- Frequently Asked Questions About Websites, Marketing, and Us
About Websites
Who are you?
Actual Systems is a privately owned small business based in Walnut Creek California. We are a quality focused, high-contact company made up of web development professionals dedicated to producing exceptional, monetizable, and manageable websites for our clients. We were founded in 1988 as a software and small networks development company but we became enthralled by the huge potential of the Internet early on. By 1995 we had shifted our focus toward website design and development as the primary business. Actual systems was an early pioneer in the use of Flash media, database driven websites, live publishing systems, and in the use of email in live radio call-in shows. We have also worked with broadcasters and film institutes to produce and direct film festivals and live webcasts.
How are you different from other website developers?
We take a form follows function approach to development and believe that every website should be an expression of each organization's defined purpose and unique personality. We develop our sites using the latest industry standards, practices, and technologies. This leads to lower production costs and shorter roll-out times for our clients. Our belief in using research and competitive analysis as a part of pre-production planning and design is another key characteristic of our approach to website development. The web has always been about learning from others and then taking it at least one-step further. We continue to be committed to that principal and believe that it sets our work apart from the norm.
View some of our work.
Who are your clients?
Our clients are a diverse group of large and small businesses and organizations that includes corporations, small businesses, professionals, non-profit entities, artists, broadcasters, and Internet media companies. This deep and broad base of experience delivers an added value to all of our clients as the best practices or fresh ideas from one market sector are used to enhance and inform another.
View a partial client list.
Why do I need a website?
We're guessing that about ninety percent of you already have a website. So a better question might be; do I need a better website? We provide more than just website development services, we also provide business development services that can help you to better decide what you need, what it should cost, and how to evaluate and optimize its performance over time. For those that don't yet have a website, to find out if you need one, it might be better to ask: Can my customers, members, business prospects, leads, employees, or clients benefit from offering them a website? Can a website lower some of my costs, increase sales or profits, or in some clear way benefit my business or organization? Generally, a properly designed website can increase profits, create market awareness, reduce expenses, improve or enhance customer service, or connect a community around a common interest or purpose-- for most, but not necessarily all businesses and organizations.
Can you help me decide what I should include in my website?
Yes. Our services include business development, competition research, and reporting on the current state of your particular market or sector as it stands today on the web. This helps our clients spend their money wisely and helps keep the resources and focus on what matters most. We work with our clients to help them identify and include the information and services that are most likely to appeal to and best serve their particular web audience.
About Design & Development
Do you build or customize content management systems or setup custom blog sites?
Yes. We have setup many dynamic publishing environments (CMS, DMS) and different levels of blog sites. We have worked with several Open Source software solutions that we have found to be of particularly high quality such as Drupal, WordPress, and KnowledgeTree. We have designed and built complete custom CMS solutions using PHP, Coldfusion, MS SQL, and MySQL among others. We were an early pioneer in using databases and content management interfaces in venues such as commercial broadcasting going back as far as the mid 1990's.
Can Actual Systems build a database driven web site?
Yes. We have experience with databases and database driven websites that goes way back. We can work with or develop in most major databases such as MS SQL, Oracle, MySQL, Access, and others. We are also experienced with certain Open Source software solutions that we have found useful and effective for many projects. These systems include Drupal CMS, WordPress, KnowledgeTree DMS, and other noteworthy applications.
How quickly can a web site be built or an existing one be overhauled?
It depends on how much of a website you need. Size, complexity, and the number of features and services all factor. Generally it is wise to budget 30 to 90 days for most small to medium sized projects. Larger projects can run six months or longer, but again, it depends. That's why we spend time up-front clearly defining each project and its unique set of priorities. Your own level of preparedness will also play a major role in how quickly a website can be developed and launched. To facilitate this we adapt our work process to each client's individual needs and style in order to make the production process go as smoothly as possible.
What is the minimum and maximum project size that you will accept?
There is no minimum project size per se and most website development projects run for a few months. We have said yes and occasionally no to projects of all shapes and sizes over the years. We choose projects that are of interest to us, play to our strengths, and that seem to be a good fit between us and our clients. We have included a fair mix of them for your review in our work samples portfolio. We care a great deal about quality and use research, our broad client-base of experience, and the creativity of our engineers and designers to make-- regardless of size-- every website an excellent one that delivers on its purpose and its defined goals.
Can Actual Systems provide copy writing for our website?
Yes. We provide copy writing services, market consulting, website art direction, and support with setting up and managing small to mid-sized collaborative publishing environments.
Do you provide graphic design, photography, and art direction?
Yes. We provide art direction, graphic design, and video and audio post production services. We also have an extended network of creative professionals that we work closely with who provide video, audio, and other full production services including editing, mastering, and delivery. As producers we manage the entire process beginning to end. We are also comfortable working with existing in-place agencies and in-house departments.
