Mara's Musings

Always ask someone before linking to their site, they may not consider the link appropriate and they are within their rights to ask for you to remove the link. In any case it is bad manners and extremely bad netiquette to link to another person’s site without asking first.

On all the sites that I design a small link is placed at the foot of the page which states (in small unobtrusive text) “Designed by Mara Cortesi”. Only sites with this present have been designed by me. If the client chooses to link to me more specifically on a links page then I am always very grateful but this is not essential.

External sites may from time to time choose to link back to my site without my permission, however this is not an indication that I have designed that site.

As a web designer I am sometimes asked to recommend or provide hosting for clients, but often clients like to shop around.

Here is some information to help you when looking at Web Hosts based on a personal experience of these 4 companies which are the ones I have worked with most frequently.

Cheap 'n' Cheerful - UK Cheapest

This is a very basic web hosting service.  They do support a lot of web applications like wordpress and joomla and they make life easy if you are not web savvy since since all updates can be done automatically.

I do not recommend these for e-commerce sites or those using content management systems like wordpress which take up a lot of space, or sites which are expected to expand rapidly.  I do use them for my own site which requires little in the way of stored images, etc.  Shops, and other sites where a lot of detail is uploaded they can quickly become full, and the company will suspend the account immediately if you go over your allocation.  Even if you upgrade immediately expect the site to be off-line for at least 24 hours.  They will not commit to a timescale for reinstatement.

The other thing to consider is their storage space vs cost.  If you were to buy a site large enough for a mid-scale ecommerce site run on a shopping cart programme, it could work out more expensive than a better package elsewhere. 

They score poorly on customer service - they have no dedicated phone lines so all support questions have to be dealt with online.  They will report that they are dealing with all support "tickets" within 1 hour but rarely do, even on an urgent ticket you can wait at least 24 hours for any response and the customer support you do get is pretty lack lustre.

Verdict: Cheap, you get what you pay for, OK for small trades based sites and personal sites.

Good Service - 123 Reg & UK Host4U

Although I find the UK Host4U website irritating in the extreme (especially the online chat window that zooms across the screen), I have never had any problems with either of these companies, they are reasonably priced and offer a good customer support service which is based within the UK.  They also support many web applications, content management systems and e-commerce carts.  With 123-Reg, if you purchase their business package or higher you can choose to host more than one site with them for the same fee.  The sites are mainly shared, non-managed server sites and I would say they are good value for money.


Verdict: Standard shared and non managed web hosting service, various packages to suit the needs of different sized businesses as well as the smaller website.

Top of the Range - Your Site Here (YSH)

Without doubt the best web hosting service I have ever used in terms of its customer service. Run by the Dark group the customer service availability is limited to office hours but the telephone is answered immediately, the staff actually know your name and can help with every aspect of your site from basic uploading issues, right through to intricate little problems you may have with any one of the number of web based applications they support.  This, in my view, is top of the line hosting and you will pay accordingly.  The downside is that they whilst they do offer web applications and content management system support, once something like wordpress or joomla is installed space is at a premium.  Even smallish sites can quickly become full even on their Platinum service which offers 1GB storage compared to 10GB+ on other servers.

Verdict: Fine for non content management based sites.  Excellent customer care.


Quick Comparison - Cost vs Storage Space


UK Cheapest:  10GB storage for £7.49 per month.
UKHost4U:  10GB storage for £14.99 month
123-Reg:  25GB storage for £4.99 month
YSH: 1GB storage for around £25.00 per month (this is the largest storage available with this host)

In order for your website to go live online it has to be "hosted" on a server owned by a Web Hosting company.

It is often possible to purchase your domain name (web address) and hosting from the same company, for example 123.reg offers this service as do many others.  This is probably the easiest way of getting a host, but some people like to shop around for the best deal.  If you decide to go down this route it is best to look out for some key issues that will effect the quality of the hosting you receive.

Cost

Don't over prioritise cost in terms of your hosting.  "You get what you pay for"  is the key here.  Make sure you are not losing out in terms of time connected to the internet, or lack of support when you need it.  Look out for customer support that you can access via the telephone if you need to. 

Support 

Closely linked to cost, if you go very cheap (especially if you go overseas) are they going to have experienced systems administrators on their support staff?   This can help avoid wasting hours talking to unskilled staff at a call centre with an issue that will take a systems administrator 5 minutes to sort out.

Look for hosts that support applications like wordpress, joomla or drupal if you plan on using these to manage the content of your site.  You could find that many cheaper hosts will only give support for initial set up and so if you do get into difficulties there will be no one available with any knowledge of these to help you sort them out.

Check what is and what is not available as free support, if in doubt ring them and ask, otherwise you could find yourself faced with so many hidden charges that you  may as well have just gone straight for more expensive hosting in the first place.

Size Really Isn't Everything!

