Get in Touch
Get in Touch

Web Project FAQs

Our Fees

You can read the most up to date information on our website update costs here.

Timescales

  • Your place in our schedule is secured once you accept our initial proposal and your deposit is received.
  • The project will commence within two weeks of the deposit payment, not from the proposal acceptance date.
  • Please note that any previously discussed dates will be adjusted if we don’t hear back from you within one week.
Let us know as early as possible so we can adjust your timeframes. If the content delivery is late then we will reschedule your project into the next available window. This will vary from 2 to 6 weeks depending on the existing windows in the schedule.

There are times when you might have a reason for the site not going live. This can be simple things like waiting on a 3rd party for some content or photos. In these cases we’ll ask you to sign off the website and we’ll create an invoice for the final amount. In some cases we may also fill the page content with dummy text and placeholder images so that we can complete the page build.

Sometimes life and business get in the way of getting things done, it happens! If you are holding up the project because you are unable to send us the feedback we require to complete your work, we’ll invoice you for the work to date and reschedule the remainder of your project.

Hosting and Domain Names

Yes we can, we’ll work with you to find a suitable domain name and avoid the pitfalls of registering the wrong or unsuitable domain name.

Your website needs to be hosted by a hosting company that specialises in WordPress hosting.

There are many companies that do this and we can make recommendations for a suitable provider based on your website requirements.

We’ll know exactly the service you’ll need and we’ll advise and assist you with this.

You are, of course, free to use any company of your choosing to host your website. We will ask you to confirm that you are aware of your responsibility to ensure you choose the correct hosting, security and perform regular essential maintenance on the website prior to taking it live.We’ve produced a handy guide that covers the maintenance tasks that will need to be carried out on a regular basis which you can read here – Maintaining your WordPress Website.

If you do make your own hosting arrangements, we will provide you (or a nominated representative of your chosen hosting company) with a set of Duplicator migration files once the development is complete.  If you require assistance from us to take your new website live on your chosen hosting platform, our current hourly rate will apply for all work carried out in relation to this.

Website platform and software

We use WordPress to build all of our websites. WordPress is a highly adaptable content management system and is used to build over 800 million websites.

We build all our sites on the WordPress platform. There are several pieces of software that sit on top of WordPress to enable us to build a professional website.

These are known as the Theme and Plugins.

The Theme is responsible for the design and layout. Plugins extend the functionality of the website (for example a contact form or online shop).

We only use the best and fully supported Themes for your site.

For plugins we use the most popular and well supported.

We build all our sites on the WordPress platform. There are several pieces of software that sit on top of WordPress to enable us to build a professional website.

These are known as the Theme and Plugins.

The Theme is responsible for the design and layout. Plugins extend the functionality of the website (for example a contact form or online shop).

We only use the best and fully supported Themes for your site.

For plugins we use the most popular and well supported.

Website Content

For some projects, we use an easy to use online system to collect your website content (the copy and images you want to use).

For others, we use a shared Google Folder for this.

All pages are different from site to site, and business to business. Typically Google recommends a minimum of 300 words per page.

Our quoted costs for pages are based on no more than 500 words per page. This is usually more than enough words and a typical length of a ‘page’ of A4.


The following options are available:

  • You provide the content
  • We can use AI to enhance the content you provide
  • You can employ a copywriter to assist you

Typically for package sites you’ll provide the content, for custom designed sites we recommend the services of a copywriter.

Our recommendation is that you work with one of our copywriters to create great content.

You do. We can assist in sourcing suitable images from stock library websites.

For custom designed design sites we recommend professional photography for the best results.

It is your responsibility to ensure you have the necessary permissions to use your chosen images on your website.

This will vary from site to site.

We accept jpeg, png and some SVG file types.

However we will provide further details on a project by project basis.

Mobile Design

Your site will be built to be viewed on mobile devices such as phones and tablets. We build our sites to function on only the most modern and popular devices, such as iPhones, iPads or Samsung Galaxy’s (in portrait mode). This is also referred to as Responsive Design.

All the visual elements on the site you see on desktop will gracefully stack when viewed on mobile devices.

Google and Search Engine Optimisation

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation. Foundation SEO ensures that Google correctly indexes your website and displays it in their search results.
We use a plugin to create the crucial sitemap.xml that search engines require to index your website properly.

