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Where are you based?
’No Lemons’ is based in Central London (NW8), but we have clients located in Europe and Africa as well as the UK.
What makes ‘No Lemons’ different from other web design companies?
‘No Lemons’ uses the latest technologies and standards to ensure the websites are consistent, maintainable and also are accessible by people with disabilities. At ‘No Lemons’ we do not use tables for layouts and all of our designs work with multiple different browsers. Also we have professionally trained journalists and writers who can be used to write the website content.
What design options are available?
There are five options that cover a broad range of requirements, from a simple ‘shop window’ to a fully ‘e-commence’ sales operation. Most companies choose to start with a basic website as there is always the opportunity to add additional pages, features and options.
How long will the site take to get ‘up and running’?
Most sites can be completed and ‘live’ within a week. Often the main delays are caused by the client being unable to agree on the basic design, changing their mind and not having the right content (text and graphics) to display on the site.
Can you produce website content?
Yes, unlike most website design companies, we have trained journalists whose job is to take the mundane and ordinary and make interesting and memorable website content. But please note that this work is outside the scope of the standard website design contract and is available at an additional cost. Many clients try to write their own content; it will be factually correct but it often lacks that ‘readability’ factor. However if you already have content that you wish to use on the website you will not need to use this service.
What steps are involved?
The first step is to choose from one of the five standard options, we will help you with this if necessary. It is in our interest that you become a satisfied client and part of this process is ensuring that you have selected the right option for your business.
The second step is to design the overall look and feel of the site taking into account any preferred styling, colours, pictures etc. Or after we have talked with you to find out what you are looking for in terms of style and image, you can give us a free rein – but you will still need to approve the design.
Next we will email you with a jpeg picture of the website’s home page design together with an additional image, fully labelled, so we can ensure we understand any comments and feedback.
Once we have the agreed the design, content and website name, the site will be produced. The key step is ensuring all of the content (text, company logo, graphics, maps, phone numbers etc.) are in their final form.
The last step takes place when the site has been installed on the web server. The website will need to be reviewed and then any changes or updates can be made.
What sort of changes can be made after it has been produced?
Most changes tend to be cosmetic, for example, the content can be changed – the text often seems to read differently on the website than it does in a word document. And the ‘bright yellow background’ that seemed ‘iconic’ may have not been such a good idea after all, and a more subtle shade needs to be used.
What are the payment terms?
There is a 50 percent payment due with the purchase order; this enables the website domain name to be bought and registered and the hosting space to be set-up. The remainder is due when the website goes live.
What if I need to add to the site in the future?
All of our sites are designed to enable additions and changes to be made as and when required. This includes adding additional pages and features. The websites can be also be upgraded to the next level of functionality. If you wish to add for example, a secure payment option or image gallery this can be done after the site is live. An annual maintenance contact can be purchased to cover minor updates and changes such as content changes, revised pricing, new products, adding the new company logo, change of address or telephone number etc. Alternatively maintenance of the website can be on a ‘time and materials’ basis.
How will people and the search engines find my site?
We optimise our sites and make them ‘SEO friendly’ for the major search engines. However search engine site ranking is dependent on many factors including the site content, how often the site is updated, the website ‘relevancy’ etc and as such no guarantees can be given that your site will appear in the top position. However we ensure that the search engine optimisation tools visit and index the site. We also include basic metadata about the site (metadata is data about data and this is used by the search engines).
What about email?
As part of the web hosting service, email is automatically provided, for example if your website is www.mynewsite.com your email address will be me@mynewsite.com. If required all email can be forwarded to another email account, for example, your hotmail or yahoo account. If you have a website, hosting and email provider we can normally use that service rather than the ‘No Lemons’ website and email hosting service.
What is not included?
Producing content and graphics such as photographs and images are not included in the standard pricing structure. The prices quoted are for designing the website and website pages, website hosting, the email service set-up etc.
However as mention previously, we can also quote for additional types of work. Copy writing is priced on a ‘per 1,000 word’ basis and we use standard journalist rates. Graphic work can cover a vast range in both scope and price; from a simple photograph to a new company logo to flash animation. Consequently pricing is dependent on the precise requirement and this will be need to be agreed before work can commence. For professional photographic needs we can recommend one of our trusted partners.
Changing your mind after the website has been produced is not included. But being realistic, you may want some minor changes and this type of requirement is included as part of the overall service.
Why do you not use tables or frames to position the website content?
Many (and by many we mean most) website developers use tables or frames to position the website content. The reasons are straight forward – using tables or frames is the quickest and easiest method of positioning website content (and the cheapest), but it is not the best technique.
So why does ‘No Lemons’ WebDesign take a different approach? For two main reasons, firstly, tables were not designed to be used for positioning content, they were designed to store tabular data, hence the name; tables. When tables are used to postion content there are inherent accessibility issues (created by the use of the tables) that prevent the site from being ‘double-A’ rated (AA rated). Quick and easy has a price, and the price is non-compliance. Secondly, frames cannot be interpreted correctly by many browsers and assistive technologies hindering navigation around the website creating accessibility problems for people with disabilities.
Using tables or frames make it difficult for a website to gain a ‘double-A’ rating and ‘No Lemons’ websites aim to be at least ‘double-A’ rated. Also the Government, the EU and many other organisations are increasing only contracting with companies that have a commitment to a fully inclusive society. And that means the company needs to have a website that is 'double-A' rated.
Web Marketing (Part Two)
Part one of this series highlighted the importance of having a good website.
Equally important for small business is to have a consistent image. This does not mean spending two million pounds with a design consultancy. But having a decent logo design, clear strapline (see below) and message etc embodied in the website, business cards and stationary builds credibility and looks more professional … and need not be expensive.
A strapline is the short phrase that best describes your business. This could be your USP – unique selling point eg "24-hour mobile chiropractor - there to get you mobile."
And having a professionally printed postcard advertisement in your local library or shop should be complemented by a website in the same style, with the same message. This attention to detail shows that you take your business, and therefore your clients, seriously.
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