WORDPRESS HELP & ANSWERS
Web Design & Support FAQs
Have questions about working with WebCami or managing a WordPress website? Here are answers to some of the questions I hear most often from prospective and existing clients.
Working with WebCami
I design custom WordPress websites for small businesses, nonprofits, organizations, and individuals. Whether you're running a business, leading an organization, or simply have something you want to share with the world, I can help you create a website that fits what you're trying to accomplish.
That includes brand-new websites as well as redesigning existing WordPress sites that have become outdated, difficult to manage, or no longer reflect what you do.
I work with clients in the Seattle area and throughout the United States.
Absolutely. You don't need to know whether you need a redesign, maintenance, technical help, new content, or something else before you contact me.
I'll look at your existing website, listen to what's working and what isn't, and help you determine what makes the most sense. Sometimes that means a redesign. Sometimes an existing website can be improved without starting over. And sometimes what you need isn't a service I provide, in which case I'll tell you and, when possible, refer you to someone who can help.
Sometimes. Before taking responsibility for an existing WordPress website, I need to look under the hood.
I'll review how the site was built, the theme and plugins it uses, its hosting environment, and its general condition. If it's built with tools I can comfortably support and the site is in good health, I can take it on without requiring a redesign.
If the website uses outdated or unsupported technology, has significant technical problems, or was built in a way that I don't support, I'll explain your options.
No. When you hire WebCami, you work directly with me. I design and manage my client websites myself.
When a project requires something outside my area of expertise, I have a network of trusted professionals I can refer or collaborate with rather than pretending to offer a service I don't.
I don't specialize in e-commerce websites. For projects that need very simple online sales functionality, I may be able to help depending on what's involved.
For a full online store or more complex ecommerce needs, I'll refer you to a trusted professional who specializes in that type of work.
Yes. WordPress can work with many third-party services, and I regularly help clients connect their websites with outside tools for things like email marketing, donations, forms, calendars, scheduling, payment processing, and other business needs.
Sometimes the best solution is to integrate a service with WordPress. Other times, it's better and more secure to let a specialized third-party service handle the job and have your website connect or link to it.
If you already use outside services, let me know what they are. I'll help determine how they should fit into your website and whether I can handle the connection or if we need a specialist.
Yes. All WebCami clients sign a general service agreement before we begin working together. The agreement covers website projects, ongoing services, and Care Plans.
As long as our working relationship continues, we can operate under the same agreement without signing a new contract every time you hire me for additional work. The agreement is not transferable. If your business changes ownership, the new owner will need to sign a new service agreement with WebCami.
WordPress Maintenance & Care Plans
Yes.
All websites need some level of ongoing maintenance, regardless of the platform they're built on. That includes websites built with traditional website platforms as well as newer AI website-building tools.
WordPress has its own specific maintenance needs. WordPress itself is continually changing, and so are the themes and plugins that add functionality to a WordPress website. Those pieces need to stay updated and compatible with one another.
Leaving a WordPress website untouched for years can eventually lead to compatibility problems, broken functionality, and security vulnerabilities.
No website should be built and then simply forgotten about. Content becomes outdated, technology changes, links break, services change, and the needs of your business or organization evolve over time.
Yes.
You don't have to hire WebCami to maintain a WordPress website. If you're comfortable managing updates, backups, security, and troubleshooting problems when they arise, you can handle your own maintenance.
The important part is actually doing it consistently.
The tricky part isn't clicking an update button. It's knowing what to do when an update causes a problem or something on the website stops working.
A Care Plan handles the ongoing technical maintenance your WordPress website needs.
I offer three levels of WordPress Care Plans: Economy, Basic, and Deluxe, so you can choose the level of ongoing support that best fits your website and your needs.
All three plans include essential WordPress maintenance, with additional services and support included at the Basic and Deluxe levels.
Care Plan clients also receive a reduced hourly rate for website updates and other work that falls outside their plan.
Your Care Plan primarily covers the technical maintenance of your WordPress website. It is different from hiring me to make design or content changes.
If you need a new page, content changes, design work, or other website updates, that work is billed separately. Care Plan clients receive a reduced hourly rate for additional website work.
The answer depends on what happened.
Sometimes a plugin or theme update causes the problem. Sometimes a form stops sending. Sometimes hosting is involved. Sometimes a website has been compromised.
