Web Design FAQs: Top 20 Most Popular Questions Answered

At ZOO Media Group, we’ve been designing and developing websites for over 20 years, so we understand the complexities of creating a successful web presence. Whether you’re launching a new website or revamping an existing one, we know that businesses often have many questions when starting a web project. To help you make informed decisions, we’ve compiled answers to the top 20 most frequently asked questions about web design and development.

In this guide, we’ll cover key topics such as the design and development process, costs, timelines, and how we ensure the final product meets your unique needs. If you don’t find the answer you’re looking for, feel free to reach out to us directly at 519-474-9774 or ask your question here. We’re happy to help!

How much does a new website cost?

Each website design and development project is unique. The cost of a new site will depend on a number of factors such as: the number of pages, the functionality requirements, how the site is coded, if it requires a content management system (CMS) and which CMS platform is the best fit, does the website need ecommerce functionality, and is it a pre-built template or a custom designed website. Another functionality that can add to the cost of a website build is integration with 3^rd party software.

A new website could cost anywhere from $3,500 and could be as much as $150,000+. As mentioned, every single website project is unique and the project budgets depend on those different components. Our goal is to assess your needs through a free consultation call and then we would provide a detailed quote based on the best website solution for your business’ needs based on the information provided. You could also email us your website design project details to review and we will do our best to provide you with a quote within a few days.

Why is designing a new website so expensive?

Websites can get very pricey and the cost is based on the functionality requirements. The larger the site, the more time it will take to design all of the distinct web pages and for the developer to code it. Websites require a lot of planning, well-written engaging content and graphic creation, search engine optimization, speed optimization, responsive testing, hosting setup, and ongoing maintenance which all contribute to the cost.

Websites can take several weeks to months to create, some have taken us 10 months to complete. Professional custom designed and developed websites are an investment just like any other marketing effort. It’s your online presences and should pay great dividends when it’s done right.

How long will it take to design and develop a new website?

Depending on the complexity of the website, on average it will take 8 weeks for a small site and up to 6 months for a large custom ecommerce website. The website design and development turnaround time is often affected by how quickly we get feedback and approvals from clients.

What is the payment process?

Since websites take time to build and are a big investment, we generally breakdown the cost into 2-4 installments depending on how large the website project will be. ZOO requires a down payment before we start, then once all of the distinct web pages are designed and we are ready to start development, we will invoice for the 2^nd installment. The last installment invoice will be sent once the test site is ready for final review. Payment of the last invoice is due before we launch the website to the chosen hosting company.  We accept cheques and etransfers.

There may be additional costs for things like stock photos, premium plugins, changes that were out of scope or ongoing maintenance. These will be clearly outlined in the contract and addressed as they arise.

How much input do I have in the web design process?

It’s crucial that we receive your input and feedback in the web design process and testing phase. When we start collaborating with a new client for a new website, we will provide a link to an online brief questionnaire that will ask for information about your industry, business goals, competitors, target audience and your likes and dislikes. This information helps us create a website that you will love, but also that your end-users will love too. We will also make suggestions on the website architecture and recommend functionality to meet your business and client needs.

Once the site architecture is approved, we start the design process and will be communicating with you often. We will send you layouts to review and may ask questions to confirm content. This is where it’s crucial that we get your emails responses in a timely manner and feedback concerning the designs. Once all web page designs are approved, we start development. Once the newly developed site is ready for review, we will require your time again to review the live beta site and provide feedback.

Who provides the content for the new website?

If you have a current website, we can pull the content from there. If it’s a new business, we will require the content to come from you. You are the expert in your new business venture, so it’s recommended that the information is provided to us. Don’t worry if you are not a strong writer, we can definitely help compose engaging content for your website. We provide creative SEO writing services to all of our graphic design and website design clients. We can compose the text for all of your web pages including your blog articles, but we will still need assistance from you.

When writing for our clients, we will create the brand language and write easy to read, engaging text with strong headlines, subheading and we will also break the content down into digestible sections and ensure it’s SEO friendly with keywords. This service is quoted based on the number of web pages needed and the number of words for the blog articles.

