If you’re in the process of hiring a web design firm to build your small business website, be sure to ask questions! The following web design FAQs (frequently asked questions) will help get you thinking in the right direction. Far too often, many small business owners get wrapped up in working with the web designer on building their small business website and lose sight of some of the basics regarding website ownership, copyright issues and more.
Each web design firm has its own policies, so ask your web designer for clarification. We’ve put together the following as a standard for working with our clients. So without further ado, let’s review the following Formulis web design FAQs.
Web Design FAQs Related To Copyright And Website Ownership
Who owns my domain name?
You, the client, own your website domain name if registered with Formulis. Website domain names are registered with a domain name registrar for a set period of time; typically in 1-year, 2-years, 3-years, 5-years or 10-years increments. If you fail to renew your website domain name, your domain becomes available for other people to purchase.
Who owns my website?
Depends on the level of ownership rights purchased for your website.
Typically, most small business owners do not purchase full-rights to their website programming and design because limited-rights are less expensive. In this situation, the website graphics and design cannot be altered, but can be used as-is indefinitely. The website can also be transferred to another web hosting company if you wish to use another services provider. To use an example, when you purchase software for your computer, you are entitled to install that software on one computer for personal use. Your purchase, however, does not grant you the legal rights to modify the software, reverse-engineer, or distribute the software to other people. The same applies to your website.
With that said, some of our clients prefer to purchase full-ownership rights to the completed website. Whereby all copyright, ownership and legal rights to the website’s graphics, design, layout and programming are transferred to the client. Please ask us for more information on which option is best for you and your small business.
Web Design FAQs Related To Website Development Expenses And Billing
What fees aren’t included in one of your website development packages?
Monthly web hosting fees are not included. Depending on the types of web hosting features our website requires, web hosting costs between $12 and $35 per month. We provide discounts if hosting is pre-paid quarterly, for 6-months or annually.
Annual domain name registration is also not included and costs $34.95 per year.
What are your billing practices?
Billing depends on the size of our website project. For small, one-page starter websites, the entire cost of the website must be paid in advance. For larger projects, we bill half of the cost before starting production and invoice the remaining half upon completion of the website. For very large custom websites and e-commerce projects, we bill in thirds.
Web Design FAQs Related To Website Production
How long does it take to build a website?
For small websites, we typically complete website production in two to four weeks. For larger projects, we’ll provide you with a production timeline; but more complicated websites are usually completed in four to six weeks. However, a lot depends on your schedule, as we try to modify our production schedule to meet your needs. We’ve put together a great overview on our web design process for you at the link.
What is needed from me during website development?
Initially, we’ll need to arrange for a conference call or meeting to discuss your needs and online goals. Once we start production, we request that you review our work at set project milestones and provide input on what you like and don’t like so that we can revise graphics and concepts where necessary. All can be accomplished very easily through phone calls, e-mail and our project review website. Most of our clients are out of state, so we’re used to working long distance. However, if you are local, we’d be more than happy to have you stop by our office for a meeting!
Satisfaction Guarantee
What if I’m not completely satisfied with the initial website design concepts?
We strive to create the highest-quality websites and small business communications services. However, we understand that sometimes we’re not the perfect match for everyone. If you are unhappy with our initial website design concepts, we will either: 1) work closely with you to fine-tune the concept to your liking, or, 2) refund your initial payment for the development of your website. We want you to be happy with your new small business website.
What if I need to modify the website?
We can help you with updates and modifications to your website at any time. We also provide long-term maintenance services at a discounted rate if you anticipate making frequent updates to your website.
Starting a new website or redesigning your current website? Be sure to visit our main site at Formulis.com to learn more about us and to see what we’ve accomplished for our clients. Or, give us a ring at 866-247-0605. The call is free and we’d be more than happy to talk with you!
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Interesting post, especially the first two points. “Who owns my domain name?” and “Who owns my website?”
A number of years ago I worked for a large hosting company and registrar, and you wouldn’t believe the number of calls about this. The story was usually the same. The business owner contracted a less than reputable design firm to build them a site. The design company register a domain in their name, built a site, hosted it on their servers or with the hosting company but in the design firms name. Then they took the clients money. Typically they would then disappear or just become unavailable. So, the business owners would be left with no access to their domain or site. In most cases the business owners were able to recover the domain name, but the websites were a bit more difficult. In both cases there was a lot of paperwork and hoops to jump through.
In any case it’s good to see that companies like Formulis are straight forward about who owns the domains and websites they work with. We also make sure that each domain is registered to our clients and that they understand how website ownership works. Transparency is the key.
Bryan, thanks for your insight on the issue of domain and website ownership!
Transparency is absolutely the key. Over the years, we’ve had quite a few clients run into similar problems you had mentioned… client comes to us for a website redesign after years of not speaking with their previous provider. Only to find their website domain name wasn’t registered to them in the first place, or that they don’t own the rights to their website. And you can’t fault the client for not knowing better. Especially with copyright issues, most small businesses, and people in general, don’t have a clue. It’s our job to explain things in detail and not gloss over critical issues.