Costs
You’ll notice on each website there’s a price for the website then the monthly hosting and maintenance fee. This covers the cost of hosting your website (the server your website files are on) and weekly updates and testing of all forms and checkout processes if your website has a shop, by our technician, Stu.
If you’d rather host and maintain your website yourself, that’s no problem, just let us know when you book your website and at the end of the build we’ll send you your website files to upload to your own hosting account.
I don’t have a domain, how much does one cost?
You’re welcome to buy your own domain or we can buy it for you. Most domains cost £20 per year. However if your domain is your name or a specialist address, such as .London or .jersey etc, these can cost up to £50 per year.
Is my domain a one off fee?
Domains are renewable each year, on the same date it was purchased. As they are relatively low cost, domains are paid upfront. You can either purchase/renew your domain yourself or we can do it for you.
Process
All of the pre-build websites have been designed and created by Holly. The brand elements for each site were created by Amy. In most cases Holly or Amy will be building your website. Once you’ve chosen your website we’ll jump on a brand and content planning call to make sure we build the best site we can for you. On this call we’ll let you know who will be building your site and when you can expect to see it in first draft format.
We never outsource our websites to Fiverr/Upwork/People per hour. You can rest assured that you’ll always be working with a member of the Simply Sites team.
Why do you need everything at once?
To make sure we’re building the best site we can for you we need to have all the information, branding, images and website copy upfront. This is so we can properly plan and execute the design of the site. Whilst the sites are pre-built, they are completely branded and customised to your business. Therefore we need everything upfront so that we can plan it properly and deliver the finished site on time.
How soon will my website be ready?
When you’ve chosen your website you can book your branding and content planning call. We’ll let you know everything we need from you. Once we have this, we’ll book a start date for your website. Typically the websites take 1 – 3 weeks to complete. We’ll let you know the timescale when we book your start date.
How much can I change if I don’t like the first walkthrough?
We hope you’ll love the walkthrough of your website. We’ll send you a video of the site in a first draft format. You’ll have the opportunity to feedback and make small adjustments and changes to make the site perfect for you. Please note that we can’t rewrite sections of copy once it’s been added to the site so do make sure it’s proof read before you send it to us.
Can you put me in touch with a copywriter/photographer etc.
Of course! We have Oliver for copywriting but if you don’t feel he’s quite the right fit for you, we have other copywriters we’ve worked with and are delighted to recommend. We also work with a range of photographers across the UK. Let us know if you’d like a recommendation in the branding and content planning call and we’ll make some introductions to the perfect team for you.
What size/format/res do you need to receive my photos in?
The higher-res the image, the better for us to work with as we may edit/crop your images before putting them in the website. Where possible, please send us the original image files. We can receive and work with files which are: jpegs, pngs or Webp.
How do I send my files to you? They are too big to email.
Please send your images and website copy via WeTransfer.com. It’s fast, free and easy to use. If you need help using or understanding it, please let us know and Sharon will arrange a time to support you.
Support/Other
All Simply Sites are built on a temporary domain before being transferred to their permanent home. We can’t attach email accounts to temporary domains so in most cases, we won’t be able to setup your email in advance of the website going live. However, we recognise all businesses and websites are individual so do talk to us if you need your email accounts setup prior to your site going live.
What happens when things need amending?
Every Simply Site comes with its own personalised website user manual. This walks you through exactly how your website is built, where to find everything and how to make amendments to images, text, contact forms and how to add items to shops. If you’d like more support than this, you can book a free, no-obligation call with us and we’ll give you a quote for the work.
What is the difference between Simply Sites and template websites?
Template websites are just that…inflexible templates which you drop content into yourself and have limited support. They’re not designed with mobile responsiveness or SEO in mind. Simply Sites are mobile responsive. Search Engine Optimised websites which get completely customised to your small business. You also don’t have to put the content into the website yourself. We take the time to really get to know you. We offer a 45 minute branding and content planning call so we can get to know you and your brand (or support you in creating a new one) and build you the perfect website for you. When the website’s built we’ll also look after it for you, as well as sending you a personalised website user manual so you know how your website is built and how to make tweaks and changes yourself. For anything bigger, we’re always on hand to help you grow your website as your business grows.
I’ve got a shop; can you link it to my Meta account for me?
Yes. We’ll tell you what code we need from Facebook to do this and where you can find it. We’ll the do the rest.
Branding
I made my logo in Canva will that be ok?
In most cases home made logos can be problematic as you don’t own the rights to them or lots of other people are using the same logo. Every Simply Sites website comes with a branding and content planning call where you can Zoom with Holly and Amy and we’ll find the best way forward with your logo, together.
Do I have to have my photo on my website?
Whilst we won’t make you have your photo on your website, we will recommend it. People buy from people and often want to see who they’re buying from. Remember we’re all about small businesses at Simply Sites, so it’s great to see the face behind the business.
Will you make my website look exactly the same as someone else’s?
No. Each website is unique to the individual it’s been created for. Even if you’ve seen another Simply Site you love and have chosen the same website, we will make the website unique to your small business.
