Frequently asked questions.

What separates your websites from other website providers?

Although there are many fine providers, we feel our attention to design, professionally written content, and affordable pricing puts us at the top of the list. Take a look at our competitors and see if you agree.

Do I have to add the text content to my website and create the pages?

No you don’t. Our websites are not a “do-it-yourself” system like many others. We handle everything for you from start to finish. If you have issues or questions about your domain we’ll assist in getting them resolved. Our QuickLaunch Websites include a full service website development process at an incredibly low price.

Can I have custom banner photos?

Yes you can! We use Adobe Stock for high quality stock photos. You can request that we use photos of your city, the region you’re in, or any type of photo you want. In addition, you can provide staff or office photos for website banners or photos on the pages.

Do I have to use your professionally written text content?

No you don’t. You can use as much of our text content as you want (as seen in the demo above), but you can provide your own content as well. We’ll add your business details such as your services, and bios to the website. If you currently have a website we can use the content you have. If updating your text content would be best we’ll offer suggestions and help improve it.

Can I have the layout of the website changed?

We don’t offer layout changes or significant design changes to QuickLaunch Websites in order to keep the pricing low. What you see in the demo is what you’ll get with your new website. Of course the photos, logo, and text content will reflect your business details, and will make the final website totally your own unique design.

You can ask to remove sections from your website. For instance if the design demo has a place for testimonials your website doesn’t have to have them.

Changing the design or layout of a website is time consuming and costly. It requires changes to the coding for the full display, tablet, and mobile views of the website. The code changes have to integrate with all other parts of the website, and everything has to be tested on various size devices to ensure it works and looks right. For this reason QuickLaunch Websites don’t include design customization. If your business requires customized design and development, check out our Custom Website development services.

Who will host my website?

We will. Hosting and WordPress updates are included in the price of our websites. The only other fee you’ll have is to keep your domain renewed with your domain registrar (GoDaddy, Namecheap, etc). It’s always best if you have full domain ownership, so we never register and control our customers’ website domains.

Will you make updates and maintain our website once it’s built?

Yes we will. We try to complete all update requests within one business day. Our hourly rate is $120 and most simple content updates take from 10 to 15 minutes and cost from $20 to $30.

Do you provide email for my business?

No we don’t. Businesses typically require full service email providers that specialize in email delivery. Web developers that offer email services often route your email through their website hosting server, and that’s typically not a good idea, both for delivery and security issues. It’s best to use an email service such as Microsoft Outlook or Google Workspace. If your domain is registered at GoDaddy they offer email services that work well. Their top level business email is offered through Microsoft Outlook and is often the best choice.

Are your websites ADA compliant?

Yes they are. The Americans with Disabilities Act has standards for websites. Ours meet WCAG 2.1 standards which should keep your firm in good standing with current laws.

What if I change my mind about the website after you get started?

You can have your money back. We realize that contracting with a website provider is stepping into the unknown. You pay a certain amount for the development of your website and hope that the provider you’ve chosen lives up to their end of the agreement. For this reason we offer a full money back guarantee. If you aren’t happy about the website development process and results before the website goes live, we’ll refund the setup fee and any monthly payments you’ve made. Our money back guarantee is another thing that separates our QuickLaunch Websites from other options you might have.

Why should I choose your service over another?

Should I trust “Unlimited” offers for website hosting and maintenance?

Some hosting and maintenance providers offer “unlimited hosting” and “unlimited maintenance”. This is almost always a form of dishonest advertising since they will most likely limit the amount of service you’ll actually get in the fine print of their agreement. So if there are any limits, then it’s not really unlimited. Look closely at the limits they impose before you move your website to their hosting servers or let them take over your website maintenance.

Where are your hosting servers located?

The servers are located in the Summit Hosting colocation data center in Denver, CO. We use the services of a company that provides server admins and maintenance for our hosting servers. The benefit of letting us host your website, is that we’ll work directly with the server admins so that you never have to worry about website hosting.

What is your hourly rate?

$120 per hour for our Hosting, Maintenance, and QuickLaunch clients, and $150 per hour for à la carte services. We always provide estimates for any work that will take more than one hour, so you’ll always know what you’re going to pay. For quicker updates and requests, we’ll give you an estimate upon your request. Many simple updates to text on your website will take less than ten minutes and cost around $20.

I don’t like my current provider. Am I stuck?

No you’re not. Depending on the way your website is set up and hosted we can typically provide the maintenance services you require. We can also let you know if you would be better off moving to a different host or maintenance service. We’ll see what issues you’re having, and if we can offer a better solution we will, but if not we’ll let you know.

