FAQ

I currently accept the following payment methods:

• Canadian cheques made out to Createscape Design Studio
• Canadian e-transfers.
• Paypal
• Credit Card via Paypal or Stripe
• Debit Card via Stripe

I offer both custom design and development (from the ground up) and basic sites built with pre-built themes.

When building a custom-designed site, we start with a meeting to discuss your project requirements and design preferences. A wire-frame may be built to get an idea of placement and priority of content. Then we’ll work on the design using Figma or Affinity Designer. Then the approved design will be used to create a new WordPress theme. The end product will be a fast-loading, search-engine friendly site with a unique look, and a user-friendly administrative back-end.

For sites built with free or premium WordPress themes, the theme chosen has been built by another developer and I am making small changes to the code to match your branding. These websites can be built in less time, cost less, and are great for small businesses and hobby sites.

The new websites we develop typically cost between $2,000 and $10,000 CAD. If you’d like a more detailed estimate you could send some details about your project requirements and/or we can arrange a time to discuss your goals for your site.

This method often results in long delays and in having to re-do areas of the website when the content is completed. I usually encourage clients to either have a clear content outline before we start, or be willing to work with a writer. I can provide input on navigation structure, editing, and content layout.

Check out my helpful guide on planning website content.

Below is a list of local writers who may be able to help with website copy.

• Nikki Sequeira
• McNamara Communications
• Brandscaping
• Jessica Natale Woollard
• LivelyCo
• Rock.Paper.Copy
• The Writing Butler

No, I don’t do dispensary websites or anything related to the cannabis industry.

Sorry, I don’t offer web, android, or IOS (Apple) application development services.

I advise anyone planning to work with a web developer or designer to wait until you talk with them before purchasing a web hosting plan or any kind of web builder plan.

When I provide an estimate for clients I also give a recommendation for a hosting plan that will be suitable for your website.

It’s fine to purchase domain names in advance of working with a web developer.  It doesn’t matter too much where you go to purchase domains as they can be easily configured to work with any hosting plan.

If you want help deciding which domain name will work best for your business, I can provide a list of recommendations.

Yes, I also offer basic, custom coded static websites built using HTML, CSS, Twitter Bootstrap, and JavaScript. If you don’t intend to edit your website very often, this may be a good choice for you.

Yes, that’s fine. I don’t mind doing updates and maintenance for people who already have a website. I charge by the hour and don’t have any obligatory monthly fees. Occasionally I will be too busy to take on this kind of work, but it doesn’t hurt to ask.

I can help with WordPress websites as well as HTML or PHP sites. Please contact me for assistance with other CMS systems. If I can’t help you I might be able to refer you to another service provider.

It depends on my current availability and what you would like to me do.  If it’s something small I might be able to accommodate your request, however, I charge extra (1.5 x my hourly rate) for ASAP or rush jobs.

Sometimes. I talk to clients before we build the website to see if they want to use a drag-and-drop page builder, or if they would be more comfortable with simpler custom fields.

I work with WordPress.org websites rather than WordPress.com.

WordPress.org websites are self-hosted and offer more flexibility for custom design and development (that’s what I do).

WordPress.com websites are hosted on WordPress.com and limit the changes you can make to the design and features of the site to their own themes and plugins.

I recommend clients wait until they have decided which web developer they’re going to work with before purchasing any hosting or web builder services, and each developer would have their own preferences or recommendations.

While I would have to look at your website to be sure, this is sometimes a problem caused by using some shared website hosting providers (not all shared hosting causes this problem).  The problem can often be resolved by switching web hosts or upgrading hosting plans.  Slow websites can also be caused by an older plugin, poorly built plugins, or too many plugins.