Frequently Asked Questions

What services do you provide for your customers after the work has finished?

After the website is online, we are available to make changes you need. Such website modifications are billable by the minute at our standard hourly rate – meaning that if your site changes only take us 12 minutes, that is all you are charged.

How many projects does CharlesWorks average in a year?

CharlesWorks averages several hundred projects a year. There are more or fewer depending upon the size of the projects. During heavier workloads, we rely on other local web developers on an as needed basis.

Can you make my website look good on my smart phone?

We develop mobile web pages (mobile websites) specially suited for the smaller screens available on smart phones, BlackBerry phones and the various other mobile devices in use. Most web pages, as we know, do not render properly on the small screens, so pages need to be made that work properly on them. We also incorporate one touch or click telephone links to enable easy calling of your business from mobile devices with such capability.

Are contracts required for web work?

We do not work up complicated contracts for our clients. Many of our competitors charge in excess of $2,000 for websites because they “build in” dealing with changes and uncertainty on the client’s part. We bill by our standard hourly rate. We expect payment for all web work done within a month by the last day of the month. That way, we are always caught up with one another and our clients get to develop an understanding of the general amount of time it takes to accomplish certain tasks. In this manner, we believe the most fair circumstance exists, as indecision on the client’s part can become costly. This indecision usually occurs when our clients seek many outside opinions and simply don’t trust their own instincts about what they want.

How much is your web hosting?

Web hosting can vary based upon the bandwidth a client requires and the size of the website, but most hosting for the majority of our small business clients is only about $19.99 per month.

How much are domain names?

Domain names costs are usually annual and can vary based upon several factors, such as the country they are associated with. Most common domain names, like .com, .net, .biz, .org, and .us are only about $15 per year. We also handle specialty domain names which cost more than the common ones such as .st (marketed as “Street”) and .tk (marketed as “Tool Kit) and .ws (marketed as “Web Site”) to name but a few.

What is your hourly rate?

Our hourly rate is $85.00 per hour, billable by the minute. So 12 minutes of web work we perform for you means you’re billed for those 12 minutes, which would come to about $17 for that work.

What is privacy and do I need it for my domain?

Privacy is the masking of your personal information in the domain name’s public lookup information. Most domain registrars and some third party providers sell privacy for up to nearly the cost of the domain name annually along with domain name renewal. In a nutshell, privacy helps prevent your contact information from being available to spammers who update their spam lists from the public domain name registries. In the case of personal websites, for example, privacy also can make it more difficult to track down private information which might help deter stalking in some cases. We believe you DO need privacy for your domain.

Can you provide privacy for my domain?

Yes, privacy is standard with domains that we manage for our clients, and there is no additional charge assessed for it. If you purchase the domain through your own account, there may be additional charges for privacy.

How long will it take for you to finish my website?

It depends on numerous factors, such as the size, amount of content, and complexity of the coding involved with the development of your website. You should plan for 6 to 12 weeks for a relatively complex website if we have everything necessary to complete it.

What types of websites are the most common?

The most common websites we are asked to develop are company websites for small businesses. On occasion we are also asked to create personal websites as well.

What areas of your trade do you specialize in?

CharlesWorks specializes in web design for both large and small companies, as well as creation of simple or complex web endeavors. In short, we specialize in customization and SEO (Search Engine Optimization).

I'm not getting any business from my website. Is it worth keeping?

Like any form of marketing, a website is an investment of time and money. I can’t imagine any business that expects to be taken seriously if they don’t have phone number, and email address, and a website.

We ask all of our new clients how they learned of us. Most all of them come from referrals. Let’s see, maybe we just shouldn’t even have a website then. After all, most all of our business is through referral. Wrong! If nothing else, our website is our online brochure. It provides information about our services, how to contact us, and answers to questions. I wonder how many of those referrals would not have bothered to contact us if we didn’t have a website?

Here are some good reasons to keep your website:

It adds value and credibility to your business. Most of your clients will expect you to have a website. You don’t want to have to tell them, “I don’t have one”, do you? You really don’t know for sure how many people are reading your website and making decisions based on what they see. It’s not accurate to think, “I’m not getting anything out of my website”.

Most everyone uses the Internet. It’s your opportunity to influence their decisions about purchasing your services. I bet your competitors have a website.

Your paperless brochure. Unlike other forms of advertising, you can display tons of information, images, contact forms, videos on the website. You can change it however often you want to in order to suit your schedule and needs. And it is available 24/7 for when it is convenient for potential customers to view it!

Communication and Clarity. A website is a good way to communicate with your clients or potential clients, such as through a blog, or frequently asked questions page (like I’m doing here). When someone asks you a question about your business, you can assume that a number of other people have that same question, but didn’t ask, and possibly went to your competitor who clearly answered these questions.

Customer support. If your clients can come to your website to get support, they won’t need to call you. It saves them time and you time, which reduces frustration for them and frees your time to focus on the services you are providing them! I think of how easy it is now to check a website for weather related delays or closings!

Email. By having a website, and your own domain name, you can have your own email address with that domain name. Keep your Gmail and Hotmail accounts for personal use.