How do we communicate during the web design and development process?

After our initial scheduled call to discuss your website needs and answer any questions, most of the communication will take place over email. We can schedule periodic calls to discuss ideas, however our preference is to use email which documents all of the questions, information and requested changes, that way nothing gets missed.

Can we have a face-to-face meeting?

We would love to meet you in person, however most of our client meetings are now done via Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, ZOOM or by phone. It is rare that a client actually needs to meet with us face to face anymore. We can accomplish so much within a shorter period of time using communication technology. In some instances, if we are looking after photography where a facility tour of the client’s premises is needed, we will arrange a meeting. We charge for meetings including travel and accommodations if applicable.

What will you require from me to complete the website project?

We will require that you provide us with the following:

1. Company logo – if you need a new logo designed, we can do that too.
2. Photos or graphics you’d like us to use on your website (group photos, headshots, building, workplace, or gallery photos)
3. Content for the website – if you need copywriting assistance, we can definitely help!
4. Links to uploaded Videos (such as YouTube or Vimeo uploaded video links)
5. Hosting and domain registrar information

How will you build the website?

How we build the new site will depend on your business’ goals, budget, and situation. We will design and develop your website from scratch using a number of tools. We start with photoshop to design the web pages and then develop the site using a content management system (CMS) or custom coding.  The most popular type of websites we create use WordPress CMS, but we can also build HTML5, Magento, Drupal, Joomla, and Shopify websites too. Here is an overview of the different CMS software. When we discuss your website needs, we will determine the best way to develop your new website.

Will I be able to update the website myself?

If the best option for your new website is to build the new website with a content management system, then you will be able to manage your website via a backend dashboard, once its completed. If you do not have any experience with backend site changes, we can provide you with an instruction document with easy-to-understand steps so you can change text and add new photos as needed.

Can you manage the new website for me?

Yes! We are always available to assist you with your website needs. We offer monthly maintenance packages, or we are available as needed. Simply email us with any questions or changes needed and we’ll look after them for you.

Do you focus on SEO in my website build?

When we build a new website, it always includes on-site technical search engine optimization (SEO) so the site can easily be ranked. We build websites with clean code, ensure it’s fully responsive, the images are optimized and properly named, we compose the meta descriptions, provide redirects from the old website URL to the new website and ensure the site is fast.

Having easy to read content with strong headlines and keywords also helps greatly. If writing is not your forte, we are happy to provide our creative writing services to ensure the new website content is engaging and SEO friendly.

For some companies, on-site technical SEO is enough to get highly ranked on search engines. For other more competitive businesses, they may need additional SEO services, and in this case, SEO doesn’t end there. Search engine optimization is an ongoing endeavour and requires continuous work and could take months if not years to rank #1 on Google. How your site ranks is dependent on your industry and competitors. SEO takes time and can get expensive if it has to be outsourced.

Getting ranked #1 can never be guaranteed by any digital marketing agency because Google’ algorithm changes often. No one knows Google’s “secret sauce” so no company can guarantee top placement UNLESS you pay for placement via Google AdWords which is pay per click. Paying for placement based on keywords is called search engine marketing (SEM). Once a new site is launched, we recommend an ongoing SEO tactics and digital marketing (SEM) to help get more website visitors to your new website.

What is web hosting and domain, and are they needed?

Web hosting is an online business that houses servers and maintains files for websites. A web hosting company rents servers that enables a company to publish a website on the internet. Hosting stores website files so that developers and website owners can get access to it.

The website address or URL is called the domain. You will need to register a unique domain name which should match your company name or service offering. We recommend registering your domain with the same hosting company, so everything is on one location.

Will you host my new website?

We can provide hosting for your new website; however we specialize in web design and development; we do not specialize in hosting. We always recommend that our clients own their hosting account, so they have full ownership and control of the website once the website is launched. We can recommend hosting companies to you and are happy to set it up for you too. We will also transfer all files and launch your new website on the new hosting account for you once the project is completed and the final installment payment is received.