FAQs

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How do I order?

If you'd like to order then you can click here to complete our simple online form. Alternatively if you would like to talk it through with our team then please call 0330 058 7141 and we will guide you through each step.

What is the minimum contract term?

The minimum term is 12 months. Thereafter, you will have a 30 day notice period.

Are there any payable extras?

For our website package, everything is included in the £105+VAT per month cost, including hosting, design, content, maintenance, features, secure document exchange, SEO for five phrases and the email newswire.

There are some payable add-on options:

• mailENGINE+ - this enables you to create your own HTML email-shots whenever you like in addition to our free monthly, Budget and Autumn Statement newswires. It costs £20+VAT per month
• Extra SEO phrases - our clients are entitled to 5 phrases of the managed searchPHRASE SEO service provided by accountantSEO. More phrases can be bought at £60+VAT per month per 5 phrases.

Will the monthly fee be subject to change?

We have no plans to raise the monthly fee from £105+VAT.

How do I pay?

Generally our customers pay by monthly Direct Debit, which consists of 12 monthly payments of £105+VAT. It is also possible to pay by Cheque, just contact us for more information.

Can I plug in your content and features to my existing site?

Yes, we can offer a resources-only package, where you can effectively 'plug in' our tax and business content, news and features to a site which is otherwise hosted by a third party.

Technically, this can be delivered in a number of ways, including a full API. Contact us for more technical details.

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How does the build process work?

When you decide to order your website you will be able to then confirm the website layout that you prefer.

Based on your choice we will then supply you with a Word file that includes copy for your website. This is a starting point for your content, which you can personalise/amend as much as you like, once you are happy with this return to us we can begin the build. You can also make text changes at any time after the site is live, free of charge.

Our design team will create a suggested design layout based on your choice, providing you with a working demo link for you to review before it is set live. You can view and provide feedback on this and communicate with our designers until you are happy with the look and layout.

Can I have a bespoke build?

Yes, we can design and build you a website that is bespoke to your requirements. There is an additional cost for this service and a quote is supplied once we know your full brief and objectives.

How long does the build process take?

This very much depends on you, the customer, and how long you take to complete the Word file and send us your logo. However, the average time from receiving all of your content is about a week (bespoke builds will take a little longer).

Can you put up a holding page for me?

Yes, if you have placed your order with us and would prefer a simple holding page with your contact details to your current site while your new website is in build, we can do this for you - usually with no charge.

I already have a great website design - can I keep it?

Yes, as long as you own the copyright to your design we can replicate it as closely as possible. Please note that it is very likely that we will need to edit parts of your design if you wish to take full advantage of our responsive platform, because when designing we need to bear in mind usability for phone, tablet and desktop views. This process will incur an additional cost as it will be a bespoke build.

Can I keep my existing website text?

Yes, if you own the copyright we can copy and paste any text you want to keep, as well as suggesting tweaks and improvements.

Can I use my own designer?

Yes, we often work with external designers and if you wish to use your own design agency rather than our in-house designers we can nearly always accommodate this.

However, we will need to speak with your designer before we begin the process to ensure that their work is fully compatible with our mobile responsive platform, and also to ascertain if there are any additional costs for the desired layout.

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Can I add videos?

Yes, we can include any videos you have had made in your site design. Usually there will be no charge.

Can I add social media to my website?

Yes, we can easily add in social media buttons or feeds to your site at no extra charge.

Can I include a registration page?

Yes, most of our sites have a registration page to enable firms to collect contact information from clients and prospects, so that they can receive the monthly email newsletters and other mailings.

Can I plug in functions or software provided by a third party, e.g. online client portals or cloud accounting software?

Yes, we can link to or embed log-in areas for most third-party applications, e.g. Iris Opensource, docSAFE, virtualcabinet, Xero, etc. Just talk to us about what you wish to use.

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What if I don't yet have a domain name?

You should register your domain name (e.g. exampleandco.co.uk or smithandjones.com.) yourself. There are many domain hosting providers available - just do a web search on 'domain name registration'. It is a simple process to find an available name, register and pay for it. The cost is generally very low - less than £4 per annum for most .co.uk domains.

We can provide advice, but it is better if you pay for and manage your own domain name.

How do you make my site live?

We build your new site on our servers, then when you're happy with it and ready to make it live on the web in place of your current site or holding page, you instruct your domain host to point your domain's www record to our server. It's usually a simple process and we will help with this.

Will my email be affected?

No, any email addresses you have with your domain name, e.g. mike@exampleandco.co.uk, will not be affected by us making your site live.

Can I have several web addresses for the same site?

You need to have one main domain, but there is no limit to how many additional web addresses can redirect to your website.

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How do I make changes to my live website?

To make changes to your site at any time just email our support team totaltechnical@mercia-group.com  or call us on 0330 058 7141.

Do you charge for changes?

Virtually all changes requested by our clients are free of charge - text edits, uploading PDFs, changing profile photos etc.

Major changes to the structure and design of the site outside of the free two-year redesigns under our Design Guarantee would be chargeable - and we'd discuss and quote upfront.

What is a free makeover?

Internet technology moves fast, and it's unavoidable that even the best sites do start to look dated eventually. That's why we've introduced a free makeover. This means that you're entitled to an optional free redesign every two years. That's two years after your initial order, and then every two years after your previous redesign, under the same terms as your initial free design in our standard service. It's completely free if you choose one of our standard designs, but you will be tied in to your contract for 12 months after the redesign going live.

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How do I add/remove contacts to receive the newswire?

Contacts can be added in a number of ways. You can upload en masse from a spreadsheet, which is usually the best way when you first start using the newswire.

Thereafter you can add them one at a time in your contact management system. Users can also register themselves via a form on your site.

Removing or unsubscribing contacts can also be easily done in the contact management system, and recipients can unsubscribe themselves via a link in the email newsletter itself.

You can ask us to help with any contact management issues by emailing totaltechnical@mercia-group.com

Is there a limit to how many contacts I can have?

There is no upper limit as such to how many contacts you can send to, as long as they are legitimate contacts. Our systems have safeguards against unusually large bulk-loads of contacts in order to prevent spamming, but we will help you if there are any such issues.

What happens at Budget?

We provide a special Budget newswire, which is sent out the morning after Budget Day. There is a similar special for the Spring Statement. There is no extra charge for this service.

What are the Christmas eCards?

Via our system you can send a branded HTML eCard to your contacts sending Christmas wishes/Season's Greetings and informing them of your opening hours over the holiday period.

Email marketing.support@mercia-group.com for more information.

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Can you get me to the top of Google?

We think this is the wrong question! There is little point in being in the number one position on Google for a phrase if nobody is searching for it; or if the people searching for it are not relevant to your business.

The right question is: how can I make my website visible on the search engines to viable prospective clients for my firm?

This is where we can help you - see more about our SEO services.

I'm already paying somebody to optimise my site - can you also work on it?

We find it is counter-productive to have two separate SEO providers simultaneously working on the same website - so we will only work on sites that we are exclusively optimising. However, if you would rather continue using your current SEO providers we are happy to carry out "on site" changes as per their instructions - it's just that we won't do any additional SEO work ourselves.

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