Website development FAQ

Web design and development might seem a complicated process for someone unfamiliar with the relevant technical terms. In istogram we try to clarify the individual stages and the technical terms involved, to let our customers know exactly what we do and, most importantly, the way we work.

Answers to the most Frequently Asked Questions about web design and development can be found below. We are constantly striving to make this list as complete as possible. If, though, you have a question not listed below do not hesitate to contact us.

I want a website, immediately. What should I do first ?

The very first step you need to take in order to launch a website is finding and choosing the appropriate domain name for the website. The domain name is the address that the users will type in order to visit your website, as well as the address of your desired email accounts. A usual domain name selection for a corporate website is “companyname.com” or “companyname.gr”.

How should I choose the appropriate domain name ?

The domain name you will choose needs to be relevant with your website's content. In case of a corporate website the company's name is probably the best option. In certain cases it is wise to include names or even types of products in the domain name. In any case, the domain name has to be written with letters of the latin alphabet and it should also be easy to pronounce, to ensure convenient transmissions even over the telephone. It is also of great importance to perform a research for the desired keywords you would like to be pointing at your website. Including one or more of these keywords in the domain name, will help your website achieve better Google ranking.

What's the difference between a .gr and a .com domain ?

Domain names ending in .gr immediately show that Greek users are the main target-group of the website. Such websites also achieve better Google ranking when searching in Greek. On the other hand a .com domain name clearly shows the commercial nature of a website, adding an extra prestige to the website's marketing profile. It's worth mentioning that a .com domain name costs cheaper (!) than a .gr domain name.

I just found an appropriate domain name! How can I check its availability ?

In the case of a .gr domain you can check its availability here. In case of a .com domain you can check its availability here.

How should I prepare the content to be published on my website ?

Sketching the pages and the structure you want on your website, on a piece of paper, is our first advise on content preparation. The structure of the menus for the navigation within the website is also a major design factor, as this structure also applies to the creation of the corresponding content categories. Having this structure will help you sort each page's content in separate folders, which is a very convenient way for us to start making your website.

How much time does it take to make my website ?

Several factors determine the time schedule of a website's development, such as the data volume, the web design requirements as well as our current activities. For a presentation website, a typical delivery time is between two and four weeks. For an e-commerce website with a small amount of different products a typical delivery time is between four and six weeks. It's worth mentioning that big delays usually occur due to the delayed content delivery, from the client's side.

How much does a website cost ?

Several factors determine the financial cost of a website, such as the data volume, the desired web design, the multilingual features etc. For an e-commerce website the cost is also determined by the amount of products to be available on the website. The total cost also includes the annual fees for the domain registration and the website hosting. In istogram we are always trying to make you the best possible offer, based on your answers about the website's specifications in our detailed questionnaire.

How can I update my website ?

The websites we develop are build upon content management systems with a graphical back-end for the website's administration. The highly intuitive interface of the back-end simplifies the update process significantly. You don't really have to know HTML in order to update your websites – it would be helpful to learn some basic tags, though. Photo preparation is an important stage of the update process, as the images will have to comply with certain specifications regarding the image size. In istogram we deliver websites accompanied with a complete set of instructional videos regarding the website's update process, to help you assimilate the entire procedure in the most convenient manner.

How often should I update my website ?

In order to achieve higher google ranking, your website should contain a regularly updated section (e.g. a blog or a “news” section). This section's content will have to be updated at least once a month, but it would be even better to update it on a weekly basis.

Can I assign my website's update process to istogram ?

Of course! If you want to avoid messing up with the website's update procedures, just fill in the corresponding answer in the questionnaire, so as we include website's updating in our offer. We may also perform text editing to enrich your articles with the desired keywords, we can search for the appropriate photos for your articles, we may even make amazing videos!

What kind of content should I provide for my website updates ?

Users of the world wide web are seeking out quality content, with useful and meaningful information, accompanied by relevant photos and videos, at best. Quality content is highlighted by the amount of links pointing to the content, regardless of whether these links are created in other websites and blogs, or even the social media. The more incoming links your website has, the higher ranking you will achieve in Google results.

How can I connect my website with the social media ?

In case you already have the relevant accounts in various social media, we can create and post the links with the appropriate icons to any part of your website. We may also include an auto-post feature of your website's articles on the social media. You may even add a feature for the visitors of your website, to post comments on your articles, using their social accounts. Relevant buttons to share an article of your website on the social media may appear for any article category you wish.

What does responsive web design mean ?

The widespread use of mobile devices for web browsing has led to the need of responsive web design. A web design is called responsive when featuring a customization of its display on various screen resolutions (e.g. mobile phones, tablets etc). In istogram we only design responsive websites, with a decent adaptive look and a blazing loading speed, on any mobile device.

I already have a website and would like to improve it. Can I entrust istogram ?

Of course! Our only requirement to improve an existing website is the transfer of the website's domain and hosting administration to istogram.