FAQs

If you cannot find the answer to your question below, please send us an email.

• How can I keep my site up to date?
• I want to update my own website in-house. Is this feasible?
• How much will a website cost me?
• How do I register a domain name?
• I want to use the web hosting offered by my ISP. Is there any problem with this?
• You say you use ColdFusion for website development, but what is it?
• I hear that ColdFusion hosting is more expensive. Is that right?
• I want you to make me number one in the search engines. Can you do this?
• I've got someone who says he can knock up a site for me for a very low cost. Why should I use a professional web designer?

How can I keep my site up to date?

There are three ways to keep a website updated:

• DIY
• Let Novamedia do it
• Ask us to build a content management system

DIY
If you want to do it yourself then you need to be sure that you have the capability. See the next question for advice on this.

Let Novamedia do it
We would, of course, be happy to manage your site for you as we do with several of our clients.

Ask us to build a content management system
This is something that we have done for several clients. The systems we have built allow our clients to have access to a browser-based administration module where they can type or paste in the information that will appear in various sections of their site. This means that they can update the site without having to have any knowledge of web design technologies.

Examples of this sort of system can be seen on many of the sites we have produced. See our portfolio for more information.

I want to update my own website in-house. Is this feasible?

Yes it is. However, it is vital to make sure that you have the capability to do it and by that we don't just mean that you've got someone on your staff who took home a copy of the FrontPage manual one weekend.

If you are going to update all aspects of your site in-house then you will need people who understand web design and HTML. You will need people who understand web graphics and what formats to use for the web. We have also come across companies who have said that they'll use their in-house design unit because they are the bees knees at producing the company's printed literature so they will easily be able to cope with a website. It's not the case. Web production is a completely different beast with different rules.

Also, don't forget the basics. Spelling and punctuation are just as important on the web as in your literature.

How much will a website cost me?

This is where the 'piece of string' theory comes in very handy. It's a bit like asking how much some company literature will cost. Well, is it a one-sided black-and-white A5 flyer or a 32 page four-colour glossy brochure?

The same applies to a website. The simplest of sites involving no more than a few pages will be very economical to produce. As you add more functionality, more pages, more images and database interaction the cost will rise.

The easiest way to find out how much a site will cost is to discuss your specification with us and we can then produce a quote with no obligation.

How do I register a domain name?

You can register a domain name through most ISPs. If you have an existing, reliable ISP then you can do it through them or we can get it registered for you.

If you register it via your own ISP and we are producing the website, you will have to get the web hosting pointed to our servers. This is usually a very quick process and a lot of ISPs now have online control panels where you can carry out this sort of thing as well as doing things like adding new email addresses to the domain.

I want to use the web hosting offered by my ISP. Is there any problem with this?

It depends on who your ISP is. If they are a professional ISP with robust hosting facilities then there should be no problem. However, if you're talking about the free space offered by a consumer-oriented ISP then it's best avoided. There are a number of reasons for this:

• You will not be getting the same level of technical support as offered by a professional host.
• The web servers are likely to be slower and less reliable.
• All web servers have a certain amount of downtime but with your free ISP this downtime is likely to be longer. It will also take them longer to get you back up and running.

If you're serious about your website then use a professional host. It might appear to cost more than a free host but in the long run it will cost you a lot less.

You say you use ColdFusion for website development, but what is it?

ColdFusion by Adobe is a web application development program. It allows us to add all the functionality that a website needs.

HTML is all well and good but other than presenting a web page and its associated graphics and links, it can't actually do anything. In fact it's strange that HTML allows you to build web-based forms but cannot do anything with the data from those forms once it is submitted.

With ColdFusion we can...

• produce custom-built online shops as we did for Trumpers and Ruxley Manor
• produce content management systems as we did for Wyevale East Nurseries and the East India Club amongst others.
• easily process registration forms
• produce complex database-driven online applications such as we have done for the World Malaria Day site.

So far we haven't come across anything that can't be handled by ColdFusion.

I hear that ColdFusion hosting is more expensive. Is that right?

Unlike some other web application programs, ColdFusion is not free or open source software. We won't get into the argument about whether paid for software is better than free software but suffice to say that the hosting company will have to pay for the license to use ColdFusion on its servers.

However, this is a one-off licence and, spread across many hosted clients, adds little if nothing to any hosting costs.

Ask us for our hosting prices for your site.

I want you to make me number one in the search engines. Can you do this?

The simple answer is 'Yes'. In fact the simple answer is 'you are already number one'. Take a random phrase from your website, type it in to Google and try it. If it's a unique phrase then the chances are that your site will show up as the number one.

But of course that's not what you want. You want to be number one for a much more meaningful phrase. Once again, the answer could be 'Yes' but it requires more work and this is something that we can help with when producing your site.

I've got someone who says he can knock up a site for me for a very low cost. Why should I use a professional web designer?

Before going ahead, ask these questions:

• Is he a trained web designer?
• Does he know about optimising web graphics?
• Can he incorporate the necessary functionality that might be required such as forms processing, database production etc?
• If so, is he doing this himself or using pre-built templates that pop adverts up all over your site in return for using their system?
• Can he optimise your site for the major search engines?
• Is he going to use a professional host?
• Can he keep it up to date and make urgent changes when required?
• Will he still be around this time next year?

If the answer to all of these questions is positive, then go ahead. If not, a professional web design company is your best bet.