Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. What do I need to provide for you to begin designing my website?

The more information and images you can provide the better (within reason!). In detail you will need to provide the following: -

A Design Brief: this describes what you want your website to be like and what you'd like it to achieve. For more details please see the circularcube website design brief guidelines (PDF). For a more comprehensive approach you may like to take advantage of circularcube's website strategy services.
Text: all the text needed for your website including the text for each page, an overview showing the structure of the pages and any specific instructions like where particular images need to be placed etc. Please supply in electronic format such as a word processor document.
Images: all photographs, logos, etc. Please supply in electronic format on CD and in either JPG, TIFF or PNG format. Images need to be supplied in the highest quality you have available - circularcube will then be able to adapt them to the right format needed for your website. Please also make every effort to take photos of a good standard. Good quality photos make a big difference to the overall look of your website. There are lots of books and information on the internet to help with taking good photos. For example see about.com's tips on Taking Great Pictures for Web Sites. If you don't feel confident taking photos yourself you may want to consider hiring a professional photographer. You can also contact circularcube who can do on-site photography. If your images contain people you need to get their permission to use them on your site and ideally get them to sign a model release form. You also need a property release form signed if your photo contains any recognizable buildings.

Q2. Do you have any advice for writing the text for my website?

Yes, please see the circularcube useful writing text for websites document (PDF).

Q3. Will we need to meet to discuss my website design?

In most cases a face-to-face meeting is unnecessary. Most sites can be negotiated via email and telephone.

Q4. How many pages can my site have?

There is no page limit though the more pages you have the more your site is likely to cost. It is just a question of how much information you need to include versus how big your budget is. See our the circularcube writing text for websites document (PDF) for how to keep your text brief.

Q5. Will I need to agree to any form of contract?

Before design commences you will be required to agree to circularcube's terms and conditions and design procedure.

Q6. How long will it take for my site to be designed?

There are 2 parts to this: -

The client providing all the necessary info (see Q1). So this is up to you and is worth considering as it is quite common for this process to take longer than you think - especially writing the text (see Q2 for help on writing text).
Once the client has submitted all the info needed then circularcube usually will aim to complete the design within 3-5 weeks small or medium sized websites, larger ones may take longer depending upon complexity and number of pages. Having said this, each site is unique so the timescales are subject to agreement between circularcube and the client once circularcube has been able to ascertain the size of the job.

If you have particular timescales in mind please mention them when you get in touch.

Q7. How much will my website cost?

The cost will depend on the size and complexity of the site. Please see the website design page for more info.

Q8. Do you offer discounts?

Yes, discretionary concessions are available for not-for-profit organisations.

Q9. When will payment be required?

For all sites a (non-refundable) deposit of £100 or 20% of the total project (whichever is the higher) is required from the client before work commences. For most sites the remainder will then be due upon completion of the project. However for some larger projects, payment may be required in instalments throughout the project (as discussed with the client before commencing work).

Q10. Once I have provided you with everything you need, what happens next?

The work is carried out as detailed in circularcube's design procedure document (PDF).

Q11. Will my site be search engine friendly?

Your web site will be designed to follow the current best practice and will be registered with the free to register search engines. SEO (search engine optimisation) techniques are used to enhance your sites performance with search engines. These include adding keywords to the page title, page text and in hidden tags within the HTML code. While the sites designed by circularcube often achieve very good search engine results particular search engine placement cannot be guaranteed.

Q12. Can you host my site?

Yes, once your site has been designed then circularcube can host it for you and provide emails. See the website hosting page for more info.

Q13. In the future how do I make changes to my website?

If you are not able to maintain your own site then circularcube can do the work for you. See the website updates page for more info.