Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions

How much do you cost?

Our current rates are £30/hour, with the exception of delivering group training.

Are you any good?

We think we're very good, but then we would, wouldn't we? Why not read some of our client testimonials, or give us a call and have a chat with one of our friendly developers.

How long have you been doing business?

The company was incorporated in 1999 by the current directors.

How do I get in touch?

Full contact details are available on the contact page, but you can email info@gap66.com or call 0845 2267824 UK office hours.

Website Hosting & Domain Name Questions

What is web space, why do you need it and how much do you need?

A website consists of files that are stored on a web server computer. The amount of space they take is one of the factors that determines your website hosting requirements and cost - the more files you have, the more space you need and the more it is likely to cost. On the Internet small is beautiful. The larger the files are the longer it will take your visitors to view each page, and the more it will cost you in web space and bandwidth (see below).

Some types of files take up more space than others; videos, music and graphics are among the biggest while the web pages themselves are usually small in comparison. To make sure your web pages download fast they should be as small as possible - we recommend 30 - 100 kilobytes including all images. Most people need a good reason to wait for pages that are larger than this, so if you plan big pages make sure you give your users a reason to wait - otherwise they'll be gone and probably won't come back.

As an example of website hosting space requirements, the average 10 page small business website, complete with optimised graphics is less than one Megabyte, a 100 page brochure site with many pictures might be 25 Megabytes, and a large site offering music clip downloads might be 100 Megabytes or more.

What is bandwidth, why do you need it and how much do you need?

This is the amount of data that is sent from the web server to web browsers. Each time someone looks at your website the web server has to send the files that make up that page down the wires to your computer. A reasonable assumption is that a 100 kilobyte page will take about 100 kilobytes of bandwidth. As you should be able to see, the more popular your website the more bandwidth you will require. For small, low-traffic websites with 1,000 visitors or less a month bandwidth is rarely a problem, however if you are planning a large website and/or a website with large files you may want to consider your bandwidth requirements.

What is a domain name, and why would I want one?

Each website usually has a unique address known as a U.R.L. that is easy for humans to remember - these usually start with 'http://www.' and end with '.com', 'co.uk' or similar. Your website hosting provider ensures that the computer where your website files are stored is configured to answer to requests for your web address. They also usually also provide the domain name itself, and the ancillary services (D.N.S.) required to make the web address 'live'. Each website can have more than one address, and you can also purchase web addresses and get a hosting company to 'store' them without needing a website - this is known as 'parking'.

What should I consider before buying a domain name?

Choosing the right domain name is not easy, and it gets harder every day as more and more names are registered leaving fewer available to choose from. There are many points to consider when making your decision, including correct spelling, type of domain and any trademark issues.

What sort of domain names are available and what are the differences?

What are web statistics, and why would I want them?

For a business that has paid money for a website it is very useful to be able to see how many people are looking at which pages. This enables future design work to be based on fact, and the site can be optimised to suit user preferences.

What is the difference between visitors and hits?

Many people are also confused by the difference between 'hits' and visitors. If a person looks at 3 web pages each with 10 pctures on then the statistics would be:
Visitors - 1, Pages - 3, Hits - 33 (3 pages and 30 pictures). If each page including pictures is 100 kilobytes then they have used about 300 kilobytes of bandwidth. Careful page design and web server configuration can greatly reduce the amount of bandwidth required thus reducing costs. To illustrate, one of our sites has over 10,000 visitors a month, looking at 100,000 pages and making 500,000 hits - this uses only 2,000 Megabytes of bandwidth.

What is the relationship between email addresses and domain names?

Whilst email is a separate service to website hosting it is so closely related that it is often included with many hosting plans. Many people have email addresses but no websites, and some people have websites but no email accounts, but most businesses that have a website would like to have the associated email accounts. Web-savvy surfers would expect a website with the address 'www.purple-widgets.co.uk' to have an email address of 'sales@purple-widgets.co.uk' or similar. An email address of 'purple-widgets@aol.com' would work just as well, however gives the impression that the Purple Widgets Company is either on a shoe-string budget or not very technically literate.

What type of servers do you use?

What software is available on your servers?

What is your backup policy?

What are your email settings?

Which programming languages are supported on your servers?

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Website Design Questions

Why would I want a website?

How can I make money from the Internet?

What is involved in e-commerce?

Why are web standards important?

Which legislation is relevant to website design?

What is accessibility and why would my website benfit from it?

Database Related Questions

Which databases can you design?

I need database replication - can you help?

Can you web-enable my database?

Can you help me keep my online database up-to-date?

Can I import my data from a different program?

Can I export my data to a different program?

Training & Advice Questions

How do I book a place on your courses?

How do I book you to deliver a course?

What experience levels are catered for?

Are your courses accredited?

What course materials or certifications are available?

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