Frequently Asked Questions

Content Questions

Q. Will you place ads on my site as a condition of designing or hosting the site?
A. We will not place ads on your site unless you require us to do so. We believe that your site should strongly identify your organization as a brand. Advertisements for other entities serve only to distract your visitors.

Q. Do you allow adult sites?
A. No, we do not allow adult sites or links to them. Or links to anything remotely resembling an adult site (including “dating” sites, sites with pictures of “hot” babes or dudes). We also exclude poker, casino, or gambling style sites. This isn’t a moral judgment, but we’re really only interested in helping small to medium-sized businesses and non-profit organizations with our services.

Q. Can I put files on my website for visitors to download?
A. Sure. We recommend doing so. For example, if you have forms that clients need to fill out frequently, put them on your site. You are saving yourself mailing costs and faxing time.

Q. What kind of files can I put on my website?
A. Almost any kind you can imagine. Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, databases, etc. We generally recommend that “read-only” documents (such as forms), be put on the site in several formats (such as PDF and HTML). .

Q. Can I put other files on my website unrelated to my business so that I can link *to them from other sites (such as myspace.com or a blogger.com blog)?
A. Sure. However, we still require that your files meet all guidelines and do not infringe on anyone’s intellectual property. You must be the legal owner of the material you use. You may not use stock images that you did not legally purchase or MP3 (or other audio/video) files that you do not legally own. We audit bandwidth and particularly check MP3 files for authenticity. We do not want to be sued by the RIAA. And we’re pretty sure you don’t, either.

Q. What browsers do you support?
A. Presently, our prices include automatic support for Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 6 and 7, Mozilla’s Firefox 2, Opera 9+, and Apple’s Safari 3+. We anticipate support for Internet Explorer 8 and Firefox 3 shortly after their anticipated releases in 2008.

Q. Does Brevard Web Hosting design websites for mobile or handheld devices?
A. Yes. However, our prices do not include support for mobile web browsers. Please contact us for a custom price quote for this. It may interest you to know, however, that because we use only the latest coding techniques (semantic XHTML 1.0 Strict) and validate all our clients’ websites, that most modern mobile web browsers will be able to display them quite nicely. Some clients, however, may require additional features or specific applications to be available via a mobile site.

Payment Questions

Q. What forms of payment do you accept?
A. We usually collect a check when meeting with you to speak about your site. However, we are also happy to accept Visa, MasterCard, or Pay Pal payments.

Q. Can I pay monthly for the hosting portion?
A. No. For those clients who choose to have their hosting included, we bill on an annual basis only. There are two reasons for this. First, we don’t want you bothered each month with a relatively minor bill (and we don’t want to bother with it either). Your operation is more important and we want you to have more time to grow and expand your business. Second, your annual fee includes not only your hosting, but your design and your unlimited changes. Without a lot of overhead and time on our part (of which the cost would have to be passed on to you), we would be unable to provide a fair monthly breakdown. This does not apply to 3rd party hosting fees for certain e-commerce stores like Yahoo which you pay directly to them. If you must have monthly hosting, we can recommend and setup hosting for you for an additional fee and a valid credit card.

Q. Can I pay for a site for a friend or business (non-profit) that I would like to support?
A. Yes, you may do so, but we must still get their permission. We must have releases signed by the organization itself allowing us to put information about them on the web. We don’t have to release your name, but we can’t develop it “in secret” for them to be surprised later.

Q. Are there any hidden costs, or setup fees?
A. No, there are no hidden costs or fees of any kind. All prices are stated clearly here on our website. That being said, services above and beyond what we advertise on this website are subject to additional charges (if we are even able to perform such services). If we cannot assist you, we will refer to you a trusted partner.

Timeline Questions

Q. How long does it take to get my site up and running?
A. You will usually be up within 4-12 weeks. Some websites may take longer. We will agree upon a general time frame in a signed Agreement. Changes to the original scope can cause this time frame to expand. However, keep in mind that your annual renewal date is the day that your site goes live. For example, if you purchase a website design package on January 1, and the site is officially put on the web (“goes live”) on February 14, your annual renewal date will be February 14. You do not pay for the length of the development time.

