Frequently Asked Questions

Q. How much does a website cost?

A. It depends. If a top of the line website with Flash, customized graphic design and e-commerce capability is needed, you're looking at a few thousand dollars. If just a few pages are needed, with a simple banner and contact form, the cost is significantly less. Rockland Web Design currently has three standard packages for small businesses that meet the needs of three quarters of our clients, ranging from a small business startup package to an elaborate system with Content Management and credit card processing pre-configured.

We are pleased to say that we will never upsell any client on a website package that is unnecessary for that client's current business model. We can't say that we own this tagline, but let's just say that we admire the philosophy of SYMS, where an educated consumer is their best customer. The same goes for our business, but we feel we take it one step further and actually provide that education to our clients.

If budget is an issue, we are happy to conduct our services on an hourly basis, which run at a standard $75 / hour for design work, and $100 / hour for Flash and programming work. In this case we can put together a simple site with 3-5 pages for just a few hundred dollars. Blogs, email and domain work can be done in only an hour or two, depending on the work involved.

The point is, we're not looking to make a killing on each client. We are a company that strives to create valuable web-based solutions for our clients, and enhances them over time in order to help the businesses achieve long term growth.

Q. In what languages do you program?

A. Primarily we use PHP and Cold Fusion for most of our server side applications, but our extended network of programmers and developers can handle other languages as well.

Q. How long will my project take to complete?

A. Depending upon the complexity of the requested project, it could take anywhere from a few days to several months. For standard packages turnaround time is usually less than a month as long as the client offers constructive feedback at appropriate times in the project timeline.

Q. I don't have pictures. Can you just copy them off of someone else's website?

A. No. You don't want to get into any issues where a business sues you for copyright infringements. Even though images on the web can be argued to be part of the fair use policy, the materials are still protected by copyright law. It is usually up to a judge to decide. For more clarification on this issue please visit About.com's article Copyright on the Web. For multimedia elements, please refer to Stanford Univerity's site on Fair Use Policy.

The solution is to use royalty-free stock photography, which only costs a few dollars per image and has fewer restrictions on its usage. Make sure to check each site for allowable usage, which is often included in the terms and conditions page on the site.

Q. Do you design from scratch, or do you buy templates and resell them?

A. We design from scratch. Our team of graphic designers is quite skilled in creating original templates based on the client's wishes. The intentions of the client are usually brought into the spotlight during our design specifications meeting, when we ask and record questions about color, shapes, fonts, banner, content and other essential elements of a website.

We will, at the client's request, purchase and/or use a pre-created template of the client's choosing. This request is with the understanding that other companies can also purchase and use this same template.

Q. So I have a website. That's it, right? What else is there?

A. A website is not just an advertisement - it is a living, breathing extension of a business. Therefore, in addition to its place as a powerful marketing and communications piece, it can also be used to offer your customers interactivity, entertainment, downloads, education and much much more. Rockland Web Design has helped clients transform their existing sites into full fledged business applications. We conduct content management services to add and edit copy on the site, graphic design to change visual appeal, programming to add features such as e-commerce, company intranet, news portals and video communications tools.

Q. How can we work together? I live on the other side of the United States.

A. From the comfort of our offices, we have worked with people from as far away as Bulgaria. Through an online conference, we would be able to accomplish most of the necessary client interactions that would be needed to help bring a website project to fruition. You would need a PC or Mac, high speed internet access, and a phone. You would install a small application on your computer prior to the meeting, which you can uninstall thereafter if you choose. As an option, we can also conduct video conferencing if you have the necessary video or webcam equipment.

Contracts or other administrative pieces can be eFaxed or mailed, and payments can be made via Visa, Mastercard or American Express. Alternately, you may send payment via check to:

Rockland Web Design
62 East Main Street
Stony Point, NY 10980