Control. If you discontinue your website, and domain name, chances are very good that someone will buy your domain and use it for their own business, or put up a nasty website full of pornography. Why? Since your site was already indexed in the search engines and getting traffic, you’ve helped these new websites skip a step and pick up where you left off! You don’t want your business name tarnished do you? We always encourage our clients to at least keep their domain name.

These are just a few of the top reasons to have or keep your website. The fact that you are reading this or asking this question is a good indication that perhaps the website isn’t bringing the results you desire. Well, I have another page to address that!

Can you guarantee my website being number 1 in Google?

Although we specialize in SEO (Search Engine Optimization), no one can make good on such a guarantee. From a practical standpoint, ask yourself whether everyone can possibly be number one. We get exceptionally good results over time to develop long lasting high results in searches, and have been doing so for many, many years -since June of 1998. Please click HERE where we have more material about our search engine optimization (SEO) process.

What questions should a potential web client ask before hiring a professional in your trade?

Before having a web developer create your website, you would want to know things like:

How long has the web developer been in business? This can be a measure of stability and reliability in the field. You want to know the web developer will continue to be available when you need them. CharlesWorks has been around for 20 years (since 1998).
How committed is the web developer to the field of web development? You might want to know that the web developer is committed to working on web projects full time; that your web presence isn’t a part-time endeavor. At CharlesWorks, web development is what we are committed to totally. We operate full time and are not a one man show. Web development is all we do which is why we do it well.
Do you have samples of your work to show? CharlesWorks has a portfolio of a sample of our work.
How much does the web developer typically charge for labor? Labor should be a fixed hourly rate you can expect to be billed at as opposed to a padded amount to ensure the developer is covered. CharlesWorks charges an hourly rate billable by the minute. This means if a task for you takes us 17 minutes to complete you are charged just 17 minutes.
How much does the web developer want up front to start the project? CharlesWorks asks to be paid as we go along and not up front. Our policy is to bill either immediately when performing labor or at the end of each calendar month if that is the clients’ desire.
Does the web developer charge extra for changes done for the site? CharlesWorks only charges its hourly rate by the minute for changes, which keeps the ongoing maintenance at a minimum. Again, CharlesWorks charges an hourly rate prorated by the minute. This means if a task for you takes us 17 minutes to complete you are charged just 17 minutes.
Can the web developer meet all of my website needs? CharlesWorks is positioned to put any standard website or content management system in place that you might need. If CharlesWorks can’t do it, then in all probability you don’t really need it. This includes websites in content management systems such as WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal, to name but a few of the hundreds of types of sites out there. However, the priority at CharlesWorks is to code your website in a manner that it is not locked to us. Many developers lock you in. When you discover that ongoing service is poor or nonexistent you realize you are trapped with that developer. We’re glad to explain your options.

What brands or hosting products do you work with?

CharlesWorks is a registered trademark and is our own brand. We manage our own servers so have unfettered access to them so we can provide our clients with exceptional service. We also have backup systems located in geographically different locations.

What would you recommend for potential clients desiring to save money?

The best way to save money is to start small with your web presence. A website can be expanded and built upon over time, much the same as a home can.

What information does CharlesWorks recommend to have readily available before looking for a professional in the web development field?

Have your phone and cell numbers, the company name (if applicable and has been decided), the type of content the site is expected to contain, domain name ideas, and any other information you think would be helpful. Be ready to go on automatic billing for the hosting charges so there is a way for you to immediately view the ongoing progress of your website.

What would CharlesWorks want you to know about the web development field?

CharlesWorks strives to provide exceptional service and help develop websites that produce results. We also want potential clients to know that our labor prices are very competitive.

Is CharlesWorks able to do automatic billing and when does that happen?

Yes, CharlesWorks can do automatic billing via Discover, MasterCard, Visa, and American Express credit cards. Automatic billing via credit card happens approximately 2:00 am on the 15th of each month. If you desire to cancel any automatic billing, it must be done prior to the 1st day of the month.

Should I be concerned that my competitors are with CharlesWorks?

No, as we are here to provide a service and do not engage in politics or favoritism amongst our clients at CharlesWorks. This applies to our business and organizational clients. Just click HERE for more information on this topic.

Do I own my website if it is created or worked on by CharlesWorks?

There are many companies out there enticing folks to build websites on their platforms. Some of the common ones are those such as GoDaddy’s Website Tonight and WIX and Weebly to name but just a few. Unfortunately, when websites are built on such platforms, you do NOT “own” your website. This means that the ability to customize your website is much more restricted. Even worse, it means that should you be unhappy with the service you are not free to simply “migrate” your site away as it is on that platform. We at CharlesWorks can usually rebuild it in WordPress. Whether a rebuilt site or a brand new site – provided your website development invoices are paid up to date – with CharlesWorks YOU own your website. In a nutshell, you own the work once you have entirely paid for it.

How can I obtain a W-9 from CharlesWorks LLC to use for tax purposes?

We have a W-9 form online so you can simply view and print it in PDF format for your records. Note that unlike many other IRS forms, the form containing the information needed (business name and employer identification number) does not expire unless one of them changes. Just click HERE to bring it up in your web browser.