Frequently Asked Questions
GENERAL:
1) What are the benefits of having a studio website?
2) Why choose Studio of Dance.com?
3) What will be the turnaround time on my site?
4) What if I have an existing website, but I'd just like to update its look?
5) Where are you located?
6) Does it matter that I live in a different state/country from you?
COSTS:
7) How much will it cost?
8) Is there a payment plan available so that I don't have to pay the design fee all at once?
9) Are there any costs aside from the design?
10) How much does it cost to update my website?
THE PROCESS:
11) How much of MY time will it take for the site to be built and uploaded?
12) What do I need to provide to have a website created for me?
13) In what style should I write the content for my website? How much information can I fit on one web page?
14) What if I don't have a studio logo?
15) How do I get my content to you?
16) If I send you photographs, can you scan them and send them back to me?
17) How can I convey my ideas to the designer?
18) How do we make a decision on the design?
19) What if I don't like either preliminary design?
20) What if I change my mind on the design?
WEBSITE OPTIMIZATION & PROMOTION:
21) How will I know how many hits my website receives and where they are from? Will I be able to monitor my site traffic?
22) How will my customers find my site?
23) Will you submit my site to search engines?
24) Which search engines to you submit my website to?
WEB HOSTING AND SITE MAINTENANCE:
25) What is web hosting?
26) What does the monthly Hosting/Maintenance fee cover?
27) How important is it to keep the information on my website up to date?
28) What do I need to do about the domain name for my company?
29) What if I already have my own domain name?
MISCELLANEOUS:
30) Who owns the website?
31) What about any artwork?
32) I would like more pages and graphics than the Standard Package allows, and possibly also a form on my website. How much do these extras cost?
33) I have a website that I like and don't need/want a site redesign. I just need someone to maintain my website, making changes when I need them. Do you do that?
34) What if I have other questions that have not been answered in this F.A.Q.?
35) What's the first step to get the ball rolling on producing my website?
GENERAL:
1) What are the benefits of having a studio website?
The benefits are many, and include a) the attraction of new prospects to your studio, and b) better customer service for your current students. For a fuller picture of the benefits of having a dance studio website, please visit this page.2) Why choose Studio of Dance.com?
There are a lot of web design companies out there. What distinguishes Studio of Dance.com from its competition? There are many answers to this question! Here is a short list, to start:
- Your site will be designed by someone with a long background in the teaching of dance, as well as experience in web design. A major benefit of choosing Studio of Dance.com is using a web design company who understands the specific needs of studio owners.
- We make the experience as straightforward and positive as possible, taking care of the details so that you can concentrate your energies on your studio business.
- We build long-term relationships with our clients based on integrity and openness. Your success is ours, and vice versa.
- One-Stop Shopping. Contrary to many design companies, Studio of Dance.com provides all of the services your website will need in-house. This bundling saves you money in web hosting and maintenance as compared to purchasing them separately, while ensuring a well-run, consistently current studio website.
- You can choose graphics for your website from the hundreds of copyright-free dance images in the Studio of Dance.com library.
3) What will be the turnaround time on my site?
Once all materials for your website have been received, the turnaround time is from two to three weeks, sometimes less. If we are experiencing a particularly heavy number of web design requests, sites will be completed in the order full content is received.4) What if I have an existing website, but I'd just like to update its look?
We can certainly do website redesigns. Once we get an idea of what you're looking for, we can provide you with design and price options. Please feel free to contact us to discuss your particular situation and to receive a quote.5) Where are you located?
Our office is in Portland, OR. Please note: most of our clients do not come from the Portland area. Most of our customers are from out-of-state.6) Does it matter that I live in a different state/country from you?
No. Location is unimportant. The entire process can be done via the email, telephone or old fashioned "snail mail".
COSTS:
7) How much will it cost?
The cost for a standard website design is $475.00. Half of this amount is due with signup, and the other half at the launch of site.8) Is there a payment plan available so that I don't have to pay the design fee all at once?
Yes. We do have a payment plan option in which you may spread your design payments out over as many as six months (when you sign up through PayPal to make regular payments).9) Are there any other costs aside from design?
Yes. Studio of Dance.com's website package includes a standard service providing maintenance and web hosting, among other benefits. The Maintenance/Web Hosting Service costs $27.95 a month. For more information on what this service entails, please visit our Maintenance/Web Hosting Service page. There is also a one-time domain name set-up charge of $40.00, which includes the cost of domain name for 2 years.10) How much does it cost to update my website?
Monthly maintenance updates are included in the Maintenance/Web Hosting Service, which is $27.95 a month. You may submit text changes on up to 3 pages per month, make up to 3 graphics changes per month, or a combination of the two (for a total of up to 3 changes per month).
