As software consultants, we operate on a pay as you go system, or as they say in the industry: “Time and materials”. We start with an agreed upon Scope of Work. We then provide an initial estimate of the time and resources it will take to complete the project. With your direction and approval, we progress through the project providing you with regular updates. We invoice monthly for the hours worked in the prior month. We generally don’t fix bid, and we don’t require an upfront payment.
Today, even the simplest sites are no longer static. Software is constantly evolving and hackers never rest. Websites must be updated and backed up on a regular basis to prevent security issues and to provide optimum performance for your customers. Tempora can assist you in managing your software updates, maintenance, and backups. We offer discounted support package options upon request. Additionally, there are perpetual costs for web hosting, SSL certificates, and domain registration(s). As part of our service, we assist you in setting up these accounts, but you pay the providers directly.
A website hosting provider is a company that specializes in serving websites for its customers to the Internet. You sign up for a website hosting package through the hosting provider. They in turn give you specialized access to resources on one of their servers allowing you to store your website and serve it to the public. There are many web hosting service providers and the competition is fierce! But don’t worry, we will help you select the best provider for your situation. On a side note, we typically get discounted hosting prices through our partners that we can pass along to you.
Hosting prices are completely dependent on the size and complexity of your website and the number of people visiting your site each day. We’ve seen hosting prices as low as $5 per month. However, $25 per month for small sites is a good target price. Medium to large size sites with heavy peak traffic can be in the $100 per month range or higher.
In order for people to find your website on the Internet, you need to reserve a name that uniquely belongs to you. This name is called your domain name. Domain names end with a suffix such as .com, .info, and .org which help categorize your website appropriately. To ensure that only you own this name, there is an established network of domain registrars that keep track of this information for you. The domain registrar you select is called your domain hosting provider. Domain hosting providers make their money by charging a fee to insure that only you have the right to use this name across the entire Internet. They also facilitate things like transferring of ownership and translating your domain name into what’s called an IP address. An IP address is kind of like a phone number and looks something like: 12.234.56.78. IP addresses are a complicated but necessary component of the Internet which thankfully humans don’t need to know much about. You can switch your domain hosting provider to another registrar, but if you let your domain expire; you won’t own it any longer; your website will cease to function; and someone else can take your domain name from you! Sometimes, your domain registrar and your web hosting provider are the same company, but they don’t have to be.
As with everything else, it depends. Simple .com domains can be very affordable at $10 or $20 per year. Different registrars charge different amounts. Also, certain domains like .net, .co, and .biz may come with a higher price tag. People often buy each of them for their domain name to keep others from buying them and tricking their customers into going to a different site.
CMS stands for Content Management System. Websites are frequently built using a CMS platform so that website owners do not have to know how to write code to change the content on their own website. In theory, this reduces the need for outside webmasters, thus reducing the cost associated with maintaining a website. There are many CMS platforms to choose from, however, WordPress, is by far the most popular. WordPress is open source, and has thousands of third party plugin developers adding a wide variety of functionality to the core product.
We create many of our sites using the popular WordPress platform for basic business brochure sites to more complex e-commerce and Content Marketing websites. For medium, to large e-commerce sites, we tend to use Magento and BigCommerce. We’re always looking to see what’s on the horizon, so if you have a particular platform you would like us to use, give a call to learn more about our experience with your choice.
Fortunately, saying goodbye doesn’t have to be hard, and we make this process as simple and easy as possible. We never hold your website hostage! We’ll provide you with a comprehensive list of links and passwords upon request. We set up email accounts and third-party provider accounts in your name. Whenever possible, we make purchases (i.e. domain
Are you curious about something we haven’t answered? Contact us today. We’ll be happy to answer your question.