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FAQ

 

General

What is the process once we/I sign a contract with Webmike?

We will contact you and setup a first phone conference or meeting, where we will gather as much concrete info as possible to get your project started. You don't have to have all content, images, info ready, as we are flexible to work with you as you go.

Sometimes, depending on the project and prior communication, we will ask you to fill out a short questionnaire with common questions prior to this phone call, so we have a better idea of your goals and objectives.

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How much is this going to cost?

For many projects (i.e. web/e-commerce development, localization, audio/video editing, content writing, website updates) it really depends on the scope of the project. Our prices are competitive and fair. Please feel free to request a free price quote. The more information your provide us, the more accurate the quote.

Or you may call us at 1-562-MIKE888 in the US or Canada or at +1-562-MIKE888 from anywhere else in the world to receive a free price quote.

Click here for some fixed sample pricing.

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How long will it take to have a page or site completed?

That also depends on the scope of the project on on how ready you are with content, images, products, etc. If we have all we need from you to finish your website, a simple 5-7 brochure site can be done roughly within 5-10 days. Larger and more complicated sites will take longer. Changes in content/images/etc. during the development process, increase in scope, or incomplete information will delay the project, of course.

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I already have a page/site. Can you help me improve or re-design it?

Absolutely! Request a free price quote and don't forget give us your website address/URL!

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My cousin can design web pages and I've seen free web page makers online, so why pay a professional web designer?

Because like all other professions or trades, web development is a professional art. There are great, good and bad websites out there. We are professionals developing great, professional, efficient websites that fulfill your business or personal needs and goals.

If your cousin can change the oil on your car, would you also let him rebuild your engine? Of course not - you leave that to a professional mechanic/machine shop. SAME WITH WEB DEVELOPMENT. Please don't settle for less. If you go with a professional, you will save time and money. Same with the car repair. Even if you or your cousin somehow could rebuild the engine, it would take a huge amount of time, time that's far more valuable than the little bit of savings you would get, not to mention the hassle and stress.

Just because someone knows how to throw together images and text on a web page doesn't make him/her necessarily a web designer!

Free automatic website builders are not recommended, because they are limiting in terms of design and what you can do, and they are hard to optimize for Search Engines. But again, it all depends on your needs of your website.

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Why choose Webmike to build your website?

Because we provide you with superb quality work and excellent customer service. As client you will get individual attention with excellent, adequate and prompt communication. To deliver professional, clean, crisp websites, we believe in attention to detail.

We also adhere to these web design/development best practices:

• Clean, sharp and professional website look and layout
• Easy navigation structure
• Logical information structure
• Excellent usability for the end user
• Clean, sharp and visually pleasing graphics
• Graphical and overall appeal of your site
• Clean code
• Easy Directory structure
• Websites adhere to common HCI and Internet Marketing practices

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Can you assure me the quality of your work?

Yes, we can. We set high quality standards for ourselves and strive to deliver these standards. However, if something is not "to your liking", that has nothing to do with the quality of our work. However we don't even let it get that far. We make sure that you like our designs, services, products before we spend time on the development. Communication and organization is essential, and we maintain a high profile in this.

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Do you provide support after my site is completed?

Of course we do. The level of support depends on your needs and budget.

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Web Development

Will my pages look the same in every browser and operating system?

Yes - for the latest browser versions Internet Explorer 6+, Firefox 3.5+, Google Chrome 10+, Opera 10+, Safari 4+, on Windows XP, Vista, 7

No - for older browsers, unless we specifically program it.

However, we suggest not to do that, unless you know exactly that your target market is using an older browser, like Netscape 4 or IE4. Otherwise at least 95% of all visitors will see the same thing anyway.

On MAC and Linux, especially on slightly older Browser Versions, websites may sometimes look different. That's just the nature of these operating systems and/or the way their browsers have been installed. Again this is nothing to worry about, since most of your website visitors are on a PC. However, we can program specifically to have your website look the same on the PC and MAC/Linux (provided there are differences in the first place) at an additional cost. Most likely if your pages look good in Safari on Windows, they will look good on Apple.

Here are some current usage statistics:

www.w3schools.com/browsers/browsers_stats.asp

www.thecounter.com/stats

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Why can't I use any favorite font on my website?

Because not everyone in the world has every single font in the world installed, it's that simple. You have the choice of about 20-30 fonts to use for text. These fonts come with almost every Windows and Mac operating system. If you want to use any fancy fonts, we will turn your text into graphics. Then you can have any font you want.

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I'm having a hard time writing content. Can you assist with that?

Yes, we can. We can meet with you or do a phone call to discuss your website topic, which then we can write about. Or you can give us your existing content and we can improve it/make suggestions, proofread, edit, spell check, rewrite, etc.

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E-Commerce and Shopping Carts

Why is a shopping cart more expensive than a regular site?

A shopping cart involves complicated backend programming and database structure and connections. Therefore it is not as easy as a regular website. We offer several shopping cart solutions based on your needs and budget. Keep in mind that the more you spend, the more customizable it gets. Full design integration into the shopping cart/checkout pages is important nowadays for a professional look and to build trust in your website and company.

We offer several cost-effective solutions for a shopping cart fully integrated in your site's design. These shopping carts are fully customizable for all your e-commerce needs. Keep in mind though that special customizations will drive up the cost.

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How long does it take to build a shopping cart?

That depends on how ready you are with your products list, pictures and other items. When we receive the final products list and pictures and if you have your shipping and payment methods as well as other details figured out, we can build a design-integrated shopping cart within as little as 1-2 weeks (based on a simple shopping cart with no more than 100 products). Extras and customizations, of course, will take a little longer.

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What is all involved in shopping carts?

You will need to supply us with product images, descriptions, prices, shipping and payment methods. If you want real-time shipping calculations, you will need to sign up with UPS, Fedex, DHL, USPS, Canada Post, etc. to enable that. We can then connect your shipping carrier account with the shopping cart. If you want real-time credit card processing, you will need to sign up with companies or banks, such as Authorize.net, Paypal Website Payments Pro, Paypal Payflow, Cardservices, etc. If you want real-time currency conversion for your site, you will need to sign up with Oanda.com. Most of these real-time solutions + more are supported in our shopping carts.

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Search Engine Optimization and Internet Marketing

How long will it take to get my site listed in search engines?

Currently anywhere from 2-12 months. It depends on the search engines, the amount of sites they are indexing, their will to index the site, and other factors. You and I have no control over their process.

If you want your site indexed tomorrow, we suggest to run Google AdWords. We can help you write the ads and setup an account with Google and make cost versus click-thru calculations.

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Do you guarantee the results?

Yes and no. We cannot guarantee something that is out of our control. Specific results are in the control of search engines only. But we can guarantee our work done by best practices and its professionalism. Based on years worth of experience, we see a 95% success rate in search engine results and improvement due to our work. That is better than a guarantee of results that depends solely on the search engines themselves.

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I want to come up in the top ten listings under "spas". Can you do that?

Yes and no. The question is how much is it worth to you. Currently to optimize for a word like "spas", it would cost you tens of thousands of Dollars and it would take several months if not years to achieve a top 10 ranking on such a highly competitive keyword.

Further, competitive keywords like spas, books, food, cars, etc. may be very difficult optimize for, since the history of a site being indexed in the search engines plays an important role. The sooner you get picked up by the search engines the better.

Moreover, your target market probably would not search on keywords like that to find your site, unless you are one of the biggies. And if you are, you already come up well on these keywords anyway.

So in this case, we strongly suggest to run Google AdWords on keyword phrases specific to your target market. It's a cheaper and a more promising solution. We can assist you in getting started with Google AdWords.

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