THE PROCESS:
11) How much of MY time will it take for the site to be built and uploaded?
Since nobody knows your business better than you do, developing a valuable website for your business will require some of your time. Probable tasks will include the writing of text and gathering of graphics, plus the making of decisions regarding the look and feel of your website. To help you through the process, we provide you with a Customer Packet, which explains exactly what we need from you in order to complete your site. Using the Customer Packet helps you achieve a clearer picture of the website you desire, and will ensure that the process runs smoothly.12) What do I need to provide to have a website created for me?
Materials to provide include your studio logo (if you have one), the text for your webpages, and relevant photos/graphics. Depending on your page topic choices, you may also wish to provide your schedule of classes and tuition information.13) In what style should I write the content for my website? How much information can I fit on one web page?
Text should be clear, concise, and plain. Keep paragraphs and line lengths short. To ensure that the site is user-friendly, long web pages or text areas should be kept to a minimum. By avoiding too much text, you also avoid excessive vertical scroll. We'll work with you to ensure that your site is user-friendly.14) What if I don't have a studio logo?
If you do not have a logo but desire one, we can recommend graphic design companies whose rates are reasonable. Alternatively, we can create a text logo for your site free of charge.15) How do I get my content to you?
There are many ways for you to submit text and graphics to us; one is sure to fit your style. As always, we are glad to help and give suggestions. Text may be sent by email or through the mail on a floppy disc. You may also send in text from a brochure or regular piece of paper. If we are to type text in, the word limit per webpage is 1000.Regarding images, you may pick out images to use for free from our exclusive online dance image library, choose a photo or image from one of the online image companies that we recommend (these companies do charge a one-time fee per photo) or you may send in your own images/photos. When sending your own image/photos, you may email them to us, send them to us on a CD, or send them in hard-copy form and we will scan them in ourselves.
16) If I send you photographs can you scan them and send them back to me?
Absolutely. Once we're finished scanning and optimizing your photos, we'll send them right back to you.17) How can I convey my ideas to the designer?
When you send us your Customer Packet, it would be helpful if you include a copy of your company's letterhead, brochures, fliers, etc. so we can see how your studio image is presented. If you know some websites that you like, list the 'www.' addresses in your Customer Packet. What specifically do you like about these sites? This will give us an idea of what you are looking for.18) How do we make a decision on the design?
We'll prepare and upload two 'rough drafts' of your home page, based on your input and specifications. At this point, you give us feedback and your decision as to which style you prefer, plus tell us of any changes you desire. This will help us to set out the general structure of the page and decide on color schemes, etc. Once you decide what you like and don't like, we can then work on your choice and arrive at the final 'look' for your site.19) What if I don't like either preliminary design?
If we've 'missed the boat' on both preliminary designs, we go back to the drawing board. We'll set up a phone appointment or communicate via email in order to gain a better understanding of your aesthetic desires for your website. Once we feel we have a good feel for what you're wanting, we'll create for you a third preliminary design.20) What if I change my mind on the design?
We always expect there to be a few changes to the overall design, and we will work with you to make sure that the final design is what you want. However, once the look of the site has been agreed upon and we are at a later stage in the design, any major reworking of the existing design will result in additional charges, if substantial extra work is required. We will of course inform you of this at the time, before we do the work, and will only go ahead when we have your say-so.Please visit our Design Process page if you'd like more detailed information on the process.
WEBSITE OPTIMIZATION & PROMOTION:
21) How will I know how many hits my website receives and where they are from? Will I be able to monitor my site traffic?
As a new customer, you'll be set up with your own Statcounter account. This will allow you to monitor your site's pageloads, first-time and returning visitors, and real-time website statistics. You will also be able to see how often your site is accessed, collect demographic information about your visitors, and even track what keywords people are using to find your site on search engines.22) How will my customers find my site?
Customers and visitors will find your site through both offline and online avenues.
- Offline Avenues
"If you build it they will come" may work in Field of Dreams, but it doesn't apply to websites. A majority of your customers will find your web site through offline avenues - not search engines. All impressions that remind your customers to "Visit us on the web" are considered offline avenues. These include promotional materials such as Yellow Page ads, posters, postcards and fliers, plus invoices, business cards, letterhead, stickers, phone mail messages and anything else you can think of.
