Campaign Website FAQs

If I am running for local office, should I have a campaign website?

Definitely, because voters will look for you online. Whether you are running for Senate, Town Supervisor or the local school board, a website can be an essential component in your campaign. Over half of all Americans are now online, and a growing percentage of the voting public seeks election news and candidate information on the web.

A campaign websites gives you more freedom to get your message across than other delivery methods. A candidate isn't limited by the size of a brochure size or the time of a radio ad. It costs far less to raise one campaign dollar from your website than through direct mail, telemarketing or prospecting lists.

A web site can be used to invite feedback, recruit volunteers, solicit contributions and share media ads and news reports as they happen. In a recent survey, over half the volunteers recruited from candidate websites had never before volunteered for a political campaign.

Having a custom web site built by a professional can cost thousands of dollars, and each update can become an additional expense. On the other hand, having an amateur build your site can end in a less than desirable result.

Online Candidate is your perfect solution for a professional-looking, full-featured website that candidates or campaign staff members can create or update without the assistance of programming talent.

We have three different solutions: Basic, Regular and Advanced. Our Basic Package is designed for smaller campaigns with limited budgets. The Regular Package and Advanced Packages include custom template design, a blog and additional features.

See for yourself how each package works. Try our online Demo!

How long have you been creating campaign websites? Why?

We worked on a local campaign and built our first campaign website in 2003. The site was successful and had an impact on the race. It forced the opponent to spend (a lot of) money on a competing site. It also helped raise issue awareness. In the end, our candidate won!

After that, we had the idea of using our web skills to help other local candidates. Most local campaigns don't have a lot of money, so Online Candidate was envisioned as a turnkey solution to allow campaigns to create and update their own sites. But the key was to make the sites not look like cheap 'turnkey' websites you find with other website building platforms. That's where the custom templating and support comes in.

Do you work with Democrats or Republicans exclusively?

We work with Democrats, Republicans, Independents, Green Party, etc. We don't run a partisan service.

How does the Online Candidate process work?

After you order your website package, we will contact you to verify your chosen domain and go over the specifics of your site design. Then we will purchase your domain name (in your name) and set up your website hosting. After your domain goes live, we will send you an e-mail containing your user ID and password, and a link to the "Admin" area. From there, you will have all the tools at your disposal to build out and maintain your site.

For Regular and Enhanced packages, we will create a custom header and tweak your the site design to suit your needs. We take pride in our personal service and attention to detail.

Once the design is done and you have your content in place, you can go 'live' with your site!

Read more about the Online Candidate process. 

How soon can my website be set up?

We set up sites as quickly as a day. Typically, it will take 2-3 business days to get your domain set up and configured. It's possible to have the design completed in that time, as well. Having specific colors in mind, a good candidate head shot and an idea of the design you want ahead of time makes the process go a lot faster.

Check out our Facebook page or Flikr page for samples of our work. As you can see, our designs are very flexible.

Read more about the Online Candidate process. 

Will my website appear in the search engines? How soon?

Our websites are designed to be indexed easily by search engines. In addition, we backlink new websites to several bookmarking websites in order to trigger search engine spiders to find and index the website. If you have other social media profiles, such as Facebook or LinkedIn, you should link to your website through them, as well. We've seen new websites appear on Google in as little as a few days, but it can sometimes take a few weeks.

You can accelerate this process by linking to your site from different sources, such as your Facebook, Twitter or online resume profiles. We also have a free candidate directory at OnlineCandidateLinks.com that wil help tie your website and online profiles together.

What is the content management system (CMS) based on? Is it open-source?

The Online Candidate CMS is a proprietary system specifically designed for our purposes. The main issue in designing a CMS is balancing features and usability. Our goal was to create an easy to use system that allowed for an attractive, full-featured website. We think it's pretty simple to use. Check out the Demo Section to get a feel for how it works.

How much does an Online Candidate package cost?

The price depends on the package, but all prices are inclusive! Your website order includes domain setup, configuration of the CMS and your initial hosting. Regular and Enhanced website packages include header/template modifications. See our features page for a list of what's included. Additional website services and campaign products are also available for purchase. See our online store for more information.

Check out our Facebook page or Flikr page for samples of our work.

Are there any hidden fees?

No. Everything is up-front and the prices are inclusive. We have a full demo of our three site packages so you know exactly what you are getting and what features are included.

What are the website design limitations?

All of our website designs are custom, based on the client's specifications. The page template header, colors and page fonts can be edited to create a unique look. The headers can be tall or short, we can add backgrounds or match any campaign color scheme.

We can create either a vertical or horizontal navigation bar. Because you can change the name and order of the navigation items, it's a bit trickier to keep a horizontal navigation within the correct size. A left navigation bar helps make the content area narrower and easier for visitors to read.

What about foreign (Non-US) Websites?