Just because a company is large it is not a guarantee of stability or of good service.  If you are buying hosting of any kind, but especially the higher end expensive hosting services, check to see that the company are making a profit, if it has changed hands frequently and check in the online forums to see if people have had issues with them in the past and what those issues are.

Using Cheap Foreign Hosts (Or even UK based ones!)

Be aware that many of these hosts may be charging peanuts for hosting but many may not be that discerning about the type of sites they allow on their servers.  Porn and spamming sites will eventually be blackholed, essentially blocking the transit of electronic information from their sites to others.  If you happen to be on the same server you could end up having security issues or problems with electronic communication via your website.  It is not unknown for blocked IP addresses to be recycled to new clients which will immediately cause issues for your site.



Use Word of Mouth Recommendations

If you are planning an e-commerce site, go and talk to someone else who has an online shop and ask about their experience with the hosts.  People will not usually hold back if their is a problem!  Or ask a web designer, even if they are not doing your site themselves, they are often happy to give opinion as to the best hosting service for your needs.  The benefit of this is that they have often worked with different hosts over a period of time so can give you some useful background on more than one company.

Finally, remember that the service provided may change over time, so when your hosting comes up for renewal take some time out to look at other hosts and see if it may be  ime to make a change.

I am currently designing a website for a virtual environment digital artist who renders high resolution images and animations.

Have a look at the website as it develops.  The galleries will go online in the next day or so - this guy is amazingly talented so do take a look.

...A Web Designer/Freelance Writer

Just a qucik insight into a day in the life of a self employed web designer and freelance writer.

On a "normal day" I will:

Start the day with an hour and a half checking emails and trawling freelance websites for upcoming new projects.  Answer all email, apply for jobs and look at the day's tasks.  I revist my email regularly throughout the day too so I can respond to clients quickly.

At some point I will spend  time blogging and updating social networking sites (including Facebook where a lot of my clients contact me), checking Twitter, LinkedIn and posting on there to maintain my web presence and getting myself "out there" as far as my business is concerned.  I pop in and out of these periodically throughout the day too, whilst I am waiting for images to upload or for some programme or other to do its thing.  There can be a lot of waiting around in web design!!

The main body of my work is spent blogging, writing articles for clients, designing and/or maintaining websites, editing images,proof reading and whatever other work I actually have currently in the pipeline.  Web design can be incredibly time consuming.  "Just" popping up 20 images may be what the client thinks the job is.  In reality editing in photoshop, uploading galleries, tagging images and generally making things look right at the end of it all generally takes hours.  This is one of the reasons I offer the clients package deals and monthly retainer options because all these "little jobs" often add up to a lot of hours.

I tend to work in blocks of 2 hours which is the time it takes for the battery on my laptop to run down!  The beep tells me it's time for a break and charge my machine and I will stop for half an hour to give myself time away from staring at the screen.  It's not all sitting around though!  During these times I can do other stuff I need to do like the laundry, housework, printing up bits and pieces I need for clients and having the obligatory cup of tea.

I usually pop in to town for an hour or so, to shop, catch up with people and also to network.  It's amazing how much work you can pic up sitting outside a cafe with a cup of tea in Glastonbury! 

Then it's back to more of the same until usually about 6pm when I stop to eat and then I use the next couple of hours to sort accounts and plan the next days work, answer emails and so on.

On other days I may take 3 hours out to cover some shop work, or to go and meet a client for a couple of hours. Or I may continue into the wee small hours to get a job done to a deadline.  Each day is different and it is sometimes difficult to get motivated.  But it is incredibly satisfying to have a client come to you with an idea and gradually see that take shape into a fully functioning website.

Well, following 10 days off in a muddy field know as Glastonbury Festival, I have taken a good hard look at the areas in which I need to improve my repetoire of skills.

Over the next 12 months I plan to offer a new and extensive range of services. These will (hopefully) include extending the number of content management systems (like Wordpress) that are available for my clients, building more extensive knowledge of e-commerce sites and also mobile site development and database production and management.

As well as this I intend to undertake a course which will enable me to design, manage and install networks which should take around 8 months to complete.

I have a lot of hard work ahead of me, but I need to move forward with my business to ensure I am not left behind in what is a competitive industry.

Please keep your eye on my blog over the coming months, and look for updates to my website, to follow my progress.

Search Engine Optimization is an essential aspect of web design without which your site can become lost in searches. The old phrase “needle in a haystack” is one that can easily be applied to individual sites in the huge “haystack” of sites online.

SEO can target the search engines so that your website has a web presence. That is people can find it by typing in key words related to your service or product.

It can be a long and complex process but essentially it looks at which search terms as used by potential customers and making sure that when these are used your website is high enough up the listing to catch their attention.

Please check my website for more information.

Many clients now update the text on their own websites, so here are some tips on common mistakes and what you should avoid:

Elaborate fonts – these are the kiss of death! They are often not web friendly and all your hard work will be converted straight back to Times New Roman on the screen. This is probably a good thing since they are notoriously difficult to read. They may look pretty – until you are faced with reading a whole page of it,  and they will make people click away from the page rather than attract them to it.

