Website FAQs

Mostly everything you need to know about our website services!

What options do I have for updating my website?
What’s so wrong with budget web design companies?
What is Search Engine Optimisation?
What is your “Customer Area”?
How long will it take to create a website? What are the stages?
What do you mean by “website hosting” and “domain names”?
Will Primary Image setup my website hosting and domain names?
How much does it cost to register or renew domain names?
What is so good about your website hosting package?
Do you have a server status page?
I already have an existing website address, can I use that?
Will there be any hidden costs I should know about?
Will you test my website before its launched?

 

Q: What options do I have for updating my website?

We offer two options for updating your website:

1

Update it yourself via a content management program that we install:

This is suitable for most websites and allows you to edit or add content to your website. We’ll provide help files or on-site training if necessary to help you get started. Our designers will also keep an eye on your website to ensure that all the content is formatted professionally and can give you some design tips.

There is a small initial cost to setting up the ‘content management system’ (CMS) program, but after that you’ll be able to make unlimited updates to your website free of charge. It is therefore ideal for websites that need to be updated reguarly. You’ll get a “Get Started” guide and we can even come to your office to provide training if necessary.

2

Send us your updates and we’ll manage your website for you:

Take the hassle out of updating your website by letting the experts do the work, which allows you to spend time on the more important things in your business! Just send us your text, pictures, etc, and we’ll guarantee it’ll be formatted professionally and added to your website within three working days (and often a lot sooner than that!).

The advantage of this method is that there is no initial cost as we don’t need to install a ‘content management system’ for you to use. You simply pay a small amount per hour for the updates that need to be made. This option is therefore ideal for small websites that don’t have regularly changing content.


Alternatively, if you’re an advanced user, we can give you access to the raw HTML files and you can arrange website updates yourself.

 

Q: What’s so wrong with budget web design companies?

Budget companies generally churn out the same standard templates over and over again. They won’t invest the time like a professional designer to properly understand what structure, layout and features will work best for your business. They may promise “search engine optimisation” as part of their sales pitch, but rarely deliver on this, and they’ll have little interest in your website being successful in the long-term.

Watch out for companies that charge less for the initial design, but then have lots of hidden extras and ties (such as expensive website hosting contracts) that they’ll use to get their money back. We’ll be clear about all the costs upfront in your quotation and, if you prefer to host your website elsewhere, just tell us and that’s fine – we’ll do all the necessary work to get your website up and running on the hosting company of your choice.

Also ensure that you easily contact your website designer. Some will be eager to speak to you at the start, but may later ignore your messages as deadlines approach. At Primary Image, you’ll get your own named designer to work with and you can contact us via email, landline phone, mobile phone, instant messaging software or face-to-face!

 

Q: What is Search Engine Optimisation?

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is all about making your website appear at the top of search engine listings when people search for words or phrases associated with your business, e.g. “Southend hotel”. Whilst virtually all web design companies state that SEO is part of their package, rarely do they actually invest the time to deliver properly on this promise. At Primary Image, we do and we have a proven success rate with our clients, involving the use of specialist techniques.

 

Q: What is your “Customer Area”?

(It’s coming soon…!)

 

Q: How long will it take to create a website? What are the stages?

Generally it takes about a fortnight, depending on the size and complexity of the project.

After you contact us using our website ideas form, we will allocate one of our expert designers to you and they’ll soon be in touch to develop a project specification that meets your requirements and budget. All our consultation time is absolutely free – there’s no commitment!

Once you’re ready to proceed, we’ll start work on some design ideas and ask you for any pictures and text you have for the website. During the design stages, you can log into your “Customer Area” at any time to monitor our progress and give us your feedback on our draft designs.

After we’ve thoroughly tested your website on a variety of computers to ensure it works properly and when you’re 100% happy with how it looks, your website will then go “live”.

And as we’re so passionate about making your website a success, our support doesn’t just end there! We’ll submit your site to the major search engines and Internet directories, come up with some ideas to promote your website, analyse your visitor statistics to see what’s working and we’ll help drive more visitors to your new site.

 

Q: What do you mean by “website hosting” and “domain names”?

Once a website is designed, it needs a place on the Internet where the pages and files can be stored. This is called “web hosting” (or “web space”) and your files are stored on a special computer called a “web server”. Web hosting is like a house; a building that houses all your furniture (files).

A domain name, on the other hand, is an address that allows people to find your website. The domain name signposts people to your web hosting account. It’s just like a postal address showing the location of your house.

 

Q: Will Primary Image setup my website hosting and domain names?

Absolutely! We’ll take care of everything to get your website up and running.

We can advise on choosing the best domain name (or use your existing website address if you have one) and we’ll handle the full registration process. We always register the domain name with your own details to ensure you have full legal ownership and control of the address (unlike some other companies!).

Your website will be hosted on one of our super-fast UK-based Dell web servers. When you host with us, every month we’ll analyse and provide commentary on your visitor statistics, keep an eye on your search engine positions and check everything is functioning properly – all at no extra cost!

We’ll give you a custom quote for your web hosting depending on how much traffic and computer power we estimate your website will need, so you’re not paying more than you need to.

Alternatively, you’re free to arrange hosting and management of your website yourselves. Unlike some other companies, we won’t hold you hostage, but we’d be surprised if you can get better service elsewhere!

 

Q: How much does it cost to register or renew domain names?

Our domain name fees include the registry fee, applicable taxes and our administration time. We will normally send you a payment reminder about month before the renewal date, so you don’t have to worry about keeping track of dates and worrying about losing your domain names.

  • .co.uk, .org.uk are £15 for two years registration.
  • .com, .org and .net are £20 for one years registration.
  • Other domain name fees, such as for .eu, .tv, etc, are available on request.

 

Q: What is so good about your website hosting package?

  • We only use Dell web servers, currently with Dual Quad Core Intel Xeon 3.16GHz processors.
  • Every website is hosted on two separate servers, so if one server fails, the other one will automatically and without delay take over the workload.
  • Our servers have multiple connections directly to the main UK internet routes.
  • The building has two separate connections to the National Grid, with battery and diesel generator power backup.
  • It’s also equipped with CO2 fire suppression systems, climate control and high security access.

 

Q: Do you have a server status page?

You can view the current status of our server at http://monitor.primaryimage.com, with detailed performance stats available here. Our servers are automatically monitored every one minute, 24 hours a day, and our technical team are alerted if there are any issues.

 

Q: I already have an existing website address, can I use that?

Yes, we’ll take care of all the administration and transfer the domain name to your new website.

 

Q: Will there be any hidden costs I should know about?

No, once we fully understand your requirements, we’ll give you an individual quote to show the website development costs, domain registration fees (the website address – typically about £10 a year) and hosting costs (a place to store the files online).

If you wish to change the scope of the project (from the specification provided with your quote), then there may be additional charges for the extra work required, but we will discuss this with you. More details are in the Terms and Conditions.

 

Q: Will you test my website before its launched?

Yes, unlike some other companies, we won’t hand the website over to you until it’s been tested and we’re satisfied it works on all modern browsers, e.g. Internet Explorer and Firefox. We use “virtual computers” so we can run lots of different operating systems and versions of browsers all within the same computer screen, allowing us to rapidly test all our projects to ensure they work 100%.

 

Got another question? Please contact us for the answer!




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