Frequently Asked Questions

Domain Names and Hosting Plans

What is a domain name?

A domain name is a two part web address unique to your specific website. For example, our domain name is spritzweb.com. While the first part is who you are, the second part, "com", is a TLD, or Top Level Domain. In this case, the "com" stands for commercial.

What are the specifications for a domain name?

While the total length of a domain name may be up to 24 characters, the only characters allowed are letters, digits, and the dash.

What does it cost to register a particular domain name?

The cost is $15 per year for most top level domains. We'll need your name, address, phone number, fax, and e-mail address to register your site for you.

How long does it take before my domain name is active?

Once your domain name has been registered, it takes about 48 hours before it is active. All Internet providers must update their records to reflect new site locations.

Can I transfer an existing domain name to Spritz?

Yes. There is a $15 fee for transferring your domain name to Spritz. This includes the renewal of your domain name for 1 year.

Can I have more than one domain name for the same site?

Yes.

Web Design & Development

How long does it take to create a website?

The length of time it takes to create a fully functional website is based on several factors. Custom design work can take anywhere from 1 - 4 weeks, depending on the complexity of the design and the number of revisions you require. The development phase requires an additional 1 - 6 weeks, depending on the number of pages, and the functionality required. Of course, these are general guidelines, and we will make every effort to meet the timeframe you have in mind.

What is the average cost for a website?

It is difficult to quote an average price, due to the enormous range in requirements for a site. According to BusinessWeek Online, a designer might charge $2,000 or more for a basic Web site, not including Web hosting fees. If you check out BuyerZone.com, you'll see that a 4 - 6 page template-based site will cost around $400, while a full custom design will come in closer to $800 - $1500. Other authoritative sources generally quote in the $1,000 - $2,000 range.

There are many, many factors that influence the ultimate cost of any given website, and we encourage you to read our article regarding Website pricing for more information and guidance in searching for your Website provider.

How much do you charge for web site design?

A fully customized, unique website design starts at $449, and page development is $50 - $75 each. Pricing for other services and functionality are outlined separately on our pricing page to help you determine and control the amount of your investment. We also provide our clients with a detailed estimate before any work begins.

What kind of technology do you support?

We specialize in XHTML, CSS and Flash, but are very experienced with JavaScript, DHTML, XML, PHP, and others. Although it's unlikely, if there's something we can't do, we can reach out to our network of partners for additional services (at no additional cost to you).

Can I see my website while it's in progress?

Absolutely! In fact, we encourage it. We build your website on our development server, and provide you with a username and password so that you can log in and monitor the progress of your site. During this phase, we encourage your feedback if something isn't quite the way you envisioned it or if you've changed your mind. Once your site is ready and you have provided your approval, we release it live on your server and submit your URL to the major search engines.

How many changes can I make to my site without additional cost?

We give as much latitude as we possibly can. After you've identified the general format and color schemes of your preferred design, we'll complete up to 2 rounds of major revisions at no charge. All minor revisions are provided at no charge.

Are any other services included in your web design and development costs?

Yes. Our web design and development service includes configuration of your email accounts, detailed monthly traffic reports and basic search engine optimization services. Basic SEO includes submission of your site to the major search engines, and the setup of your primary metatag information (Page Title, Description and Keywords). Additionally, your site is built from the ground up with search engine friendly technologies and methods.

We are a very small company with a limited budget. Do you offer any design templates?

This is a question we often receive from startup companies and entrepreneurs. Although we don't offer design templates today, we are planning to release a gallery of templates unique to Spritz in October, 2007. Please check back with us soon, or send us an email to inquire further.

Is a custom design really that much more valuable than an attractive template?

In general, we don't recommend the use of templates, but they may be appropriate in certain situations. For example, if you absolutely must have a site launched within the space of a few days, or if you are on an especially limited budget, a template might be an acceptable short-term solution. However, these instances should be the exception rather than the rule for these reasons:

1. Most templates do not conform to important usability and search engine guidelines. If you're not meeting the needs of your users, or if the search engines can't easily index your site, then you'll simply be wasting your valuable time and money with this approach.

2. Most templates do not lend themselves to quick or easy modification. If you require design modifications, it's important to understand that they can substantially increase your total cost.

