SiteOrganic Express FAQs
Choose a question for more information:
- Can I customize a theme for my organization?
Even though SiteOrganic Express themes already look great, we know that you may need to change them slightly to fit your organization. Our design team is happy to work with you to change colors, background images, or other aspects of each design whenever possible. This work is charged by the hour (hourly rates vary from $70 to $85). Please note that some designs are easier to change than others. We’ll always give you an up-front estimate of the time and cost involved, and if the changes are substantial we’ll give you a mockup first.
- Can I add my own logo to a SiteOrganic Express theme?
Yes! In nearly every case, you can supply your own logo (note: PNG or SWF images with transparency work best). If you need professional help placing or sizing your logo, you may have our designers do this for you. This work normally takes only an hour or two of billable design time. If you don’t have a logo, or don’t want to incur any charges, then we can simply show your organization’s name with a simple type treatment. Better yet—on many SiteOrganic Express themes, you can even use the skinning tools within SiteOrganic to swap out your logos within various sections of your site. Each section of the site can display a different logo. This is great for ministries, departments, or various events or promotions.
- Can I change the photos in a SiteOrganic Express theme?
Yes! Like all SiteOrganic sites, your new Website will allow you to add/change images in just about every possible location. Our designers put special effort into making most image locations available for editing by you. SiteOrganic even has a built-in tool to help you resize digital photos (although you can always use your own photo editing application instead). This means that you don’t have to pay a web designer to change your photos, and you don’t have to settle for the same photos on every page of your site. Try some variety!
- All of the themes are shown with stock images in them. Are we allowed to use those stock images, or do we need to provide our own?
The images shown in our design samples gallery are for demonstration purposes only. We are not licensed to give these images to our clients for use on their own sites. We recommend that, whenever possible, you create your own images. If you don’t have digital photos available, then there are several great stock photo options out there—ask us for recommendations. We can even provide you with hourly image search services if you’d like.
- If I don’t like the navigation menu items, can I change them?
Yes! Navigation menus, including drop-downs, in SiteOrganic are editable by you. There is no programming required, and a single change to your navigation menu will automatically re-program the menus throughout your entire site—immediately.
- Are all SiteOrganic features available with SiteOrganic Express?
Depending on the theme you choose, you’ll have access to all of the features within your SiteOrganic Plan. Enjoy rich functionality such as blogs, photo galleries, event registration, podcasting, and online giving (for a full list of features available by plan, click here). Some SiteOrganic Express designs were not created to support certain features. In most cases, however, we can work with you to meet your specific challenges (hourly design charges may apply).
- What are the SiteOrganic Plans, and are they all available with SiteOrganic Express?
Every Website on SiteOrganic uses one of our three plans: Essentials, Growth and Premium. Any design could theoretically work on any plan, but there are differences in the features, storage, and other specs. For a full comparison of the various plans and features, click here.
- I notice that there are a set number of layouts available with each theme. If there are 10 layouts (for example), does that mean that I can only create 10 pages on my Website?
No, quite the contrary. All SiteOrganic sites allow for an unlimited number of pages. We create the layouts for your site so that you have choices. Some pages might need a large photo header, for instance, while others may not. Some pages may need a dynamic list of recent media programs in the side column, or a list of recent blog posts, etc. Browse our SiteOrganic Express themes to see the various layouts that are available.
- Each theme has “General” layouts and “Group” layouts. What’s the difference? Do I get both?
You get all of the layouts that are shown for your theme. No need to choose! When you want to build a page that is site-wide, or for general organizational content, you’ll use a General layout. On the other hand, when you want to build a page that is specific to a section, group or ministry, you’ll use a Group layout. Notice that most of the Group layouts have a special menu section down the side of the screen. This is the most common distinction between a Group and General layout. By the way, you can let multiple people edit your site, while giving them editing privileges only in certain sections of your site. This is great for small teams who want to let others help in the Website updating process, without giving everyone access to edit the entire site.
- Do SiteOrganic Express themes include training?
Yes! Our goal is to equip you to make the most of your Website. The SiteOrganic management tools are designed for all the non-technical users out there (can we get an amen?). You’ll be invited to join us for our weekly Basic Training courses, which are held online. We also have periodic special training courses on topics such as Event Registration, tips for site Administrators, Media Management, etc. There’s also an extensive online user guide and the SiteOrganic Video Learning Center. Furthermore, each theme comes with an Image Sizes Guide, which tells you exactly what formats/sizes of images will work in each page layout on your new site.
If you would like personalized, one-on-one training for your team, we can arrange for that too. For a full menu of training options and pricing, contact your Production Coordinator.
- When new SiteOrganic features are created in the future, will SiteOrganic Express clients benefit from them?
Absolutely. We are constantly rolling out new features and upgrades to SiteOrganic. When these improvements are released, they are normally available for free, to all current clients. On some rare occasions, a new feature will carry some type of design or setup charge. When this happens there is always a good reason. Rest assured that your Website will be future-proof! As we develop new technology, you will reap the benefits.
- Can I start with a SiteOrganic Express theme, and then later have a new, custom design created?
Yes, and this is a big deal! Unlike other Website template options out there, there are huge benefits to getting your site on SiteOrganic. Let’s fast forward to 1, 2, or 3+ years from now when you’re ready for a new or different Website design. Rather than scrapping all of your content, images, media, and hard work, we can preserve this information and design a new look & feel right on top of it! This greatly reduces the amount of work required if/when you decide to redesign. We also offer handsome design discounts to our current clients.
- Once I choose a SiteOrganic Express theme, is it difficult to change my mind and pick a different theme?
This partially depends on the complexity of the design, and the amount of content you’ve loaded into your site. Each design is completely unique from the others, so we will normally take this on a case-by-case basis. We will work with you to determine your best option, however—either moving to a different template, or even customizing the one you’re on. We designed all of them, so we can customize them to your heart’s content (hourly design fees may apply)!
- How often are new themes released?
We aim to release new themes monthly. The quantity will vary.
