IC-Computers FAQ
Below you will find some of the most commonly asked questions
- How will the design process work?
- What content should I include in my site?
- What pages should I include in my site?
- What is a Domain Name?
- How do I make an update to my website?
- What do I do if I don't have digital format content?
If you do not find the answer to your question here please e-mail your questions to info@ic-computers.org.uk
Q. How will the design process work?
After we have received you initial requirements we completed a draft of the first page of the site (known as the 'front-end design'), we will ask you to view this so that you can be sure we're on the right track. We upload the design to a private, password protected site where only you will know the web address. This allows you to provide feedback for the next stage of the project. This process continues until the site is completed.
Once you are happy with the basics of the site we will send you a bill and link to pay for the site via Pay Pal. once we receive your actual content and conformation of payment we will complete the design adding pages and content where appropriate. You will be able to view the site in progress at any time throughout the process on the link we provide.
Once the site is completed, depending on hosting options, we will either publish the site for you or provide you with a Zip file of the site so you can upload it to your existing host.
Q. What content should I include in my site?
You should try and put as much detail in as possible but keep it short when first presented to the viewer. If you need to include more information, give the user the choice if they want to know more then give them a link to further information.
Remember on a visit to a website the viewer is probably looking for some specific information, so keep the initial detail short and meaningful and cover as many topics as you need in a short space.
The first page of a website is more like a leaflet or pamphlet where you don't get much space, so you need to tell the visitors as much about you and your products / services as possible.
Q. What pages should I include in my site?
Home Page
The most important page on your site will be your Home page. This
is the first page visitors will see and it needs to draw them in and
make them want to see more. Keep your Home page short and to the
point and provide plenty of links to more information. You can link
to the same information through text in paragraphs by using links
like read more... and also provide links on side menus and
navigation bars.
Contacts Page
This is another important page, especially if you want people to
contact you. Make links to you contact page obvious, include a
contact link at the bottom of every page so people know where to
find it. On your contacts page give visitors different methods of
contacting you, some people prefer to use a telephone rather than
e-mail. provide a map of your location and directions from places
like train stations or motorways if you want people to visit you.
Provide a direct contact form on the page, so people don't even need
to log into their e-mail, they can send a message directly from your
site.
Product/Services Page
This page will describe your products and or services. if you have a lot of
products or services, keep the initial descriptions short and
provide links to further information, consider having different
pages for different categories. Give the viewer the chance to see
all you have to offer, if they see something they like they will not
mind following a link to find out more about it. Use pictures to to
show off your products, people remember pictures and they can see if
the product suits their needs.
Testimonials Page
Testimonials from client/customers is a very good way to reassure
new customers the have come to the right place. Don't be afraid to
let visitors know what other people think of your products or
services.
Product Prices Page
It can be a difficult decision to add prices to a web site but you must
know how annoying it is to find a site with a product you want and
then be asked to contact them to find out the price. If you offer a
service and can't give specific prices, give the visitors an idea of
what the service will cost. Not including pricing information is a
real turn off for most people browsing the web and usually means
they leave your site and try and find the competitions site.
FAQ Page
Consider a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's) page, these can be a
great way to provide extra information about your product or
business. If you are getting asked the same question over and over
again, add it to your FAQ's page to reduce the number of times the
question gets asked.
Q. What is a Domain Name?
A domain name is your address on the internet i.e. www.ic-computers.org.uk is a domain name also known as the URL. All web sites have an IP (Internet Protocol) address, these are numbers, which humans don't remember well i.e. 64.233.183.99. The Domain name is assigned to the IP address of the website to make it easier four us humans to remember. When you type in a Domain name into your browser, a server called a DNS (Domain Name Server) looks up what IP address is assigned to the domain name you typed in, then it forwards your browser on to that IP address. could you imagine having to remember the IP address above each time you wanted to do a Google search.
Choosing a Domain name is important, you need to choose a domain name that is relative to your business and also it needs to be easy to remember. It is almost certain these days that you won't get the first domain name you choose, so you find yourself spending hours on domain registration sites using the domain availability searches.
Q. How do I make an update to my website?
If we have designed your website you may have an included update package, or if you wish to purchase an update package contact us for information.
We also provide updates on a one off basis usually charged at an hourly rate but if you update regularly, you might want to consider a package as this reduces the cost.
If you are updating an existing page you can just make the changes on a copy of the page on your local system, then FTP (upload) the new version of the file to the host site.
If you are adding new pages, they will need to be incorporated into the navigation system on the site, you may end up having to update every page on the site.
Q. What do I do if I don't have digital format content?
It is not essential that you supply content in a digital format although it will reduce the cost of the site as we may have to charge for the inputting large amounts of data but it also speeds up the delivery of the content as you wont have to use snail mail to supply the documents.
If your content is text you can have the document typed up in either a word processor or just as plain text using Notepad. Pictures can be scanned if you have a scanner or know someone that does or your local photo printing shop might be able to scan them for you. Logos can also be scanned or the printer that prints your stationary might be able to provide a digital version of the logo.
If your unsure about converting content to a digital format, contact us and we will advise on the best way to proceed.