FAQ
Here are some common questions about Adaptable Websites.
Why should I bother using Adaptable Websites?
- Our websites are world-class. Take a look at our portfolio for proof.
- We offer phenomenal value for money.
- We’re SMART money. We offer great consultancy for small businesses as we’ve run a number of small businesses ourselves. We focus on the business goals and develop sites around those goals e.g. generating leads, selling products, providing information, etc.
- We are lightning quick and only a call away. Things get done. We provide rapid speed-to-market. You’re not hanging about for weeks.
- We offer a wonderfully personalised service.
Why is the price so good for a basic website?
Why should I have an ongoing hosting plan with Adaptable Websites?
Would you buy a great car and then put in rubbish oil so that its performance is compromised? No? It ‘s similar with running a website. People get a great website developed then go for the cheapest hosting they can find. No one’s looking after it. They’re on a shared computer with other websites all competing for the same limited resources. Limited bandwidth. I could go on. Websites are like babies … they constantly evolve and need nurturing to keep them running.
Here are the benefits of why you should go with one of our plans:
- We provide a much superior level of hosting than you could ever get for the same price due to economies of scale. We are a reseller of superfast, secure, scalable cloud hosting.
- We update your wordpress version when there is a new release. If you are not using the latest version then you are using software with known security vulnerabilities. Hackers can search for websites running the older version, and you may become a victim of a sophisticated attack. However, updating to a new version of wordpress can break a site. We update your site immediately in a controlled environment.
- We update your premium theme Divi and update your plugins. They are consistently updated to newer versions to comply with the latest version of WordPress, or to address security issues and bugs. There is no guarantee that they will NOT break your website, nor that plugins will continue to function if not updated. Having a trained web specialist to oversee the website is necessary to update plugins, rollback plugins, replace plugins or even adjust the theme to continue optimal performance.
- The hosting you get with us comes with a premium backup service. Your site is backed up daily.
- We handle any issues with the hosting of the site with the hosting provider.
- The use of the Divi wordpress theme worth $90pa or $249 lifetime cost.
- When you get a submission, or order, from your website we check with you that you have received it so that you don’t miss an order or a lead. How often do emails go missing? This ensures that you won’t miss important communications.
- On the Premium Hosting Plan we provide priority support where we do up to 30 mins per month of small amends and additions on request. This could be adding photos to galleries, updating a voucher or adding a new client logo or testimonial. We won’t redesign your site but this is a great way to keep things updated 😉
- We provide you with a monthly website care report (discretionary) that includes updates, analytics, optimisations, security, performance, recommendations, marketing suggestions and pertinent news relating to your plan.
Check our Terms Of Business for a more comprehensive service overview
Which hosting plan should I go for?
The key difference between the standard and premium plans is that with the premium plan we provide priority support where we will do up to 30 mins per month of small amends and additions on request. This could be adding photos to galleries, updating a voucher or adding a new client logo or testimonial.
So for an extra £15pm you get up to £30 worth of hands-on time on your site in a given month. Importantly, this work gets prioritised to be done ASAP. So, if you think about it … you get this work done … most likely on the day. The 30 minute availability is not cumulative from month to month i.e. unused time does not transfer from month to month. Essentially, you are paying for our availability in any given month to drop everything, come off a job, and do your amends at the amazing rate of £15 for that half hour of work.
If you are on the standard plan we will quote you for any work at our current hourly rate of £60ph. We charge to the minute. The quote will be an estimate. We will schedule the work in. However, the work is not given priority over other work.
So, the premium plan offers the great benefit of keeping the website alive, fresh and current without great overhead. However, if you feel that you are not going to change the website much then the standard plan may be a better way to go.
Check our Terms Of Business for a more comprehensive service overview
Can I cancel a plan anytime?
Yes, you may cancel your recurring website service plan at any time. There is no time constraint. There are no termination fees. You are under no obligation to continue the ongoing service. You cancel your account and website yourself by notifying us by email and cancelling your standing order. Your account and website will stay active until the time you have paid for expires. If you are transferring to another hosting platform then we will provide you with a full current backup.
Considerations On Leaving Our Services
This is just to give you a heads up that if you wish to transfer to another hosting provider in the future, and keep going with the same site, you should be aware that:
1) Divi has an annual cost of $89 or a one-off lifetime payment of $249. This is built into our cost to you via economies of scale so you don’t have to pay for it. You can carry on using Divi but if you want to update the version you will have to pay for a valid licence from Elegant Themes. Our licence is not transferable. This also applies to any premium plugins we have used on your website. We use the plugin Divi Booster on all sites that currently has a lifetime cost of $19.
2) We will remove your website entry from Google Search Console. You will have to add your website to your own accounts. You will have to verify your website and submit XML sitemaps. This isn’t difficult and there is no cost.
Is Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) offered?
- WordPress is the best content management system for SEO ‘out of the box’.
- All websites are fully-responsive and mobile-friendly.
- All websites are SSL-enabled i.e. https://
- Website permalinks are optimised.
- All images are optimised – size and resolution – they could be no smaller.
- XML sitemaps have been submitted to both Google and Bing
- Page speed is tested and is good
- Yoast plugin is installed and ready for page optimisation via keyphrase and page title
Do you maintain sites on other systems?
How long have you been in business?
What type of clients do you tend to deal with?
Can I see your portfolio?
How many people will I be working with?
Do you understand SEO?
Who hosts the site - you or I?
Will I have full access to the site once it is launched?
What happens if the site goes down?
How are updates dealt with?
We control all your updates from a management tool called ManageWP. We update the following things usually on a daily basis:
1) WordPress installation
2) Divi theme
3) Plugin updates
We won’t update anything if there is any evidence it may break your site. It is all about ‘Management’ rather than ‘Update. It is an important area as there are a lot of security issues with websites.
Do you integrate Google Analytics?
Do you verify the site with Google Webmaster Tools?
What happens if you go on holiday and I need you?
Just call on the number provided and I will get back to you ASAP.
How do you stay current with technological requirements?
Do you build e-commerce websites?
What security is on my website?
- Server level – Account Isolation – Uses chroot so shared server safe
- Server level – WordPress-Specific Firewall – prevent DDOS & Brute Protect
- Server Level – Latest PHP & MYSQL versions
- WordPress level – Single user only, unique username and strong password
- Plugin Level – Hardening of folders etc
- htaccess level – secure wp-Admin & wp-login.php accessible by certain IP address
Do you use a premium theme? Who pays the license? Will it need to be renewed at some point?
Do you use any premium plugins? Who pays the license? Will they need to be renewed at some point?
Yes we do use premium plugins. We absorb the cost. If you leave our hosting services then you will have to pick up the licensing yourself. They are all a few dollars. Not massive bank breakers.
How long does it take to get a site 'live'?
Have you got any references?
How many sites do you work on at the same time?
Do you set up social media profiles?
Will there be a contract?
Do I supply the images or you?
Who writes the copy?
What are your expectations of me as a client?
Will I get training on using the site?
Who does updates?
Get Great Website Advice
At a minimum you'll get some great ideas and a strong understanding of how to proceed. We've had many years experience of running different businesses. We're good with the business questions. Contact us for a free consultation.