Client help - Help and plain-English answers
A quick reference for the questions we hear most often and the terms that come up when we work together. If something here does not cover what you need, get in touch and we will talk it through.
Frequently asked questions
What is hosting, and do I need it?
Hosting is the rented space on a server where your website files live so people can reach them on the internet. Yes, every live website needs hosting. We can host your site for you and look after updates, backups, and security, or your site can be hosted elsewhere if you prefer.
What is the difference between a domain and hosting?
Your domain is your address (for example grid-media.co.uk). Hosting is the building that address points to. You rent them separately, and both need to stay paid up for your site and email to keep working.
Who owns my domain name and website?
You do. The domain is registered in your name, and once a project is paid for, the website and its content are yours. We will always give you access to your domain and hosting accounts on request.
What is branding, and what does a branding project include?
Branding is your identity: your logo, colours, fonts, and the consistent look and tone that makes you recognisable. A branding project typically covers a short strategy conversation, logo design, a colour and typography system, and simple guidelines showing how to use it all. Good branding carries across your website, livery, social media, and sponsor documents so everything looks like one team.
What is the difference between a logo and a brand?
A logo is one mark. A brand is the whole system around it — colour palette, fonts, photography style, tone of voice, and the rules for using them consistently. The logo identifies you; the brand is what makes you memorable and credible.
What is SEO and will my new site have it?
SEO (search engine optimisation) is the work that helps your site show up when people search on Google. We build every site with solid SEO foundations: fast loading, clean structure, sensible page titles, descriptive headings, and mobile-friendly layouts. Ongoing SEO — regularly adding content, targeting new searches, and improving rankings over time — is a separate service.
How do search engines decide what to rank?
In simple terms, a search engine first discovers your pages (crawling), stores them (indexing), then for each search picks the results it thinks are most relevant and trustworthy. It weighs things like how well your page matches the words someone searched, how clear and useful the content is, how fast and mobile-friendly the page is, and how many other reputable sites link to you. No one controls the exact formula, but doing these things well is what moves you up.
How do you decide which keywords to target?
We start with keyword discovery: listing the phrases your customers and sponsors actually type, checking how often they are searched and how competitive they are, then choosing a realistic mix. Each important keyword is mapped to one page so pages do not compete with each other, and the wording of that page is built around it.
Do you write the words for my website?
We can. SEO copywriting means writing page content that reads naturally for people while clearly signalling to search engines what the page is about — the right headings, the target phrase used sensibly, and answers to the questions people search for. You can supply your own copy and we will refine it, or we can write it from a short brief and interview.
How long does it take to appear on Google?
A brand-new site usually starts appearing in Google within a few days to a few weeks once it is live. Ranking well for competitive searches takes longer — often a few months of content and links — and depends on ongoing work, not just the build.
Can I update the website myself?
Often yes. If your site is built with a content management system (CMS), you can log in and edit text, images, and pages without touching code. We will show you how. Some smaller sites are built as fixed pages, in which case we handle changes for you.
What is a staging site?
A staging site is a private copy of your website where we build and test changes before they go live. It means visitors only ever see the finished version, never work in progress.
What is SSL and the padlock in the browser?
SSL is the security that encrypts information between your visitor and your website. It shows as a padlock and an "https" address. Every site we host includes it as standard, and modern browsers warn people away from sites without it.
What is a design retainer?
A design retainer is a monthly arrangement where you get an agreed amount of our design time each month for ongoing updates, graphics, and small improvements — without raising a new quote every time. It suits teams and drivers who need regular changes through a season.
What do you need from me to get started?
Usually your logo and brand files if you have them, any text and images you want to use, access to your current domain or hosting if a site already exists, and examples of sites you like. If you do not have everything, we can help produce it.
What happens if I stop paying for hosting or a retainer?
Hosting is what keeps your site online, so if it lapses the site and any email on it stop working until it is renewed. A retainer can be paused or cancelled with notice as set out in your agreement; your site stays online as long as hosting is active.
Who do I contact if something breaks?
Email us or use the contact page. For anything urgent affecting a live site, say so in the subject line and we will prioritise it. Clients on hosting or a retainer get priority support.
