This section is intended to answer some of our most frequently asked questions as well as some we thought people may be too shy to ask. If you can't find your question here, please visit our Contact Page and send us a line.
Why Use Anthology Graphics? - Anthology Graphics is a different kind of website and graphic design business. We call it a “boutique design house” because it is a smaller design house specializing in one-of-a-kind custom designs for small business and artisans. All of the HTML work we do is by hand and carefully validated across all major browser types before it is published.
When you sign up to do a project with Anthology Graphics you will be given private access to our super cool project management system. It will be the place you go to see everything currently happening on your project including “To-Do” lists, timelines, due dates and more. You will always be kept in the loop on all things concerning your project. It also gives you an easy way to send us photos and files with your information that you may want included on your website.
Another important note - Anthology Graphics has no association with hosting services so you will never pay too much when you have us purchase these services for you and your new website.
What type of businesses choose Anthology Graphics? - Anthology Graphics works primarily with small businesses including salons, boutiques, restaurants, home furnishing stores as well as with crafters and artisans. Anthology Graphics also creates Flash Home Tours for Real Estate agents.
How much does it cost to get my website/project started? - If you are having us build a website for you, we require whatever hosting package you choose to be paid up front along with half of the design fee. The other half of the design fee doesn't have to be paid until your project is complete.
How long will it take to finish building my site? - It depends on the complexity of your project. Ecommerce (Zencart) projects usually take the longest. You are usually looking at least two months to complete an ecommerce project. Some of it depends on you the client and on how quickly you respond to us on requests for the information we need. Time also varies on how long it takes different clients to load all of their products into their Zencart store. If you are having a simple HTML website built, you will be looking at 2-4 weeks to complete your project. We can work faster if you get the information we need quickly and always respond promptly to our requests.
What does Anthology Graphics need from me? - We will need any photos, pricing, product information, testimonials, reviews, brochures, store information/hours, lists of services or any other information or graphics you want to be included on your website.
What is an SSL certificate and why do I need one? - SSL is short for “Secure Sockets Layer”. It's the protocol that your website must use in order to transmit private information over the internet. Anyone selling goods and accepting credit card numbers over the internet will need to have an SSL certificate. When we have an SSL certificate installed for you on your website, the URL will begin with https: prefix rather than http:. A lock icon will also appear in the location bar of the browser indicating it is a secure site.
If you do not accept credit card information on your site you probably do not need an SSL certificate. For example, if you are using PayPal as the payment processor when someone buys goods on your website, they will be redirected to the PayPal website for the checkout process. Paypal of course has it's own SSL certificate and provides a secure checkout for your customers.
SSL certificates are generally inexpensive and can be installed by the hosting service provider for a small fee.
How will we discuss my website/project? - It's usually best to begin discussing your needs through email. It helps you gather your thoughts and ideas when you when you take the time to write them out. If you need to discuss things over the phone please see the Contact Page.
Do I get to be a part of the design process? - Yes. When we accept your project you will be given private access to our project management system. This system provides a meeting place for us to exchange thoughts and ideas and keeps you informed on every phase of your project.
Once we have a clear idea what sort of design work we will be doing for you we will create a first draft of the design layout for your review. Based on your feedback, this first draft can have changes made to it until you are happy or we can start over again from scratch. We only want happy customers so we will work with you to get it right.
I run a small business. Should I have a Flash website? - It depends. Most small businesses would benefit better from an HTML website or an HTML website that uses a small amount of Flash within their site rather than a website that is entirely done in Flash. The main reason we say this has to do with how a website is indexed by the search engines. Because Flash websites and all of their content is embedded within a Flash movie, their content for the most part is not indexed by the search engines. This effects how your site ranks compared to other websites when someone does a search in Google, Yahoo or other major search engine. Since you will probably want to be easily found on the internet and by potential new customers or clients, we usually don't recommend a website done entirely in Flash for a small business.
This doesn't mean Flash is a bad type of media to build websites in. We do think small Flash movies embedded within HTML websites look very nice and I do offer Flash design services including Flash Home Tours for real estate agents. The imagery you can display in Flash can be very impressive and for showcasing certain high end products it can be ideal. We do however recommend a thorough assessment of your needs and goals before incorporating it into your website.
What costs will I have with my own website? - Web hosting and domain name registration fees are about the only fees you have for running a basic website. When you sign up to have Anthology Graphics build a website for you, we will help you choose the least expensive package that meets your needs. Hosting packages range from $4.95 a month up to $20 a month depending on how much bandwidth you will need, etc. Domain name registration runs between $7-$20 a year. Unlike a lot of webdesign companies who will try to resell hosting services to you, Anthology Graphics has no association with these services so we don't benefit from having you buy more than you will need.
If you are having a Zencart (an e-commerce website) built, there are no reoccurring costs associated with the shopping cart itself. You may however choose to use a credit card processing service to accept credit cards on your website and there is usually a monthly fee (usually around $20-$30) as well as a small fee per transaction to use those types of services. You will also need to maintain an SSL certificate if you process credit cards on your website. A basic SSL certificate will run you around $75-$125 a year. If you use PayPal instead to process purchases, your only shopping cart related expense will be the small fee that PayPal charges per transaction.
Will I be able to make changes or updates to my website? - Yes. The type of website you choose to have us build will determine how you will be able to make updates.
- If you are having us build a non-ecommerce website for you and are planning on making frequent changes to the content of your site and would like to make those changes yourself, we can build your site using a content management system. This will allow you to make updates through an administrative tool. All you will need is a browser such as Internet Explorer to make changes to your site.
- If you have us build a Zencart (e-commerce site) for you, you will be able to upload new products and photos as well as make changes to text pages containing your shipping policies and other informational pages through the free administrative tool that accompanies the Zencart program.
- Blogs are the third option you have for making your own updates. We can build a simple HTML website for you and embed a blog into any page of your website. Using the blogging software of your choice, you can easily add text and photos as well as announce news and events. Like the previous two updating options mentioned, blogging requires no programming skills on your part.
How will people find my website? - Once we finish building your website we will submit your website to at least three different major search engines. While no website developer can guarantee your ranking status in any search engine, we will do our best to properly optimize your website through use of meta tags and careful keyword selection to help ensure the highest possible ranking in your particular business category.