Q. What guarantee do I have that my website will be up by a certain date?
A. Generally speaking, we don’t contractually guarantee a specific completion date. Why? A website is a collaborative communicative process. On average, over 50% of the time (in terms of calendar days) is spent waiting on a client to provide content, return phone calls or emails, or perform a task (such as logging into their content management system). Some clients we’ve worked with have gone as high as 95%, while others are very responsive. Therefore, we can’t possibly guarantee a specific date in most cases.

Q. What if I absolutely must have a website by a certain date?
A. We do have a separate agreement which we offer that provides us the ability to make decisions on your behalf in order to meet a deadline should we not hear back from you within 48 hours on any question or content requirement. Naturally, this agreement is custom-quoted; costs tend to run significantly higher than our normal prices. In essence, if we do not hear back within 48 hours on any given question or content requirement, we will do what we feel is in your best interest. As such, future changes to those decisions are billable. We don’t recommend this unless you have a fairly high budget for your project and your timeline is crucial. Contact us for a custom quote.

Q. Because your prices are fixed, is my service going to suffer?
A. It depends what you mean by service. If you mean the quality of your website, then no, it is not going to suffer. However, if you mean the time spent on the phone with you, or by email, having weekly “checkup” meetings, or other communication that does not, in and of itself, accomplish a given task that lends toward completion of your website, then quite possibly, yes. Since we deal primarily with small to medium-sized businesses, our most valuable commodity (as is yours) is our time. Beyond your free consultation, any additional hours spent on those type of activities are billable time. While we don’t always bill for them (we try to be sympathetic), we reserve the right to do so.

Q. If I can’t call you every week to ask how it’s going without getting billed, how can I keep tabs on what is going on?
A. We maintain a high-quality online project management system here in which clients can login and check the status of their website, upload any required content, send messages to the designers and developers, comment on revisions or drafts, and most importantly, approve any design elements. The entire process can be seen, including all the internal steps taken by the design team. It’s available 24 hours a day. Most clients will be setup in this system within 48 hours of their agreement. Copies of all important documents (such as your agreement itself) are also available in this system. By using this system, we are able to maintain low prices for our clients, handle multiple projects simultaneously, and keep all clients apprised of any outstanding work or requirements.

Q. What if I don’t want to use that website? What if I would rather just talk to a real person?
A. You are certainly free to contact us by email but we will generally re-post your message on the project management system and respond there (although you will receive a copy by email too). That helps us keep everything in one place. However, if we have to call you simply to tell you what is already available on the project management system, we may elect to bill you for such calls. If you feel that you would rather have more personal contact, we can offer you the ability to switch to an hourly billing contract rather than a fixed-price agreement. While this will almost always cost you more, we are happy to accommodate your business. Some businesses require weekly in-person meetings or phone calls for status updates; choose an hourly agreement if this is what you need.

Domain Questions

Q. What is a domain name? Am I going to get one of those websites with a bunch of stuff in front of it?
A. A domain name is what user’s type into their browser to visit your site. We provide only fully-qualified domain names. For example, if the name of your business is Bob’s Hair Salon, your domain name might be http://www.bobshair.com. You will not have a domain like http://bobshair.brevardwebhosting.com.

