Does your swim club need a new website?

We can do this for you!

Our solutions are designed for people who are comfortable using computers but are non technical. They will require internet access via a reasonably modern browser, but no additional software.

You just need to provide and manage the content. We provide the hosting, template, structure, documentation and support. If you need a new web address and email addresses, then we can provide those too (except in the Standard package).

Our websites are built using WordPress, which is the most popular web publishing system in the world. This means that it is under active development and not likely to to go out of date anytime soon. Expertise is widely available including significant amounts of free support resources online.

As a service to the swimming community we offer 4 powerful yet affordable solutions:

All pricing is in AU$ and includes GST.

---

 

Package details

Standard

Order & build process for Standard

1. Place your order: all details are requested up front. We keep our prices low by minimising the number of iterations between you and us. That’s why we ask for everything up front so we can simply get started and deliver.
2. Review and pay: a copy of your order will be emailed to you for checking and payment. We do not start work until payment has been received in full
3. Accept delivery: 1 week after your payment has been received your new website will be delivered with operating instructions online. In the unlikely event that you have any issues then contact us. We want happy customers!

Buy now

---

 

Standard Plus

Order, build and review process for Standard Plus

1. Place your order: all details are requested up front. We keep our prices low by minimising the number of iterations between you and us. That’s why we ask for everything up front so we can simply get started and deliver.
2. Review and pay: a copy of your order will be emailed to you for checking and payment. We do not start work until payment has been received in full.
3. Delivery 1: 1 week after your payment has been received your new website will be delivered without your logo, colours or domain name being applied. with operating instructions online. You may start to edit the content if you wish.
4. Delivery 2: 2 weeks after your payment has been received your logo and colours will be applied to the site. If a new domain is being established then that will also be applied. If new email addresses have been ordered then they will be delivered. We allow 1 round of changes after this, which should be notified to us within 1 week of delivery 2.
5. Delivery 3 (only if changes were requested): 1 week after any changes have been requested by you then they will be delivered by us.
6. Domain migration / site unlock: if an existing domain is being re-used then we will transfer that from your old site to the new one upon receipt of your instructions. Once activated by us the new settings will take 24-48 hours to propagate across the web globally, during which time reliable access to both the old and new websites will not occur.

Buy now

---

 

Choice

Order, build and review process for Choice

1. Place your order: all details are requested up front. We keep our prices low by minimising the number of iterations between you and us. That’s why we ask for everything up front so we can simply get started and deliver.
2. Review and pay: a copy of your order will be emailed to you for checking and payment. We do not start work until payment has been received in full.
3. Delivery 1: 1 week after your payment has been received your new website will be delivered without your logo, colours or domain name being applied. with operating instructions online. You may start to edit the content if you wish.
4. Delivery 2: 2 weeks after your payment has been received your logo, colours and new theme will be applied to the site. If a new domain is being established then that will also be applied. If new email addresses have been ordered then they will be delivered. We allow 1 round of changes after this, which should be notified to us within 1 week of delivery 2.
5. Delivery 3 (only if changes were requested): 1 week after any changes have been requested by you then they will be delivered by us.
6. Domain migration / site unlock: if an existing domain is being re-used then we will transfer that from your old site to the new one upon receipt of your instructions. Once activated by us the new settings will take 24-48 hours to propagate across the web globally, during which time reliable access to both the old and new websites will not occur.

Buy now

---

 

Built for you

Order, build and review process for Built for you

1. Place your order: all details are requested up front, including all content required for migration or population. We keep our prices low by minimising the number of iterations between you and us. That’s why we ask for everything up front so we can simply get started and deliver.
2. We review the amount and quality of content required for migration or population. If it has quality issues or is more than we can achieve within the allocated time we will discuss options. We will also review deadlines.
3. You review and pay: a copy of your order will be emailed to you for checking and payment. We do not start work until payment has been received in full.
4. Delivery 1: 1 week after your payment has been received your new website will be delivered without your logo, colours, theme, domain name being applied or content populated.
5. Delivery 2: 2 weeks after your payment has been received your logo, colours and new theme will be applied to the site. If a new domain is being established then that will also be applied. If new email addresses have been ordered then they will be delivered.
6. Delivery 3: 3 weeks after your payment has been received your site will be populated with the content. We allow 2 rounds of changes after this, which should be notified to us within 1 week of the previous delivery.
7. Delivery 4 & 5 (only if changes were requested): 1 week after any changes have been requested by you then they will be delivered by us.
8. Domain migration / site unlock: if an existing domain is being re-used then we will transfer that from your old site to the new one upon receipt of your instructions. Once activated by us the new settings will take 24-48 hours to propagate across the web globally, during which time reliable access to both the old and new websites will not occur.

