Frequently Asked Questions

Most custom websites take 2-3 months, depending on the complexity of the site.    E-commerce automatically puts a website in the complex category.  Also, as a client, having your content and photos ready can help keep the time down.  Simple sites may be faster, especially if we're using a template.  We'll create a schedule that works for both of us.

The real answer is “it depends.”  A basic website may start fairly low, but features such e-commerce and custom functions quickly add up.  That’s why I work with you to answer lots of questions about your business and what you need in a website.  When I have those answers, I can make the best recommendation for the website and features you need.  You can see the websites page for more information on price ranges.

For WordPress websites, maintenance is a must.  If we work together on a complete website build for you, I offer 30 days of maintenance for free after your website is launched.

After that, your WordPress website will need maintained.  Many websites are hacked or infected with malware every day, and your website will be attacked every day.  Regular software and plugin updates and monitoring can help prevent problems, and backups provide a way to restore your website if problems do occur.  My website care plans are located here if you are interested having my help to protect your investment in your website.

If you have a website built on a hosted platform, you will still need to update the content to keep your customers up to date.  Website users will come back to websites that are kept up to date with current business information or new content a lot more often than websites that are not updated.  Also, Google prefers fresh content as well.  But hosted platforms such as Wix or Shopify usually do not need the same kind of maintenance that WordPress sites do.

That’s a good question, and again, it depends on the website and project.

WordPress: Costs for domain registration and website hosting are costs that will be required for every WordPress website.  Other possible costs are plugin or software costs, marketing costs, and other service and costs.  Also, the website will need to be maintained, by yourself, by me, or by someone, so there will likely be expenses there as well.  You can see my website care plans page for rates and packages I offer.

Other platforms: usually have monthly fees for the service of having your website on their platform that include the basics.  There are usually different levels of subscriptions, such as e-commerce or other business tools.  Also, themes, apps, or website extensions may requires extra fees.  Themes change how your website looks.  Apps or extensions add extra functions such as email marketing, payment gateways, or product customization options.

Absolutely, and I’ll train you to make those changes as part of your website project - if that's something you want. If you'd rather not make the changes, we can talk about options for having me or someone else update your website content for you.

Holler at me using the contact form, and I’ll send you a worksheet to fill out about your project to help me understand your business, your goals, and your budget. From there we will see if we can put together a project that will meet your needs!

If you are interested in consulting, send me a message using the form and we'll get on a phone call or video chat to talk about how I can help.