Frequently Asked Questions
Small Business Web Designs offers an extensive website development service for British businesses. Please consult the FAQs below to find more about our web design service and how we serve your business.
What are the ongoing maintenance costs to run my website?
There are two main ongoing costs to keep your website live on the Internet:
- Hosting: Every website on the Internet needs to be ‘hosted’ on a server somewhere. It’s like paying a monthly "rent” for your website to “live” on the Internet. Without it, your website would not exist. After the first three months of free hosting with Small Business Web Designs, hosting and website management is charged each month. Our fee includes hosting, editing access and ongoing support. We believe our fee is the best value in the United Kingdom among web designers.
- Domain Name Renewal: Each year, your domain name will require renewal. If we purchased this on your behalf, we will simply renew it for you at cost each year (£15 for 12 months) as part of our ongoing website development service.
Can I use a different hosting company?
No. Our host servers are connected with our Content Management System (CMS) so we are cannot separate the hosting from our platform. Once your website is published, you may take your website files and host them elsewhere, however you will lose access to the CMS and your website may not be able to be updated. Our website development process involves our CMS and it allows you to have access to self-editing 24 / 7 so you don't need to pay Small Business Web Designs every time you need to make a change - it's in your hands! Other web designers are likely to charge much higher rates to provide ongoing editing services and you will be dependent on their response time to get back to you (when your business has dynamic changes).
Who owns the website after it's created?
You do. We provide you with complete handover instructions to own your website and we will simply manage your domain name renewal (if applicable) and hosting for the life of the website. Our service is made to save you time and remove any hassles.
Is there a contract or minimum period with your monthly hosting?
Never. There are no contracts with our web design service or our ongoing monthly fees so you can cancel your website anytime.
Can I make changes to my website after it's published? How much does it cost to make changes?
Of course you can! We will provide you with easy self-management instructions to take over editing of the website, it’s very easy to get the hang of it. Our friendly support team is always on hand to support you through self-management if you get stuck along the way, so we'll never leave you stranded!
How long will it take for my website to go live?
We can have your draft website ready within 15 business days. Any delays to this will depend on how quickly you can send Small Business Web Designs your initial information and the time it takes you to review your website (we provide two revisions). Once you have approved your website, we will publish your website to go live and it will be publicly viewable on your domain name.
Please note that your website will not come up in the search results just yet, because Google takes between 3-10 days to discover a new website for ranking purposes. This is a very normal process, so just need to keep an eye on it until you see it show up.
Please note that your website will not come up in the search results just yet, because Google takes between 3-10 days to discover a new website for ranking purposes. This is a very normal process, so just need to keep an eye on it until you see it show up.
Do you offer eCommerce websites?
Not at this time.
I don’t like my current website, can you provide assistance?
Yes we can, as part of our web design service. Keep your domain name and when your new website is up and running with us, you simply cancel your old hosting. Contact us today so we can help you re-launch your website with our signature website development service.
I already have a domain name, can I use this for my website?
Yes, this is no problem at all. We will assist you in ensuring your domain settings point to your new website as part of our web design service.
What is Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)?
Search engine optimisation (SEO) is the process of ranking your website to show up on Google results for various keyword searches related to your business. Read more about SEO and Web Design.
Do you provide SEO on my website?
We are not SEO consultants and do not guarantee first page Google results with our web design service, however we do provide all of the on-page SEO which includes optimising the meta data and content, based on a comprehensive keyword analysis of your business and region. For clarification on what we do and don't do on SEO, please read here.
We believe in educating you about how SEO works so that you can be informed if you decide to engage a separate SEO consultant for your website. We also provide comprehensive guidance to help you do your own SEO with our friendly SEO guide.
We believe in educating you about how SEO works so that you can be informed if you decide to engage a separate SEO consultant for your website. We also provide comprehensive guidance to help you do your own SEO with our friendly SEO guide.
What will my website look like? What if I am not happy with my web design, do you offer a refund?
If you have an existing logo, we will create a website to match your existing colour scheme and logo design so that your online website will be consistent with your business cards and offline marketing. If you don't have a logo, we will suggest a professional design for you and if you are unhappy with it, we will refund you your 50% deposit, so there is no risk to you!
What is better, a co.UK or a .com domain? Does it matter?
Google geo-targets its results to rank United Kingdom extensions (.co.uk) higher for United Kingdom searches because they are more relevant. If your audience is international, .com domain can still be relevant for wider reach.
Are there any emails included with my website?
We do not include email accounts within our standard service. If you would like an email address connected to your domain name, we can set one up for you through Google Apps for Business, for a one-off fee of £50. There is an ongoing charge of £3.50 per month per email address directly payable to Google for the mailbox.
Will my website be available to all apple and android devices?
Yes, all of our websites are smartphone and tablet-friendly and standard with our website development service.
Can I see some examples of your past website development work?
What pictures can I use on my website?
You can use any images you own or have permission to use, we will ask you to send these to Small Business Web Designs during the process. If you do not have any photos, we will source relevant and high quality stock images to bring your website to life.
How can I track traffic and data of people visiting my website?
By installing Google Analytics, which is a Google program that collates and presents all your website visitor statistics including number of visitors, how long they spent on each page, where they are from, keyword searches to your website and plenty more. We can set this up for you for a one-off fee of £50. Learn more about our add-ons.
Do you offer a one page website design service?
Yes we do, please contact us today to arrange this service. One page web design is popular for taking the first step and we offer a discounted website development service for such needs.
Do your prices include VAT?
There is no VAT charged on our prices as we are not registered for VAT in the United Kingdom, based on our turnover. The prices you see are total.
Will you send me monthly reporting on the performance of website?
We will not automatically provide you with this information, if you want this, we encourage you to set up Google Analytics which gives you all the information you need. We can set this up for your for a one-off fee of £50.
What is Google My Business or Google Places?
Google My Business is a Google service which allows you have a Google Places listing (a "pin" on the Google map) to give your business name and map a prominent display on Page 1 of Google when users search your business name. This is complemented with a Google + page that is connected to the listing. If you would like Small Business Web Designs to create this for you, we can do it for a one-off fee of £50 and you will need a registered address that we can submit for your business (PO Boxes are not accepted by Google).
I want to change my current website, add more pages and change the look. Can you help me?
Yes we can, and although different in need from our standard web design service, we offer an excellent website re-design service that offers website development with results! Keep your domain name and when your new website is up and running with us, you simply cancel your old hosting. Contact us today so we can help you re-launch your website.
I would like to sell ebooks on my website, can you do this?
Yes, we do this through e-Junkie, please contact us for more details.
Why are your websites so cheap compared to others?
Our websites are affordable for a number of reasons:
- We use a range of stylish templates to create each website - This saves us time and we do not need to charge you on an hourly basis for our time.
- We do not offer specialist graphic design features - We use effective images on your website instead which provides excellent and high-impact visual appeal.
- We operate remotely - Based in London, we deliver our websites via email to save time and costs. This keeps the process efficient and helps us focus on getting you the website you want through our structured process.