Buy now

---

 

Frequently asked questions

How difficult it is to run this website?

Customers tell us that our websites are simple and easy to run.

All of our websites are delivered containing demo content. Many people find it much easier to replace existing content than start from scratch. Basic instructions for our Standard website are here.

What equipment do we need?

A computer with internet access via a reasonably modern browser. No additional software is required, although access to email, basic word processing and basic image editing applications is recommended.

Website content is basically words and pictures! Most modern smart phones take photographs of adequate quality for website use. You will become expert at re-sizing them for website use.

May we retain our existing website domain name?

It depends. Swimming Australia .swimming.org.au domains cannot be retained unfortunately. Most others can be, provided you have access to your domain name registrar.

If we change our domain name, can we register the new one with Google?

Registration with Google is not possible. Google are smart and will automatically spot that your old domain is no longer attracting visitors and that a new one is. Gradually over time your new domain will rank in Google above the old one.

Once your new site is live we recommend decommissioning the old one. If this is not easy to do then post a very large and clear message on the old site pointing visitors to the new one.

Can we still access the Swimming Australia Online Race Entry system, MyLane, Join now system etc?

Yes. Use links on your website to do this – try by pressing on the links above. The only slight niggle that we are currently investigating is the routing of ‘join now’ direct to your club, rather than a page where you have to select the club.

How much support might we need?

In our experience people need a bit of hand holding as they become familiar with their new website environment. After that we receive the very occasional contact. Our platform and premium software is very reliable (touch wood!) so there is rarely any need for technical support.

Why change from our existing Swimming Australia website?

If you are happy with that then don’t change. It is provided by them as part of your club affiliation fee. Concerns about its appearance and ease of use are the main reasons people cite when requesting a new one.

As with all things in life, you get what you pay for! Swimming Australia will give you the basics and their solution is perfectly adequate. Our solutions are not free but give you additional functionality.

We have seen cheaper prices elsewhere

Yes it is possible to get a WordPress website built for a couple of hundred dollars and hosted for a few dollars per month, including unlimited email addresses. There are ‘business grade’ solutions that appear cheaper than us. We suggest that you confirm that you are comparing like with like. In particular:

• Does the hosting include premium software (theme, photo display, contact form, etc), and support for anything relating to your website (not just the hosting)?
• Do the email addresses include inbound anti-spam protection? Are outbound emails sent from a server that is not black listed by anti-spam systems? Without this you may either be plagued by inbound spam, or may suffer delivery problems with your outbound messages.

What tips do you have for choosing a StudioPress theme?

2 things to consider:

• Purpose – Sales vs Service: many themes are designed to convert a new website visitor into a customer. Whilst you will want to attract new members, serving existing members will be just as important. Consider, where will new content be placed, can you image the front page being regularly updated with news, pictures, new schedules, notices about upcoming meets, etc? Consider using a theme that is more news or blog orientated.
• Photography: Most great websites rely on fantastic photography. Most swim clubs have access to good but not fantastic photography. We therefore recommend against themes that use a few high quality images. Instead use something where many images can be used and changed as often as required without adversely affecting the site appearance.

Can you build a website using a theme that we’ve found elsewhere?

Yes but not at these prices sorry. We use quality components that we know to be reliable and we are familiar in their use.

We’d like to update our logo, what would you recommend?

Checkout 99designs, Fiverr and DesignCrowd. Whilst we can’t explicitly recommend, we have had positive experiences. Make sure you are comfortable with the designer you are using, and check whether the pricing is in AU$ or US$.

We need some new photographs

We highly recommend Nina Beilby in Sydney. She has a particular knack of capturing the human side of swimming. We’ve been using her for years. Hire her for a couple of hours and she’ll give you digital copies of ALL the photos she takes to distribute to your members.

If we decide to stop using your service, how do we access our data?

