We love getting a brief for a new website and this post helps answer the common FAQs we receive around new development projects.

I’m interested in a website from Tribe Digital. How do we proceed?

The first thing to do is get in touch. We will then either arrange a meeting at our Exeter office or arrange a discovery call by phone or Zoom so that we can get a feel for what you’re looking for, understand any existing problems or bugbears and come up with an appropriate price quotation for you.

The more info we have the better so feel free to share any ideas, text, images and materials that may give us an idea of what you are looking for. It’s a good idea to make a note of which existing websites you like so we know the direction the web design should take. Once you have received a price quote and should you decide to accept, we’ll agree on a deadline and get started as soon as possible.

We have experience working across a wide range of website projects and organisations but promise to be honest with you about our capabilities. We never outsource development work and operate on a transparent basis if we think there is a technical partner better suited for your size or platform.

I’m not from Exeter, Devon. Can I use your services remotely?

Absolutely. We have lots of clients further afield and have worked with clients outside of the UK. Instead of a face-to-face meeting, we can contact you via other methods such as Zoom with some questions about what you would like from us.

Once I’ve accepted a price quote for my web design, what happens?

We will ask that you send us as much content for your website as possible – images, text and other media. We’ll also want an understanding of how you need to use your website and the depth of technical features the site will require. For a guide, you can check our website prices for different types of projects.

Regardless of the complexity of your website, we always start with a site map, wireframes and then mockups. The site map ensures we’re all agreed on the best user experience and navigation of the website. Wireframes help us to map out the content of the key page and post types. Finally, ‘mock-up’ pages are based on your brand specifications to give you an idea of page structure, colour schemes and overall style. You can offer us feedback on any changes you would like at any stage. Once you are completely happy with a design, we will ask for the final content needed to complete the site

How long will it take for you to complete my website?

This will depend on the size and complexity of the website itself. We usually allow a week for designs and two weeks for development minimum but it’s often much longer. Generally, a brand new website takes less time than migrating an old one to a new design because of the legacy content. The sooner you can get all the content to us the sooner we can complete your website. We’re hot on SEO so we ensure all pages are migrated effectively, then wrap up by conducting a series of QA (quality assurance) testing.

I don’t have much content – what do I do?

If you don’t have much content at hand, we can help. You can request our copywriting service and we can source images through a stock supplier or a photographer or get our designers to create assets for you. We can also offer branding and logo design if you require. These services do come at an extra cost but we’ll ensure you’re completely clear on what is or isn’t included in the quote.

What happens if I change my mind during the web design process?

This entirely depends on which stage of the web design and the complexity of the change. Our process of site maps, wireframes and mockups get two rounds of amends each. This usually mitigates for any changes which we do normally expect. However, once the final look has been agreed and we are at a later stage in the design, particularly when it is being developed, any significant changes will incur additional charges due to the extra work involved but we try to be as accommodating as possible.

Are your sites fully cross-browser compatible?

All of our websites tested thoroughly in all major web browsers. We test with the latest versions of Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome and Apple Safari. We test our webpages on tablets and phones, and all our sites are designed to be responsive. If there are any special requirements such as compatibility with obsolete browsers, let us know so we can be sure to meet them.

How do I get my website online?

We offer a comprehensive web hosting service, so if you would like to have your web design online with us, all you need to do is let us know. Our web hosting starts at £50 per month + VAT. It includes hosting on a dedicated server, security certificates (we never recommend launching a site without one), daily backups of your site and technical updates.

We will also let you know the options available for buying a domain name. If you already have hosting and a domain name, we will be happy to upload your site onto your existing hosting space, providing it can accommodate the size and traffic of your new website and meets certain minimal technical requirements.

How do I update my website after it’s finished?

There are two ways you need to update your website; technical updates and content updates.

Technical Updates:

Technical updates are included in our web hosting package. We ensure that all apps or plugins are functioning correctly and are not compromising the security of your website. We don’t want to scare you but out of date, plugins are the easiest way to hack a site or for it to start misbehaving.

Content Updates:

You can update your website yourself through a content management system (CMS), or we can update it for you. A content management system means that you can change photos or text in your site as easily as changing, say, parts of a Facebook profile. The advantage of this system is that there is a one-off charge and you have full control over your website. However if you would rather we took care of your site content, or your website requires a change in the structure or extra pages, we will charge an hourly rate for work carried out. Small and very occasional updates to a website we have built for you (such as a change of contact details or a small piece of text) will not be charged for.

Will my website appear on search engines such as Google?

When we build a website, we always develop it with search engines in mind and we always submit the URL to the major search sites (Google, Bing, etc.), thereby increasing its chances of being indexed. It can take time for your website to appear in the results, and its ranking will be highly dependent on your competition. Our search engine optimisation (SEO) service employs further techniques to ensure that your website stands the best possible chance of ranking well such as keyword research, metadata recommendations and content expansion. It can be incorporated into our web design service for optimum performance from the outset or added as an effective competitive marketing strategy for your existing website.

Which platforms do you create websites on?

We’re strictly WordPress, Shopify or Shopify Plus. If you have a Magento, Joomla or Drupal site, we can help migrate you to our preferred platforms but the reason we champion these platforms is because they work, both for the end in-house user and for consumers. We’re all about producing work we can be proud of and is future-proof. While we appreciate headless CMS, we find that quite often our clients prefer these scalable solutions.

Hopefully, that helped to provide clarity around what goes into creating a modern website. For more information about our web development services, please get in touch.