Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Working Together
In summary, how do you work with clients?
More detailed information is available elsewhere on this page, but my overall approach is:
- As soon as I have a complete description, in writing, of what you want in your website, I can build it.
- My preferred form of communication is email.
- I charge by the half-hour, and always round down.
- Invoices are sent at the end of the month, and are due upon receipt.
- For any sizable project, prior to my getting started, I need a deposit of 50 percent of the minimum estimated cost of the project. Once a client has made a few payments, no further deposits are needed.
- Because of my years of experience, I'm able to complete tasks faster than most developers.
- Clients often comment that they find me extremely responsive, and that's partly because I work seven days a week, so I'm almost always at my computer.
To begin creating our new website, what do you need?
To develop a new website for you, I need to know exactly what you want it to be able to do. That information forms the project specification (often referred to as the "project specs" or "design brief"). Please send me the following in an email message:
- A list of all the desired features, unless you already sent them to me using the form.
- The text for the website — or at least everything needed for the homepage — or indication that you want me to use the text on your existing website, if any.
- The images (a logo, a staff photo, product photos, etc.) and other multimedia for the website. The higher the resolution of the images, the better.
- For all the administrative users who will need to login to the website and make changes: each person's name, email address, and a chosen username. I could set the usernames if you have a preferred format. I will set the initial passwords, which can always be changed later.
- If you already have a web host, then I need the access information (username and password) for the web host (FTP) and for the database admin (typically cPanel). If you do not already have web hosting, or you want a better provider, please see my instructions.
To work on our existing website, what do you need?
- Your website address.
- Your company's exact name and address (if it is not on your website).
- Your web hosting company's name and website address.
- The access information (username and password) for the web host (FTP) and for the database admin (typically cPanel). This information likely was sent to you by your web hosting company when you signed up with them. I need this information so I can download any existing multimedia files, and then later make changes to your website.
- The access information for the account administration tool and any databases.
- The details of your shopping cart (website address, username, and password), if applicable.
What are the phases for developing a website?
- Planning: I discuss with the client what she is looking for in a new website. The client chooses a domain name (if one is not already registered), and opens a web hosting account. The client tells me the project specification, and we clarify any remaining questions and options.
- Development: I build the website. This includes creating any needed content types, user roles, and test users, as well as installing and enabling modules. If the client has requested that I design the website, then I install and possibly customize a theme. When the website is functional, I make it available to the client on a staging server, for review.
- Feedback: The client confirms that the website incorporates all of the requested functionality, or identifies any discrepancies, which I then fix. The website is then complete.
- Launch: I deploy the website to the client's server. The website is then "live" on the Internet.
- Promotion: To increase the new website's publicity, the client may at this point use a variety of online marketing techniques. This may include hiring me to write and distribute an online press release, announcing that the new website is open for business. At the very least, a link should be published on a known web page, so search engines can find a new website and index it.
Why is it best to develop a website in phases?
Years of experience have shown that large projects are best created in phases (with each phase invoiced separately):
- The success of each phase allows both parties to verify that the project is on track, and to know what is the next step.
- At each stage, both parties have tangible proof of commitment, in the form of completed work and cleared payments.
- Cash flow is improved, by spreading out payments over the entire project, which helps accounting and budgeting. Prompt payment of invoices is especially critical for small businesses such as mine. If I do not receive a payment, then I stop working on the project.
- After each phase, both parties have a chance to provide timely feedback, thus minimizing risks and maximizing both parties' engagement in the process.
- Each phase can be started when I have received payment for the prior phase and the client has decided on all of the work that she would like done in that subsequent phase.
- Estimates are more accurate, because it is easier for web developers to provide accurate quotes for smaller amounts of work.
- Overall website delivery is faster, because some parts of it can be launched while others are in development, thereby preventing a single part from stalling the remaining parts.
- There are more marketing opportunities, because each new feature can be publicized when it is launched, thereby motivating the public to visit the website again to try out the feature.
Can you create a mockup before we have you build a website?
Sorry, no. For many reasons, I do not do unpaid speculative work. Also, any designs made for a proposal tend to be created to impress the client and not the website's target audience. Producing an excellent website design is a partnership between the client and the designer.
Why is email the best way to discuss our project?
For discussing the details of your project, email — or a collaborative project management tool, such as Basecamp — is much better, for many reasons:
- The information is saved online, and serves as a valuable record of our discussion.
- Email messages can be searched and referenced at any time in the future, so we do not have to rely upon our memories of phone conversations.
