Common Questions

General

I don't have much experience with computers? Will this effect my project?
Absolutely not. In fact many of our customers have limited computer knowledge experience. If this is the case, don't let it stop you from utilizing the Internet for your business. KCWebPlaza takes great pride in our willingness to explain the technical aspects of our projects with customers. Some of our customers actually wish to have minimal interaction with their website and do not have any email submitted from their website to them. Others want to roll up their sleeves and be directly involved. Some customers maintain the site content with their own staff. We even provide training on html software, ftp, and image editing software programs.

My <insert relative or acquaintance> builds web sites. Is it really worth paying a professional design firm to build my web site?
Yes. But you knew we were going to say that, right? It's true, it has gotten easier with the improvement of software and technology to build a web site. But there are often very important services that a professional and experienced designer can provide. Some common aspects are: Advantages of a professional web designer

  • The ability to customize every aspect of the design to your preferences.
  • Better looking web sites, with more professional and sophisticated design.
  • Valid and clean html and javascript coding. Pages load quickly with no errors.
  • Better rankings in the search engines.
  • Ability add advanced functionality, such as secure email forms, scripts, and databases.
  • Validation and testing the code with different browsers and operating systems

Web Hosting

What exactly is a 'web hosting'?
The Internet (World Wide Web) is a massive collection of individual web sites, all hosted on computers (called web servers) all over the world. A web server is nothing more than a computer where your web site's html files, graphics, etc. reside. The web server makes your web site files available to visitors of the Internet at your web site's domain name - such as http://www.mycompany.com. The company that managers your web server is referred to as the 'Web Host.' Web hosting clients simply upload their web sites to a shared (or dedicated) web server, which the maintains to ensure a constant, fast connection to the Internet. There are many, many Web Hosting companies that offer services to you. We encourage you to shop and compare.

Does KCWebPlaza offer web hosting?
We do not offer web hosting directly to our customers. However, we do offer referrals to several web hosting companies. If you have a web hosting company in mind, we will be glad to work with them. We are happy to consult with you about web hosting. We generally start with simple and inexpensive web hosting, and migrate to more expensive web hosting as the technical requirements of your web site.

How much does web hosting cost?
Many of our customers choose a company we have used for years, which only costs $29/year. Beware! Many web design companies resell you web hosting, and charge you $29/month or more! It pays to shop around and ask questions.


Maintenance and Updating

Is maintaining a web site important?
Extremely! Web sites that are out of date can expect to quickly receive fewer and fewer visitors. Just think - if it's December, and your news of events page only lists items for September, your visitors have little incentive to revisit your site.

How can I maintain or update my site?
Yes! Many clients desire to maintain their own site for a variety of reasons. Some believe its more efficient to do it themselves, some like the technical aspects of working on web sites, and other feel they have so many changes - such as an events page that changes every week - that it would be cumbersome to routinely pass information in between persons.

Does KCWebPlaza offer a scheduled maintenance program?
No. Many web site design companies charge $100-$250/month to their clients to maintain their web sites. This is charged to you even if you don't have any updates for several months. KCWebPlaza only charges you for the exact time spent updating your site.

What is a content management system?
Content management systems (CMS) are a hot topic on the internet. CMS systems are web applications used for creating and managing websites and web content. There are many varieties of CMS systems - with a wide variety of features. Commonly, a CMS allows the web site owner to log into an application that resides on the web server and develop or update the content of their web site.


Additional Solutions

What is an email mailing list?
An email mailing list is just like a conventional mailing list - it allows businesses owners to maintain a list of customers, businesses and distribute communications to those on the list. An email list is convenient because you can write one email, click the Send button, and the message is automatically personalized and distributed to everyone on the list. These lists are a good way to stay in touch with your customers, announce special events or discounts, and offer promotions.

Is a email mailing list considered spamming?
The mailing list systems KCWebPlaza utilizes ensures your emails will not be considered spam (unwanted emails). Your customers can opt out of your mailing list at anytime they wish by clicking a link in the email and selecting the opt out check box. Similarly, new customers can sign themselves up using a simple form.