Frequently asked questions

The only rate that is published on my website is for the annual WordPress maintenance programs.  These are standard packages with pre-determined activities.  Of course, if you want more than what is in scope here, the price is subject to variation.  With all other work, including website creation and refreshing, blog coaching, business coaching and WordPress technical work, rates are provided via a formal proposal once we have discussed your requirements.

This is because I don’t offer a generic service for any of this type of work.  The overall cost will depend on the scope and complexity of the project, the time required to complete and your own timeline.  

Sometimes my clients don’t actually know what they want when they first talk to me, or haven’t considered the magnitude of what needs to be done.  It’s always easiest to email me first so we can have a chat about your specific needs.

I only recommend and use WordPress.  There’s a reason for this.  WordPress has become the dominant leader of CMS (Content Management Systems) in the world.  It is estimated that in 2020, there were approximately 1.3 billion active websites in the world.  35% of these are powered by WordPress and 20% are self-hosted WordPress.  14.7% of the world’s top 100 websites use WordPress.  There’s some telling statistics here.  It’s also easy to use, supports a large number of themes, plugins and other software interfaces and it is highly conducive to delivering excellent SEO (search engine optimisation) and Google rankings.

It is also recommended because WordPress is the backbone of three of my own websites.  I live and breathe WordPress every day and I understand the workings of both the customer facing view and the technical backend.  I also know that everytime my clients get a WordPress website they love it for its usability.

I will not create a website using the Divi page builder, but I will happily migrate an existing Divi to another theme and builder.  I have experience building websites with Gutenberg, Elementor and Beaver Builder.  I’ve also got experience with various Genesis themes (and child themes) as well as Astra.

*Data sourced from Search Engine Journal.

Most of my client’s websites are built within four to six weeks, but there are a number of factors that can impact this.  

  • Number of existing clients already in my workflow
  • Unexpected issues encountered with your site (specifically if it is a migration or refresh)
  • Time taken to receive information, content or instructions from the client
  • Client’s timeline
I communicate constantly with my clients to ensure an efficient process.  The faster I can get information and we can agree on critical steps, the quicker the client gets the finished product.

You sure can.  As projects evolve, clients can get a little more excited about their website and want to add more.  When this happens, we just have a conversation about what is needed and if it doesn’t fall under the approved scope, we’ll discuss what the additional costs are before proceeding.

If you are one of my annual website maintenance clients, we communicate by email or phone whenever it is relevant during each month. ie if there is an issue or something I need to communicate.  At the end of each month, a report is prepared for each client (if they want it) to show the activity that has been carried out on their behalf.

For technical work clients, we communicate via email or phone as required to get instructions and to work through the issues.

Website creation projects require significant and regular communications.  Mostly this comes in the form of emails, but if a phone call or face to face conversation via Zoom is necessary, then this is what we do.  A well informed client is a happy client.  For website work, a pre-brief is also carried out, then a formal proposal and contract is delivered to the client prior to commencement of any work.  

We also use Dropbox and Google Drive for sharing information.

At the moment, it’s also just me doing all the work, so your communciation is with me directly.  I am starting to work on preferred suppliers for some of the technical work and aim to build my team in 2021 for the website creation projects too.

Even when I do that though, I’m still going to be the face and voice of the business because my clients tell me over and over  again that this is one of the key reasons 

The main two things are your domain name and your web hosting.  don’t worry if you don’t know how to do this.  I can include this in the package.

This is also possible and it’s been done already.  If I can’t write the content for you, or don’t have the capacity in my schedule to do so, I have access to an incredible group of travel writers, journalists, photographers and videographers.  One way or another, we can find a way to fulfil your requirements.

Of course you can.  In fact, many of my website clients are now also on my books for the anual website maintenance plans whilst others regularly get me to do adhoc technical or website design work for them.

One client evens has me updating the site with new content.

I’m happy to discuss anything that will make your life eaiser and allow you to concentrate on your own business.  

I’m not a developer so I won’t be building a custom-designed website.  One day in the future I’ll have finished studying html coding and I will be able to, but for now, you’ll have to find someone one if this is what you are after.

I’m not a brand specialist so I can’t create your colour palette for you or your branding package.  I’m also not a graphic designer so I don’t design logos or other fancy things.  You will need to source this before we could start a project.

Face to face coaching is wonderful but it poses a raft of logistical issues.  All of my clients excep one don’t live in the same city as I do, meaning getting together physically is difficult and ultimately expensive.  

If you live closeby, I’m more than happy to hang out with you, but for most, we conduct our sessions online via Zoom.  The technology is so good that it feels like we are next door to each other anyway.

The website maintenance packages do not include 24/7 support.  If they did, I’d never sleep as I’d have to be awake for every time zone in the world.  Whilst I often work outside what most people would consider to be normal working hours, my business hours for the purpose of this work is 8 am – 6 pm Monday to Friday, AEST (Australia).

For the website maintenance annual packages and adhoc technical work, there are no other costs charged by me.  However, over time, your needs might change or I might see the opportunity for an improvemnt, the outcome of which might be for example a paid plugin or theme.  If and when this happens, I will simply make a recommendation or advise the cost based on your request.  You can then just pay for the service/plugin/theme etc directly.

When it comes to building websites, there are several costs that cannot be avoided.

  • Domain name registration
  • Web hosting
  • Depending on your requirements, a theme

Otherwise, it will be as per the information above and based on your personal requirements.

 

Not a problem, you are the people I love working with as it gives me a chance to show you that it isn’t that scary.  I’m pretty quick at working out people’s knowledge, skill and comfort levels when it comes to technology and adjust my questions, conversations and coaching accordingly.

Many of my clients are creative people who really don’t like technology, but we’ve been able to produce some exceptional results.

To be able to effectively work on your project I will need, as a minimum, the following logins.  For WordPress you can simply create a separate username and password for me. 

  • Admin level WordPress access
  • cPanel and web hosting access
  • Any other logins required to work on your site eg plugins and themes

 

As a general rule the following applies:

  • WordPress technical jobs are payable in full in advance
  • WordPress maintenance packages are payable in advance on a quarterly basis
  • Coaching is paid in advance, either for single sessions or for the 5-session package.
  • WordPress website creation is split into two instalments, with 50% on commencement and the balance on completion of the project.
However, I can be flexible depending on the situation, you just need to discuss this with me.

It depends.  If you have paid me for a maintenance job and I discover an issue that means I am unable to continue and ultimately fix your problem, I will let you know and I will provide a full refund.  

If you have paid for an annual website maintenance plan and you need to cancel part way through, you will receive a prorata refund for the unused time, minus a 30% administration fee to cover the initial set up of your website on the various programs that are used to monitor your account.

For coaching, if you have paid in advance for a 5-session coaching package, a prorata refund will be given for the unsued portion minus a 20% administration fee.

If you have engaged me to build your website, the payments are made in two instalments.  One is made prior to any work being conducted, the other at the completion of the project.  Refunds for this work are not possible.  This is because a lot of work goes into the pre-briefing and other discussions with the client and other behid the scenes preparation.  Prospective clients are asked to be clear and fully ready to proceed with the project before making a payment.

I always invoice for every service so that we both have a record and you can claim yrou expenses on your tax where applicable.

Payment is via credit card (from anywhere in the world) or a direct deposit into my Australian bank account.

For clients in the USA, UK and Europe, direct deposits can also be made into my relevant US, UK and Euro bank accounts on request.

INTERESTED IN IMPROVING YOUR BUSINESS?