- Any messages can be resent if necessary.
- Both parties can take all the time and space they want, to be exact in describing questions and answers. When you express what you want in your own words in an email message, it reduces the potential for misunderstandings.
- Project requests conveyed in a phone conversation can be (unintentionally) vague, which causes frustration and wastes valuable time. In contrast, email messages encourage us to be more specific.
- Everyone has the information they need to do their tasks, which saves time and reduces the chances of miscommunication.
- Files and website addresses can be easily sent via email.
- Email allows us to send and receive messages whenever we want, day or night. It is not intrusive nor does it interrupt what we are doing, as does a phone call. We can receive and send information at our convenience, not dictated by a ringing telephone.
- Because I spend my productive time at my computer, it is easier to read and respond to an email as soon as it is received.
- I'm more productive with no phone, as it allows me to concentrate on work, since writing code requires uninterrupted focusing.
- Contacting me via email is just as fast and reliable as would using a phone, because I'm at my computer for most of the day.
- Any project instructions will need to be provided in writing anyway — either as a project specifications document or in an email message.
Who will own our website's content and code?
You will. I build most new websites using Drupal, which is "open source" — both the core code and any contributed modules. This means that I don't own any of the code, and it is licensed to be freely used by you. Non-Drupal third-party applications, which are typically not needed for the websites I build, are owned by their respective creators, and usually offer a license for use by anyone, without charge. You will own the text, images, and other content that you create, including anything edited by me. Copyright and ownership of the complete website are transferred to you, the client, only when full payment for the project is received.
I reserve the right to use a screenshot and a description of the website in the portfolio section on my website.
If we need to sign up for a service, can you do that for us?
Yes, but I would need all of the required information, including the credit card details to pay for the service. Some of my clients find it easier to give me that information (which naturally I keep completely confidential), but most clients sign up for the services themselves, and then send me the login information that I need for accessing the account.
How do we get a domain name and web hosting?
I recommend that all my clients choose reliable web hosting and domain name registration service(s), which can save a lot of time and trouble. If a client insists upon using a problematic hosting service (such as Go Daddy or Network Solutions), then it will cost extra because it will take more time to set up and maintain the website. If a client-chosen hosting service is causing us many problems, then the client must open an account with a service I recommend.
Can you do an analysis of our competitors?
Yes. If you send me the website addresses for all of your leading competitors, then I can research what they are doing right and wrong on the Web, and suggest ways that you can leverage this knowledge.
How do we read the database design you sent?
Each paragraph (i.e., set of contiguous lines) represents a table. The first line is the table's name.
All of the other lines are fields within that table. You can think of them as columns in an Excel worksheet. The first field is usually an ID number, which is a 10-digit number that uniquely identifies the particular record.
For each line, the possible components are:
- Field name: The name is lowercase, except for acronyms. Title case is used for labels on forms and reports.
- Data type: characters, digits, or "Yes/No".
- Data size: For example, "4 digits" can go up to 9999.
- Optional: The column can have no value, such as when a record is first created.
- Unique: Each record will have to have a unique value for this field.
- Allowed values: Specified using a computer notation known as a "regular expression", which might be puzzling at first glance, but which computers understand exactly. E.g., "x|y" means "x or y".
- Default value: The value used if the website visitor specifies no other.
- Notes: Appears next to the entry field on a form, to help the user understand the purpose of the field.
When making any changes to the design, use the exact format described above — including the use of two spaces to separate components — because the design needs to be read by a computer program.
Information Security
What is your privacy policy for proprietary information?
All client information is kept strictly confidential. I respect your privacy, and will never sell or distribute your organization's sensitive information, such as contact information, product plans, ideas for new businesses, etc. Over the years, my clients have learned to trust me to the point where many of them provide credit card numbers (so I can order services on their behalf).
Occasionally, an organization will ask that I sign a nondisclosure agreement (NDA), typically because they think their business idea is fabulous, has never been thought of before, and could be stolen or revealed by their web developer, thus ruining the business's potential. Actually, it's not an idea that makes a business successful; it's the implementation and follow-through of a set of proven ideas and best practices. The world is full of promising ideas never actualized or tested but shown unworkable. Almost every smart businessperson is not interested in risking resources on unproven ideas. Usually such people are already too busy with their own ideas that they think are much better. This is especially true of top web developers, who already have long lists of projects they dreamed up and want to implement. The last thing they want is to make that list even longer by adding an idea in an area in which they have no interest. (I personally have hundreds of such ideas.) Also, even if the client's idea is proven viable, by then the client is already successful, and there would be no way to protect the idea since it is public (in fact, the better the marketing of the product or service, the more people know about it). What's critical to keep secret is the customer data, not the business idea. Moreover, the best web developers have reputations to protect, which they would never jeopardize by blabbing any information shared in confidence. My reputation and honor are too important to me to ever risk through indiscretion. Lastly, if you don't trust your web developer, then no contract will protect you. Only partner with professionals who have been in the field for many years (ten years or more would be best).
