FAQ's
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Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What payment arrangements will be made once I have accepted the project proposal bid?
A: For smaller projects we will usually take 50% of the project cost up front as a deposit, with the remainder being paid upon project completion. Larger projects can be broken into smaller portions, paid out as certain goals are met during the projects development and can also be negotiated based on the clients budget constraints.
Q: Once the project is completed and has been paid for in full, who owns the content and rights to the design?
A: While that may seem like a silly question to some, many firms will actually retain the rights to the design and content that YOU paid for! Think of it as a lease, where your initial investment in the site is less substantial and initially seem like a good deal. Only you may find that your monthly fee to host the site is 10 times or more what you should be paying. On top of that, you are required to host your site with the firm and you are unable to transfer to another host or make changes with another designer.
We are happy to tell you that this is not the case at Flipout Design. When the project is done you will be given full rights to the content, design and even the source files used in creation of the website. An exception might be when content is being used by permission from a different entity, such as a technical article is used from another source.
Q: How do I make payment?
A: Payment can be made using your Visa, MasterCard or American Express credit card. Arrangements can be made if you prefer to pay by check.
Q: I already have my website hosted somewhere else. Am I required to use your server or purchase hosting from Flipout Design?
A: While we do offer hosting solutions to our clients that need it, it is certainly not a requirement and we urge you to continue with your current provider if you are satisfied with their service.
Q: I would like to maintain my own site once it has been developed. How difficult will that be for someone who doesn't write code?
A: There are several options that can be considered to determine how you will maintain your website.
If you are not comfortable working directly with the files and HTML, your site can be developed with a content management system (back end) that will allow you to modify or add content in a user friendly Word-like
editor.
If you have some experience with HTML or are not afraid to learn, you may consider a more affordable option and work directly with the files on your site. If your site is informational in nature it will be developed using a CSS based design so that the content of the site is separated from the design. What this means to you is that modifying content on the site will be much less daunting than if the site were built using a more traditional layout and styling scheme. Many older websites were designed with layers and layers of design elements such as tables, bulky font tags and the like. With much of that removed it is much easier to see what is actually going on. There are FTP tutorials on this site that will help you with moving files back and forth from the server if you choose this option.
Q: How long will it take to build my website?
A: The amount of time it will take for completion of your project will depend on the complexity of your requirements as well as the current workload. An informational site with five or six attractive pages can typically take less than two weeks to complete. More extensive projects requiring specialized functionality and/or graphic intensive designs will take a bit longer. You will be provided with an estimated completion date before your project starts.
Q: How much does it cost?
A:We focus on the needs of small business and offer affordable web design, accessible to even smaller budgets. Every site is unique so the costs can vary widely, depending on your project's requirements. A custom designed static "brochure" website with 5 to 10 informational pages and a contact form, can typically be done for less than $1k. A dynamic site with e-commerce functionality, a full blown content management system that allows "non-geeks" to make updates to the site, secure credit card processing, specialized shipping, tiered pricing, Quickbooks export, custom functionality etc., can be over $20k. We will do our best to provide a solution for you, that will also work within your budget.