Do you offer website maintenance services on websites that you don’t host?

Yes we do. The prices for maintenance only are the same as the prices for maintenance and hosting.

Do you host or maintain ecommerce websites?

Usually we don’t, but check with us regarding your website.

How do you track time and invoice for work?

We use the Harvest app for tracking time to the minute. Each update we do will have a note showing exactly what you requested, and the amount of time the update required. We send invoices every other week. You’ll be able to pay the invoice online at your convenience. Note that our Premium and Premium Plus services come with website content update time included.

Do you outsource your maintenance services?

No we don’t. We’re located in Athens, GA and all client work is done in-house. Before signing up with another company, make sure you understand who you’ll be working with and where they’re located, if that’s important to you. If the prices for their service seem too low, chances are you’ll have a sub-par experience over time.

Why should I choose your development services over another?

Why do your websites cost more (or less) than others I’ve found?

How long does it take to have a website built?

On average it takes from two to seven weeks to build a website. If your website simply needs to be redesigned, and the content is staying “as is”, the project can be completed in as little as two weeks from the start date.

Do you provide email accounts with service and support?

We don’t offer email accounts due to the time and expertise required to provide email service and support. Business email needs are better served by a service that specializes in email, such as Microsoft Outlook or G Suite from Google.

Will I be able to update the site myself when it’s finished?

Yes. Many of our clients take control of their website and learn to manage and update it on their own. We’ll provide initial training and help when you need it.

Do you only create WordPress websites?

No. We can work with almost any content management system you have in mind. If you need a simple HTML/CSS website without a content management system we can create it. In addition, we can partner with a team to create sophisticated web applications.

Will you maintain my website and make content updates as I need them?

Yes. We provide on-going support for almost all of our clients. Check out our WordPress Hosting and Maintenance Plans.

Will my website be mobile-friendly?

Definitely! Having a mobile-friendly website is more important than ever! We’ll make sure your website looks great on a variety of mobile devices including phones and tablets.

How and when do I pay?

How much input do I have in the website development process?

Your input and feedback is crucial to the success of your new website. Before we get started we’ll ask questions about your business and what expectations you have for the website. We’ll also find out what expectations you have regarding the look and feel of the website. We’re here to serve you and the visitors to your website by creating the best experience possible.

Who writes the content for the website?

Can I move or “take” my website to another provider if you host my website?

Do I have full ownership of my website?

Yes, you have full ownership of your website. Many website providers can’t allow you to take your website to another hosting provider because your website is wrapped up in their content management system. This is the case with providers such as Squarespace and Wix. Under these circumstances you don’t really have full ownership of your website.

Why should I choose your Shopify development services over another?

Why do your websites cost more (or less) than others I’ve found?

How long does it take to have a Shopify website built?

Do you provide email accounts with service and support?

Will I be able to update the Shopify site myself when it’s finished?

Do you only create Shopify websites?

Will you maintain my website and make content updates as I need them?

Will my Shopify website be mobile-friendly?

How and when do I pay?

How much input do I have in the website development process?

Who writes the content for the products and store pages?

Do I have full ownership of the code you develop for my Shopify store?

What separates your SEO services from other SEO providers?

Rather than simply try to make a sale, we’ll provide an honest opinion of the efforts needed to get your website where you want it within search results. For instance, if you want to be on page one for “Atlanta injury attorney” it will take significantly more time and effort than page one results for “Atlanta dog bite attorney”. Almost all keywords that have to do with the legal profession have a lot of competition. If you’re on page three for a legal search term, and you want page one results, it will require significant time and effort.

SEO for other business types can be easier but it all depends on the competition for keywords in your area. We’ll provide an honest opinion on the time and effort required to achieve your results, and we won’t waste your time and take your money by telling you it’s easily achievable if it will take significant time and effort. For some businesses with high competition keyword profiles, it might be best to spend your marketing money in other ways.

Your overall online image should be just as important to you as high search engine rankings. We have never believed—and never will—in tactics that could have any possible negative impact on your business’s brand or online reputation. Each improvement to your website’s search rankings should also strengthen either its content, its usability, or its long-term web visibility, and certainly never detract from it. That’s why each article we write or social media post we make will contain proper grammar and high quality imagery. You’ve probably seen blog or social media posts that gave you a bad impression of the company that posted it. We’ll make sure that each post of yours builds your brand in the mind of the reader.

