At Silvertoad we understand that embarking on a website or app project can be quite a daunting task and it’s not unusual for to us to receive all sorts of questions. We also understand that a lot of people end up having a negative experience with website builds with so many different companies offering different services.
That 35% of the web work we do is re-doing or fixing websites others have done should give you an idea of how much poor work is done out there!
We’ve put together this quick blog to help you answer some of the most common questions to help you avoid the pitfalls and tell you a little more about what we do and the way we work at Silvertoad.
1) How long will my website project take?
If you have a deadline, we will work to our very best efforts to accommodate it. Our web projects vary in time depending on complexity and depending on how quickly client’s come back to us with feedback as we go.
On average, our websites take 2 – 4 weeks from start to finish and we start projects within 24 – 48 hours of confirmation.
2) Do Silvertoad own my site or do I?
Good question! The answer simply is YOU, you completely own your website! We’re not here to play games or trap you unlike many other web providers (particularly online ones!) We only have access to build it and to ensure that the running of the site is smooth. If you host with us, we undertake responsibility for its uptime, connectivity and server security. Your site access is strictly between Silvertoad and yourself (as well as anyone else you appoint).
3) Will my website be GDPR compliant?
Yes for sure! All of our website proposals include GDPR compliancy as standard! Fines for non-compliancy can be up to £17million! We provide:
- SSL Certificate – free for your first year with every new website build! This is the little green padlock that shows your site is secure.
- Cookie Notice & Policy – standard template which we can customise at your request
- Privacy Policy – standard template which we can customise at your request
- Regulated Payment & Data Input Systems
- Removal of any data storing software– if applicable
- Contact form ReCaptcha – “I’m not a robot”
- Opt in check boxes for contact forms and newsletter signups
4) What is the payment procedure?
We take 50% upon commencement before work can be carried out, and 50% upon completion and your sign off before the site goes live. We can offer payment plans for those who are unable to pay in two payments and flexible as can be.
All of our websites are custom quoted to suit your needs. We will always discuss your budget and our costs to ensure you are happy with it all before any work commences.
5) Can Silvertoad host my website too?
Yes of course! We have various hosting and maintenance services which we can tailor to suit your needs. We will discuss this as part of the proposal process.
If you have a current website with a different host, we can transfer the hosting over to our servers, or we can upload to your existing one – whatever your preference is, we’re here to help.
We can handle all of your hosting needs for you, and provide management of more services than most budget hosting companies. We maintain hardware, software, patches, security, uptime, connectivity and more.
6) You’re an agency…you must be expensive?
Silvertoad was founded back in 2008 with some distinct and unique philosophies. The idea was to bring high-end tech and development services but at budget prices. We pride ourselves on this simple principle and 11 years on, we work even harder to offer you more for less! We’ve invested in our team and our business from day one and all of the web and tech work we undertake is done internally with our own design, web and development teams!
You can be assured of total satisfaction, with no 3rd parties to manage or worry about and better still, you can speak directly to any of the team members working on your projects.
Ok so you’ve got my attention! What next?
Well we talk the talk, but we walk the walk too! So, first things first, if you have a website already, then we’ll run a free 30-point website assessment, audit and report on your site. In this we will check its structure, functionality and performance. We will also check to see if it’s secure and sturdy and then advise you of what we recommend.
If you’re a start-up or don’t have a website then we can offer you a free initial consultation an help you plan for a new site.
We develop several websites a month and host and mange well over 250 different sites and systems and can offer you a stress-free service to help you get your site off the ground!