If you're on a WebCami Care Plan, I have backups and other tools in place to help investigate the problem. Restoring your website from a backup is included with my Basic and Deluxe Care Plans. It is not included with the Economy Care Plan and would be billed separately.
The priority is getting the website into a safe state and determining the best recovery path.
I maintain backups for Care Plan websites that can be used when restoration is necessary. Restoring a hacked website from a backup is included with my Basic and Deluxe Care Plans. For Economy Care Plan clients, restoration and recovery work are billed separately.
Every situation is different, but having a current backup gives us a much better recovery path if something goes wrong.
Yes. You don't have to be enrolled in a Care Plan for me to continue helping with a website I've designed.
Care Plan clients receive a lower hourly rate for additional website work. Clients who aren't enrolled can still request help at my regular hourly rate.
Website Ownership & Ongoing Support
Yes.
Your business should control its important digital assets, including your domain and the accounts associated with your website.
I don't believe your business should become dependent on a web designer simply because that person happens to control something you need..
You should.
Your domain is an important business asset, and I strongly recommend keeping it registered in an account you or your organization controls.
I'm happy to help clients with domain settings when needed, but I don't want ownership of your business's domain.
Yes. I can work with your current WordPress hosting if it's a good fit for your website, or I can help you move to new hosting if a change would be beneficial.
I have a reliable, reasonably priced hosting provider that I recommend to my WordPress clients. You can have a hosting account in your own name and manage it yourself, or, if you'd rather not be bothered with hosting, I can host and manage your website through my reseller account.
Websites hosted through my reseller account must be enrolled in a WebCami Care Plan, so I can properly maintain and manage the websites I host.
No. Business email is its own specialty, and I don't provide ongoing email administration or IT support.
I can help with website-related email configuration when needed, such as contact-form delivery, but managing employee email accounts, computers, networks, and general IT issues is outside my services.
Yes.
I provide training so you understand how to make the updates you're likely to handle yourself. I also provide training resources you can return to later rather than expecting you to remember everything from a single meeting.
And if you'd rather send your updates to me, that's fine too.
I don't disappear when your website goes live.
For the first 30 days after launch, I'll take care of any minor bugs that come up as part of your website project.
I'll also check in with you at 30 and 90 days after launch and continue checking in throughout your first year to see how your website is working for you and whether you have questions or need additional help.
You can continue working with me for Care Plans, website updates, and future improvements.
A website changes as the organization it represents does. My goal is to build something that can continue to grow with you.
Search, AI & Website Best Practices
I include foundational on-page SEO with every website I build. This includes page titles, meta descriptions, heading structure, image alt text, and other basic search settings. I also connect analytics so you can begin gathering information about how people find and use your website.
I don't provide ongoing SEO campaigns, paid advertising, or specialized SEO services, but I can refer you to trusted professionals who do.
Yes. I build and organize websites so their content is clear and easy for both people and search technologies to understand.
AI is changing how people search for businesses and information, but many of the fundamentals still matter: useful content, clear page structure, specific answers to the questions your customers ask, accurate information about your business, and a website that clearly communicates what you do and who you serve.
I can also help you identify questions and knowledge gaps on your website and develop content that gives traditional search engines and AI search tools better information about your business.
No. I do not provide or guarantee ADA compliance. Formal accessibility compliance and remediation require specialized expertise and testing beyond the website design services I provide.
I do follow accessibility best practices as part of my design process, including attention to color contrast, readable typography, heading structure, image alt text, and other accessibility considerations.
If your organization requires formal accessibility testing, remediation, or compliance services, I can refer you to a specialist.
Yes, with some limitations. I'm a web designer, not an attorney, so I don't write legal policies or provide legal advice.
For websites with straightforward needs, I can install and configure a standard legal-page and privacy solution. If your business has more complex privacy, compliance, or legal requirements, I can refer you to a trusted partner who specializes in this area.
I use AI as one of many tools in my business, but AI isn't your web designer.
I may use it to help with troubleshooting, code, content organization, SEO, research, or other parts of my workflow. The decisions about your website's structure, design, functionality, and long-term maintainability are based on your business and my experience as a web designer.
Want Practical Website Advice? My Blog Has You Covered.
From design tips to maintenance how-tos, I share straightforward guidance to help you get more from your WordPress site—no jargon, just real-world advice.