Frequently Asked Questions

Get answers to some of the most common Webvanta questions.

How does Webvanta reduce development costs?

By building on the Webvanta platform, you can focus on your design and content, leveraging all the programming work we’ve already done. Most sites can be created with no programming at all. Your startup costs go from thousands of dollars to zero.

Can you just do it all for me?

Absolutely. Our system is designed so you can do everything yourself, but we've found that many designers would like to have us set it all up for them. See our Services page for details.

Can’t I do this with Wordpress?

Wordpress and other blogging systems lack the rich database architecture that underlies the Webvanta system. These systems do not comprehend the variety of knowledgebase item types that Webvanta supports, including articles, books, events, and so forth. They don’t create the extensive sets of interlinked pages that Webvanta provides. And it is more difficult to modify the design to meet your desires. If you want an online journal, Wordpress is a great solution. If you want a knowledgebase, Webvanta provide a far superior solution. Webvanta vs. WordPress comparison

Why use Webvanta instead of Drupal?

Drupal is a very capable system, and with enough configuration work and an assortment of add-on modules, you could come close to the capabilities of a Webvanta site. But it would take thousands of dollars in developer time to get there, and then you’d have to arrange hosting, monitoring, and backup. And you’re on your own when it comes to keeping the code updated, figuring out which modules are compatible with your chosen Drupal version, and finding support. Webvanta is fully supported, and we take care of all the integration and hosting issues. Webvanta vs. Drupal comparison

What happens if you go away?

We have every intention of sticking around, but we understand that it is prudent to ask this question. When you build a site with Webvanta, you get all the benefits of our hosted CMS and database. The inevitable other side of the coin is that you are depending on us to provide the service for you.

Webvanta already produces more than enough revenue to support its infrastructure, and we have every expectation of operating it for a long time. In the event that, at any point, we must stop offering the service, we commit to making all of our software available to those who need to it to continue operating their sites.

We will, of course, provide a full backup of all your site's content upon request, and you can always produce a static snapshot of your site with a variety of tools.

What if I need features your system doesn’t provide?

If you have custom programming needs, we can handle that too, and at a very competitive cost. Because we have our rich platform to build upon, and are experts in the Ruby on Rails technology upon which it is based, we can create custom extensions quickly and cost-effectively.

How will Webvanta help me organize my content?

Webvanta includes a custom-designed database system that we’ve designed to help organize large amounts of content. You can define categories and subcategories, with as much detail and depth as you’d like. You can also define item types, such as books, blogs, articles, events, and so forth. Our tools make it easy for you to add information whenever you want, and with a few clicks, you’ve categorized it in the system, and it will automatically appear on the appropriate pages.

What's special about your database?

Webvanta's database system makes it easy for you to collect, organize, present, and maintain a rich set of content. You can define a database item as including whatever fields you need, and the system automatically creates forms for you to enter and maintain the information. To display information from the database, you create an HTML template with placeholders for the database information. If you have 50 project pages, for example, you only need to design and implement one, and then you fill out 50 forms to enter the information for each project.

How does Webvanta help build site traffic?

First and foremost, Webvanta makes it easy for you create and keep up-to-date a rich body of content. That’s what is most valued by visitors and search engines alike. By making your site more valuable for users, it attracts incoming links, which are crucial for good search-engine rankings. And Webvanta makes it easy to create the metadata and internal linking structures that are essential for search engine optimization. We’ve sorted through all the on-page SEO issues and solved them for you; you just need to do the part that is specific to your content.

What support do you provide?

All plans include email support, and we’ll generally reply within a few hours. The premium plans include phone support. We stand behind our software, and we’re committed to the success of our customers.

Why shouldn’t I just host my own sites?

By using a hosted service, such as Webvanta, you can focus where you provide the most value: on the content and design of your sites. We provide a high-quality hosting environment and take care of all the system administration. And you get the benefit of all the functions built in to the Webvanta platform, with full support.

What if I want to change to another service or host the site separately?

On request, we will provide a zip file with a complete static snapshot of your site. These files can be installed on any web server and will produce a site that matches your site as of the moment when we created the snapshot. Of course, none of the features that require our back-end server will function. In particular, there won't be any control panel, and none of the content management or database editing features will be available since these require setting up a new database on another server. Items entered in the database will be exported separately in xml or sql format (your choice) and will need to be imported into your new database.

Can I cancel at any time?

Yes, there is no commitment beyond each month’s fee.

Is this open-source software?

The Webvanta system is built using open-source software, including Ruby on Rails, Nginx, and Linux. The Webvanta application is available for license for large-scale users who want to run it on their own servers.