our site?
Your site should contain information about your business, services and products. This information can vary according to your business. As a guideline you will note that other sites have information such as:
- Welcome page
- About Us
- History and other general information
- About the product
- Successes and testimonials
- Sales information
- Ordering forms or details
- Contact details
You will need to gather information about your business, club or association for us to use. Don’t worry too much about polishing up the text; we’ll do that for you once we receive the information.
Good photographs add credibility and depth to your site. If you have a digital camera, set it to the highest resolution and take some photos of your products, business, people and environment. Too many photos are never enough. The more we have to work with, the more creative we can be. We can also scan existing photographs and return them to you.
If you don’t have photographs, we have access to quality library photographic art that can be used to brighten up your site.
It is also good if you can spend a little time surfing the net to look at other site designs. This will give you an idea of what styles you like. Don’t limit yourself to competitor sites, as there are many other designs out there that may inspire you. We will design something original with your preferences in mind.
We will also require a good quality copy of your logo. If you don’t have a logo we would be happy to design one for you for a reasonable price. Logos designed by us are professionally formatted and can then be used on any future materials such as brochures and business cards.
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How do you build the site?
Once the basic structure and size of the site have been decided we will provide you with a documented quote and request your deposit. We will then develop a site design concept which we will upload to our own site for you to preview. This will be a non-functioning image only. It is important to get the design just how you like it at this point before all the pages are developed. Once you have agreed to a design, we’ll put the whole site together, including text. You will then need to review the site again and carefully proof the text. It can be a good idea to ask a friend with fresh eyes to help with this.
When the site has been finally approved we will optimise the site to improve your visibility to search engines such as Google, Yahoo and MSN. The site will then be uploaded to your hosting provider and will be available to the public.
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How do we market our site?
We will optimise your site to make it easier for search engines to find you. In time search engines will guide visitors to your site, however to get the best results for your site you will need to promote the web address everywhere you can. Here are some tips on where to use your web address:
- Your Business card
- Brochures
- Phone Book listings and yellow pages online (ask them to link your listing to your site)
- Signage and banners
- Advertising newspapers, magazines and newsletters
- Link your site to business partners and industry association sites
- Twitter, Facebook and other social media.
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Is it cost effective doing business over the internet?
Setting up an E-Business can be very cost effective, especially if you have an existing customer base and you want to make it easier for them to buy from you. Your web site reaches more customers and works for you to provide the most current information and sales even while you are away.
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How do I collect payments?
There are many options available for payment collection it is simply a matter of choosing the option that best suits your business.
- Direct Deposit. Simple and easy the customer deposits straight into you account.
- COD. Your site may provide a simple order system with payment being collected on delivery of goods.
- Cheque. Similar to COD.
- PayPal. Well worth considering as your customer pays by credit card using a third party to handle the transaction. This allows you to sell globally without handling the credit card details and fees.
- Shopping Cart. A full online shopping system allowing customers to order and pay online directly with you.
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Do rural web sites work?
Yes, rural web sites are growing in numbers and showing excellent results. New 'sea' and 'tree' changers looking for a suitable enterprise use the internet as a method of research as well as shopping for stock and supplies. The internet makes distance irrelevant. Existing rural and small businesses are expanding their market base to reach customers and generate new business relationships all over Australia and the world.
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I have a web site why doesn't it work for me?
There are many reasons why a web site may not be attracting and keeping visitors. Too often many sites are not correctly set up to attract the attention of search engines. When a visitor does arrive, you have roughly 30 seconds to catch and keep their attention. Your web site should be eye-catching and immediately tell the viewer what it is you do. If you make it hard for them to find what they want you will lose them to another site. Too much text, clutter and flashing animations can be a real turn off. Complicated navigation systems also make it hard for visitors to find their way around. At Graphical Constructions all our designs take careful note of the reading and navigation habits of web users. If you are not sure if your site is working for you, call us for a free evaluation.
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Why doesn't my web site show up on the search engines?
There are now over a billion pages on the internet. Search engines use a complex methodology and a variety of information to rank your pages and present them to people who use them. Most likely your site is listed, just so far down the list you haven't seen it. We can assist you to improve your ranking with our advanced Search Engine Optimisation service.
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I made some changes to my site to make it rank higher but now it has disappeared from the search engines!
There are many techniques for promoting your web site on the net and many organisation who promote them that are viewed as unethical by the search engines. If your site is setup or promoted using the wrong methods your site can be penalised and may be ranked significantly lower. Worse still, it may even be black-banned all together.
Graphical Construction abide by recognised standards and have completed specialised training so that when we optimise a site these spamming techniques are avoided. By using specialised software and databases along with adherence to the SEO Industry Code of Conduct we ensure that our work meets the search engine's guidelines.
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Should I put a counter on my site so I know how many visits I have had?
No! In fact if the designers you are considering are recommending this, find a new designer fast!. Good web hosting, which does not have to be expensive, comes with statistics packages that offer far more than a counter and the results are private. Even worse than a visible counter is a link that you click on to see your statistics. Your statistics are your business, would you tell your competitors how many customers you have? statistics are not an extra cost option, avoid these providers. If you want advanced statistics so that you can track visitor flow through your site and track sales promotions we can assist with add on packages that offer far more than standard statistics.
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Do your web sites work on all browsers?
To ensure usability we test all web sites we build on Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera, Mozilla and Konqueror browsers. In addition when you choose site optimisation we ensure that the site is fine tuned for maximum readability by all major search engines.
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Can you build web sites for people outside your local area?
Yes, we already have customers Australia wide. We have even provided product photography for interstate clients. The internet allows us to communicate easily over great distances and time zones. Ask us how we can make the process simple for you.
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Do you use the latest technology?
Yes, but we don't use bleeding edge technology which may be buggy and have issues with support on older computers. In addition you may well pay much higher development costs while developers learn the new technology. We also make sensible use of flash as it is still blocked by some IT departments and has a longer load time. We are constantly tracking what screen resolutions end users have so that we can ensure that the sites we build are end user friendly.
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