• Time – We believe this concept is the most difficult for many business owners to understand. They look at a completed website for x amount of dollars and think they are paying for a website, when in actuality they are paying for the time it takes to create the website. Often the “small tweaks” business owners ask for, is actually a time consuming mini- project, and what they are charged for is the time it takes to do the so-called “small tweak.”

• Experience – Businesses should select a web design company who have been around for at least 5 years building and deploying web sites and Internet solutions. The web company should have experience managing web development from conception to delivery. The company should also employ search engine friendly techniques. This type of experience costs more money per hour (and per project), but will save your business money and headaches in the long run. You also want to make sure the company is going to be around to support your website in the future. Many companies like Forward Motion Studios have a monthly retainer plan which allows clients to request minor changes without having to go back through a quote and approval process.

• Styling – An expert design company has designers on staff who are up to date on the latest trends in design, and posses the ability to create designs that are unique to your vision of what your company brand says to the world. The more experienced the designer, the more you will pay for time spent in the design portion of your website. Again, your rate reflects the experience of the designer.

• Project management – An experienced web design company like Forward Motion Studios, has someone who manages the design projects to ensure continuous accountability and client oversight during the entire process. This can also part of the fee that you pay when you work with an experienced design company. You aren’t the only client a large design firm has, so it’s important to know someone is watching every step of your design process and making sure it is executed to your specifications.

It is not difficult to find web design companies who seem to be a good bargain, or people who work by themselves and offer design services as a one-person, low cost freelancer. But, in the web design world, always beware that you do get what you pay for. Make sure you are paying for experience. Make sure you are not paying for someone who is learning as they go. Also you need to consider what could happen if the person gets sick or has a family emergency. Who will be working on your web design project then?

Also, don’t be fooled by companies offering a low $500.00 start rate for a website and $25.00 – $50.00 a month under a two year contract. You are actually paying anywhere from $1,100.00 – $2,200.00 for your site, but it doesn’t look like it because of the $500.00 low fee upfront. And keep in mind that the monthly fee does not include any updates.

Hopefully this information helps you understand what you are paying for when you contract with a web design firm and understand what you are paying for when you hire an experienced web design company.

About Forward Motion Studios
Forward Motion Studiosâ„¢ is a Santa Rosa Web Design company that builds, hosts and supports custom websites for businesses. This includes simple, brochure-like web pages to highly complex, software and database-driven eCommerce websites with B2B shopping carts.

Contact us for a free estimate / consultation by calling 707-578-1390.

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Here is a list of Ten Web Terms you should know, when speaking to a web firm. Or, you may want to read this list just to keep up with today’s Internet lingo.

1. CACHE
In web browsers, “cache” is used to identify a space where web pages you have visited are stored in your computer. A copy of documents you retrieve is stored in cache. When you use GO, BACK, or any other means to revisit a document, the browser first checks to see if it is in cache and will retrieve it from there because it is much faster than retrieving it from the server. To clear or refresh cache hit the Ctrl + F5 keys on your keyboard.

2. DOMAIN
A domain is your web address or URL. In most cases it is something like:  www.companyname.com

3. DREAMWEAVER
This is the most popular program for building websites. If you are having someone develop a website for you, make sure that this is what they are using.

4. FLASH
The premier programming language used for animation, moving graphics.

5. FORM
An online text form, the most common form is an online inquiry form.

6. HOSTING
Every website has to be hosted somewhere, on a physical computer/server. Hosting is a type of Internet service that allows individuals and organizations to “house” and to make their website accessible via Internet access.

7. HTML
An abbreviation for Hypertext Markup Language; a cross-platform text-formatting system for creating web pages, including copy, images, sounds, animation and more. Dreamweaver software is based on HTML programming.

8. HYPERLINK
An icon, graphic, word or phrase that, when clicked with a mouse, it automatically opens another picture, web page, or file for viewing.

9. SEO
Search Engine Optimization, the use of various techniques to improve a web site’s ranking in the search engines and attract more visitors.

10. SHOPPING CART
Software used to create an online “storefront,” or e- commerce web site. It acts as a virtual shopping cart, keeping track of the items visitors have ordered and allowing them to add or remove items when purchasing online.

11. SPIDERS – CRAWLER – WEB CRAWLER
Computer robot programs, referred to sometimes as “crawlers” or “knowledge-bots” or “knowbots” that are used by search engines to roam the World Wide Web via the Internet, visit sites and databases, and keep the search engine database of web pages up to date. They obtain new pages, update known pages, and delete obsolete ones. Their findings are then integrated into the “home” database. The web is a big place and sometimes it takes a while before your updates, or new website is picked up by the spiders and displayed in search results.

12. BLOG or WEB LOG
A blog (short for “web log”) is a type of web page that offers a series of posted items (short articles, photos, diary entries, etc.). Blogs usually include a search-able archive of old postings. Many blogs provide RSS feeds, where readers can subscribe and receive alerts to new postings in selected blogs.

For a more thorough glossary of web terms be sure to visit the Forward Motion Studios Glossery.

About Forward Motion Studios
Forward Motion Studiosâ„¢ is a Santa Rosa Web Design company that builds, hosts and supports custom websites for businesses. This includes simple, brochure-like web pages to highly complex, software and database-driven eCommerce websites with B2B shopping carts.

Contact us for a free estimate / consultation by calling 707-578-1390.

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• 10 Ways To Drive Traffic To Your Website
• What Every Business Ought To Know About Their Web Presence
• How Do You Know If Your Website Needs A Makeover

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