Two Lane Design

Q. Why in the world did you pick the name, Two Lane Design?
A. Good question. Anyone who knows me know how many road trips I’ve taken in the past. Once I got behind a while so many years ago, I never stopped driving. Often when I’m on a long road trip, I see the two lane highway, listen to music or podcasts, and feel right at home.

Q. What is a domain name, and do I really need one?
A. A domain name is a unique internet address which allows other computers to find your website. Think of the relationship of a phone number to a phone or a street address to a map. Without it, no one can find you. Yes, you really need one, and we include one FREE.

Q. Will you help me in picking a domain name?
A. Yes. We will make suggestions based upon the products or services you provide. We will also check on the availability of domain names for you. Once we find one you like, we will register it for you in your name. You will own the domain name; we just do the difficult part for you.

Q. What is hosting?
A. Hosting refers to a commercial service which provides storage space of all of your files, web pages, images, emails, etc., on their computers (servers). Each time someone wants to view your website, or send you an email, that request is sent via the internet to your host. The hosting we provide FREE with each package, is up 99.93% of the time, 24 hours a day.

Q. How do we get started?
A. First, take a look at the materials you will need to provide. Then, contact me and tell me what you have in mind. Things will start to happen as fast as you want. The time it takes to develop your site will usually depend upon how quickly you furnish me the information I need and the time it takes to develop the design you want.

Q. How would you like payment?
A. A $50 non-refundable down payment is required before I start any work, and the balance of the annual fee at the time all work is done and prior to site launch. I incur immediate expenses in order to reserve your domain name (YourName.com) and set up hosting. For this reason, the $50 fee is not refundable. Payment is by personal check or paypal.

Renewal of your website will be on an annual basis, with the annual fee due prior to the expiration of your domain name and hosting. We can reserve your site and domain for more than one year at a time, but additional non-refundable down payment will be required.

Q. How much do you charge for designing a website?
A. When I receive the down payment and all the content and materials needed, I then begin work on your website layout. Designing a website properly can take days or weeks depending on how much is required.

My normal design rates are $75/hour and can provide a fixed rate as well. If you don’t already have a website for your business and need me to design one for you, my design rate will apply in addition to the normal yearly fee.

Q. I can’t find a better value or a lower price. Why is it that your prices are so much more affordable? Shouldn’t I be cautious?
A. You should always be cautious, especially when dealing with someone or some company you don’t know. Having said that, you can read a testimonial about how several customers of mine described my services. You can contact me and I will answer any questions you have, which should elevate your confidence level.

About the affordable pricing, you’re right. I couldn’t find anyone offering the same value at any where close to the packages prices at Two Lane Design. How can I do it so much more reasonably? I’m small; I work out of my home; I don’t depend on website design as my main source of income; I love what I do and I am willing to do it for less than anyone else.

I will also do whatever I can to make you so satisfied that at the end of the year, you will renew. This is the only way I can afford to offer these prices. I am betting that you will be satisfied and that you will renew, and give me a chance to recover some of the enormous amount of time it takes to create your initial website. Once this is done, any subsequent changes you desire will be less time consuming on my end.

Q. What if I don’t want to renew my website with Two Lane Design at the end of the year?
A. That’s certainly your choice. Some words of advice. You would want to make sure your domain name registration is renewed or it would be available for anyone else to register it and use it. You would also want to secure your own hosting with a provider. Finally, you would need to be able to maintain your own website or hire someone to do it for you. I’m betting that you will be so satisfied that there would be no reason for you not to renew with Two Lane Design.

Q. Can I have Flash, AJAX, or other interactive programming in my site?
A. I am a Front End Web Designer with a little development experience in PHP and Javascript. My focus is mainly HTML, (x)HTML, and CSS based design. Although I can program a little Flash and AJAX like website, they are not my strong area and I currently do not offer sites that incorporate those elements. If you need a flashy site that moves and produces sound, you’re better to look elsewhere.

I design my sites to be Search Engine friendly, to be accessible, to be usable, and foremost to be simple to use. I’m not interested in designing a custom Content Management System for you to use and produce for your corporation.