Contact us and we will provide a .zip file containing your entire site that can be imported into a new WordPress installation elsewhere. We will retain your data for 1 month after your service has been terminated. If we are managing your domain name then we can arrange for that to be transferred out. Email history cannot be archived or exported unfortunately.

Can we build a new site in the background before making it public?

Yes, for all plans except Standard.

Can we upgrade our package later?

Yes.

Can we add email addresses later?

Yes, for all plans except Standard.

Why do you require payment up front?

We keep our pricing low by minimising our work, including chasing required information or unpaid invoices.

What happens if we are not entirely satisfied with our service?

Tell us and we will rectify. If that is not possible then we will aim to reach mutual agreement. If necessary we may both agree to terminate our agreement and refund services not yet delivered. We have our professional reputation to protect so we only want delighted customers.

We’re confused! What should we do?

Yes if you are new to this then it can be a little overwhelming! We recommend that you purchase our Standard package. It’s competitively priced at $928 including GST which will give you a great looking and fully operational website for 1 year. You can upgrade from there later if you wish.

We have other questions

Call me and let’s talk! Ben Ramsden 0406 401 180.

Buy now

---

 

Testimonials

I can highly recommend Ben.

My experience using the system was excellent. It saved me countless hours.

This [training] site is sensational – very easy to navigate.

When I required a website to promote my swimming business , I approached Ben initially to gather ideas for the promotion of the business, and to better understand what was possible in terms of streamlining the administrative requirements of the business. At all times Ben was a great listener, able to provide ideas and solutions to meet all my requests.

The end result speaks for itself. Not only was he able to deliver a website that exceeded my expectations, he also continues to liaise with me on an ongoing basis to regularly update and streamline all processes within the webpage. The result has been increased enquiry and growth in the services that I provide, whilst reducing the administrative demands of the business.

All of my requests to Ben to update, reconfigure and solve have always been met with great attention to detail and a promptness that I really appreciate.

the comments received from our members have been fantastic…

..the web page provided by Swimming NSW was cumbersome, confusing and time consuming … led to the web page not being updated and we had complaints regarding old photos, club records, etc – now all that is in the past!

Your cost effective standard web page was just what our club needed … now being very easy to update and navigate for members and enquirers. You also managed to have the new page up and running quickly to allow a smooth transition from the old page.

I can certainly recommend to any club the benefits of utilising your company to create a webpage that suits their current requirements, freeing up valuable volunteer hours in the process.

 

---

 

Showcase

---

 

Who are we?

Swim.Rocks is a venture from Ben Ramsden – a swimming parent who has been involved with club administration since 2009 in Sydney. His experience includes being treasurer and webmaster for Abbotsleigh Swim Club and treasurer and technical official coordinator for the Swimming Metro North East Area within Swimming NSW. He co-founded the Swimming NSW Technical Officials online training system.

Away from swimming, Ben runs the Mensard Management Consultancy and GFChart.com software business.

---

 

Terms of business

We believe that it is in both of our interests to set expectations up front. By purchasing this service you are agreeing to these terms.

Us. These services are provided by Mensard Pty Ltd. PO Box 212, St Ives, NSW 2075, Australia. ABN 12 140 276 866. The proprietor is Ben Ramsden email: ben@swim.rocks phone: 0406 401 180. Any concerns or issues should be addressed to him.

Variations. Any variations must be agreed in writing.

Limitation of liability. The limit of any liability of Mensard to the Client for any and all claims, losses, costs, damages of any nature whatsoever or claims expenses from any cause or causes, shall not exceed the total fee for services rendered on the project.

Payment terms. Payment in full is required before we start work. Payment for the second and future years is required no more than 12 months after the previous payment. (Payments are based on build start dates, not delivery).

Termination. This agreement ends 12 months after the first payment has been received, unless it is extended. This agreement may be terminated earlier by either side in writing at 30 calendar days notice. In the event of early termination, services not delivered will be refunded. In most cases this will be any remaining hosting and operational expenses.

Ownership. All work delivered and paid for is owned by the Client. All other work remains owned by Mensard.

Design. Mensard may at its discretion use different components from those specified to deliver the agreed Client requirements. In such cases the pricing will remain unchanged.

Jurisdiction. This agreement is subject to the laws of NSW, Australia.

Buy now