Website design questions, answered straight
Plain answers, no small print. If yours isn't here, just ask.
What is the Happy-to-Launch guarantee?
I build your whole website first, then you see it finished and working on your own phone before you pay anything. If you love it, you pay for the build and I take it live on your domain.
If you decide it isn't for you, you walk away owing nothing for the build, and the site stays with me. That holds right up to the point you approve the finished site.
How long does a build take?
Most Up & Running sites are built in 2–3 weeks, The Obvious Choice is typically 3–4 weeks, and Top Of The Range 4–5 weeks, depending on booking or shop setup. The clock starts once we've agreed the project in writing and I have your words and photos. I'll give you a firm timeline before we agree anything, and I only take on a few projects at a time, so the timeline I give you is the one I work to.
What do you need from me to get started?
Three things: a rough idea of your pages (I'll help shape this on the call), your text and photos, and answers when I have questions. If words or photos are a sticking point, don't let that stop you: The Obvious Choice and Top Of The Range include copywriting guidance, and I'll show you how to get usable photos off your own phone.
Do I own the website and domain once it's built?
Yes. The domain is registered in your name, and once the build is paid for, the site is yours. If you ever want to move it elsewhere, I'll hand over the files and help with the switch, no ransom, no exit fee.
How do revisions work during the build?
Every package includes revision rounds: one with Up & Running, two with The Obvious Choice, three with Top Of The Range. You see the site as it takes shape, tell me what to change, and it's changed before we move on. Nothing goes live until you've signed it off.
What happens if I want changes after launch?
Small changes, like new opening hours, a price update or a photo swap, are covered by your monthly plan. Just email me and I sort it, in the time your plan sets out. Bigger jobs, like a whole new section, get a fixed quote before any work starts.
Do you handle hosting, or do I sort that separately?
I handle it. Hosting, SSL certificate, security updates and backups are all part of the monthly plan, one bill, one person responsible.
What if I outgrow my package, with more products or more traffic?
You upgrade, and I quote the upgrade before any work starts. An Up & Running site can grow into The Obvious Choice; a shop can add more products. Nothing gets rebuilt from scratch.
Can you help with content and copywriting if I'm not sure what to say?
Yes. The Obvious Choice and Top Of The Range packages include copywriting guidance: pointers on what to say and how to say it so it sounds like you, not like a brochure. If you'd rather I wrote it, that's £40 a page. You always get final say.
What's the difference between the one-off build cost and the monthly subscription?
The build cost (from £495) pays for designing and building the site itself, a one-off. The monthly plan (£25 as standard) keeps it running: hosting, security, backups, small updates and me on the end of an email.
Do you work with businesses outside Settle?
Yes, anywhere in the UK. The whole job runs by phone, video call and email, so where your business is makes no difference. If you're near Settle, we can meet in person when it's useful.
What happens if you're ill or away?
Your website keeps running. It's built as plain, fast-loading pages on Cloudflare's network, with no WordPress, no plugins and no database, which is most of what takes small business sites down in the first place. Nothing needs me for it to stay up.
What waits is changes. I give you a month's notice of any planned break and schedule your care work either side of it, and I still check my email while I'm away, so anything genuinely urgent gets dealt with.
I already have a website. Can you improve it instead of rebuilding?
Sometimes, and I'll tell you straight which it is. If the bones are good, a tidy-up and a move onto my hosting plan might be all you need. If it's beyond saving, a rebuild usually costs less than endless patching. Send me the address via the quote form and I'll take a look before recommending anything.
Still wondering about something? Send me a message.