Can we avoid sending you our passwords?
Most of my clients simply tell me the passwords needed for changing settings in their accounts. In fact, I'm often the one setting those passwords. But if you prefer, you could set any password to a temporary value, and then later set it back to its original value, after I've finished accessing the particular account.
To send any such short and sensitive information, you could use a Gmail account (so the message never leaves the Google servers) or use the free service One Time Secret.
Professional Qualifications
What web and application programming technologies do you know well?
- Web scripting and formatting languages: PHP, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, XML, RSS
- CMSs: Drupal, WordPress
- Database systems and tools: MySQL, SQLite, SQL, phpMyAdmin
- Desktop software languages: Perl, Java, C / C++, Unix shell scripts
- Shopping carts: CubeCart, 1ShoppingCart
- Payment systems: PayPal, Authorize.Net, iTransact
What is your Drupal experience?
I began working with Drupal in February 2008, with version 6.1. Since then, I have:
- Built 47 websites using Drupal.
- Created 27 custom Drupal modules (they are not listed on Drupal.org).
- Created numerous custom themes for Drupal-based websites, including those for my clients' websites, as well as:
- Drupal Users Group Las Vegas (DUGLV) website (installed 2011-11-23)
- DrupalCamp Las Vegas 2012 website (launched 2012-07-23)
- Served as a technical reviewer of several Drupal books:
- Drupal's Building Blocks: Quickly Building Web Sites with CCK, Views, and Panels (uncredited)
- Drupal User's Guide: Building and Administering a Successful Drupal-Powered Web Site
- A Programmer's Guide to Drupal
- Drupal 7 Media
- Responsive Theming for Drupal
- Wrote 82 articles on Drupal, many published in Drupal Watchdog magazine.
- Wrote 21 reviews of Drupal books, most published on Slashdot.
- Reported numerous bugs and other issues for various contributed modules.
- Created and shared patches for Drupal core and several contributed modules: Entity Registrations, Menu Import, Taxonomy Block, and Visitors
- Drupal.org member since 2009-07-08. Active in Drupal.org issue queues and Drupal IRC channels.
- Earned a Community Role on Drupal.org, 2015-05-01.
- Drupal Users Group Las Vegas (DUGLV) member and presenter from 2011-06-03 to 2013-09-21.
- Drupal Association member since 2011-10-26.
- Attended the 6th Annual Florida DrupalCamp, Orlando, 2014-03-08.
- My Drupal articles and book reviews are distributed in the official Planet Drupal RSS newsfeed, since 2012-07-16.
How do you keep your skills current?
Like all technical professionals, web developers must keep their skills up-to-date. I do so by staying active in the web development world — specifically:
- writing web development articles for various publications
- reading computer programming books, and writing detailed reviews, which are published on leading technical news websites
- editing programming books for publishers
- participating in technical user groups
- giving talks on web development topics
- listening to podcasts on the latest innovations and tools in the world of web design and development
What web technologies do you typically use for building websites?
I use whatever technologies are best suited for the client's needs. In most cases, they include:
- Drupal, for many reasons
- PHP is the most popular Web scripting language. It generates Web pages dynamically, and thereby makes possible interactive websites, eliminates redundant HTML code, and reduces the time needed for modifying a website.
- CSS is the best tool for Web page styling and layout. It makes future changes easier and faster, and improves a website's visibility to search engines and its accessibility to blind visitors.
- MySQL is the most commonly used Web database system. Like the above technologies, it requires no licensing fees.
How are you able to complete projects quickly?
I am able to work at a very rapid pace and finish the work faster than most developers, while maintaining quality, for several reasons:
- Decades of experience have taught me what tools to use to get the job done as efficiently as possible.
- The code I write is reliable, clean, and well structured — which makes it much easier to modify if needed.
- The websites I build use CSS for layout, which makes styling easier.
