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FAQ

Q: What is WordPress?

A: We love WordPress! It is an open-source Content Management System (CMS) — its software lives on your web server, not on your computer. A stable and successful platform, it has long term viability and is upgraded often. WordPress is also the most popular CMS in the world — approximately 33% of all sites are created with it. Because it is open-source, the software itself is free and that helps keep down the overall cost of developing your site. It is very easy to showcase featured content, news, gigs, and multimedia using sidebar and footer areas and is therefore ideally suited to promotion of performing artists. A WordPress web site offers a solid foundation of easy to update, easy to maintain code which makes aesthetic or design changes much easier down the road — it is like a well-built house that you can repaint or remodel easily. We like WordPress because we think it’s the simplest, the biggest, and the best choice for creating attractive and highly functional web sites.

Q: What is the process of getting a new site or revising a current site?

A: If you are a performing or visual artist, filmmaker, or arts organization looking to revise an existing web site or creating one from scratch, contact [email protected] with your initial inquiry.

We will discuss your case and after an initial intake, will get back to you with a formal proposal including a timeline.

Once you have agreed to the terms of the proposal, we will begin work on your site which usually takes 1-2 months to complete, depending on level of complexity.

You are involved in the structure and look of the site and you get to sign off on all phases of its development. 2 hours of WordPress training is included, which is enough for most people to be able to add posts and pages to their new sites.

Cost of sites are tailored to your needs and budget and payment plans are available. Hosting with PerformSites is strongly encouraged and starts at $20/month. The cost depends on the specifics of your site’s traffic and size but the basic package is fine for 99% of sites out there.

Q: Do I need a new web site?

A: If your site is more than a few years old, the answer to that question is probably “yes,” due to constantly improving web site technology. One way to answer that question is to browse our gallery of before and after images. We would be happy to schedule a short consultation with you to demonstrate the benefit of a new WordPress site; these demonstrations can often point out the limitations of existing, older sites.

Q: I’m not an artist, but I’d like a web site anyway…

A: You can contact Ari Salomon at [email protected] to discuss any type of non-arts web site.

Q: Where can I learn more about WordPress?

A: We provide an extensive video and text-based user manual for all our client websites. The manual is embedded right in the WordPress dashboard and is continually updated. There are some excellent video tutorials at wordpress.tv. Also there is a great support forum at wordpress.org.

Q: Is WordPress just for blogs?

A: WordPress got its start as a blogging platform. Today, it’s a full-fledged content management system (CMS).  If you are looking for a quick brochure-style website, or if you’re looking to push the boundaries of the WordPress platform in a more complex way, let us perform for you.

Q: Can I maintain the site PerformSites builds for me or do I have to hire you to do updates?

A: We design our WordPress sites to make them easy for our clients to maintain themselves. It’s easy to add or edit pages, blog posts, image galleries, embedded videos, FAQs, Testimonials and a variety of other content types. So, you don’t have to feel like a hostage to us as website developers. Of course we are here to help as needed, but that is your choice, not a requirement. Our hosting service will help you manage the ongoing software updates of your website and most urgent security updates are included for free.

Q: Do you design Logos?

A: Yes, we can design a simple logo but we often work with our clients on a full brand strategy. Branding isn’t only visual, it doesn’t start and end with the logo. Your brand is what you stand for and includes artful positioning of your content. In other words, it is who you are, not how you look.

We help our clients develop an appreciation for strategic thinking about their brand. Every message, every contact with customers, every experience with the product and company shapes brand perceptions. Brand is not optional—it happens for better or for worse. You cannot choose not to communicate – every interaction is a communication.

An identity package may include a logotype (performer or company name in a customized font, elegantly typeset) and logomark, an abstract graphic. Mockup designs will be shared in a wide palette of colors and may include additional visual elements. The final identity elements and guidelines on how to use them will be made available in multiple formats so you can further implement them in a variety of contexts in the future.

Q: What will my new website look like?

A: Like all good design, building a web site isn’t just about pixels in a browser. It’s about solving visual problems through an iterative process of decision-making. It’s about understanding the way in which type, color, shape, and interactive factors may communicate characteristic, “on-brand” emotions. It is about the feelings evoked by legibility, optics, psychology, and more. Our design practice over time has focused on developing an intuitive sense of what works and why.

Q: Does my website need to be Responsive?

A: Users will view your site on phones, tablets, laptops — all different screen sizes.  So the web page design should take these different contexts into account, and smoothly morph to match the size and shape of the screen it is viewed on. This is referred to as “responsive design,” and it’s standard for modern websites and expected by users. Common features:

  • Sidebar content moves under the main content at smaller sizes.
  • Menus stay usable at all sizes – usually with a “hamburger” menu at top right.
  • Smaller sizes shrink images but keep fonts readable.
  • Multi column layouts (including footers): transformations may happen in multiple steps to reduce 4 columns to 2 and down to 1 at smaller screen sizes.