VII
VII FAQs

Got Website Questions?

  • Do you work for free?

    No — but I’m up for collaborations and trades. Got a service you think I’d benefit from? Or a project you think I could add value to that has some future upside?

  • What’s the difference between a website and a web application?

    A website communicates a message to its users. A web application is a special kind of website that provides a service to its users, sometimes for a fee.

    Websites and web applications have a lot in common. They are built with much of the same technologies, but their purposes are often different.

    Web applications generally provides a Customer with a digital service of some kind, and more often than not, Customers must register for an account in order to use the web application. Sometimes, they pay a fee/subscription for the service — you might recognise the acronym SaaS which stands for Software as a Service.

    Mailchimp is an example of a web application. You need to register for an account in order to use it and you can use an extended set of features if you pay a fee.

    Of course, much of the Mailchimp.com is accessible to everyone — those are the bits that market the services provided in its web application.

  • Do you code in ASP, .NET or C#?

    No, just PHP.

  • How long does it take to build a website?

    BINGO!

    This is the one question that everyone wants an answer to. Along with “how much”?

    The answers to both questions are interlinked and there’s no real way of knowing without discussing your particular requirements first — so let’s talk.

    However, if you want to discount everything I just said and have me give an answer that has no basis in reality, let’s say 12 months from when we start the project.

  • Can you improve my website’s performance?

    Yes. Performance is a big word — it covers speed, user experience and ultimately business growth all at once. There are various ways I can work with you to address performance issues with your website / business.

  • Can you help me add a DNS record?

    Yes. I can help with DNS. Though it’s rare for a client to start their relationship with this service alone.

  • Do you offer website hosting?

    No — but I’d be happy to recommend a good website host to suit your budget (and even set it up for you). As a rule of thumb, don’t scrimp on hosting. No amount of code improvements can make a slow, over-worked server any faster. If your website is business-critical, I think you should choose a hosting partner who can serve you 24/7 and who have a dedicated team working to keep your site online.

  • Can you speed up my current website?

    I can complete a technical audit of your website and recommend some ways to speed up your website. There’s a chance that the best way to speed up your website would be to rebuild it, BUT there are usually less-expensive and quicker ways to get some good results — it’s worth exploring.

  • Can you fix my current website?

    If your current website is built in WordPress — yes, it’s very likely I can help.

  • Can you help me with my CSS?

    Yes, but so can Stack Exchange… unless you’re particularly stuck on a very complicated CSS layout, you can probably find out the answer quicker and more cheaply via a Google search.

  • Do you know Javascript?

    Yes — I’ve been coding Javascript for over 25 years.

  • Do you code in PHP?

    Yes — I’ve been coding in PHP for over 20 years.

  • Do you know about SEO?

    Yes — I’ve followed SEO best-practices for building websites since 2003. There’s more to improving your search engine rankings than the technical structure of your website. If you’re interested in learning more, drop me an email.

  • What do I need to give you so you can build my website?

    Content is a good start. Words and pictures if you have them. If you don’t, we can out how to put them together. At the very least, we’ll need to have a discovery call to work out what your website needs.

  • Do you ask for payment upfront?

    Yes. We’ll work out a custom payment plan for your project. Payments will be made in advance based on agreed milestones.

  • How much do you charge for a website?

    Every website is different and so is every Client.

    I don’t charge ‘per page’ and I don’t offer set packages — if that’s the kind of thing you’re looking for, we’re probably not well suited.

    I’m interested in delivering a website that will make a real difference to your business, so if you’re interested in that too, get in touch and let me know what problems your new website needs to address. I’ll email you some possible solutions and let you know a guide price so that you can see if it fits your budget.

  • What is your process for building a website?
  • Can you create a WordPress plugin for me?

    Yes. If you need to add extra functionality — or even an entirely new section — to your WordPress website, a plugin is the right way to do it. Plugins are a great way to extend your WordPress website in a safe, non-destructive way.

  • Do you build WordPress websites?

    Yes! I’ve been building WordPress websites since 2006! I build bespoke WordPress themes for businesses.

  • Do you build Squarespace websites?

    No — I build WordPress websites. I could rebuild your Squarespace website in WordPress if there was a good business case to do so.

  • Do you build Shopify websites?

    No — not at the moment. I think Shopify is a great platform and I’ve seen clients achieve some great results using it. But I have extensive experience with WordPress, so it’s far more sensible for me to offer custom themes that work with WooCommerce — a free, open-source WordPress plugin that adds extendable ecommerce functionality and can be equally as effective as Shopify (with the added benefit that there are no on-going costs for the WordPress platform).

  • Do you build Wix websites?

    No — I build WordPress websites. I could rebuild your Wix website in WordPress if there was a good business case to do so.

  • Can you get my website to #1 in Google?

    No — and you should be wary of anyone who says that they can. If someone gets you to #1 in Google, it will likely be for an incredibly specific and non-competitive term that does very little for your business growth. Google changes its algorithms continually; adding and subtracting factors that may or may not help your website rank. As such, no one can promise you specific positions in the search results. Instead, you should work with an agency who will audit your website and recommend the best steps to help your site achieve improved positions in the search results.

  • Can you optimise my website for search engine results?

    Yes — I can certainly help you with changes to the structure of your website that could help your website rank better. The structure and mark-up of your website are only two of many factors that determine your position in search engines. You might be interested in my technical website audit.

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Availabile March 2025 — Ready to get started?

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