FAQ

Yes.  Of course, though, we do have a favorites.  We’re happy to share what CMS’s are our faves and why.

Yes. Our websites are built for display in all recent versions of web browsers.

The client will own the design and all HTML/CSS files.

You paid for it, you own it.

Ideally we can usually complete an average website project in 8-10 weeks assuming that the delivery of content and communication between us and the client is timely.

Yes, we can work with you to create a number of e-commerce solutions.

We do not include this by default in web development.  SEO/SEM is a separate service offering that is priced based on evaluation of the final site and the goals you have for it.

Without optimization, chances are it will probably not be terribly visible, particularly if the key terms you wish to target are highly competitive.  One of the first steps in our SEO process is the analyze these factors and create a report that assesses the difficulty of achieving good visibility for your desired key terms.

We do include basic on-site optimization for all of our website projects.  What is this, exactly?  We install plugins or tools that are considered the most effective and useful among developers at the time of launch.  We use those tools to run down a checklist of first steps in getting your indexed for the keywords that are most relevant to the content on your website.

No, not at all.  If it did, it would not be optimization.  There are many tactics out there which are considered “black hat” and/or can be harmful to your website positioning.  We do not employ or endorse any of these methods.  We use only white-hat methods for marketing your site on the search engines. The work is done by real, thinking humans — not by bots.

Provided that your website is being built on a content management system, you will have a great deal of control and ability to easily maintain the site yourself.  However, if there are new functionalities or special needs that come up, we recommend you talk with us about making any new installations or configuration changes.  Once you take it over, if it breaks any fixes are additionally billable.

Graphic design and branding, search engine optimization, search engine marketing, printing, direct mail marketing, email marketing, copywriting/content creation. Learn more about all we do here.

No, not at all.  We are not in the hosting business.  We can help/advise on hosting or handle it all through a third party for you, but we do not manage servers due to the complexity and responsibility involved. We do have hosting companies that we recommend, but the choice is totally up to you.

Technically, since April of 2006.  Most recently, re-incorporated as a North Carolina-based LLC in 2011.

We do more than web design, but best estimate is around 500 since the business was originally founded in 2006.  Some have long since dropped off the web for one reason or another but we currently have about 200 active website clients whose sites we built and manage.

We have a website development agreement. There is a suggested project timeline with milestones and there is a clause for project cancellation due to lack of communication within a given time frame from client or non-payment at the agreed upon milestones. We do use time-based contracts for services like search engine optimization and marketing retainers.

Our web development agreement is not necessarily time-based as in “you have to work with us for one year.” Basically, it states that when your website is paid for in full, you own it. There is no time element other than the proposed development timeline. However, there is a clause that says if the site is not completed by a set date due to lack of communication from client or failure to adhere to milestone requests or payment schedule, then the entire agreement amount will become due or the agreement will be null and void.

All of our websites are responsive and built to look great on a variety of devices and screen sizes.

Although there are some exceptions, we generally have no problem turning over working files as long as there are no restrictions from stock imagery used.

Clear navigation. The user should easily be able to get to what he/she/they want without having to search.

We always offer our advice based on our experience and education in this field. Whether you choose to take it or leave it is up to you.  Ultimately, we will do what the client asks, of course. However, this often leads to discontent with the finished product or lack of effectiveness from a marketing standpoint.  It’s always a smart idea to consider taking your designer’s advice into consideration. After all, you’ve hired them for their expertise in this area so you might as well get all that you’re paying for.

Once it’s paid for, you own it.  Therefore, if you desire to have root admin access, we will happily turn it over.  We just ask that you keep in mind that if you break something and we have to fix it, this time will be billable.

We can certainly integrate on-site payment processing and help you obtain an SSL certificate but, to be clear, the latter is an extra expense and depends on who you host with. There are a myriad of merchant processing companies and payment gateways out there that developers use. You will need to decide what merchant processor you want to use and get your account set up with them. We can definitely give you our best advice on that.

All of the shopping cart systems we work with have easy product and inventory management interfaces.

All of the shopping cart systems that we work with are search engine friendly.

