Q: I have a site already - can I get Clarica to redesign it in a CMS like Joomla, or to be more search engine friendly?

A. Yes! A large portion of our work involves taking sites that are performing poorly on Google or that aren't turning clicks into calls, and rebuilding them in a way that achieves both.

Q: I'm not sure what should be included on my website. Can you give me some advice?

A. Absolutely. Most of our clients are experts in their own fields. We're experts in web marketing, web design, usability and copy writing, so we have prepared some resources to help our clients through the process of developing the content for their website. We also offer copywriting services at an affordable price.

Q: Do I get a copy of all the files for my website?

A: Yes. They will be uploaded to your hosting server, and you may additionally request a DVD or CD be burned with a backup copy of your site, or a zip copy emailed to you if size permits. We can also provide training on how to regularly backup your own website.

Q: Should I backup my website regularly.

A: It depends. Many hosting companies provide adequate and robust backup procedures whilst others do not. Whoever hosts your website though, it is always a good idea to keep your own backup offline since hosting companies sometimes have failures that destroy backups as well as the main version of your site. Backing up more often is more important if your website changes frequently (for example a shopping cart site that constantly captures new order information or gets new products. For sites that never change, a single backup at the time the site is made should suffice. If you're not sure how to do a backup, we can provide training or do it for you.

Q: Will I get training on using my website?

A: Yes. We provide training on all aspects of maintaining a website at the same hourly rate as our design services upon request. We also have a dedicated Joomla-Training website where we post tools and resources and training videos on maintaining websites based on Joomla, the world's most popular content management system.

Q: Will I be locked into long term contracts or a technologies that other designers can't work with?

A. Not at all. We code websites using xhtml and css and we're careful to make sure that our work is W3C standards compliant. Any good web designer who also uses standards-based design should be able to understand our code and update your website. We don't try to lock you into any long term contracts. We prefer to keep you as a client by completing work that really helps you to market and grow your business. Our aim is that you will come back to Clarica for more advanced services when you need them because you value what we offer. We also use popular industry standard software tools for applications such as content management systems and shopping carts, rather than trying to re-invent the wheel with expensive custom built solutions that can sometimes be a bit of a mystery to anyone but the person who built them.

Q: Do I get copyright in my website after Clarica has designed it.

A: Yes. You get copyright in any works (images, text, design etc) that we create for your site. For elements of your site that were purchased or acquired for your site (eg off the shelf software, script libraries, stock photography etc) we pass on full rights to use those elements as if you'd purchased or acquired them yourself subject to whatever license the vendor provides.

Q: I've seen websites designed in Flash. Do you design your websites in Flash?

We recommend only using flash for things like galleries, banner ads, feature boxes and other appropriate applications but do not recommend building whole websites in flash. Sites built mostly with Flash are severely disadvantaged in search engine rankings, and many visitors turn Flash off to avoid annoyance. Whilst the purpose of traditional advertising is to distract you and grab your attention, you should remember that once a visitor is on your website, you already have their undivided attention, and if you distract them, you are distracting them from your content, not someone else's. We prefer to build sites that focus on marketing effectiveness, usability and fast loading times, which tends to require minimal use of flash.

Q: Will I be able to make changes to my site once the design has been completed?

A: Yes. For sites built in HTML & CSS we can show you some open source tools you can download for free that will help you to make updates to your site. Complex sites such as shopping carts may have some elements you can change very easily like product information and some information pages, and other areas which require technical skill. If you think you will need to make frequent changes to your website or will need more than one one staff member to have the ability to update the website, we would recommend a Content Management System (CMS) such as Joomla to allow you to edit most parts of your website yourself without needing technical expertise.