Before you buy
Questions
Everything people ask me before they buy a website, in one place. If yours isn’t here, ask me on WhatsApp and I’ll answer it, then add it to this page.
Getting started
- How do I get started?
- Send me a WhatsApp saying what your business does. I’ll tell you which of the four fits, what it costs and when I could start. If you’d rather talk it through, phone me.
- What do you need from me?
- Once you’ve paid the deposit, a proper conversation about your business: what you do, who buys from you, and what you want your website to bring in. That conversation is where your website is really decided. After that I need your logo if you have one, photos of your work or your products, and anything else you want on the website. I write the first draft of the words, and you correct it.
- How long does it take?
- Five to ten working days, counted from when I have your deposit and everything I need from you. If your business needs something unusual, I’ll tell you how long it will take before you pay anything.
- What if I don’t have photos?
- It depends on your business. If you sell products, customers need to see them, and photos you take yourself are worth more than anything bought in. For a service business, photos matter less, and I use design and graphics where they work better. Tell me which yours is and I’ll say what it needs. Either way I get started.
- Do you write the words?
- Yes. I write the first draft from what you tell me about your business, and you correct it. It’s included in the price.
- Do I have to meet you in person?
- No need. I build for businesses all over South Africa, and the whole job happens on WhatsApp and phone calls. Where you are makes no difference to your website, its price or how long it takes.
- Can you fix my existing website?
- Send me the link and I’ll look at it properly. I’ll send you a voice note saying whether it’s worth fixing, worth rebuilding or already doing its job. It’s free.
- Is a rebuild cheaper than a new website?
- A rebuild is the same price as a new website. An existing website means words and pages to move across, and your place on Google to protect, which is more work rather than less.
- Do you do logos?
- Yes, for R2,450, paid up front. Three designs, two rounds of changes, five working days, and you own the files outright. Order it with a website and I design your logo first, so it’s ready before I start building.
What it costs
- How many pages do I get?
- As many as your business needs, all for the one price.
- How do I pay?
- By EFT. You pay half to get started and the other half when your website goes live, and I send an invoice for both.
- What else will I pay for?
- Three things. Your domain, which is your web address, costs about R150 a year. Email on your own address is optional, and Google bills you for the mailbox. The Care Plan is R450 a month and free for your first three months.
- What if I don’t have a web address yet?
- I register it for you, in your name. Your web address is your domain, like yourbusiness.co.za, and it costs about R150 a year.
- Do I have to take the Care Plan?
- No, it’s optional, and it’s free for your first three months with any website. Without it you arrange and pay for your own hosting, which is what keeps your website online, and your own domain renewal. Changes are R450 an hour.
- Why do you set email up with Google?
- Because it works, everywhere, without you thinking about it. Your mail arrives, the spam filter is the best there is, and it’s Gmail, so it looks the same on every phone and computer you already use. Google bills you directly, in US dollars, about $7 a month for one address, so what you pay in rand depends on the exchange rate that month.
While I build it
- Who decides how it looks?
- You tell me about your business and what you want your website to do. I look after the rest: the words, the way it looks, how the menu works on a phone, and how Google reads it. You see it working before it goes live and tell me what to change.
- How many changes can I ask for?
- Two rounds of changes are included. After that it’s R450 an hour, and I’ll tell you what it will cost before I start.
- What if I don’t like it?
- Then I change it. Two rounds of changes are included, and you see your website working before you pay the second half. Any changes after that are R450 an hour, and I’ll tell you the cost before I start.
- Do you build with WordPress or Wix?
- I write every website from the ground up for the business it belongs to. That’s why they load quickly on a phone, and why there’s less on them that can go wrong or be broken into. If a website builder would suit you better, my guide on Wix and Squarespace says when.
Once it’s live
- Do I own the website?
- Yes, completely. It stays yours even if you stop the Care Plan.
- Will my website come up on Google?
- Your website is built to be found, and what matters most is that it clearly matches what people are searching for. So I write it around what your business does and where you do it, and set it up so Google can read it properly. Your Google Business Profile gets connected too, so you come up on Maps. Where you land also depends on how many businesses near you do the same work, how long they’ve been going, and their reviews. Google says it plainly: no one can guarantee a number one ranking. What I promise is that your website is set up properly, so nothing about it is holding you back.
- Can I update it myself?
- Yes. When your website goes live, I show you how to make the changes you’re most likely to want. With the Care Plan you can send them to me instead, and I make them.
- What happens if I stop the Care Plan?
- Your website stays yours. I help you move your hosting and your domain to wherever you choose.
- Do you look after websites you didn’t build?
- Yes. Send me the link and I’ll look at it, then tell you what looking after it would involve and what it would cost.
- What if my business grows?
- Your website grows with it. Pages can be added at any time, and a One-Pager can become The Website for the difference in price, which is R4,500. If you want to start selling online later, a shop can be added too, and I’ll price that for you when you’re ready.