Frequently Asked Questions
Jump To Section: General Questions + Pricing / Web Design
Below you will find a list of questions that I get asked on a regular basis. I’ve divided them up into sections based on the topic and you can jump directly to the section of the page you need by clicking one of the links above.
General FAQ
Do you have a wait list?
I only take on a limited number of clients at any given time to make sure that I can devote my full attention to each client and project. I provide a service that focuses on quality rather than quantity. I’m also only working part-time these days. This means that I often have a bit of a wait list for my next available opening. The length of wait does vary depending on my workload and the time of year but I can USUALLY get started within a week or two.
I Needed Something Designed Yesterday, Can You Help?
I always try to leave a little bit of wiggle room in my schedule for such cases and, often, I can squeeze a small job in. It really depends on my workload at the time though and the only way to know for sure is to ask. I promise I’ll do my best to accommodate you. Please be aware that there may be a rush fee added for the quick turnaround time.
What is your hourly rate?
While I do have hourly rates, I generally charge based on the services I provide rather than the time I spend providing them. This means that, for most services I offer, I will charge a flat rate. The only exceptions are really small jobs and quick fixes, those I do price based on time because it makes more sense to.
Flat rate pricing means that you won’t pay extra for the work we’ve agreed on if things go a few hours longer than expected. The price you’re quoted is the price you will pay.
How much should I expect to spend?
This one isn’t easy to answer without all of the details. It really depends on so many things. The most reliable way to determine costs is to ask me for a custom proposal/estimate. It’s free and you just have to send me an email or call with your project details to get one. To give you an idea of cost, you can find starting prices on my “design services” page.
Please know that you don’t have to worry that you will end up getting sales emails because you asked for an estimate. I will follow up with you to see if you have any questions and if, for whatever reason, you decide not to go ahead with the design project I’ll wish you a good day and that’ll be the end of it. No strings, no hard sell.
When are payments due?
Your first payment, your retainer (which is equal to 50% of the estimated design cost), is due before we start and within five days of signing off on the design proposal and contract. This retainer will hold your spot in the queue and, as such, you are not actually booked until it is paid. Because I will likely turn work away to hold your spot for you, this retainer is non-refundable. Your retainer will be applied to your balance owing.
Depending on your project, your remaining balance will be broken down into one to three additional payments that will be due at specific milestones during the design process. You will receive a payment timeline as part of your design proposal and contract.
How can I pay you?
Interac Email Money Transfer (preferred method): If you are located in Canada you can pay me through your online banking using an Interac email money transfer sent to hello@krystalacker.com.
Cash & Cheques: If you’re local enough for us to do an in-person consult, you are welcome to pay cash or by cheque.
PayPal: If you are not in Canada, or if you are but would rather not pay via the above methods, you may also pay via PayPal. PayPal allows you to pay using funds from your PayPal balance, your linked bank account or your linked credit card without giving me any of your banking details or account/credit card numbers. If you don’t have a PayPal account, you can still use it to pay securely with your credit or Visa debit card. All payments are processed in Canadian Dollars.
How will I receive my completed Design files?
Once your project is paid in full, I will upload your digital files to DropBox (or a similar file share service) and email you a link to download them. If you require your files to be delivered on a USB instead of, or in addition to, a direct download I can send your files on a USB drive via postal mail for an additional fee.
Website Design FAQ
What is the difference between a template and custom design?
I’m going to liken it to buying a dress. Let’s pretend that you’re going to a big, fancy party, and you need a big, fancy dress to wear to it. You have several options to get that dress.
Option 1 (The Custom Design Option): Find a seamstress to custom make a dress that fits every curve perfectly. The seamstress would start from scratch and choose fabric and thread, take measurements, create a pattern, etc. This would be your most expensive option because it is most labor intensive. You’d end up with a beautiful dress that no one else at the party will have.
Option 2 (The Template Option): Go shopping yourself to find a dress that you love and then take it to that same seamstress to have her alter it to fit you. Your dress will still fit you like a glove as if it were custom made but because you started with an off the rack dress you’ve saved a ton of money and time. You may see another person at the party with a dress similar to yours if you compare them close enough but you’ll still both look different.
