Website development FAQs
Answers to common business website questions about costs, platforms, content, redesigns, search visibility, editing and support.
How much does a business website cost?
The cost depends on the number of distinct page layouts, content work, design, integrations and editing requirements. A small company site has a different scope from a property website with customer access. Ask for a written breakdown covering discovery, design, development, content, testing and launch, plus hosting and maintenance. Orwell scopes the work before quoting; there is no single price that meaningfully covers every business website.
Link to this answer ↗How long does website development take?
The schedule depends on scope and how quickly content, feedback and approvals are available. Agree milestones for the page structure, design, working build, testing and release. Integrations, migrations and private portals add dependencies. A useful delivery plan identifies who supplies each item and when decisions are needed, rather than giving a launch date without those assumptions.
Link to this answer ↗Should I choose a website builder, WordPress or a custom website?
Choose around the experience you need and the team that will maintain it. A website builder can suit standard layouts; a content management system can support frequent publishing and editorial roles; custom development helps when journeys or integrations need specific behaviour. A custom design can still use a CMS. Compare recurring costs, ownership, accessibility, exports and integration limits before deciding.
Link to this answer ↗Can a website connect to our CRM or other business systems?
Yes, where the systems offer suitable APIs or another supported integration method. Define what information moves, which system owns the record and what should happen when a connection fails. For example, an enquiry can create a CRM lead and notify its owner. The integration also needs permissions, duplicate handling, logging and testing, not just a successful demonstration with one submission.
Link to this answer ↗Can we edit the website ourselves after launch?
Yes, if editing is included in the agreed scope. Decide which areas your team needs to change: articles, services, project pages, team details or page layouts. The implementation could use a CMS, structured content files or a managed update service. Agree the interface, training, permissions and responsibility for checking published changes before the build starts.
Link to this answer ↗Will a new website automatically rank on Google?
No. A sound build helps search engines crawl and understand the site, but visibility also depends on the usefulness of the content, competition and evidence of relevance. A redesign should preserve valuable URLs, use relevant redirects and include clear titles, headings and internal links. After launch, monitor indexing and real search queries. No agency can responsibly guarantee a particular ranking from a redesign alone.
Link to this answer ↗How do you protect search traffic during a redesign?
Inventory the current URLs, identify pages with traffic or links and map each to an equivalent page in the new site. Preserve useful addresses where possible and use permanent redirects when they change. Check canonicals, internal links, status codes and the sitemap, then monitor indexing after launch. Keep a private preview out of search indexes until the intended production site is ready.
Link to this answer ↗What happens after the website goes live?
Agree who handles hosting, backups, updates, content changes and incidents. Test the enquiry journey and access to the domain, hosting and content system at handover. Orwell can work with your infrastructure or an agreed managed service. Support terms, response expectations and third-party costs belong in the project agreement so everyday ownership is clear.
Link to this answer ↗Apply it to your business.
Every project starts with its own context. Bring your questions to a free discovery call and we’ll help identify a sensible next step.
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