Questions owners ask
Questions about getting a website, answered straight.
30 answers to what small business owners ask before they buy a website. Each one starts with the short answer, then gives you the detail, including what Zossoz does and what we do not.
Cost and plans
What a site costs, what the monthly plans include and how they differ.
How much does a website cost for a small business in Miami?
It depends on what the site has to do and who looks after it afterward. At Zossoz, websites start from $249 a month, with the design, the writing, hosting and upkeep included. Your quote sets the exact figure.
What's included in a monthly website plan?
A good monthly plan covers the site itself, the place it is hosted, keeping it working, and a set number of changes each month. At Zossoz, Launch (from $249 a month) includes a website designed and written for you, hosting, updates and fixes, a monthly check and up to 4 small changes.
Is a monthly website plan better than paying once?
Neither is better for everyone. A monthly plan suits owners who want the site looked after without thinking about it. Paying once suits owners who want to carry the upkeep themselves or already have someone who does.
What's the difference between Launch, Growth and Growth + Voice?
Launch is the website itself, kept working. Growth adds more pages, regular new content and help getting found on Google. Growth + Voice adds a written brand voice for the whole site and the most new content.
Are there setup fees for a small business website?
At Zossoz, the design and writing of your site are part of the plan, so there is no separate bill for building it. Anything outside the plan, such as an online store, is quoted separately, in writing, before any work starts.
What counts as a small change to my website?
A small change is a quick edit to something already on your site: a photo, a price, a line of text, your hours or an item on the menu. A new page, a new feature or a redesign is bigger.
What's in the monthly report?
A short note, once a month, with five numbers from your site and from Google Search, and a line or two on what they mean. It is meant to be read in a minute.
Getting started
How a site gets built, what you need and what we handle.
How long does it take to build a small business website?
It depends on how big the site is and how fast words, photos and feedback come back. The quote for your site includes a timeline, and nothing starts until you have seen it. The free homepage mock-up usually arrives within a day or two.
What do I need to get started on a website?
Your business name and your Google Maps link are enough to begin. We work from what is already public about you, then ask for the rest as we go: your services, your hours and anything you want the site to say.
Do you write the words for my website?
Yes. You bring the direction, the facts and the approval, and we write the pages. If you already have writing you like, we use it.
What if I don't have good photos for my website?
You do not need professional photos to start. We begin with what is on your public Google profile, and a few clear phone photos in daylight can fill the gaps. You can swap better ones in later.
Can you redo my old website?
Yes. A rebuild treats your current site as source material. What works stays, what is thin gets rewritten, and the structure and design are rebuilt around it.
The free mock-up
See your homepage before you decide anything.
What is the free homepage mock-up?
It is a picture of what your new homepage could look like, made for your business before you spend anything. You send your business name and Google Maps link, and we email it to you, usually within a day or two.
Is the homepage mock-up really free?
Yes. We make it before you spend anything. There is nothing to sign and no card to enter, and if you decide not to go ahead you owe us nothing for it.
What do I send to get a free homepage mock-up?
Your business name, a Google Maps link or your address, and a way to reach you. You do not need to send photos or write anything.
The day to day
Changing things, phones, hours and menus once the site is live.
Can I update my website myself?
Yes. Your site is built on an easy-to-use CMS that you get access to. You can log in and change text, photos, hours and menus yourself, and we are there for anything bigger.
How do changes work after my website launches?
You can make simple edits yourself, or send them to us and we make them as part of your plan's small changes. Bigger requests are scoped first, and we tell you how they fit before we start.
Will my website work on phones?
Yes. Every site we build is designed to work on a phone, and the monthly check looks at it on one. Many people will open your site while standing outside your door, so it has to work in one hand.
What happens when my hours or menu change?
You change them yourself in a few minutes, or send the new hours or menu to us and we update the site as one of your small changes. Hours and menus are the most common changes, so the plans are built around them.
Getting found
Google, Instagram, blog posts and your Google profile.
Do I need a website if I have Instagram or a Google profile?
Usually yes, because each one does a different job. Instagram shows your work, your Google profile gets you found, and your website is the one page you control, with the full details a customer needs before choosing you.
Will my website show up on Google?
A new site can be found on Google, but nobody can honestly promise where it will appear, and we do not. What we can do is make your site clear to Google: a good title and description on every page, plain words about what you do, and a layout that works on a phone.
What is a search tune-up?
It is a check, four times a year, of how your site reads to Google and to the people searching: page titles, descriptions, local keywords and structured data, compared with what people actually search. Then we fix what we find. It is part of Growth and Growth + Voice.
Do blog posts help a local business get found?
They can, when each post answers something real customers ask, because each one is another page that can match a search. A post that only fills space helps nobody. Blog posts are not a promise of rankings or customers.
How does my website work with my Google Business Profile?
Your Google profile and your website are two separate things that point at each other. The profile is how people find you on Maps and Search, and the site is where they get the full story. At launch we make sure your profile links to your new site.
Do you do social media or manage my Google profile?
No. We focus on the website. We do not run your social media or manage your Google Business Profile, and at launch we link your new site from your Google profile.
Features
Booking, menus, two languages, quotes and stores.
Can customers book appointments from my website?
Yes. Your site gets a Book button that opens the booking tool you already use, or a request form that emails you, and we link to your tool instead of building a new system you would have to learn.
Can I put my menu on my website?
Yes, and it works best as text on the page, not a PDF or a photo. Text is easy to read on a phone, easy for Google to read, and easy to change when your dishes or prices do.
Can my website be in English and Spanish?
Yes. A site can offer both languages, which suits a lot of Miami customers. It means every page is written twice, so tell us when you ask for the mock-up and we will plan the pages around it.
Can people request a quote or estimate from my website?
Yes. A quote or estimate form lets a customer describe the job and send it to your email at any hour. It is one of the most useful things a site for a trades or service business can have.
Do you build online stores?
Not as part of the monthly plans. Selling online is a different kind of project, so it is quoted separately. For many small shops, a clear site with what you carry, your hours and a way to ask is a better first step.
Easier than reading: see your homepage.
Send your business name and Google Maps link. We put together a homepage for you, free, with nothing to sign.