No, but we do require a deposit to begin work; our payment terms are set forth in the agreement but we will never ask any of our clients to pay in full for unfinished work. The final payment is due when the website goes live or is turned over to the client.

We certainly don’t hide anything intentionally. There may be additional expenses (such as the SSL certificates, purchase of extra modules or plugins not in the original scope of work, purchase of special stock photo, etc.). These things would be referred expenses (we just bill it back to the client – we don’t charge a mark-up, only straight expense) and the cost would depend on the host you choose to host your site. We will always discuss these things directly and transparently as they come up.

To some degree; we work mostly from open source software and sometimes the functionality that’s desired simply isn’t available in out-of-the-box open source.  In that case, additional paid augmentation items like modules, widgets, plugins, etc. must be purchased to meet those needs.  In this case, since these additions cost more money, the budget can definitely dictate what functionalities and features are available to use on the site. Also, sometimes custom programming is needed to meet a desired functionality request, which can quickly become costly.

All of our development is done on a staging environment and we test in all current browsers. For ecommerce, we place test orders in sandbox mode until the site is ready to go live.

One hour of training is included. This should be more than sufficient to learn how to manage the content of your site.

Like any business that’s income is largely time-based, we do hope that clients will understand and respect our time and refrain from make excessive demands on that time. However, we are happy to answer any questions here and there as they come up. If the question involves us going back to the drawing board and doing more web development, yes, we would need to provide an estimate for that work. We will always let you know when that’s the case.

Occasionally — but we try to avoid it. If we come across a complex custom programming request and there isn’t a plugin or open source solution of some kind that already addresses it, we may outsource to find a solution.

No frames, ever. There is the occasional table in all ecommerce sites to list an array of items, but the design framework of websites are all tableless HTML/CSS.

Not so much, these days.  We have done a few projects in recent years where we created wireframes was the final deliverable.  But our usual website design process begins with a design comp or mockup built in Photoshop.

That depends on your host. Most shared hosting providers do perform daily backups and can restore a site pretty easily. Also, we can add a back-up administration plugin in WordPress, but if you’re doing the ongoing maintenance of the site you will need to perform the backups.

Both — we’re a small company. We all wear many hats.

If your website is built on a content management system, adding features or extending the functionality is usually fairly simple. However, it’s important to be clear that if your requests are in addition to the set of features in our original agreement,  there may be additional development costs involved.

By creating a compelling design based on the target audience, keeping the images to minimum, using real text in place of image text whenever possible and suggesting the integration of supplementary marketing techniques which give the user a reason to return.

Yes. Responsiveness is one of our biggest priorities.

Yes, our office is located in Raleigh, NC.

We make sure that when your website is completed it is running the latest secure version of the CMS. If you are taking over the website upon project completion it would be your responsibility to keep it properly updated as new, stable secure versions are released. Hacking is a constant and growing threat and the web is ever-changing. WordPress, Joomla and Drupal are open source, which makes them vulnerable because anyone, anywhere in the world can learn the architecture and figure out how to hack it.

5-7 business days is stated in all of our proposals. We will create one draft and will revise from there, unless otherwise noted in your agreement.

We keep drafting until you’re happy with the design, using the revision time allotted within the scope of your project. It’s important to note here that communication is key.  If you don’t like something, try to communicate what it is that you don’t like and work with us proactively to get to a design you love. If you just say, “don’t like it – next,” it won’t wind up being a positive experience for either party. When you’re fair, respectful, communicative and kind — good things happen.

We don’t limit the number of revisions. Your agreement will include a certain amount of revision time. Any revision time that goes over will be billable.

Yes, if it’s built on a Content Management System, it is completely expandable.  In fact, CMS’s exist as a “free” product so that people will extend it by buying its many add-ons and extensions.

You should work with 90 Degree Design because we’re confident that we offer the best value for the cost in terms of caliber of design, expertise, individualized customer service, responsiveness and the extra little details that larger companies may not take the time to do. We’re small, friendly, responsive and tend to form long-term partnerships with many of our clients. When they have successes we get genuinely excited!