Q: How long will it take you to complete my website?
A: How quickly your website is completed depends on a number of factors such as (but not limited to) the amount of work involved in making your website, whether or not you are readily available for email correspondence in order to give feedback on the progress reports I send you, etc. Designing websites is a creative process and takes time. I work hard to make sure that my work is clean and standards compliant, which requires lots of testing in different browsers and revision. I won’t do anything less than my best work. If you have time constraints, we will talk about that when we are evaluating and planning your project. If I feel that I am unable to meet your needs in your allotted time frame, I will let you know that before taking your project.

Q: I know my start date is tomorrow, but I’ve decided to go on vacation for the next three weeks. Can we get started when I get back, or can you just work on it without me while I’m gone?
A: Sorry no. It’s your website, and you’re a vital part of its completion. Once we get started on your website, I need you to be available for design input, content provision and a bunch of other important things—I just can’t do without you! If you have a vacation planned, try to let me know about it when we’re working out your time line so I can give you a later start date. Otherwise, if you go missing during the production of your project and I have to halt work because I can’t reach you, I will move on to the next project on my design schedule, and may ask you to pay a rescheduling fee in order to complete your project.

Q: What types of payment do you accept?
A: I only accept Credit Cards through PayPal payments and Cash, except under very special circumstances (in which case an alternate form of payment will be worked out).

Q: How does payment work? Do I have to pay it all up front, or can I just pay you when it’s all done, or what?
A: I require a 50% non-refundable deposit up front. This holds your spot in my design schedule, and counts toward your total payment. The remainder is paid before your site is installed on your host. I do ask that payments be made in a timely fashion (within a day or two of receiving the invoice). Overdue payments may cause a halt in work, and I may ask you to pay a restart fee if that happens. All payments must be completed before the final work is handed over and/or installed.

Q: Can I call you to discuss my project?
A: In order to maintain a productive and orderly work flow, I do phone consultations by appointment only. If you’re serious about your project and interested in finding out more about how I can help you, drop me an inquiry with details about your project and I’d be happy to set up a time to chat with you on the phone or meet you for coffee.

Q: Will you customize my Blogger/Blogspot blog? How about TypePad?
A: Sorry, no. I find WordPress to be a much better blogging solution, and if you are serious enough about your blog to be looking for a custom design, then you’re ready to switch to WordPress! You will like it SO much better than Blogger, I promise! My custom WordPress designs only work for self-hosted WordPress blogs (and not blogs hosted on WordPress.com), which require you to have your own domain and hosting. If you need hosting, just let me know, we offer hosting for a yearly fee.

Q: If I switch from Blogger to a self-hosted WordPress blog, won’t I lose all my old blog posts?
A: Nope! With WordPress, you can import old entries from most other blogging platforms, including Blogger. You won’t lose a thing!

Q: I have hosting already, how do I know if you can set up WordPress on it?
A: If you access your hosting account via a cPanel (a control panel site that usually says “cPanel” right up at the top), then chances are your hosting allows WordPress installation. If you don’t have a cPanel, or just aren’t sure, shoot me an email telling me who you host with, and I’ll be able to tell you if a WordPress site is an option for you, or if we will need to set up other hosting for you.

Q: I love the custom designed site you did for my buddy! Will you make me one just like it?
A: No, the value in my custom designed sites is their uniqueness. You came to me because you want a site like no one else has, so I’ll work with you to come up with something unique and original just for you!

Q: Do you build Flash sites?
A: No. Depending on a site’s needs or design, I may use Flash to accomplish parts of a site, such as an animated photo slide-show header, or a Flash animated portfolio section. But sites designed entirely from Flash are ineffective, and not search engine friendly.

Q: Do you provide hosting and domain registration?
A: Yes and no. I do provide hosting, but when it comes to your domain name I am adamant about your getting it yourself. I can walk you through the process, or even hold your hand, but I will not buy it for you.

Q: I need a website by next week. You can start on it tomorrow, right?
A: No. I usually have a waiting list at least a month. Plus a truly awesome, high-quality website does not happen overnight. It takes weeks of planning, designing, coding and testing. So if you’re serious about having me do your website, please plan ahead!