We also allow your site to be found for your business name and location, for example: “Neptune Media Hastings”.

The time it takes for your website to appear on page 1 of Google depends on a number of factors. It depends on the search phrase people are using to find your website and the number of other websites that are also competing for those search phrases. Nobody can truly say how long it will take for your website to appear at the top of search engine results pages (including people who actually work for Google), however there are a number of factors that can improve your chances. Building your website on WordPress is a good start as WordPress has some great Search Engine Optimisation fundamentals built-in. Creating unique and interesting content on a regular basis for your website is also critical to increase your visibility amongst search engines. Launching your website and then forgetting about it is a surefire way to get lost amongst the noise and leaving your rankings to luck.

We are happy to talk more about your search engine strategy if we haven’t already.

You’ll need Google Analytics setup on your website to track and log this data. We can install this for you as an optional add on.

You can see a wide range of statistics about your website including the number of visits, pageviews and the amount of time people are spending on your website.

We have some useful articles that are worth reading.

Cookies & Privacy

All businesses have an obligation to follow the guidance for The Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR), Data Protection Act (DPA) and The General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR).

We provide a generic privacy policy page which you can view here. However, compliance of data protection and communication regulations is the sole responsibility of the owner of the website. We can put you in touch with a GDPR specialist for further information if required.

All of our websites also come with a GDPR and PECR compliant cookie notice banner provided by CookieYes.  This provides the required mechanism to allow for consent or withdrawal from cookies and record consent.

We request that all clients create an account with CookieYes to enable the features to record cookie consent and manually start a scan the site for cookies to populate your cookie list in the banner.

CookieYes is GDPR and PECR compliant and is free for most sites. Pricing for high volume sites or sites that wish for fully automated scanning can be found on the CookieYes website.

We’ve written a helpful blog post here which talks about staying compliant in a bit more detail.

Reviews & Revisions

In this instance, we are talking about design revisions and/or reviews to your website whilst it is in the development phase.

A design review is a meeting in which the designs are discussed, and a design revision is any change made to a design after the first draft is presented.

Design reviews and revisions are included as part of the process for our Custom Pro Builds.

Our package websites (“Fix” and “Flex”) are based on one of our popular templates and we don’t normally include design reviews and revisions as part of these builds. Any changes to the layout of our Package websites will be discussed early in the process and full details will be included in your Website Proposal.

Whilst we like to be flexible and responsive to your needs, we also like to deliver what we promise within the timeframes and budgets we have allowed.

Our package websites (“Fix” and”Flex”) are based on one of our popular templates and we We can discuss whether changes can be approved, deferred or rejected.

Our “Fix” website packages include 15 minutes of edits within one week of it going live.

Our “Flex” and Custom Build packages include 30 minutes of edits within one week of it going live.

For any changes after this point, please refer to the “Training & Post-Launch Editing” section below.

Training & Post-Launch Editing

Once your website is launched, we will provide 1 week of support to make sure any bugs have been ironed out. After this you can simply get in touch with us on a pay as you go basis if further development is required.

Yes, we’ll provide you with a login to the website.

After the final invoice is paid and the site has been made live.

If you have used WordPress before, then probably not. If you are unfamiliar with editing websites using WordPress we can provide training videos at additional cost or we can point you in the direction of good DIY resources.

Support

Yes we do, we’ll provide support all the time your are a client.

Learn more about our website support service.

Faults after Launch

“People can’t see my website or there’s an error being displayed, who do I contact”.

In general, if your website is offline then it’s your hosting company. If your site is displaying an error it could be hosting or the website itself.

Your hosting company only deals with the hosting, or email and the website security and ensures the software is all up to date.

Your web design company only deals with the content, design and features of your website, everything a user of the website sees. We build your website using the best tools and software available, but we are not responsible for the software provided used to build the site.

However, if there’s an issue with your site and it’s caused by 3rd party software, we’ll work with you to find a solution to resolve this for you. Troubleshooting and resolution of issues caused by 3rd party software is chargeable.

If in doubt, we will determine whether it is something the hosting company needs to fix or us as the web design company.

“I can’t work out how to do something on my website, who do I contact”.

