Web Design and Development Since 2005
Crystal Coast Technologies specializes in web design and development in Swansboro and Morehead City for small businesses and large corporations. We’re located in the beautiful coastal town of Swansboro, North Carolina near Emerald Isle. We pride ourselves on giving back to the community that has given so much to us. That’s why, whenever possible, we donate websites and services to causes that are important to us, like the Carteret County Humane Society and the Emerald Isle Marathon.
We meet with every potential web design client before starting work or asking for payment, whether that’s in person, on the phone, or over video call. That way, we get to know them, their needs, and make sure we’re on the same page before the project even starts.
Why Only Custom Websites?
There are many ways to create a website. Without telling their client, some web design companies purchase a pre-made template or a pre-designed framework for less than $100 (some are even free), change the pictures and the text to match the client’s branding, and charge $1000 or more. If the client knows they’re getting a website from a pre-made template, it can be a cost-effect way of getting online and it may work perfectly for the client. But clients don’t always know and there are quite a few drawbacks including potential security issues.
We design all our websites from scratch. We don’t use pre-made templates, and we don’t recommend that you do either. You work hard to make your business unique, right? We think your website should be unique too.
However, if a small business can’t afford a custom website, we’ll still try to help. We’ll mention free and low-cost tools that are available for those who want to lower their costs or try to design their own site. Just know that you will have a lot of work to try to do it yourself. But we’ll tell you about some software programs you could learn to use, some services that you could check out, and some of the pros (low cost) and cons (you might not own your site).
Now, it may sound silly for a web design company to mention free or low-cost ways that could save you some money, but that’s what we do. Yes, we have bills to pay, but that’s our honest, business-driven approach to web site design. “Do well by doing good.” means giving the client as much information as possible so that they can make the best decision for themselves. It’s just one thing that separates us from typical web design companies in Morehead City, NC, and we’ve operated like that for almost 20 years.
The CCT Web Design Process
We start by making a sitemap of all the pages for your website. Then, we create a wireframe sketch in Figma (it’s one of those free tools mentioned earlier) to map out the features that need to go on the pages of your website. Next, we review that with you to make sure we cover everything. Then we start working on the user-experience (UX), user-interface (UI), a color palette, selecting fonts, and designing the site. We review all of that with you and revise as needed before starting on the animations, interactions, and other development.
Figma is a great design tool with a free account level and lots of tutorials. [ref: Figma.com]
Website Hosting
We run our own web servers and focus on Internet security. We monitor activity 24/7, make daily backups, and store those backups on a separate Amazon Web Server. Plus, each website that we host gets an SSL certificate at no charge.
Web design clients don’t have to host with us. We can create the entire project on our development servers and then upload the approved version to their chosen web host. Granted, large hosts like Godaddy initially charge less per month. But, they’ll charge extra for things like backups, security, and SSL certificates. So, just read the fine print and be prepared for sales pitches and up-sell attempts if you go with them.
Website Maintenance
Let’s face it: everything needs maintenance. Your website will too. However, we don’t force our clients into a monthly website maintenance contract. So, before the project starts, we’ll ask you if you think you’ll need to make a lot of changes to your site. If the answer is yes, we will build it on a platform like WordPress. That way, you can login and make changes anytime you want. But if the answer is “no” or “rarely” (some clients only make changes once a year or so), it’s better to let us make the changes for you when needed. That way, you don’t have to pay for us to build the site on WordPress only to use it occasionally. For example, most changes, like updating pictures or text, don’t take us very long and your cost will be minimal.
What’s Next?
We work hard for our money and we know that our clients do as well. So, we give all of our clients personalized attention and focus our efforts on creating a positive return on their investment. Review our web design portfolio and read what some of our clients say about us. When you want to create a successful web project, put your confidence in Crystal Coast Technologies. Please contact us & tell us about your project!