Online Candidate campaign sites are tailored for an American audience. The admin system is in English, and the forms are in English. If you are looking for multi-language site, we recommend either creating language-specific pages or to create separate language-specific sites. We can perform limited language updates, such as form edits or currency changes. Please contact us to discuss before ordering.

We can provide standard .com and .org domain names, but if you are looking to register a country-specific domain name, you will have to register the domain name yourself and point the name servers to ours.

How can I upgrade my website package?

On the Dashboard screen of the Lite and Regular site administration, there are payment buttons for upgrading to higher packages. Simply click on the buttons, make the payment, and you are returned to the website. Press the upgrade button, and your site will be automatically upgraded with the additional features.

When you upgrade from the Lite website package, the upgrade includes template customizations. We will contact you to start the design process. It is usually completed within a few days. You'll want to have a candidate photo ready ahead of time.

The cost of an upgrade is just the difference in price between the website packages!

On what server do you host the Online Candidate websites?

All Online Candidate websites are hosted on our own private server. We run the server and we control it. The only websites on this server are websites we control and other Online Candidate sites.

I don't need hosting for the entire period. Do you discount for shorter hosting times?

Each campaign website includes domain registration, account/website setup and design customization time for Regular and Enhanced packages. The hosting time is included with the package. It is not severable, so we do not provide pro rata discounts. The additional hosting time is beneficial in that an online campaign can take time to ramp up. The earlier it is started, the more effective it can be.

How do you handle e-mail?

Most campaigns work well with email forwards, meaning an email sent to contact@yoursite.com will be forwarded to one or more different email accounts. For a small cost, we can set up POP email accounts for the domain.

A basic mail list system is included with the regular Online Candidate package. If you are running a larger campaign with greater email needs (autoresponders, HTML messages, tracking), we recommend using a professional service like AWeber. You can easily integrate outside products or services directly into your site.

Can I use my own domain name?

If your domain name is already registered: Online Candidate websites reside on our dedicated servers. Following signup, we will provide information to 'point' your domain name to our servers.

If your domain name is not already registered: We will register your domain for you, in your name, when we set up your website.

Read more about the Online Candidate process.

Is my website my own or part of another domain?

Your website will be completely stand-alone. You will have your own domain name and dedicated server space. Some of our competitors let you have your own domain name, but then redirect the name to a subdirectory on their own website. That hurts the ability of voters to find you online, which kind of defeats the purpose of having a website in the first place.

Read more about the Online Candidate process. 

Domain guidelines

An Online Candidate hosting package includes your site setup, configuration of your Online Candidate software and a gigabyte of server space. We do not impose a bandwidth limit on your account.

What support do you supply?

Our success hinges on your success. We want your site to look sharp, both in design and content layout.

Your Online Candidate administration contains links to our extensive Knowledge Base. Should you have questions on how to use the system, or any other question, feel free to contact us . We always welcome feedback or suggestions for our product.

We can also perform limited custom system edits on request. Many of our website features were based on user requests, so don't be afraid to ask. However, extensive programming work may incur additional charges.

If I have a problem or a question in using the system, what should I do?

The most common questions can be answered in our Knowledge Base. If you cannot find an answer there, you can email us or submit a Trouble Ticket. If you are really stuck, you can call.

Would you do a website for my opponent?

We cannot guarantee that an opponent will not order a website package. It has happened a few times. We do not solicit the opposition of our clients, but at the same time, that does not stop them from finding or ordering from us.

What is the Content Library?

The content library is a client-only assortment of additional images, articles and downloadable templates for print and web advertising. Our goal is to help you win, both online, and offline in the voting booth - where it really counts!

What happens after the campaign?

Your site will remain active for the remainder of your hosting time. After that, you can continue to keep your site active for $200/year. If you want to shut down your site, we can back up and save your website. If, in the future, you want to reactive the site, we will reactive your site for $200, which will extend your hosting for another year. You won't need to pay design costs (unless you decide to change your design.)

Please note that you will need to keep your domain name active, so you don't lose it. If we registered your domain for you, annual renewals are $20/year.

What other products/services do you provide?

We carry a great line of digital products designed to help local campaigns. Current products include Campaign Letter Templates, Campaign Slogans and our exclusive Running for Office as an Online Candidate e-book. For your print needs, we offer a variety of Political Brochure Templates. We also offer a Web/Print Combo to match your website and print templates together for one low price!

What are the Terms of Use?

See our Terms of Use page for details.

 

What if I have more questions?

After all this? That's okay - feel free to contact us by email or phone.

 

Political campaign website design for Republican, Democratic or Independent candidates.
Helping local candidates WIN elections since 2004!

Online Candidate® 2004-2012 Daley Professional Web Solutions | Terms of Use | About Us | Campaign Websites | Political Web Design Services
Questions? Call us toll free at (866)-460-0995. We are fully based in the USA!