- I'm not interrupted by telephone calls, television, and other distractions.
- Because I'm in steady demand, I try to wrap up projects without delay, so I can move on to another project — oftentimes for the same business owner.
Can you show us samples of your work?
The portfolio section describes websites I have created, with screenshots and project summaries.
What web development presentations have you given?
Creating Taxonomies Programmatically in Drupal 7
DUGLV, Pinkpeas
2013-09-21
Keyword Ranking with Rank Tracker
DUGLV, Pinkpeas
2013-09-21
Keyword Ranking with Free Monitor for Google
DUGLV, Pinkpeas
2013-07-20
Drupal 7 Essential Modules
DUGLV, /usr/lib
2013-03-13
Creating a Drupal 7 Distribution
DUGLV, /usr/lib
2012-12-05
Drush 5 Installation and Basics for Windows
DUGLV, /usr/lib
2012-11-07
Ubercart Affiliate v2 Drupal Module
DUGLV, /usr/lib
2012-09-12
Artisteer for Creating Drupal Themes
DUGLV, Pinkpeas
2012-02-17
Drupal 6 Base Installation Settings
DUGLV, Pinkpeas
2011-11-04
Drupal 6 Modules for Every Website
DUGLV, Pinkpeas
2011-09-09
iTransact Basics
SDWTG, Hampton Inn
2009-01-15
CubeCart 3.0
SDWTG, Hampton Inn
2008-10-16
Dupal 5 Installation
SDWTG, Escondido YMCA
2007-10-18
Joomla 1.5 Installation
SDWTG, Ramada Inn
2007-08-16
What kind of longevity can we expect with you?
Several of my clients are "refugees" of irresponsible developers who disappeared, without passing the client along to another developer — which is inexcusable. Fortunately, I'm the exact opposite: I have been here for my clients for over a decade, and look forward to continuing to provide the best service available, in the decades ahead.
Project Time and Cost
Even though we have limited funds, can you still work for us?
How limited is limited? I don't need to know any exact amounts, but I definitely need to know a ballpark figure for your budget, so that we don't spend time discussing a project that cannot be afforded. Please let me know. Thanks for your understanding.
Instead of paying you, can we offer a share of profits?
No, my policy is to charge a fee for my services, due when the work is complete. I do not undertake any speculative work.
Can we ask you many technical questions, before having you do paid work?
No. Sadly, I have had several cases of prospects asking countless technical questions, but never resulting in any work. One prospective project manager asked me many rounds of questions, all of which I answered, and all of which required substantial research. But he never sent any work my way. Months later, he was back on the same web developer mailing list, asking the same types of questions — seeking another victim for unpaid research.
How do we pay you?
Like other web-based professionals, I do not accept cash, because it can get lost in the mail, with no recourse. The fees for my services can be paid using a bank check or wire:
- A bank wire costs a nominal fee, but it is the fastest and most secure method, especially for international money transfers. Also, it allows me to begin work on your project immediately.
- A bank check is free, but it takes a few days. Most banks offer free electronic bill payments, in which they cut and mail the check for you.
- In either case, contact me for the bank account information.
Why is PayPal not an option for paying you?
There are several reasons why PayPal is not the best choice for sending large sums of money, including these:
- We are charged a PayPal fee that costs much more than any bank check or wire.
- Consequently, either I end up not receiving the full amount for my work, or you pay more for it.
- When a bank sends a check or wire to another bank, the money is truly transferred. But with PayPal, they can retract the money at any time and without warning, even if it has been withdrawn from the destination PayPal account.
How much does it cost to get a new website?
The time that it takes to develop a new website — and thus the cost to do so — depends upon the complexity of the website, including:
- what features the website has (i.e. all the functionality it provides to visitors)
- the number of pages
- the amount of text and images
- the size of the navigation menu
- any multimedia elements
- any e-commerce capabilities (such as online products and a shopping cart)
- the ambiguity of the project, and thus the amount of time required to clarify exactly what is desired
You can get a free estimate.
Do you use a contract?
Generally, no. Feel free to put together any contract or agreement that you want. I've never used contracts in the past, but instead rely upon a combination of a deposit (for big projects), timely payments (for smaller invoices), and getting to know the client. Also, by US law, email proposals and acceptance are legally binding.
Why should we choose a freelancer like you instead of an agency?
- You will receive more immediate and personal attention.
- I can focus on your project, and not be distracted by corporate meetings, politics, etc.