Our goal is to help you achieve high rankings for your most competitive search terms, and help you stay there.

What’s included in the setup fee?

Keyword research and website improvements.

Keyword research gives us an understanding of what keywords you should be targeting and the amount and degreee of competition for those keywords. We’ll share all of the keyword research with you when this step is complete.

Website improvements include:

— Web page speed optimization including adjustments to your website theme.
— Setting up Yoast SEO or another SEO plugin.
— Adjusting page titles and meta data.
— Re-writing some page content for better keyword usage.
— Adjusting the structure of your website if necessary and adding redirects.
— Assistance with your Google Business Profile.
— Setting up Google Analytics or Clicky for tracking website visits.
— Optimizing your website for mobile devices.

How long will it take before I see better rankings in Google or Bing?

If your website has been online for awhile it will move faster in the rankings than a brand new website on a newly registered domain. A website that has been online for one or two years will typically show improvement in search results within one to two months of optimization. It often takes three to six months to see significant improvement. Search engines need time to crawl, evaluate, and re-index new content, and react to improved website performance.

The speed of your improvement is dependent on all of the websites competing for your target keywords, and the quality of the SEO that your competitors are doing on their websites. If the competition is low your results will be faster.

If you recently bought the domain there’s a chance it already has a history behind it from a previous owner. This can be an effective perk for your new website since Google and Bing see that it has a history.

Do you offer help with Google Adwords or any paid search advertising?

No we don’t. Paid search result advertising, like Google Adwords, require skills that are different from search engine optimization. We only focus on SEO and caution our clients to find only the best and most reputable paid search advertising firms, and never to sign long-term contracts. When each click costs from fifty cents to many dollars you have to have a very targeted plan. In addition there’s a great deal of fraudulent clicks that occur and a whole process of disputing clicks needs to be part of the plan.

How long do search engine results last?

You can expect your search rankings to improve over time, not diminish. However, if the SEO tactics used were “quick fix” solutions your search results might not last as new competition pushes them from page one results. It’s important to choose an SEO provider that you feel will only use solid long-term SEO processes. Quick-fixes by unskilled or unscrupulous providers will damage your search results over time.

Are first page rankings for competitive keywords guaranteed?

No they’re not. Beware of SEO companies that claim to guarantee rankings, as natural search results are computed by algorithms that automatically index sites according to hundreds of different criteria.

Even if everything is being done right on your website, your competition might also be stepping up their SEO game. In the same way that staying on top in your industry requires continuous adjustments and improvements, it takes similar work in the world of SEO; and there are unfortunately no guarantees. Anyone that tells you otherwise is probably trying to make a quick buck from you for as long as you’ll pay them.

That said, in certain industries and certain local areas it can be very easy to get to the top of search engine results. For instance, certain medical specialties where there are only a few local care providers is an example of an easy win. Let us take a look at your needs and make an assessment.

Guaranteed search results exist only through pay per click advertising programs, such as Google Adwords. The disadvantage of pay per click advertising is that once you reach your daily budget or stop your pay per click campaign, your search visibility ceases.

How much does search engine optimization cost?

The amount of work necessary varies from project to project. Multiple factors influence the cost of SEO, including:

— The quality of your competitors’ websites or SEO strategy.
— Your current performance in search results for your most important keywords.
— The number of web pages on your website.
— The age of your website and history of your domain.
— The number of authoritative (highly ranked or important) websites that link to yours.
— The construction of your website and its’ underlying code.
— How fast your web pages load.
— How well your web pages work on mobile devices.

Less competitive industries and small businesses targeting small communities will pay far less than highly competitive businesses in larger markets. Pricing for search engine optimization is charged on a monthly basis as work is done. You should expect to commit to a year of SEO if you want to see long-term results. The cost can be anywhere from $2,300.00 – $5,000.00 and up. Again the total cost for your program is dependent on the competition you face for your target keywords.

Will search engine optimization change how my website looks?

Usually it won’t. However if your website is outdated or doesn’t work well on mobile devices we’ll suggest a redesign as part of your SEO strategy. You simply can’t have a website that isn’t coded well or doesn’t work well on mobile and expect to get good search results. The usability and speed of your website is also important since search engines can test for the quality of each.

If your website is in good shape from a code and design standpoint it won’t require changes to the design. We can quickly assess the state of your website and provide guidance as part of our initial discussion with you.

How does search engine optimization work?

Search engines look at 3 primary factors when trying to understand all of the websites in their index: authority, relevancy, and crawlability.