Option 3 (The DIY Option): Then there’s the third option of finding a pattern and sewing the dress yourself. If you don’t have the skills upfront to sew the dress, this option will take a lot longer as you learn HOW to make the dress in the first place. It can have similar results to option 1 and 2 if, with enough time and effort, you get really good at it. It could be a complete flop too. It’s honestly a bit of a crapshoot. This would be your least expensive monetary investment but your most expensive time investment.
Basically, the end result of having a beautiful, functional website is the same between template and custom design but the process and the money and time spent are a lot different.
With custom design, I start from a blank screen and build every last piece of the website from there. It’s a great option if you need something different than most websites offer but most people honestly don’t need a custom design.
With a template, I’d start with a pre-designed site that I’ve still built from the bottom up and then customize and add your content (images and text) to it. The template would be used as a framework to build your site on. Templates are used more than once for different businesses but since the content for each site is different each site would be different even though they are laid out the same. Chances are that most people wouldn’t notice the similarity between your site and another with the same template unless they happened to have a keen eye.
I Needed Something Designed Yesterday, Can You Help?
I always try to leave a little bit of wiggle room in my schedule for such cases and, often, I can squeeze a small job in. It really depends on my workload at the time though and the only way to know for sure is to ask. I promise I’ll do my best to accommodate you. Please be aware that there may be a rush fee added for the quick turnaround time.
What is your hourly rate?
While I do have hourly rates, I generally charge based on the services I provide rather than the time I spend providing them. This means that, for most services I offer, I will charge a flat rate. The only exceptions are really small jobs and quick fixes, those I do price based on time because it makes more sense to.
Flat rate pricing means that you won’t pay extra for the work we’ve agreed on if things go a few hours longer than expected. The price you’re quoted is the price you will pay.
How much should I expect to spend?
This one isn’t easy to answer without all of the details. It really depends on so many things. The most reliable way to determine costs is to ask me for a custom proposal/estimate. It’s free and you just have to send me an email or call with your project details to get one. To give you an idea of cost, you can find starting prices on my “design services” page.
Please know that you don’t have to worry that you will end up getting sales emails because you asked for an estimate. I will follow up with you to see if you have any questions and if, for whatever reason, you decide not to go ahead with the design project I’ll wish you a good day and that’ll be the end of it. No strings, no hard sell.
When are payments due?
Your first payment, your retainer (which is equal to 50% of the estimated design cost), is due before we start and within five days of signing off on the design proposal and contract. This retainer will hold your spot in the queue and, as such, you are not actually booked until it is paid. Because I will likely turn work away to hold your spot for you, this retainer is non-refundable. Your retainer will be applied to your balance owing.
Depending on your project, your remaining balance will be broken down into one to three additional payments that will be due at specific milestones during the design process. You will receive a payment timeline as part of your design proposal and contract.
How can I pay you?
Interac Email Money Transfer (preferred method): If you are located in Canada you can pay me through your online banking using an Interac email money transfer sent to hello@krystalacker.com.
Cash & Cheques: If you’re local enough for us to do an in-person consult, you are welcome to pay cash or by cheque.
PayPal: If you are not in Canada, or if you are but would rather not pay via the above methods, you may also pay via PayPal. PayPal allows you to pay using funds from your PayPal balance, your linked bank account or your linked credit card without giving me any of your banking details or account/credit card numbers. If you don’t have a PayPal account, you can still use it to pay securely with your credit or Visa debit card. All payments are processed in Canadian Dollars.
What about hosting costs?
Hosting costs as well as purchasing a domain name are separate from the costs for your website design and not something that I offer directly at this time. Depending on which company you choose, you can expect to spend $10-20/month for hosting and $15-20/year for a domain name. Some hosts offer free SSL certificates (these provide the lock symbol next to your url) and some don’t. Prices vary wildly depending on what you need. To give you an idea though, I pay less than $20/year for my SSL certificate.
I personally register all of my domain names with NameCheap.com and this website is hosted with them as well.
