Frequently Asked Questions

Anything that has been asked frequently of FirmSites will be added to this page, if you can't find the answer to something please do not hesitate to use the contact page.

What happens if I cancel my FirmSites package?

Well this all depends on what you decide to do next, firstly your site is terminated at the end of the month you have paid up until. So if you do nothing other than cancel your site then within a month it will be gone and nothing will remain.

Once you have cancelled if you wish to retain a website then you have two options:

• You can change your mind and your site can be continued.

• You can buy the domain from FirmSites for £15 and have another web site produced by another business else where.

It is worth noting that at all times you lease the website produced by FirmSites. If you cancel our service the site will be removed from the internet and it will be entirely the clients responsibility to make a copy of any information prior to termination. The design (unless you are a 'like for like' migration client) remains property of FirmSites and any use without purchasing design rights is strictly forbidden. You can chose to buy the design for a flat fee of £500.

You say unlimited use but what does that really mean?

Well unlimited is subject to fair use and technical limitations, in practice this means that:

• You can have as many pages as you like
• You may have as many email accounts as you wish, unless your talking thousands you're never going to hit the technical limit.
• Unlimited hosting, which has a fair use policy that in simple terms means that no one client may exceed 10 times the mean average of all other clients. In the event that your site breaches the fair use policy then you will be charged, as close to cost as possible, for additional hosting provisions. In practice this is unlikely to ever effect the majority of business websites.
• At no point in the CMS do FirmSites deliberately place a limit on usage such as number of products.

Yes, through our hosting panel (we use cpanel), you can park additional domains on top of your master domain. This works like this:

www.mycompany.com <<<< Master Domain
www.mycompany.co.uk <<< Parked Domain
www.companymy.com <<< Parked Domain

Anyone trying to access one of the parked domains would still be able to see the website. This is very useful for businesses that wish to protect both their .com and .co.uk names with a single site. You can purchase additional domains from FirmSites at £15 per year/per domain or buy them your selves and point them at our name-servers. A one off setup fee of £5 per domain is may be chargeable if you wish FirmSites to park your domains for you.

What are your name-servers?

If you need to point domains toward FirmSites' servers then please use the following name-servers:

NS1.BOULDERMEDIA.CO.UK
NS2.BOULDERMEDIA.CO.UK

Can I host my FirmSites website my self?

No, under no circumstances are clients allowed to host sites developed by FirmSites on their own or other's servers. This is not only for security of the software but also because the content management system is heavily integrated with our servers and would not be able to function correctly on other environments.

What is the average turn around on a project?

Well this depends entirely on how fast the client can get the content and images to FirmSites to have the site produced. Assuming the correct information is readably available then it is around 1-2 weeks.

If I want some changes to text on my website can I email them to your, or call them in?

Unless you are a managed customer then no. The whole point of FirmSites is that the customers have access to a simple system that allows them to do the edits themselves. If you really do not wish to do this then please discuss managed services, these are normally £30 per hour.

I want a new design, how do I get one?

All new customer sites come with a single free design (which is up to a maximum of 25 hours of design labour) if however at a later stage you wish for a new design then please contact FirmSites for a quote based on requirements. Designs can range from £250 to £5000 depending on complexity. Customers are advised that cancelling your site, only to reapply for a new free design  does not work as this is a new customer only offer.

It is also possible for FirmSites to install multiple designs (templates) that can be used for different occasions. Such as businesses that want specialist themes, eg Christmas version and a normal version, please enquire for details.

What is the difference between the templates your customers receive and the templates you get with other providers?

Without being able to say for certain that every other provider is not as good it is worth pointing out that when you see websites offering thousands of templates to chose from that they are offering generic template designs with you customising certain elements. This is very different from the FirmSites approach where all sites are designed specificity for the clients. A template system is used by us to rapidly achieve common layouts but the design its self is constructed in a bespoke manner.

You will almost certainly not find another provider that does the amount of custom design work FirmSites offers for the same price.

Why does the monthly price not decrease over time?

The price that your site package is based on is the cost of design work and system development spread over several years. This coupled with the fact that the system is continually improved, hosted and expanded means that the value of the service appreciates over time, hence a flat cost actually works out extremely competitive even over many years when looking at total cost of ownership.

Can I pay a one off lump sum for my FirmSites package?

No, since the system is an ongoing development and hosting process there is never a static price that can be used. Also the system is not allowed to be hosted else where so you are required to pay for hosting with FirmSites for the life of your site. If you would like to pay yearly then this can be arranged.

How can I pay for my site?

The easiest way is to set-up a standing order to pay your monthly subscription to the account details listed on your invoice. Cheques are accepted at a £1.50 handling fee per cheque. PayPal monthly subscription orders can also be used, again with a £1.50 handling fee per month. There is no charge if you pay via manual bank to bank transfer each month.

What CMS does FirmSites use?

The content management system is a custom in-house platform that was originally derived from open source systems but has since been heavily modified and extended to perform far better in the real world. Since ours is a licensed solution that can only be leased from FirmSites you will not find out CMS with any other business.

What happens if I miss a payment?

All invoices are issued 2 weeks before your current paid service expires so you have 14 days to pay. FirmSites does not offer credit so if payment is not received within the two weeks and we can not reach you to make other arrangements the site is suspended. Domains that expire on a missed payment date also risk expiring as they will not be renewed until payment in cleared funds has been received. After missing a payment, a letter of reminding you of the outstanding invoice will be sent after 1 and 2 weeks, each charged at £5.

Clients that fail to pay may have their site deleted and will be liable for costs incurred in collecting any and all outstanding charges. Anyone wishing to cancel should notify FirmSites by email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it before their next invoice issue date.

For terms and conditions relating to your FirmSites package please see the terms of use page.