Glossary of terms
Web and marketing work comes with a lot of jargon. Here is what the common terms actually mean, in plain English.
- Domain name
- Your website address, such as grid-media.co.uk. You rent it, usually a year at a time, and it points visitors to wherever your site is hosted.
- Hosting
- The rented server space where your website files live so they are available on the internet. Every live site needs it.
- DNS
- The internet’s address book. DNS settings connect your domain name to your hosting and your email, so changing hosts means updating DNS.
- SSL / HTTPS
- Security that encrypts the connection between a visitor and your site. It shows as a padlock and an "https" web address, and it is expected on every modern website.
- CMS (Content Management System)
- Software that lets you log in and edit your website’s text, images, and pages yourself, without writing code. WordPress is a well-known example.
- SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)
- The ongoing work of helping your site appear when people search on Google — through fast performance, clear structure, useful content, and links from other reputable sites.
- Crawling and indexing
- How search engines find your site. A "crawler" follows links to discover your pages, then the search engine stores (indexes) them so they can be shown in results. A page that is not indexed cannot rank.
- Ranking factors
- The signals a search engine weighs when ordering results — relevance to the search, quality and clarity of the content, page speed, mobile-friendliness, and links from other trusted sites, among many others.
- Keywords
- The words and phrases people type into a search engine. Knowing the ones that matter to your audience guides the wording and structure of your pages.
- Keyword research / discovery
- The process of finding the phrases your audience actually searches for, checking how popular and how competitive each one is, and choosing a realistic set to target — then mapping one main phrase to each page.
- SEO copywriting
- Writing page content that reads naturally for people while clearly telling search engines what the page is about, using sensible headings and the target phrase without overusing it.
- Meta title and description
- The headline and short summary that appear for your page in search results. Well-written ones improve both ranking relevance and how many people click.
- Backlink
- A link to your site from another website. Links from relevant, reputable sites act as votes of confidence and help your pages rank higher.
- SERP (Search Engine Results Page)
- The page of results you see after a search. Besides the standard links it can include maps, images, "people also ask" boxes, and ads.
- Analytics
- Tools such as Google Analytics that show how many people visit your site, where they come from, and which pages they look at.
- Staging site
- A private copy of your website used to build and test changes before they are published to the live site.
- Responsive design
- A layout that adjusts automatically so the site looks and works well on any screen — phone, tablet, or desktop. Search engines rank the mobile version of your site, so this matters for SEO as well as usability.
- Core Web Vitals
- Google’s measurements of real-world page experience — mainly how quickly the main content loads, how soon the page responds to a tap, and how much the layout jumps around while loading.
- Landing page
- A single focused page built around one goal — often a campaign, a sponsor pitch, or a sign-up — that visitors "land" on from an ad or link.
- Call to action (CTA)
- The clear next step you want a visitor to take, such as "Get in touch", "Download the media pack", or "View sponsorship options".
- Backup
- A saved copy of your website taken regularly, so the site can be restored if something goes wrong. Included on hosting we manage.
- Bandwidth
- The amount of data your site sends to visitors over a period of time. Very high-traffic sites or large video files use more of it.
- Favicon
- The small icon shown next to your site’s name in a browser tab and in bookmarks.
- Open Graph / social preview
- The image, title, and description that appear when your page is shared on social media or in messages.
- Brand identity
- The visible parts of your brand working as a set — logo, colours, typography, graphics, and imagery — designed to make you instantly recognisable across your website, livery, and sponsor materials.
- Tone of voice
- The consistent style and personality of your written words, from the website to social posts and emails — for example confident and technical, or warm and approachable.
- Livery
- The paint scheme and graphics applied to a race car, bike, or team equipment — the physical version of your brand identity.
- Media pack
- A document presenting a team or driver to potential sponsors: results, audience reach, exposure, and partnership options.
- Brand guidelines
- A short reference document setting out how your logo, colours, and fonts should be used so everything stays consistent.
- Design retainer
- A monthly agreement giving you a set amount of design time for ongoing updates and graphics, without a new quote each time.