Frequently Asked Questions

How much will a website cost me?

Your website will be designed specifically to meet your needs so the cost depends entirely on what you want. A brochure site like Oxforce Property Services should cost no more than £600. A rough rule of thumb is about £150 per web page, some pages cost a little more, some a little less.

More sophisticated sites can sometimes cost more but we can often use packages which will bring the cost down, a full scale online shop would be expensive to build from scratch but customising a Zen Cart installation can be a lot cheaper. A customised shop like Oast House Collections can look a lot different from a standard shopping cart but still maintain the full functionality and security behind the scenes.

We charge nothing for an initial consultation to discuss your requirements and work out a budget. Please contact us to arrange a meeting.

What will my website look like?

If you have an existing corporate design, perhaps in a letterhead, business card or brochure we will use that as the basis for your website design. But you should be aware that a website is a different medium, what works in print will probably need some tweaking to work as well on a website.

If you have no existing image then it is a good idea to do some browsing to look for websites you like the look of, and also for websites you dislike, it all helps us to get the right look for your business.

We will design your website to meet your needs, but we will also offer suggestions from our experience with search engine optimisation and accessibility. The ideal website is one that looks great, works properly, is easy to find and is easy for your customers to use (remember that you may be paying for your new website but your customers are the end user, if they like it you will make money).

Why might I want my own SSL certificate?

What is an SSL certificate?

SSL stands for Secure Socket Layer, SSL provides a method for a browser (like Internet Explorer or Firefox) to create an encrypted connection between your computer and a web server. To create this connection the web server must have a fixed address and an SSL certificate.

This encrypted connection means that other people can't see the traffic between your computer and the website. You are probably familiar with the little padlock symbol that your browser displays when you visit a banking or ecommerce website, this is a signal that the connection between your computer and the website is secure and encrypted.

Validated SSL Certificates

A validated SSL certificate provides the same level of security as a standard SSL certificate, what the validated certificate adds is ownership. In modern browsers a webpage using a validated certificate will be displayed with a green address bar as well as the standard padlock logo.

With a validated SSL certificate the customer's browser can show who owns the site and know that this ownership has been verified by a trusted Certification Authority. The customer can be sure that the site really belongs to you.

Do I need my own SSL certificate?

No; All our hosting packages come with a shared certificate which provides the same security as your own certificate.

It is a good idea to connect to your email server with an encrypted connection but you can use the shared certificate for this. Apart from this most sites have no real need for encryption, it is only when you are asking customers for personal information (including passwords) that encryption becomes necessary.

So why have my own SSL certificate?

If you are getting your customers to sign in to your site to buy something or to download something you should definitely have your own SSL certificate, they need to know that you are protecting their personal information.

You have no control over how or where your customers are accessing your site from, if they are placing an order while visiting their local coffee shop anybody could be capturing their personal information. Of course the same applies to you too, if you are updating your site over an insecure connection you need to be using an encrypted link.

A shared certificate will provide this protection but doesn't look at all businesslike, it looks like the customer is being taken off your site to someone else's site which they know nothing about.

The address of this page using a shared certificate is https://bluedevil.websitewelcome.com/~cotsweb/frequently_asked_questions.php
which doesn't look as professional as
https://www.cotsweb.com/frequently_asked_questions.php