3. Templates purchased from the major online vendors may be used hundreds or even thousands of times, even by your own competitors. A cookie cutter design doesn't attract much lasting attention. Good design is a reflection of your business, your strategy and your audience.

If design templates aren't such a great idea, why will you be offering them in the future?

As with all of our custom designs, our templates will conform to important usability principals and be built from the ground up using solid, search engine friendly techniques. We use Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), which facilitate changes to a site's visual appearance and overall layout. Not only does it reduce design time modifications, but it also also provides greater control in constructing a design just the way you want it.

When is payment required for your web site design and development services?

For small projects, 50% of the estimated fee must be provided prior to beginning work, with the remaining payment due upon completion of the project. For larger projects, an initial payment representing one-third of the estimated total fee is required. The second payment is required upon the halfway point, with the final third due upon completion of the project.

Content Management

I need some changes on my Web site or template. Do you provide that service?

Yes! For one time changes, we will provide you with an estimate before beginning the work and charge at our standard hourly rate. If you anticipate regular needs for maintenance, one of our Ongoing Maintenance Plans may be more cost-effective for you.

What is the best approach for content maintenance on my site?

Spritz Web Solutions offers three options for maintaining and refreshing your site content. We don't care which option you choose, but we strongly encourage you to update your site regularly.

The Pay as You Go Plan: Call us when you need to add to or make a change to your content. We'll complete your request within 48 hours, and bill you at our standard hourly rate. Urgent requests can generally be completed within a few hours for an additional charge.
Ongoing Maintenance Plan: Sign up for one of our ongoing maintenance plans, and you'll receive a discount on our standard rates.
Content Management System (CMS): Purchase a Content Management System from Spritz and make all the changes you want. Perfect if your site requires frequent updates.

eCommerce

What is involved in setting up an eCommerce website?

First, of you course, you'll need a site design and the usual functional elements of a website, such as a contact form. For standard eCommerce functionality, you will need several additional components: an SSL (Secure Socket Layer) certificate, a merchant account, a payment gateway, a back-end database for processing orders and storing customer information, and a shopping cart solution. Spritz can help you with all of these items.

I'm only selling a few products. Can you set me up with PayPal?

Yes. If you only have a handful of products, you can use PayPal for payment processing. However, you should understand that your customers will be directed to PayPal's site while placing their order. Also, as your sales grow, it will become more economical to switch to a standard merchant plan.

Search Engine Optimization

What is SEO?

Search Engine Optimization is a set of rules and practices that enhance the "findability" of your site by search engines, thus improving your ranking in the search engine results pages. There are many components to search optimization, including proper selection and use of keywords and other metatag information, building your site correctly, and using links to maximize your ranking.

How important is it to optimize my web site for search engines?

If you want to use your website to grow your business, then it is advisable to ensure your site is properly optimized. More than 80% of all Internet users use search to find what they need online. Why hide from potential customers?

There are many components to SEO, and you can choose to implement everything at once, or implement the techniques progressively. Of course, the sooner the changes are made, the sooner you will see the results.

Will I have to redo my entire website to make it search engine optimized?

There are many levels of search engine optimization, and much will depend on how your site was originally built. Changing the site's architecture is usually the most involved alteration. However, there are many other items within your site that can be modified more easily and quickly.

When will I start seeing results of SEO?

The timeframe varies from a few days to many weeks, depending on when your site is re-indexed.

What are search engine spiders?

Search engine spiders (also called "crawlers" or "bots") are programs that browse the Internet for web pages. They index and rank each page they find, based on subject matter and a number of other factors. The spiders work on unique algorithms programmed by software engineers for the various engines.

What is PageRank?

PageRank is a term used by Google that reflects their system for ranking pages on the basis of their importance and relevance to certain keywords. If PageRank likes your page and finds it useful according to its parameters you will receive a high ranking on the search result page.

What is black hat SEO?

Many website use "black hat" techniques in an attempt to trick the search engines for better results. These techniques include page cloaking, link farms, duplicate content, keyword spamming and many others. These methods may work temporarily, but search engines are getting more sophisticated. Eventually, your site will be penalized or banned altogether.

Is PPC advertising very successful?

Pay-per-click is a widely accepted brand building strategy. Although a search engine result shows the PPC ads separately many users are quite likely to click there if your descriptions and titles are attractive.

If you have a question that is not addressed in our FAQs, please send us an email. We will answer your question promptly and completely.