Can I securely manage my own content?
We have a lot of experience setting up secure collaborative publishing environments that include defined roles, permissions, and workflow process design. We work with a number of reliable content management systems (CMS) including Drupal, WordPress, KnowledgeTree, and Adobe Contribute. We have also developed custom designed and database driven web publishing systems for our clients using PHP, ColdFusion, WebAssist extensions, and other proven technologies. We can transition you from having your content managed outside to bringing it all in-house-- and at a pace that you are comfortable with.
Do you offer software revisions and updates?
Yes. Depending upon the type of software being used, security updates and other important improvements are routinely made available to all of our clients. Maintenance contracts are available for automatic updates and upgrades as well. We also provide on-demand website upgrade services to our clients on an as-needed hourly basis.
What about licensing and copyright issues?
The custom work product that we develop for our clients belongs to our clients. This includes program source code, databases, artwork, and all media. We adhere to and respect the licensing agreements of all third party software used in any of our websites. Clients are also subject to the licensing provisions of any Open Source software technologies used in their websites.
Who owns the software that you write for me?
You do. And we provide it to you on DVD on demand. We reserve the right to reuse certain non-proprietary pieces of code for future projects, but this does not include any content or other materials that are a unique or custom part of any of our client's businesses. All custom software that we build becomes the property of our clients.
Can you work at my location?
Yes, but this is normally not necessary for most web development projects. We are a private studio and posses all of the technology and equipment necessary to produce all of our projects in-house. For certain projects that may involve transferring large amounts of data, or that involve a lot of data entry, we have placed sub-contractors on-site at client locations to facilitate that sort of work.
About Website & Search Engine Marketing
Is Search Engine Marketing really necessary?
In most cases YES. But it depends to some degree on who your website's intended audience is. If you depend upon leads or customers finding your website search engine marketing (SEM) and website search engine optimization (SEO) go hand-in-hand. High search engine ranking is key to having a busy successful website. We provide web marketing services that include SEO, SEM, SLC (sponsored link campaigns), PPC (pay per click campaigns), software analysis tools and reports, research, and consulting services. We are very committed to helping every website we produce reach its fullest potential.
How do SEO services increase our website traffic?
Properly executed SEO (which stands for Search Engine Optimization) is very important to the success of most websites these days. Our SEO method includes creating a seamless web of relevancy between your content and your audience. By doing up-to-date research on where your similars or competitors stand in the major search engines we learn what's working for them and what's not. We connect your website to as many other "relevant" locations on the Internet as possible to make it as easy as possible for your audience to connect with you. We make sure that your message is clear. This builds a solid foundation for future marketing programs by yielding high organic search engine rankings that last.
How quickly can you get our new website ranked higher in the major search engines?
Right away-- but you will want your website to be search engine optimized (SEO) prior to launching any Internet marketing campaigns. These services are new to many businesses and we are happy to provide more information or answer any questions you might have.
Can Actual Systems get me first page placement?
It depends upon your market, the competition, and region, and for sponsored link placement- price, which is set by the market. We provide market research and analysis services that look at campaigns, pricing, and performance goals that we work with our clients to establish. In many cases it is possible to develop high search engine ranking by clearly defining exactly who it is you want to find your website. For more competitive businesses or sectors higher organic search engine rankings can take some time. We provide the strategies that can help you maximize your sites search engine relevancy. We do not rely upon magic or tricks to do this work. It is based upon clearly defining the market and then message and then carefully optimizing the website to reflect that.
Does Actual Systems provide data on website traffic and usage?
Yes. One of the services we offer for our hosted sites is fully monitored traffic metrics. Based upon the type of website different software packages are used to measure traffic and site performance. We work with our clients to help them make the most out of this information.
Will you sign a non-disclosure agreement?
Yes if it sent to us in advance for review by our attorneys. We treat ALL client information as strictly confidential. That is our standard privacy policy. No personal information whatsoever is shared or sold.
About Management & Hosting
Do you offer dedicated commercial web hosting?
Yes. We offer this to all of our clients at market competitive pricing. Our dedicated hosting partner is Percepticon Corporation, and we have a close working relationship with them that over time has translated into many benefits for our clients. When a web developer hands a finished project over to a client for hosting, good communication between the developer and the website hosting company is very important.
Do you offer technical support?
Yes. We support all of our websites ongoing. We will repair any defects or problems discovered and directly related to any of our work. Hosted websites are backed up constantly to preserve your data. We can work on a contract basis or by hourly fee depending upon your needs and the size of the website.
Will I be able to update my own web site easily?