Q. I’d like to get a domain name called bobshair.com but it looks like some other site already is using this? What can I do?
A. Don’t worry. Often, the first idea or two you might have for a domain name might already be taken. We are experts on domain names and we work closely with our clients to make sure they pick the right domain name to represent them or their business. Most likely, the name we pick together will represent you on the internet for the next few decades so we place high importance on this. You do not have a right to any particular domain name, no matter how closely it resembles your business name (or even your birth name). The only exception to this is for violations of Anti-Cybersquatting Consumer Protection Act of 1999, which largely deals only with domains that are purchased for the express purpose of reselling it back to the interested party for an inflated price. The act only pertains to federal trademark holders and domain names that are exact duplicates of individual names. However, just because someone has registered your individual name does not necessarily mean this law will help you. You would have to demonstrate that they are using the domain solely for the purpose of trying to sell it back to you. Obvious exceptions are if they are using the domain for a legitimate reason. For example, pretend both you and another person are named John Smith. He is a 14-year old who runs a personal blog on a website called johnsmith.com. You want the domain to promote yourself as a published author. Even if John Smith isn’t is his real name, but a pseudonym, you have no rights under the ACPA of 1999 unless you can demonstrate that he is maliciously using the domain to smear you as a person, or holding it merely for the hope that you will pay him thousands of dollars. If you really must have the domain, your best bet is to make a decent offer to him. If he doesn’t bite, you’ll have to find another domain that suits your needs.

Q. Who owns my domain?
A. You own your domain as long as you continue to pay us as your webhost. If you do let your hosting contract expire with us and do not initiate a transfer of your domain while we our still managing your domain, we will likely let your domain expire upon its next renewal. You may then repurchase it from any qualified domain registrar, assuming it is available. We don’t recommend this course of action, however, because many domains are almost immediately purchased by savvy domain name speculators who immediately offer the domain for sale, often for thousands of dollars.

Q. What if I want to transfer my domain to another host?
A. When or if you cease doing business with Brevard Web Hosting, you are more than welcome to request your domain to be transferred to your new host. We charge a transfer fee for this service, which includes our time and assistance. That fee must be paid prior to our initiating a transfer.

Q. I let my domain expire with you, but when I went to re-register it, it says it is unavailable. The WhoIs directory says you are still the owner. What’s going on?
A. Contact us to be sure we did let it expire first. Even if we did, we may still be able to repurchase it for you if it is still in an exclusive redemption period. The cost for this varies depending on how long it has expired. However, if you don’t wish to purchase it for the redemption price (plus our transfer fee), you’ll have to wait for the domain to re-enter the free market again. Often, this can be many months after its expiration. Again, we don’t recommend this course of action because someone else may buy your domain before you get a chance (as available domains are sold on a first-come, first-served basis). If you are serious about keeping that domain, we recommend allowing us to repurchase it (if possible) and initiating a transfer.

Email Questions

Q. How do I create email accounts?
A. Additional email accounts can be created by simply emailing us a request to add them. Check your plan to see how many email accounts you are allowed to have.

Q. How can I set up my email accounts? What do I put for both incoming and outgoing mail server? Where do I go to check my email on the web using my browser?
A. Before your site goes live, you are emailed the information on how to do this (or faxed if you did not have email previously). Email setup instructions, along with email rules and guidelines, can be found here.

Q. I have a few friends that don’t have good email. Can I use one of my email accounts to give them a free email account?
A. We don’t strictly prohibit this, but we strongly recommend against it. Your friend’s email address partially represents your business. For instance, if the name of your business is Joe’s Plumbing and your domain name is joesplumbing.com, your friend’s email address might be something like johnsmith@joesplumbing.com. Every email he sends could potentially represent your business, albeit unintentionally. An attorney would likely recommend against this. Emails can stay around for a long time on the internet and can sometimes spread beyond their intended audience. That being said, it is not uncommon for a business owner to setup an email address for a spouse or loved one who does not necessarily work in the business. Thus, emails from that person serve to quietly promote the business or organization. If your friend really needs a good email address, and you don’t want to give him/her one of your business email addresses, you can recommend a free Yahoo email account or Gmail account.

Security Questions

Q. What is a private SSL (Secure-Sockets Layer)?
A. A private SSL would display as https://www.yourdomain.com in the address bar. The other common SSL found on some hosting service is known as a “shared SSL”. This would display as https//ip/~yourusername/. We recommend that you purchase a private SSL.