Web Design & Development

In the early days of the internet, websites were hand-coded from scratch, primarily using HTML. As websites have evolved, several web creation platforms have come and gone, but the most widely-used platform as of 2022 is WordPress, which is not only a free, open-source website creation platform, but it is also highly-customizable and regularly updated for security and stability.

Although we still do use HTML hand-coding to make adjustments to sites, Little Penguin Creative currently builds all websites on the WordPress platform. 

Most modern professional websites start with the same basic framework:

• Responsive, Mobile-Friendly Design
• 5 Individual Pages (typically Home, About, Services, Blog, and Contact)
• Customized/Branded Theme
• Core SEO Elements
• Standard Plugins/Modules
• 30-Day Warranty

Because WordPress is so highly-customizable, there are really very few things that CAN’T be built or integrated into a WordPress website. However, because additional elements or functionalities do take more time and resources to design, develop, and implement, there is generally an added cost and time commitment required for anything outside of the scope of a “typical” website build. Some of these added costs may include:

• Additional Pages
• Ongoing Support & Maintenance
• Web Hosting
• Customized Login 
• Domain Registration/Renewal
• Premium Plugins/Modules
• Custom Plugin Integration
• SSL Certificates
• Social Media Integration
• Copywriting
• Customer/Client Portal Development
• Advanced SEO
• Keyword Research/Implementation
• Email Setup/Maintenance
• Image/Video Editing
• Professional Image/Video Licensing
• Brand/Logo Development or Redesign
• Extensive User Training

Search engine optimization, or SEO, is a strategy for improving your site’s rankings in search engine results. It involves identifying which keywords and phrases your target audience uses when looking for products or services like yours, then working towards ranking well for those searches.

All websites designed by Little Penguin Creative are set up with Core SEO Elements, which include a mobile-friendly design, industry-standard SEO plugin installation, and Google Analytics setup/transfer.

For more in-depth optimization, clients can also opt for Advanced SEO, which includes a longer-term strategy including competitor analysis, keyword research and integration, A/B testing, and other industry tools to increase organic search traffic.

*Keep in mind that SEO requires time and patience; it can often take upwards of 4-6 months (depending on the level of competition within your industry) for Google website rankings and organic growth to really become apparent.

Although not every web design agency offers any kind of warranty for their work once a site has gotten its final sign-offs and has gone live, we have learned after many years of web development that if “bugs” are going to appear on a finalized site, they will most likely pop up within the first 30 days of use by a client.

With this in mind, Little Penguin Creative offers a 30-Day Warranty that covers any bugs or system glitches that arise within the first 30 days following a site’s launch. This warranty does NOT include any errors that have been caused by human error (unless the error was on the part of LPC), and does not include any additions that were not included within the project’s original scope.

Yes! Once your 30-Day Warranty has expired, you can still rely on Little Penguin Creative for ongoing support and maintenance by purchasing a support plan (available in 5-, 10-, and 20-hour blocks) or a monthly support & maintenance plan.

We charge in 15-minute increments for our time. Where the job requires troubleshooting, a 30-minute investigation fee may apply. After this time we will provide solutions to resolve the issue. If the issue is a result of something that’s our fault, no charges will be incurred.

All support packages and maintenance plans, including trouble-shooting and client communications, are applied in 15-minute increments.

Beginning in early 2023, you must have purchased a support plan or maintenance & support package with us in order to use our support ticketing system for changes/requests/support. If you do not wish to purchase a support package, an hourly rate of $120 will apply to all work carried out.

All non-urgent/non-emergency change requests will typically be addressed within 48 hours if requested during normal business hours, Monday-Friday. 

If a change request is made to address an emergency issue (including security breaches, brute-force or hacking attempts, and or any system incompatibility that renders your site to be down/non-functioning) we will do our best to address the issues as quickly as possible, even outside of normal business hours. (Please note: we understand that time is often of the essence in an emergency situation; therefore fees to correct issues of this nature will generally be billed to you after your site has been stabilized.)

If a change request is noted as “urgent,” we’ll do our best to squeeze it in as quickly as possible (although “emergency requests” will generally be prioritized over “urgent requests”). In the case that our team needs to bump an existing job on our production schedule or we need to schedule work after hours, on weekends, or on public holidays to accommodate an “urgent” request, a “quick turnaround fee” may be applied.

First (and most important!), DON’T PANIC!!

Although it is completely normal for sites to occasionally be unreachable for a moment or two, if your site is down for more than a few minutes, has become sluggish and slow to load, or routinely presents error messages, the best course of action is to contact us right away. The majority of errors can be easily mitigated with simple scans and clean-ups on the backend of the site. Additionally, if you have opted for scheduled backups as a part of your maintenance package, often reverting to the last clean backup will immediately stabilize a site so that your business can continue as usual while we put forth the time and effort necessary to identify and correct the actual error or compatibility.