FAQs |

Domain Name System (DNS) records are like settings for your domain name. These can be updated to inform what sort of actions happen to your domain. Eg where it points, subdomains etc.

A website needs to be hosted on a server, this is where the website 'lives'. Here at Firebrand most of our websites use Amazon Web Services (AWS), with 24 hour uptime services, disaster recovery protection and anti hacking technology.

Shopify is a user-friendly e-commerce platform, offering businesses the ability to create an online store and facilitate online sales through an easy to use dashboard. Shopify empowers merchants to create a contemporary online store and expand their sales presence on various social media platforms, seller marketplaces, blogs, websites, and even through email, text, and chat. Furthermore, for in-person selling, Shopify provides a seamless solution with its integrated point-of-sale (POS) system, catering to retail stores, pop-up shops, market sales, and beyond.

A domain based email address allows you to create an email address that ends in your domain name, such as hello@firebrand.nz, rather than @gmail.com or @outlook.com. A domain based email address requires you to own the domain name before it can be set up.

An SSL or secure sockets layer certificate encrypts your connection to a website, protecting your data from hackers who could steal passwords, credit card details, or personal information. In simple terms, it's a vital security tool for keeping online activities private and secure, especially important during online shopping, banking, or when sharing sensitive information online.

CMS training is part of our website package. We go through how to create a user name and password, how to edit content and images, and how to optimise your content for SEO. We also cover how your content gets managed and what to do if something goes wrong.

Yes, absolutely. Our first meeting is all about getting to know you and your business - the floor is yours. Feel free to ask us any questions and get a feel for how our business aligns with your needs and values.

Whether you are starting a new business or reimagining your existing brand, we know how important it is to have a clearly defined and well thought out brand. Your brand is never "just a logo". Your brand has a story, values and purpose and sends an important message to your customers. We can help you get really clear on where your brand is going and dive deep on all the finer details.

Website projects can vary in delivery times depending on the scale and complexity of the site. As a benchmark between 4 and 12 weeks is a timeline we aim for.

We have a strong local ethos and our talented in-house team provide all our services right here at 4 Dowling Street in Dunedin. Whether thats developing a custom animated 3d website home page, designing a trade show or shop front, to delivering a top notch, on-brand social media schedual, we offer the best in design and development that caters to your needs.

SilverStripe is an open-source New Zealand based content management system (CMS) and web application framework that empowers Firebrand to create and manage websites and web applications with ease. It provides a flexible and customisable platform for web development, allowing us to build unique and interactive online experiences for our clients. With its user-friendly interface for content management, SilverStripe makes it simple for users to create, edit, and organise web content.

Absolutely, we have our talented videographer Paul Twemlow who has an exceptional talent for capturing your brand story in the cimamatic areana.

We bill for the progress made on jobs each month, with invoices being due 20th of the month, payable by direct credit. We do consider payment plans if you wish to pay for your project over a period of time. Please get in contact with one of our team to discuss if this is an option for you.

Yes we can support you for the installation and setup of Shopify Apps. All Apps are relatively straightforward to install, however the setup within each App can differ depending on the type of App. 

Firebrand can assist you with the purchasing of your domain. We can also migrate your domain from other domain hosting platforms to be hosted with us. 

It depends on the purpose and nature of your business if you would like to establish a trademark. You don't have to trademark your brand and we can create clarity for you regarding what curcumstances this would be a good idea.

Keeping your website up to date is crucial as it ensures that your online presence remains relevant, functional, and secure, protecting both your data and user information from cyber threats. An up-to-date website is also more likely to be compatible with various devices and browsers. Think about it like a car, without regular maintance, eventually you will be faced with costly repairs or the need to rebuild the engine entirely.

Service Level Agreement - an outline of pre-agreed services & tasks that will be delivered by our team to your business each month. For example, paid advertsing channel management, email marketing campaign creation & delivery.

That is a great question. We provide services to start, build, and grow businesses with attitude. That includes comprehensive services surrounding branding, marketing, design, social-media management, print advertising and of cource, leading edge website design and development aswell.

To improve your website's visibility on Google, it's essential to provide valuable, regular content, optimise for relevant keywords, build high-quality backlinks, and ensure technical and mobile optimisation. Additionally, regularly monitoring your website's performance in Google Search Console can help you identify and address specific issues that may be affecting its visibility.

It's important to note that SEO is an ongoing process, and results may not be immediate. Regularly monitor your website's performance, adapt your strategy as needed, and stay up-to-date with SEO best practices to improve your chances of ranking on the first page of Google search results. We can offer an SEO audit to bring you clarity and insight into how your website is performing and unpack a detailed strategy to keep your website ranking well in an organic search. There is also the option of Ad words which will rank your website as a sponsored site on those search results pages.

There is a wide range of factors that could potentially slow down your website including large media files, unoptimised code, poor hosting, lack of caching, external embedded content, DNS issues and more. We use multiple third party tools to help diagnose website performance so that we can provide you with actionable outcomes. Get in touch with one of our developers who are happy to help.

Absolutely – we have great relationships with local and national advertisers such as MediaWorks, NZME, Crux News, Allied Press and many more. Book a chat with Georgina or Katy so that we can help you book ads where your target audiences live.

In short, it's a content posting schedule that gives you a strategic plan for how you are to engage with your audiences across different social channels. This includes the type of content you will create, key messages that align with your business's strategy, platform selection, frequency, content themes and key metrics to measure performance and make improvements.

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is both the art and science of optimising your website to rank well in search engine results pages. This increases the quality and quantity of traffic to your website through organic search results.

User Experience (UX) and User Interface (UI) each have their own unique role, while working hand-in-hand. UX is all about making sure users have a good experience when they are using the website. UX focuses on things like talking to users, sorting out how information is organized within the navigation, and testing to make sure everything works as expected. On the other hand, UI is in charge of making things look awesome and easy to understand. UI focuses on things like the design of buttons, menus, and graphics, so they're not just eye-catching but also a breeze to use. So, in a nutshell, UX covers the overall experience of the experience, while UI focuses on the look and feel.

Using Google Analytics is a really good way to see how many people are viewing your website. It gives you the ability to filter the information in multiple ways, for example you can see how many views per page your website has had in any given time frame. Google Analytics is a really handy tool, especially when it comes time to do any updates to your website, as it helps guide you on what should be at the forefront of the new look and feel.

"Paid" marketing involves spending money on ads to reach a wider audience, while "owned" marketing focuses on sharing content through your own channels, like your website and social media. "Paid" marketing requires ongoing financial investment, while "owned" marketing provides greater control over your messaging.

A browser cookie is like a tiny digital note that a website leaves on your computer or device when you visit it. It helps the website remember you and your preferences with that particular website. For example, when you visit an online store and put items in your shopping cart, the website uses cookies to remember those items, so they're still there when you come back later. It can also remember your login details, so you don't have to type them in every time. Cookies don't store personal information, like your name or address, but they do help websites provide a smoother and more personalized experience. However, if you're ever concerned about privacy, you can usually control and delete cookies in your web browser settings.

Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) is like having two locks on your online accounts to keep them extra safe. After you enter your password, the website or app sends you a unique code, often to your phone. You then enter this code to prove it's really you trying to access your account. With 2FA even if someone knows your password, they can't get in to your account without that unique code. 2FA is a smart and simple way to protect your online data from being hacked.