Frequently Asked Questions

Why do I need a website?

These days, having a website for your business is almost as important as having a telephone number or a business card. Businesses are using the web to gain more customers and clients, as well as to sell products and services. Families use websites to keep in touch with relatives across the country and around the world. Artists show portfolios online. Job-seekers post résumés on their webpage.

Businesses: These days, people expect businesses to have a website, and if they can't find a website for your business, they'll use a business they can find online. A website is an inexpensive way to deliver your catalog to more customers than ever before, as well as giving visitors more detail about your company's services and background. You need every advantage you can find in today's tight market. The web is just one more tool to market your business and entice potential customers and clients.

Families: If you have family around the country or around the world, a personal website is a perfect way to keep in touch inexpensively. Sharing family photos was never easier or faster. It's also a great way to share genealogical research with newfound relatives around the globe.

Individuals: Looking for a job? A website is a quick and easy way for prospective employers and/or clients to view your résuméor portfolio. You can include much more information than on a single sheet of paper. A well-designed website can bring you and your personality to life - let viewers see the "real" you. What better way to stand out in today's crowded sea of job-hunters?

Artists and Musicians: Showcase your creative talents on a website. It weighs a lot less than a large, bulky portfolio or most musical instruments. You can place more artwork on a website than you could ever carry under your arm, especially if you're a sculptor! You're a musician? Visitors to your website could download your music, see video clips of your band's performances, find out where you'll be performing next. Don't laugh - it worked for Norah Jones!

Why should I hire a professional web designer?

Why hire a professional? First of all, web design isn't as easy as it seems. A professional web designer needs to be the technological equivalent of a renaissance man, a jack of all trades so to speak - "specialization is for insects".

When you hire a professional to design your website, that person needs to know much more than how to make a pretty site. Your website needs to viewable on a wide variety of browsers, not just one or two. It must be easy to navigate for your visitors. People need to be able to find your site, so it needs be optimized for and registered with search engines, that involves the ability to create and/or modify your website's content. What's more, a professional web designer's training does not stop with learning the basics of web design.

Syren Song Designs is constantly doing research to stay aware of current Internet, marketing, business and web design trends. We have to if we are going to survive as a business. What we learn, we pass along to our clients. We understand what it means to run a business, because we're professionals and we understand exactly how important your business is to you. We do our best to anticipate your needs, and work with you to make your dreams a reality.

Can I create my own website?

Of course you can. If you decide to create your own website, we'll help with that, too. Designing a website can be a very complicated and time-consuming project, so we've put together resources and tips to help you. We've tried to provide a good starting point for designing your own website, suggestions for what to include and what to avoid, links to tutorials on a wide variety of topics, as well as other information to help you get the most from designing your own website. Write to us for more information.

Can you design a website that I can update myself?

All you have to do is ask. We'll make sure your personalized template is clearly noted so you'll know what's okay to change and what not to touch.

Can you maintain my website for me after the design work is finished?

All you have to do is ask. Site maintenance is generally a contracted service that can include updating your website, help with email or website problems, help with problems involving your hosting company, providing statistical information about your site's visitors and more. It's generally contracted on an hourly, monthly, quarterly or yearly basis. Contact us for more detailed information.

Can I have a website at www.mychosenname.com?

Absolutely - if no one else has already registered the name you've chosen. It's called a domain name, and it must be registered before you can use it for your website. Domain Names are paid for on a yearly basis, but you can pay for several years at a time when you register your domain. If you don't already have a registered domain name, Syren Song Designs can set one up for you.

What is a hosting company and how much does it cost?

A hosting company, sometimes just called a "host", has special computers called servers that are connected to the world wide web by special high-speed telephone lines. These servers contain all the pages of your website. The amount of information (content) you have on your website and your various "bells and whistles", as well as the amount of traffic your site has, generally determines your monthly fee for website hosting. This can vary widely from one company to another, including free websites and private server maintenance plans costing more than $200 a month. If you don't already have a host for your website, we'll help you find one that suits your needs and your budget.

What do you mean by "content"?

Content is the heart and soul of your website. It's the reason people come to visit, stay to look around, and tell their friends to visit your site. Content includes articles, items for sale, music, photographs, organization statistics - anything you've ever seen or heard on a website. Basically, it's the information your provide for your visitors. The purpose of your website determines your content. The specific words used help search engines find and categorize your website. Search engines use these "keywords" to match what you have to offer with what someone else is trying to find. You can create your site's content yourself, or Syren Song Designs can create it for you. Either way, we will work with you to include specific words and/or phrases to help potential visitors find your site in search engine results.

What are "bells and whistles" on a website?

Bells and whistles can be forums, bulletin boards, chat rooms, site-wide search engines, online forms emailed directly to the website's owner on completion, online stores, and many other things that require special programming. In some cases, this requires access to specific programs from your hosting company, though this isn't always necessary. Syren Song Designs can provide many different bells and whistles for your website, depending on your site's web hosting company and service plan.

Why do I need to submit my site to a search engine?

Basically, if your website isn't listed with any of the major search engines (Google, Yahoo, AOL, MSN, etc.), no one will be able to find it. There are a number of ways you can get listed with search engines, but the best way is to register your website with several better-known engines and directories. You can perform the submissions yourself, or Syren Song Designs can do it for you.

Submissions can be done over a period of time with no charge for the registration process. Or it can be done in as little as two days, but the search engine companies charge extra for this priority service, as much as $299 depending on the search engine. How much it will cost you depends on how fast you want or need to get your site listed in a particular search engine.

What do you charge for your services?

That's the question you really want answered, isn't it? Well, we don't create cookie-cutter websites, and we don't have cookie-cutter pricing. If you really want to know what we'd charge for your website, then let's talk about what you want and what you need. We'll be happy to work with you to design a website just for you. Just ask.