Yes. We offer many ways for clients to update their websites regardless of size and purpose. We are experienced in working with a wide variety of web technologies that allow you to manage your own website. From Open Source content management systems like Drupal, Joomla, or Mambo(CMS), to smaller systems like Adobe Contribute we can help you choose the right system for your needs. We have experience in developing customized database driven websites that use many popular databases like MSSQL, MySQL, Postgre SQL, and Microsoft Access.
What about dedicated servers, do you provide them?
Yes. We provide dedicated servers, backup systems, secure servers, database servers, and other configurations developed to meet the requirements of your unique project. Our hosting partner is Percepticon Corporation and we have worked with them for more than a decade to provide our clients with the highest quality high-availability hosting services available anywhere. Most of the time smaller websites can be run just fine on secure public web servers. Larger sites may require one or more dedicated servers. We will provide you with an estimate for these services should you require them.
Can Actual Systems help write copy and content?
We provide copy writing and creative content development services to our clients through our network of professional writers and producers that have experience with a wide variety of different businesses and organizations. These services are a regular part of our development process, and they are also available as needed on a fee for service basis.
Do you offer email and/or FTP set up?
Yes, we offer these services to our clients. We can provide the initial setup or provide clients with an administrative back-end allowing them to setup email accounts, forwarding, aliasing, email rules, etc. Monthly fees are market competitive and are based upon the number of accounts and the volume of data transferred.
What are the monthly costs for running a store and a shopping cart?
The price depends upon the kind of store, the traffic volume, and several other factors. Generally fees start at about $49/month for secure ecommerce website hosting, plus credit card processing fees. There are many choices of store and shopping cart software out there. We start by selecting the best one for your business. We provide complete estimates for custom ecommerce projects and include all recurring costs. We most often offer a series of options selected specifically to fit each client's needs.
About Estimates & Costs
Can I see a proposal of what, how, and when the work will be done before signing a contract?
Yes. We describe the objectives and the work to be completed by providing a clear detailed estimate for every project. We set milestones that help keep projects on track and with predictable progress. When we set a price we stick to it. We do what it takes to bring projects in on time and on budget.
Does Actual Systems bid on projects or charge by the hour?
We do both. It depends on the client's needs and the size of the project. Generally, billing on a time and materials basis is somewhat more expensive than doing the project at a set budgeted price. Either way, you have a right to know exactly what your web developer is going to do for the money which is why we always provide a clear detailed estimate for every project.
What is your hourly rate?
We charge $150 per hour for website design, development, and management services with a five hour minimum charge for new clients. Generally we recommend using an estimate and setting a budget for all but the smallest of projects. This tends to be a more cost-effective way of building a website. We are happy to offer discounts to non-profit organizations.
Do you bill for time spent in meetings, on phone calls, or writing project/job specific emails?
On projects based upon estimates and set budgets we do not bill for time spent in meetings, on phone calls, or for writing emails. On projects billed by the hour we do account and bill for those things. We do not charge for preliminary meetings or any other pre contract work in general, and we don't bill for the occasional email or phone call with a question.
When will the services be completed after I give the go ahead?
All of our estimates include a time frame for the work to be completed along with a certain number of interim milestones based upon each project's size and duration. We remain in communication with our clients throughout the entire development process and are always available by email, IM, or phone to answer all questions. Typically, small websites can take from 30 to 90 days to complete and large ones can take several months or more. Landing pages and very small sites can often be developed within 30 days. It really depends on the particulars of each project.
How do you calculate your billable time?
We have a five hour minimum charge for all new clients and we charge $150 per hour. All work is rounded off to the nearest fifteen minute point. We will tell you up front what every billable item in your project is. Hourly billing is often used for small projects and jobs while using a set estimate and budget is usually more cost effective for everything else.
Do you charge for software licenses, or other third party equipment or software?
We only charge you the work that we do which when completed and paid for belongs to our clients. Most websites reside on hosted servers and do not require separate software licenses or dedicated hardware that you would purchase. Some larger high-availability websites do. If your project includes dedicated servers (for very high traffic volume commercial sites), third party software (such as e-commerce or a database), or other equipment (for security, redundancy, etc.), you are always given that information along with all costs up-front in the original itemized estimate.
Do you charge for travel time or expenses?
If we are working on a time and materials basis then yes we do. If we are working off of an estimate and set budget then we pay for travel time and expenses. We do not charge for any pre-contract travel or expenses.
Can I make “payments” for your services?
Payment is due upon completion of the work for projects billed by the hour. For projects based upon estimates and set budgets we usually setup a series of payments that include a prepayment to commence work, one or more interim payments, and a final payment upon completion of the project. We accept business checks drawn on US, EU, or Canadian Banks, PayPal, and most major credit cards for payment.
Do you work with non-profit organizations?
Yes we do and we always have. We have enjoyed working with a number of different non-profit organizations, developing their websites, and helping them to use the Internet more effectively. Discounts depend upon the specifics of each project. We are always happy to provide estimates.