Q. What do you mean by a Custom Home Page?
A. We will create a page for you with a layout you like, the colors you want, and a style that pleases you. Your website will be custom to your needs and provide your customers with the right information and browsing experience.

Q. What about a logo?
A. If you have a logo, we will use it. Hopefully, it will already be in a gif or jpeg format. If not, we will scan it for you. If you don’t have a logo, we will create a simple one for you, most often, by using the name of your business or your name. If you don’t want a logo, that’s OK, too.

Q. What is a Contact Page?
A. It is a page where an interested person (like you) goes to request information, or otherwise contact you via email, phone, or snail mail. If you want, I can insert an “Email Me!” link on your webpages as well. I use an encryption routine which hides your email address. This should eliminate the harvesting of your email address by spam bots.

Q. Tell me more about Email addresses and Email Aliases.
A. Regular email addresses are usually a POP (Post Office Protocol) account which, in order to receive and send mail, you must configure your mail client software (Outlook, Outlook Express, Apple Mail, etc.) on your computer.

On the other hand, an email alias is often referred to as a forwarding address. For example, you already have an email address such as yourname@comcast.net or yourname@hotmail.com which you use to send and receive mail. I can create an email alias for your new email address (yourname@yourdomain.com) which will automatically redirect any emails addressed to yourname@yourdomain.com, to your existing email address, i.e., yourname@hotmail.com. This is an automatic, instantaneous action performed by the hosting server.

Q. What are statistics software and would I want one on my website?
A. You might want some in order to see how many people are viewing your website, how they found your website, if they used a search engine, and if so, which one, and what were their search terms, and a variety of other statistics. No one can get any personal information, but the statistics provided can be useful.

Q. What do you mean by Search Engine Submission?
A. You probably use some kind of search engine or directory (such as Google® or Yahoo!® to find information. So does everyone else. I will submit your website to the three major search engines so that in time, your website will be listed. You may submit your site on your own as well if you know of a certain directory or search engine in which you desire to be listed.

Q. What is meant by a Custom Navigation Menu?
A. Again, “custom” means just that. A unique menu designed just for you. You will want viewers to be able to easily navigate (or go from page to page) throughout your website in order to find
information. A navigation menu allows them to easily do this.

Q. What are Meta Tags and Key Words, and why do I need them?
A. Meta tags are bits of information that are invisible to the viewer, but visible by search engine bots or spiders who hopefully “crawl” around your webpages searching for information. Key words are meta tags which we will select together. They are words or phrases which describe you, your business, and the products or services you provide. We try to choose words that a prospect may type into a search engine to find your website. If we pick the same words this will increase your chances that a search engine will list your site. I guess you don’t really need them, but I recommend them.

Q. What is an Autoresponder, and why would I want one?
A. An autoresponder allows you to automatically respond to an email message sent to a particular address. For example, you might use an autoresponder to automatically email a message to someone who contacts you via your website. You could have an email alias link such as info@yourdomain.com on your website. When a prospect sends an email to that address, two things happen. One, you receive the email; and two, your server automatically and instantly sends an email back to the viewer with a message that you prepare in advance. The possibilities are endless! If you want to see one in action, contact me by email and you will see how I utilize an autoresponder. No cost; no obligation!

Q. What about Website Updates?
A. If all you need is to change a phone number, hours of operation, or some other minor wording change, I don’t usually charge for that. It does not include menu changes, major revisions or extensive changes to your site. I can do that, but there will be a additional charge.

Q. How big is a webpage?
A. Think of it as about the size of a standard sheet of paper. About 8.5” x 11″. Yes, this page is much larger!

Q. What about the words and pictures that go on my webpage?
A. The words and pictures, or images, that will go on your webpage are to be provided by you, and included, or attached in an email, or typewritten copy that I can scan. Please, no handwritten copy, or files on a disc. If you don’t have your images (pictures) in gif or jpeg format, I will scan them for you, and return them to you.

Q. What if I have additional questions?
A. No problem! Just… contact me