Frequently Asked Questions
Do I really need a designer to develop my website?
Yes and No. You could develop your own website using some of the free software and development tools available on the market, however, I have found that if you are a business owner you are not in the business of website development and can overlook many key elements of the design process.
If you are serious, hire a professional to design your site - your website is more than an online business care for you, it is your online marketing tool that can help you advertise your business.
How much does a professional website cost?
There are quite a few factors that are going to affect the ultimate cost of your web site. These factors include how many pages you are going to have, if you will sell products on your website, the graphic work involved, and how interactive your future web site will be.
You will also need web hosting and domain name registration.
How long does it take to have a web site designed?
The time frame is determined by the size of your web site, the complexity of your site design, and our current client design schedule.
Generally, if you have the information for your site available VPG Design can have your website up and running within a week, for larger jobs it may take a little longer.
Where will I host my website?
Every provider will tell you how they treat their support, uptime, expertise, guarantees, etc. Take a close look. What they're really offering you is nothing close to what Rackspace does. And that's why we're the world's leader in hosting. VPG Design uses Rackspace to host their websites.
Do I really need SEO Services for my site?
SEO services help your site rank better in the search engines. Better rankings drives more traffic to your site, creating the ability for better exposure and revenue streams.
How do backlinks affect my rankings?
Backlinks help improve your rankings. Search engines see backlinks as positive 'votes' for your site. Search engines highly associate your site's backlinks with your site's ability to satiate a browsers search wishes. There are no fixed rule for the number of backlinks that you need on your site. Ideally you want to have backlinks from reputable sites.
How do I determine my online marketing budget?
Determine your potential ROI (return on investment). Your online marketing tactics will help bring more traffic and business to your site, that in turn will increase your revenue. There is always a need for online marketing, but be sure your provider is presenting you with quantifiable results.
How do I optimize my site?
Search engine optimization involves a high number of tactics, which all help to optimize your site. A combination of online marketing and search engine optimization is a good way to achieve great optimization. Unlike, short-term advertising, search engine optimization presents tenacious results.
What are Meta tags?
Meta tags appear in search results as well as on your site's pages. Meta tags help optimize your site regarding the search engines. Also, meta tags help browsers understand what your site's pages are about in regards to satisfying their search needs.
How does Google view my site?
Google crawls each site often and sporadically using 'spider bots.' The bots read your pages and help Google catalog your site and its associated pages.
What is Google Webmaster Tools?
Google Webmaster Tools is a no-charge web service by Google for webmasters. It allows webmasters to check indexing status and optimize their websites. It has tools that let the webmasters submit and check sitemaps, generate and check robots.txt files, list internal and external pages linking to the site, view statistics related to how Google crawls the site, and more.
What's an XML sitemap?
An XML sitemap is a list of pages of a web site accessible to crawlers or users. It lists the pages on a web site, typically organized in hierarchical fashion. This helps visitors and search engine bots find pages on the site.
What is a robots.txt file?
A robots.txt file on a website will function as a request that specified robots ignore specified files or directories in their search. This might be, for example, out of a preference for privacy from search engine results, or the belief that the content of the selected directories might be misleading or irrelevant to the categorization of the site as a whole, or out of a desire that an application only operate on certain data.
What is 301 redirect?
A 301 redirect tells search engine spiders that a page of content has permanently been moved to another location. This ensures that there are no 'dead' or non-working, active links on a page within your site.
What is Page Rank and is it important?
Page Rank is a way for search engines to 'grade' a site and its associated pages. No one is completely certain as to the 'exact' science of how page rank is formulated, but it is understood that a number of elements such as age, number of backlinks, and amount of content, are used to formulate it.
What is Google Analytics?
Google Analytics help you analyze visitor behavior in regards to your site. Analytics tools can tell you how many visitors you had each day, what pages they crawled, how long they were on each page, etc. Google Analytics is an invaluable tool in helping to augment your site's ability to attract browsers.
How long does it normally take to see SEO Results?
Many sites usually engage in an SEO program for at least six months in order to achieve good results, yet 'desired results' will vary with each client. Patience is one of the best aids to an SEO campaign. It may be best to understand that SEO tactics are 'working' all the time to achieve your desired results; and, once your SEO results are achieved, they are long lasting.
What's the difference between organic SEO and Paid results?
When a browser conducts a search, they will be confronted by both organic results and paid results (those which are highlighted and usually placed on the very top or right-hand side of the page). It is the quest of every business to achieve first-page, organic-SEO results because they are long lasting and organic results are more respected by browsers.
What is keyword density and how does it help?
Keyword density refers to the ratio of particular keywords in your copy as compared to the rest of the copy. Having good keyword density improves the likelihood that both search engines and Web browsers will associate your site's content with your chosen keywords.
Why do I need to write copy for my web site?
Content is king when it comes to the Web. Remember that the Web's purpose is to provide information to users; having fresh copy implemented regularly on your site is one of the top ways to achieve good rankings and to intrigue visitors to visit your site.
How can Social Media be used for SEO?
Social media presents opportunities to acquire backlinks to your site's pages, articles, press releases, etc. Social media is a popular and ever-growing aspect of the Web. Engaging in social media works well to generate good publicity for your site while helping SEO initiatives as well.
Why does my company need Reputation Management?
Having an online business means you are open all the time. Competition can be fierce in many industries. Reputation management helps your business build and maintain a 'good' name within your industry and with customers.
What is a Landing Page?
A landing page puts your customers close to the final sale. A good landing page offers intriguing copy an opportunity for your visitors to make a purchase or desired conversion depending on the desired end result of your site's existence.
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