FAQS (Frequently Asked Web Questions)
We need a web site. How do we get started?
What if we don't need a completely new web site?
Can you re-design or update our site?
How long do updates take?
How do you bill for updates?
What is the process for designing a new web
site?
How long does it take to design a new web site?
What is the cost?
How long have you been designing web sites?
What kind of work have you done?
Do you handle web hosting? Can you register
a web address for us?
Can DLS design our web site, but let us host
it elsewhere?
We'd like to use Flash on our web site. Can
you include that in the design?
Can we update our web site ourselves?
Will our web site be found on search engines?
How can we get started on our web site?
• What sort of clients does DLS Design service?

We need a web site. How do we get started?
The essential ingredients are the contents of your web site, and
someone to design it. In general, the contents will consist of a
description of your company or organization, some history, products,
services and people. And of course, the web site should include
many ways to get in touch with you, through email, contact forms
or intake forms, as well as the info to reach you offline.
The design and implementation are what we do. DLS will help you
organize your material, including writing and photography if necessary,
and then create a graphical look-and-feel appropriate to your needs.
And behind that good-looking web facade, we will carefully tend
to all the "coding" that makes a web site run seamlessly on all
browsers, process inquiries, run searches, surveys or content-management
functions that enable your web site to assume responsiblity for
important functions of your business. Our design will be devoid
of superfluous bells and whistles, but with all the dressing up
needed to show you as a peer of any competitor.
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What if we don't need a completely new web site?
Can you re-design or update our site?
Yes. Much of our work comes from companies who've been using their
existing web site and wish to continue. Our work in a case like
this can take several forms. We can evaluate the site, and clean
up errors that may have crept into the code as a result of past
updates. Or, we can save only the kernel your content
and move it into a new framework with better graphics or navigation.
One reason to do this might be to make the web site match other
materials your company may have, such as your brochure or advertising.
Later on, we're always ready to create an entirely new look, should
you need it.
We can add completely new pages or sections and match the current
design. Or we could make periodically necessary changes, such as
updating bios of personnel, adding or deleting products and services
as they change. A large part of our work consists of adding news
to web sites, including a headline on the homepage and a story in
a separate page and we can remove this content when it becomes
obsolete.
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How long do updates take?
In many cases they are done the same day as requested. If we are
familiar with your site, either because we've designed it, or have
worked on it before, simply call or email your changes and we will
respond quickly with a timeframe, and a cost.
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How do you bill for updates?
The fees for updates are calculated on an hourly basis, with a
half-hour minimum. Our professional rate, $100 / hour, covers conceptual
work, original design and Flash animation, advanced coding for backend
processes using cgi / php / asp or similar methods, and retouching
on difficult subjects. Our assistant rate, $60 / hour, covers updating
of text, graphics, photos and animations; basic html editing, uploading
work and testing in browsers, and simple retouching.
We bill you after the work is done, but you may save money by purchasing
a Block of Time agreement up front. A payment of $600 secures 10
hours of assistant time, or 6 hours of professional time, or any
combination of hours. Plus, we will add 10% of credit for the upfront
payment, a value of $660. That's like getting a free hour.
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What is the process for designing a new web
site?
This consists of gathering a lot of information about your company
or organization, working with you to create an outline, and helping
you write the content if you don't already have it. The graphics
are developed with reference to your industry so they look appropriate
to your clients or prospects, but are always original, and designed
from scratch. We also explore how various backend functions can
add value to your site. For instance, would you benefit by conducting
a survey of your customer preferences, and either showing the results
on your web site or viewing them privately? We can easily do this,
and much, much more!
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How long does it take to design a new web site?
This is, of course, dependent on the size and compelexity of the
project, as well as how far along a you are in your thinking. For
many of the web sites you see as samples on our site medium-sized
web sites for medium-sized businesses four to eight weeks
are usually required. What sometimes adds time to this are the periods
needed for approval, especially with larger companies where different
people or departments must weigh in on the web site.
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What is the cost?
A web site for a small business starts around $3,000, depending on its features. For medium-sized
projects, including a variety of "backend" processes behind the
visible pages, the range is $5,000 up through $20,000. More elaborate
projects are more expensive.
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How long have you been designing web sites?
What kind of work have you done?
DLS has been designing web sites since 1995. As an established
design studio already handling print projects, advertising and the
design of logos, we felt web design would be a natural extension
of our service-oriented approach: extending our clients' ability
to communicate professionally to a new medium. We were excited to
get into a new market, and we think our work shows it!
We have designed high-functioning, graphically rich web sites for
clients in law, technology, manufacturing, non-profit, media, fashion
and general-service busineses. Our clients are all over the United
States, and especially concentrated in the Northeast, including
New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachussets, Long Island and
Westchester County.
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Do you handle web hosting? Can you register
a web address for us?
Yes to both questions. Our web hosting is done on a dedicated,
managed server which services our clients exclusively. This enables
us to set up, test and implement software applications to meet our
clients' specific needs. And, no other web sites are hosted on this
server. This gives us a high level of control over it, unlike shared
server accounts you'll find at many of the mass-market web hosting
companies, where a large number of companies and/or their designers
have access to the server, leaving it vulnerable to problems caused
by inexperience, error or vandalism.
As for your web address, we regularly register domain names for
new and existing clients, track the expiration date, notify clients
when renewal dates are coming up, and renew at the appropriate time.
If your company becomes a client of DLS Design, we act only as your
agent, listing your company as the organizational contact, and leaving
control of the domain with you.
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Can DLS design our web site, but let us host
it elsewhere?
Yes. Some clients host web sites internally, and this is suitable
for larger companies or those that have a knowledgeable IT department
able to run a web server. In other cases, a client may have already
signed up for hosting elsewhere, and we can work this way as well.
If you are thinking of choosing your own hosting, you should speak
to us first, so we can ascertain that you've picked a package that
will accommodate any special processes happening on the site, such
as contact forms, databases, etc.
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We'd like to use Flash on our web site. Can
you include that in the design?
Gladly. And you may check out some great examples of our Flash
work elsewhere on our site. But use Flash with caution: the fancier
the effects, the longer the download time. If your site will be
visited by customers in need of quick information, Flash may not
be for you. And, at least for the present, search engines cannot
find, or analyze the content of, Flash animations.
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Can we update our web site ourselves?
There are several methods for doing this. If you have technically
adept people on your staff, we can train them in the use of Dreamweaver,
an industry-standard web authoring software that enables users to
create layouts and content almost like a page layout program. Or,
for an additional fee, we can implement a Content Management System,
which enables any user you designate to update content on the site
right through a web browser. Contact us for details.
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Will our web site be found on search engines?
We always include coding in the web pages to enable them to be
seen by search engine "crawlers". And the layout of a web page has
some effect on how easily it can be found, so we design to maximize
this. And, we can submit your site to Google and other major search
engines. So your site will start appearing within a short time of
completion. For maximum exposure, we recommend a targeted, paid
optimization plan, through Google Adwords, Overture or other specialists.
We would be happy to work through the process with you.
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How can we get started on our web site?
Contact us as soon as you've made the decision to move ahead. You
can email us, fill out our
contact form, or call us at 212-255-3464.
We return communications promptly, and will help you get started.
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 What sort of clients does DLS Design service?
DLS Design specializes in business clients, including law firms, industrial companies, media companies, financial services, health care and nonprofits. |