— Crawlability is the search engine’s ability to access content on a page. If a website has no crawlability issues, then search engine web crawlers can access all of its content easily by following the links between pages.

— Authority is a measure of how reputable your website is in the eyes of Google, Bing and other search engines. A reputable website has been around for awhile and has a number of links pointing to it from other reputable websites.

— Relevancy helps Google and Bing to understand what your website is about, so they can send the right people to your website when they search for services or products that your company provides.

The search engine optimization methods we use are tailored to your website’s current strengths and weaknesses, and the competition for your keywords. The work we do falls into three major categories:

— Website construction. The coding of your website and the content management system behind it.

— Website content. Includes all of the text, images, and media on your website. We’ll make sure it’s highly accessible to search engines and your website visitors.

— Social media. The use of social media to create visibility and increase links to your website.

Why don’t most SEO providers provide pricing on their website?

The pricing of SEO services can be hard to guage because of the complexity and number of unknown factors involved. We show pricing because we offer a set level of service that should work well for most small businesses looking for better local search results. A large or complex SEO campaign would require more extensive research and a custom price quote, even from us.

What separates your referral marketing programs from other providers?

Rather than simply try to make a sale, we’ll provide an honest approach to your referral marketing program. We won’t try to lead you to believe that any single form of marketing will be the goose that laid the golden egg. We see these sort of implied promises from many marketing specialists and it’s typically only after you’ve tried an approach that you find that it wasn’t worth the price you paid. Our prices for the service we offer are low enough for you to try without breaking the bank. Digital marketing companies that price their services for large sums are generally appealing to your hope for an outcome that most often won’t happen. They know it, but until you do, you’ll pay a big price for the hope they’ve sold you.

Are Top of Mind Referral Programs right for every type of business?

Yes, we think they are. A Top of Mind Program works to keep your business in front of your customers and prospects using a systematic and consistent approach.

Using email newsletters, social media posts, and a blog makes the approach work well. Each piece of content that’s created is shared across all of the channels.

What’s the difference between referral marketing and word-of-mouth?

The main difference is that referral marketing is a deliberate approach that requires your action. When your business engages in referral marketing you deliberately encourage your customers to tell their friends about your company. Word of mouth marketing is more spontaneous, often being started by happy customers, rather than from any deliberate attempt to make the process happen.

How do Top of Mind Referral Programs encourage referrals?

They work by keeping your business name in front of your clients using email newsletters, blog posts, and social media posts. Along with each email and post you encourage your readers to share your articles and spread the news about your business.

Are Incentive Referral Programs right for every type of business?

No they’re not. For instance, we don’t think some business types, such as architects and CPAs should use an incentive program (attorneys and financial advisors can’t). In fact, we considered using an incentive referral program for our business but decided it wasn’t a good fit. We use a Top of Mind program instead.

Service businesses that work directly for consumers are often a perfect match for an incentive program, but they often need some help to get it started and that’s where we come in.

How do Incentive Referral Programs encourage referrals?

In two ways.

First they work by the simple act of your business actively asking for and having a program to promote referrals. Even without an incentive in place the simple act of asking will get results.

They also work by offering a discount or cash back to the person making the referral, and to the person who becomes your new client. We usually suggest referral programs that pay both the parties involved rather than one way incentives, but both types work to improve your referral outcomes.

How long will it take before I see results from a referral program?

It really depends. It’s important to be consistent with a referral program and not expect overwhelming results. The results over time should be well worth the time and money spent, and occasionally you might get a single large or profitable customer from your efforts. You should expect more direct results from a Referral Incentive Program, but using both programs (if you can) will produce the best results. Referral Marketing can be compared to losing weight, it’s what you do consistently over time that works — there are no magic pills, and you should probably be careful of companies that try to sell them to you.

Are testimonials a form of referral marketing?

Yes they are, and we encourage you to add them to your website if you’re in a business that allows their use. Although the website visitor probably does not know the person providing the testimonial, they are still being presented with a powerful recommendation to use and trust your business. We can assist with setting up a testimonial section for your website.

Are Google, Yelp, and other review websites a form of referral marketing?

Yes they are, and we encourage you to use them if you’re in a business that allows their use. Encouraging customers to leave feedback immediately after a service call or appointment is important. It can be done with a follow-up email and will provide the benefit of ensuring that you get your customer into your email system for future follow-ups and offers. In addition we often suggest that you invite reviews directly from your email signature line, with a link to your review provider of choice. Making it quick and easy is key!