- Online Avenues
Online avenues include referral links, reciprocal links, and search engines (Google.com, Yahoo.com, etc). Referring sites are other websites that have a link to your website on them. "Reciprocal links" refer to when you trade links with other businesses - a great way to generate traffic on your site. Upon site launch, customers of Studio of Dance.com are provided with a document on how to get listed on online dance directories. You will not only be added to the Studio of Dance.com directory, but also featured on the directory for at least one week.All websites built and maintained by Studio of Dance.com are submitted to 5 major search engines. Also, invisible meta keywords and a meta description are used on your index page to help search engines index your webpages.
23) Will you submit my site to search engines?
Yes, search engine submission is included on all of our web design packages. Though we cannot guarantee placement or ranking on any search engine, Studio of Dance.com will design your site with search engines in mind.24) Which search engines to you submit my website to?
Once your website is fully complete, we will submit your site to: Google, MSN/Looksmart, Dmoz, Entireweb and Yahoo. This list is subject to change without notice and is updated as appropriate (say, for example, when one search engine company consolidates with another). Search engines that require a pay-per-listing fee are not included. It can take 2 months for all the search engines to list your site, and considerably longer for your site to show up near the top of a search page. Patience is important, because results do not happen overnight.
WEB HOSTING AND SITE MAINTENANCE:
25) What is web hosting?
You can think of Web hosting as renting real estate on the internet. After designing your website, your site is placed on a computer called a server, which is connected to the Internet. When your visitors type in your website address, they will be directed to your space on the server. Without website hosting, your site cannot be seen by the public.26) What does the monthly Hosting/Maintenance fee cover?
The monthly maintenance fee covers the hosting of your studio site, plus site maintenance. Website hosting is a service in which your site's HTML documents and related files are uploaded and stored on a web server. Hosting is necessary for all websites so that their files are available on the internet for viewing by the public.Up to three monthly maintenance changes are included in our standard hosting/maintenance service. A maintenance change involves an addition and/or deletion to a webpage. For example, you may replace the monthly newsletter on your Newsletter page. You may also wish to swap out one photo, other graphic, or table information, such as a class schedule. There is no limit to the amount of text to be deleted or added on a page. However, if you add text plus a photo to a page, it equals two maintenance changes. If you have any questions or specific instances you'd like to run by us, please send us an email.
27) How important is it to keep the information on my website up to date?
It is vital to keep information current on your website. People will return again and again to view your site if you keep the content fresh and up to date. It reflects poorly on your site if the content is not kept current.28) What do I need to do about the domain name for my company?
A domain name is the unique name that identifies an Internet site, for example: www.dancemagazine.com or www.capeziodance.com. Studio of Dance.com will arrange this for you, when handling your website set-up. It's best if your domain name is closely related to the registered name of your business. We'd be glad to check domain name availability for you.29) What if I already have my own domain name?
As long as you have access so that you can change your domain information, this is not a problem. When the website is complete, we will ask you to change your DNS information to point to the hosting company used by Studio of Dance.com. If this sounds confusing, don't worry. We'll take care of it for you, or can guide you through the process. If you do already own your Domain Name, the Domain Name setup charge of $40.00 is waived.
MISCELLANEOUS:
30) Who owns the website?
The website and all the image work contained within and connected to it is the property of Studio of Dance.com - until we are paid in full. However, unlike other design companies, once you have paid us in full the copyright to the finished assembled website becomes yours. However please note the proviso below regarding original artwork.31) What about any artwork?
Any original artwork which Studio of Dance.com has done for the website should not be used anywhere else without written permission from Studio of Dance.com or the artist themselves. This does not apply to logos we have designed for you. Rights to photos, graphics, and computer programs provided but not owned by Studio of Dance.com are specifically not transferred to the client, and remain the property of their respective owners.32) I would like more pages and graphics than the Standard Package allows, and possibly also a form on my website. How much do these extras cost?
Please take a look at our add-ons page for more information about the costs associated with items that are not a part of the Standard Design Package.33) I have a website that I like and don't need/want a site redesign. I just need someone to maintain my website, making changes when I need them. Do you do that?
Yes, we provide maintenance-only services for dance studio websites. Our options for maintenance include '3 Changes a Month', '5 Changes a Month', and 'Pay As You Go' plans, with or without website hosting. Please contact us for more details and to discuss your particular needs.34) What if I have other questions that have not been answered in this F.A.Q.?
A Studio of Dance.com representative will be happy to answer any questions you may have about web design or any other service we offer. We invite you to contact us at admin@studiofdance.com or (503) 308-2017 and find out how a studio website can enhance your business!35) What's the first step to get the ball rolling on producing my website?
Contact us by email or phone at (503) 308-2017. Tell us what your needs are. We're glad to set up a phone appointment at a convenient time for you (on our phone bill, if it's a long distance call), after which we'll send you a customer packet that spells out the specifics of your project and gives a timeline for completion.
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