Centralising large bodies of text – it does not look “creative” it looks messy and it is difficult for the eye to follow.

Inconsistency – make sure all your headings are the same and the font styles are the same. The point is not to show how amazing you are at formatting the page but to encourage people to read what you have written!   A different style of writing on every page is a no-no.   People are turned off by attempts to make the site more interesting by varying the style of writing, the font type and the position of the text on the page.

Making pages look the same is not “boring” – it gives continuity and makes the text easier to follow and read.

Poor Grammar/Spelling – we all make mistakes but the importance of using spelling and grammar checking  tools cannot be understated. Basic errors like failing to use capitalisation in headings or the random use of the apostrophe will grate on the nerves of most browsers. Friends are often useful in finding mistakes so get them to look at your site. Once you have uploaded text look at it again in 24 hours when you have a fresh eye just to make sure.

And remember I do offer proof reading services as well as being able to supply text for your website!

Or...what happens when the client doesn't pay?

Firstly all web designers have a payment policy in their terms and conditions, these may vary according to the type of site.

If you don't pay the designer what can they do?

Firstly, most designers will not  hand over any passwords to the site content management system until full and final payment is received. They also have access to the server on which the site is hosted. Often server passwords are changed away from the default password issued by the hosting company to allow ease of access for the designer - ie, not having to type in 16 random numbers and letters each time they get logged out! The designer retains access to these until such time as the work is complete or, if they are managing the site, until the client terminates the arrangement.

If you have not paid for any of the design work it remains the property of the designer and they can remove it from the site if their bill is not paid. This is the worse case scenario and usually only ever happens if the client has not responded to requests for payment over a long period of time.

If you have paid for the site but not additional content management carried out later the site cannot legally be removed but the designer can take you to the small claims court for the money! If the designer removes the site on this basis not only are they acting maliciously, they are on very dodgy legal ground since they are actively sabotaging another person's business and it is looked upon very seriously.

If you are having problems or feel it may become an issue always let the web designer know.  Large companies may not be interested in your problems and terminate the arrangement, however most smaller designers like myself are more than happy to negotiate payment by instalment especially when clients have a new or small business.

From the designers point of view it is good business to gain a great public image and we also put a lot of work into our sites and obviously it is in our interests as well as the client's to keep the site online and publicly visible.

This is one of 2 blogs regarding issues occuring between a client and a web designer and is a response to enquiries about what to do if you fall foul of someone who is maybe less than professional about how they run their web design business.

We can all get into difficulties in our business dealings with others. A professional web designer would obviously try to convince a client stay with them - its good business! But what happens when the client simply wants to move on and the web designer gets difficult?

So where does the client stand?

First of all, providing you have paid the account in full for the website, it is your property.

Always read the Designer's Terms and Conditions before undertaking a contract. For example my Code of Ethics prevents my designs from being used for illegal or immoral purposes. If the client later edits the website and it breaches this code, I will then take action to have my designs removed by legal means, from that site.
The designer has no right at all, providing you have paid the bills, to keep any of the work they have done on the site. They cannot keep your passwords to prevent you logging into the system, or prevent you from giving them to another web designer so they can manage the site on your behalf.    If you have hosted your website with the designer you have the right to have your website displayed there until your hosting expires at which point they should notify you at least 14 days before this happens so your site does not disappear.

They most certainly do not have the right to take the website off line or to tamper with the code, databases, design or content in any way shape or form so that the website does not function.

Both of these cases are legimate reasons to instigate legal action against the designer.

My advice is that if you have a problem with the designer of your site that you attempt to iron out the difficulties with them. If you decide to move on and they act maliciously it may be quicker and cheaper simply to get a new website designed. Searching through a lot of coding which may or have not been corrupted takes a lot of time and most designers charge for this by the hour.

This may sound like the worst case scenario but in actual fact clients are often very pleased with their new and revamped website and wonder why they had not done it before!

In Part 2 I will look at when the business relationship breaks down from the designers viewpoint and what steps they can legally take to seek recompense from a non-paying client.

Did you know that once the design stage is complete many of my websites are built on line?

Many of my clients use WordPress based sites which provides them with a full content management system. Although those with complex sites tend to retain me to carry out routine management and maintenance the simpler sites are often run by the clients themselves.  Even those with basic IT skills can  avail themselves of my tuition services so that they can run the site effectively and of course they are always welcome to come back to me at any time if they run into anything that causes them an issue.

If you click on any of the websites that are showing that they are still “under construction” you can see the changes happen before your eyes – providing of course that I am working on it at the time. Whoever said web design couldn’t be exciting! Could this be the next spectator sport?! I very much doubt it but if you are one of my clients it does mean you can see the “work in progress” in a very literal sense.