There’s lots of resources online to learn how to use WordPress and the software we use on the site to build it.

However if you feel you would benefit from some training just let us know.

Cancelling

We understand that on rare occasions an exceptional circumstance may occur. If you need to cancel your project and work has already commenced we’ll review the point of work carried out and review the possibility of any unused funds that may be available to return to you.

If you choose to move away from working with us once your development is complete and the website is live, you will be responsible for purchasing any premium licenses that we have supplied using our agency accounts. For example many of our builds benefit from a 50% discount on the Elementor plugin; you should make arrangements to purchase your own copy if this is the case.

You should ensure that adequate provision has been made for ongoing support of your website has been made. The responsibility for this will be solely yours once you move away from Neptune Media.

Project Risks

The term “team member” in the text that follows refers to all individuals involved in the project. This includes Neptune Media, our clients and any 3rd parties involved.

Annual leave can affect a project if the team member who is taking the leave is responsible for critical tasks or has specialised knowledge that is essential to the project. Their absence can cause delays or disrupt the workflow.
Unexpected absences, such as sick leave or family emergencies, can also disrupt a project’s workflow and potentially cause delays.

There are a few things that can be done to mitigate these risks:

  • Plan ahead and try to schedule annual leave during non-critical periods of the project.
  • Ensure that team members have updated their colleagues on their current tasks and responsibilities before taking leave.
  • Aim to have backup plans in place in case of unexpected absences, such as assigning temporary replacements or redistributing tasks among team members.
  • Keep good communication channels open to ensure that any impacts of leave or absence are quickly identified and addressed.
In the event of unexpected absence of a Neptune Media team member (due to reasons such as illness), we provide a grace period of two weeks for their recovery and return. Your project timeline will be rescheduled in line with this period of absence. If the unexpected absence continues beyond two weeks, we will assign a new team member to take their place.

Project times will be extended in accordance with the length of absence or impact to the project. These are unique and will be discussed if a risk occurs.

In severe cases such as prolonged illness, leave or a team member is no longer available we will assess the impact on the project and adjust accordingly to suit the situation.

What’s Not Included?

We’ve listed some additional items and/or features below that are not typically included in your quote (unless specifically stated).

These options give you the flexibility to customise your project to your specific needs and budget. Just let us know if you’d like to add any of these to your project, and we’ll take care of the rest. Note that you will be billed separately if you wish to include any of the following:

  • Any changes or edits that fall outside of the agreed scope of work (and growth plan)
  • Assistance changing and planning final growth plan
  • Custom graphics, animations, slideshows, icons, photos or altering of any images or photos
  • Logo design or altering of current logo
  • Translating the website content
  • Customising multiple menu styles
  • Setting up the website for multiple languages
  • API integration
  • Creation and set-up of website policies (privacy, terms and conditions, disclaimers, industry specific policies). This excludes the standard Privacy Policy document we include with all builds.
  • Content editing / review, creation, copywriting or planning of content
  • Training your team (or others) how to use or manage your website
  • We don’t build websites to meet strict accessibility standards unless discussed and agreed upon at proposal stage

The following may be necessary or desired for your website and include third parties and third party sites. Some payments may be paid directly to their third party.

  • Website management & website backups
  • Website security set-up & management
  • High quality website hosting
  • Domain name registration (if applicable)
  • Website themes, plugins or other licenses
  • Licenses for images / photos
  • Additional unplanned time spent on work. You can help eliminate or minimise this by planning for and attending our feedback calls and organising feedback.
  • Time over 120 minutes spent collecting and organising emails, notes, images, ideas, folders, etc. prior to project start. Please organise tasks and ideas by using and communicating within the project management system and folders provided to you.
  • Time spent communicating with third parties or resolving issues from third parties including but not limited to: hosting, emails, themes, plugins, API integrations, etc.
  • Coordinating with third parties outside of our main point of contact (including your team, suppliers, freelancers, contractors)
  • Website updates or bug fixes outside of guarantee period (only available with website maintenance plans)
  • Additional edits after the design phase feedback and development phase feedback has been received and completed.

Please note: all urgent work requested to be completed prior to our agreed upon timeframe will be billed at a 25% increase (depending on availability)