- Freelancers are generally better innovators and more flexible thinkers, versus a staff member of a company accustomed to working in a prescribed manner, year after year.
- You do not have to pay the additional expenses of a commercial real estate lease, office supplies, employee benefits, and other corporate overhead.
- I can complete your project at a rapid pace — in less time than the typical bureaucratic company can. Most design agencies can take weeks, if not months, to build a website for you. Meanwhile, you are missing out on customer orders, website traffic, search engine indexing, and greater visibility on the Web from social media links to your website.
- Business owners comment that when they hire an agency, they feel as if the agency is primarily working for itself — and it sometimes turns into an adversarial relationship. But a freelancer is working primarily for you. The freelancer knows that the more successful your business, the more lucrative projects you can offer to him or her in the future.
- A good freelancer becomes loyal to your business, while agency staff are always more loyal to their own company.
- A veteran freelancer can have over a decade of experience (as do I). But agencies tend to hire junior programmers fresh out of school, because they are cheaper. Agencies are always looking to reduce their costs, often at the expense of the client.
Why must an estimated price be updated for project changes?
Website development costs can generally be charged in one of two ways: at an hourly rate for all hours spent working on the project, or an estimated price for the entire project if the client can specify exactly what she wants in a website. Any estimate will need to be updated if the client later increases or decreases the scope of work. The more extensive the changes, the more impossible it would be the stick to any earlier fixed bid, for several reasons:
- Initial estimates often limit the client to her first idea about how the website should look or how it might work. I don't want to limit either a client's options or opportunities for her to change her mind.
- To accurately estimate the total number of hours the project will require, the client would have to specify the details of all the functionality of a new website or changes to an existing one. This information needs to include text, images, links, navigation, online forums, embedded audio and video, etc. — not all of which anyone can foresee ahead of time.
- Small-business owners typically do not have the time for documenting all of this information. They find it much easier and faster to provide just enough information for the first cut of the website, and then provide general direction and specific instructions for future versions of the website.
- As the website is developed, the client typically learns of previously unexpected features that she wants to try. A fixed price upfront would miss these enhancements, and thus underestimate the capabilities of the finished website and the time involved in developing it.
- Once a website's specifications have been detailed, it can discourage the client from quickly changing course as needed. Such documentation either becomes out of date, or it must be updated with all changes, and yet probably won't be read by anyone. Even perfect documentation is not strictly a part of the delivery.
- Likewise, as a project progresses, we can encounter unforeseen technical challenges, which invariably can be overcome, but require extra work. This is especially true for projects that involve integrating multiple technologies, such as payment systems.
What rate do you charge for your work?
My billing rate depends upon the type of work, its urgency, and other factors. Contact me for more information. Developers with my skill set charge anywhere from $70 per hour to twice that.
Unlike most consultants, I do not round up to the nearest hour. Instead, I round down to the nearest half hour. This saves the client money, especially for many small tasks requested separately.
For anything but small tasks, I require 50 percent of the estimated total as a prepaid nonrefundable deposit, before I can begin work on any projects or deliverables. A deposit not only helps to protect me, but you as well, because it commits me to completing your project and not getting sidetracked by other clients. Brand new clients don't get the privilege of "work now, pay later" service; established clients do.
I bill my clients at the end of every month. Invoices are due and payable upon receipt. Tardy clients quickly become ex-clients.
If you have a critical project that you would like me to begin immediately, or you anticipate such a project in the near future, then you are encouraged to prepay for a block of time, which will guarantee that your project will be the highest on my priority list.
I am compensated purely for my time spent developing a website and computer code, and not for any products. Thus I am liable only for my productivity during the time billed, and your solicitation of my services indicates your acknowledgement of such. You will find that I am dedicated to the highest in quality service, professional results, full confidentiality, and client satisfaction. This is why clients are happy to refer me to their friends and colleagues.
Can we monitor your computer as you work, to track what you are doing?
No. I'm not an employee and won't be treated as such. Also, if the IRS were to learn of it, they could reclassify me as an employee of your company, and charge you any back taxes.
What is your policy on estimates?
If it takes less time to complete the work than I had estimated, then I charge for the lower amount (I always carefully track my time on tasks throughout the day). If it takes more time simply because I underestimated, then I only charge for the estimate, as a courtesy to my client. Naturally, if I go over budget as a result of the client changing the specifications or technical problems with a third-party service, then I would charge the actual hours. Any estimates are not to be construed as absolute commitments or fixed-price quotations. All work is billable on a time-and-materials basis. If a project is ever taking longer than expected, I keep the client updated on the hurdles that we are facing, how much more work needs to be done, and what our options are. Fortunately, this rarely happens.
