FAQ

Do you provide hosting? We provide hosting or you can use your own hosting provider. One year of hosting is included in all Almost Everything Communications website packages. (And two years of domain name registration.) After the first year, charges for hosting are about $70/year. Our hosting service is very reliable and responsive.

Will I own my Web site and domain name? Yes. The Web site is yours and the domain name(s) is/are yours.

What does a Web site typically cost? Prices vary depending on the sophistication of the site and what features are included. Many custom sites cost around $5,000 up to $20,000 depending on what special features you desire. We offer a semi-custom option for $3000 that includes everything needed for a polished and professional website including first rate search engine optimization.

We provide a rough estimate at the end of the first phone conversation. Give us a call at 510-527-9920. We’ll talk to you for 10-20 minutes about your business, your marketing and your goals. From that information, we can give you a rough estimate. Then you can decide if it fits your budget and if we both want to move forward.

What is the payment structure? For most projects, the retainer is 30%. The 2nd payment is 30% (due when the site design is approved) and a final payment of 40% is due when the site is launched. For semi-custom sites, the retainer is 40% and a final payment of 60% is paid when the site launches. For rush projects, we will ask for a larger retainer.

How do I pay? We accept cash, checks, and major credit cards.

How long does it take? A website can go up as quickly as 2-4 weeks if you have the content in hand. For most of our clients it takes around 2-4 months to complete the process. We will always ask what your deadline is. If you have your content complete, we can meet your deadline.

Do you do Flash animation? Yes, we do develop Flash images when appropriate. We also convert Flash sites to .html. Flash can be beautiful and mesmerizing but has some downsides if you use it extensively to construct a Web site. We are happy to discuss your Flash ideas with you and recommend an approach that will give you the greatest success.

Do you do e-commerce or online credit card payments? Yes, we use a variety of approaches to build stores. In consultation with you, we’ll decide on the best solution for your needs — such as how often you’ll need to update your products and how your customers will receive the product or service and other variables. We’ll also help you decide on a payment option from merchant accounts to paypal.

Have a question that isn’t answered here? Please call Tod or Karen at 510-527-9920. Or go to the Almost Everything Blog to see posts about planning a website, internet marketing and much more.