Why should we choose you instead of a cheaper foreign developer?
A business owner in need of a website can be tempted to choose the lowest bidder — such as a foreign programmer or even a relative. The owner thinks she is saving money, but she invariably ends up with a website that does not work for her business, and has to be scrapped and replaced with something that does work. In the end, the owner doesn't save any money, but loses it — and also loses valuable time, which may be worse than the monetary loss.
Website Features
Why is Drupal the best choice for building our website?
Among developers who have tried various tools for building major websites, Drupal has emerged as the CMS of choice, and is becoming quite popular, for many reasons:
- It is a powerful and flexible framework for creating dynamic, reliable, and scalable websites. It has built-in support for custom content types, rich editing, and content revisioning; user comments and forums; clean and search-engine friendly URLs; modular theming; tagging with keywords and taxonomy terms; image galleries; support for an unlimited number of web pages (with no coding required); user authentication, sessions, permissions, and management; internationalization and localization; and much more.
- Drupal makes it possible for me to add new features to a website quickly. Over 20,000 prebuilt modules can be used to expand the functionality of a basic Drupal installation, with less time and effort than other solutions.
- Site content and settings are saved for you in a database, which can be backed up, for greater security.
- Drupal allows website owners to add and modify the content easily, without having to understand HTML or other technologies.
- A Drupal website keeps track of ongoing activity, such as specific users logging in and out. Even the changes to page text can be logged, using revisioning.
- Drupal is optimal for building search-engine friendly websites, including standards-compliant HTML/CSS, dynamic page titles, meta tags, customizable and readable URLs, RDF support, and Google Analytics integration.
- It is based upon the most commonly used and trusted Web technologies available, including PHP and MySQL.
- Drupal is actively maintained, tested, and improved — including updates for any security problems discovered.
- Drupal is more secure than the only CMS more commonly used, WordPress. Drupal's dedicated security team has more than 40 experts, who will unpublish any modules with unresolved security issues. Also, Drupal's password security meets the requirements for US government agencies. In fact, the websites of the White House and US Commerce were built using Drupal.
- Drupal is built using high-quality, modular code that has been well tested, during its successful 10-year history.
- It offers high performance, with built-in caching and scalability to multiple servers.
- The Drupal software is free to download and use, and there are no license fees. So in most cases, the only cost for a new website is the design and development time.
- Drupal is free, GPL licensed, and open source. So none of it is hidden from you or your staff. Consequently, you are not limited by any vendor's proprietary "black box" (which usually only the original developers can decipher). You are not locked into any relationship, and can easily move to a different Drupal vendor should you ever decide to do so. There are even agencies — staffed with Drupal experts — that can serve as backup vendors.
- Drupal has a thriving and enthusiastic community of thousands of developers, so you will always be able to find people to maintain your website.
- The number of websites worldwide running on Drupal is unknown, but estimates range from over one million to more than 7 million. These include such demanding clients as Fortune 500 companies, universities, non-profit organizations, and governments — for instance: The Economist, the Grammys, Harvard, IKEA, the City of Los Angeles, the Louvre, MTV, NBC Olympics, NASA, Sony, Viacom, Warner Brothers, the Weather Channel, Wikipedia, and Yahoo. These and other organizations run high-traffic Drupal websites, and have made strategic business decisions to invest in it.
Will we be able to change the website's content ourselves?
Yes. I can set up your new website so that you can make updates to the text, images, videos, and other content within pages easily, anytime you like, without needing to request or pay for technical expertise. This significantly reduces the risks that your website will become obsolete in the future (which often happens when business owners try to save money by going with the lowest bidder, which typically delivers a website difficult or impossible to keep up-to-date).
Will we be able to change the website code and settings?
If a client changes a website's code or settings that control how the website works, then there is no guarantee that the website will continue to work. If such changes result in my having to fix any problems, including code cleanup, then I will charge for the time required. Also, I would need to be apprised of exactly what changes had been made. This is just one reason why I strongly recommend against clients making code changes.
Will you be able to change the website code, settings, and capabilities?
Yes. After your website is launched, I can make enhancements to it, as requested, even years later. Those modifications will be billed at my current rate. Most of my clients request that I make ongoing updates to their websites, to match their changing business needs. That allows them to focus on their business, while I maintain the value of the website.