Website design answers! |
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Why do I need a website? |
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If you have a business and want new customers to find you - you need to be on the internet! As each day passes more and more people use the internet to find what they need as apposed to the yellow pages or other alternative methods. People under 40 and many seniors use the internet exclusively to fill their information and shopping needs.
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I hear that web design is simple, can I design my own site? |
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In fact today there are many utilities available for free that will allow anyone with basic PC skills to build a web page.
Just look at some of the pages you find on the internet and you'll have an idea of the mediocre end results.
Even if you are able to make something professional looking with out spending months or really years to understand all of the intricacies of the internet - and experience first hand the trials and errors of the search engines and online marketing - don't expect to have a successful site until you have made allot of mistakes.
These mistakes all cost your time. Time better spent sticking to your primary business. Don't forget there is much more to website design than meets the eye. Make a false step and your site may even be banned from the search engines!
Remember this when you look at your site - YOU should want to do business on your own site!
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How much will my website cost and how long will it take to have it online? |
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You can start with one page for under $100. A one page site may be sufficient based on what you want to market. For example, if there are only a few keywords or search terms potential customers may type into the search engines (looking for your products or services).
Standard four page sites start at around $300 and can go up to about $1,500 depending on the complexity (tables, pictures, forms...) you're after.
One page sites are typically ready within 2 working days. 4 page sites normally are completed within 7 working days.
Why not contact us to discuss your specific situation!
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I have a web site, but it is not producing the results I want! What can be done to improve my existing site? |
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We certainly can help you. In fact many of our customers come to us already owning a website, but disappointed with its' performance. It may take just minor adjustments to have your site performing to your expectations.
Why not contact us we will review your current site for free!
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I have a brochure and catalog, can my website reflect the same image? |
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Yes - your website can have the same look and feel of the brochures and catalogs that you already have. You can either supply us with the original art work or copies of your brochures or catalogs -- so we can make the transition from catalog to website and back seamless.
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How many web pages should I have on my website? |
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This depends on many factors including; your product, your markets and the differences in your potential new customers.
For example, if you have a local business, with a few products a small site will probably suit your needs well.
On the other hand, if you do business across a large region, state the nation, or worldwide - your website must grow accordingly to address the different markets you serve.
Same goes for the number of products or services that you offer. More products and services, means more pages, considering there is a logical limit to what should be placed on any one page.
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Is it true that the more information "content" I have on my site the better it will perform? |
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They say "content is king" however this is only true if the content is relevant to your target audience. For example, a car parts supplier could have page after page of technical information about repairs or performance accessories. When a potential customer searches for a type of repair or an accessory they will likely find this site -- due to its relevant content.
Many web experts suggest that you should add something on a weekly basis, that you should never stop writing.
We think, that at a minimum, you should try to keep your site fresh - giving return customers something new to browse and investigate on your website! How often you update your home page, for example, would depend on the typical return visit cycle you expect your customers to have.
A few simple example of typical updates:
1. For an industrial parts supplier website - their home page could be updated frequently, to reflect new supplies or monthly or weekly specials.
2. For a restaurant website - they should update anytime they change their menu, their operating hours, daily or weekly menu specials or perhaps have a page with a story about their staff member of the month.
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How much information can I put on each page of my website? |
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Pages should be compact normally no more than what would fit on an standard page of paper or at maximum a legal page.
There are a few reasons why you should keep your text as brief as possible while conveying your message as effectively as possible:
1. Page load time increases as the page size grows. Today, the majority of people still use dial up internet service providers which are very slow when transferring large pages.
2. You want to keep your visitors interest. Get to wordy and they may move on to a competitors website -- who is more to the point!
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How important is the color scheme of my site? |
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The color of your site is critical in our opinion. who is your audience? Women, men, children, teens, twenty something's or seniors.
Your color scheme should be selected to make your largest audience feel most comfortable. Should your scheme be more feminine or masculine? unisex? young or mature?
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What is a domain name? a URL? |
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A URL is the unique address of a resource or file found on the internet for example http://www.yoursite.com/index.html
The "yoursite.com" is the domain name portion of the URL. domain names are registered to individuals or companies on an annual basis. Typical registration fees range from $15-$40 per year depending on the type of name and the length of the registration contract.
register a domain name with us!
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Should I have allot of flash animation on my site? |
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Flash and special effects are wonderful entertaining features that can be added to any website. However don't forget that your visitors are looking for something and in most cases not a show from your site. Remember their time is precious and we need to be careful not to waste it.
We suggest that flash should be used sparingly on most sites and can be a feature used to draw attention to a particular part of a page, for example a special feature, or offer or perhaps an application.
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What methods of contact should I have on my site? Email? Forms? Telephone numbers? Mailing address? |
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This depends on your objectives and your customers. Are your customers likely to fill out a form and give you specific information about themselves and their needs? Or are they more likely to pick up the telephone and call you? Or take the time to write you a detailed message in an email?
We prefer simple forms. They are easier for visitors to complete than an email and can be designed to easily extract specific information needed for your follow up. Depending on the type of business we like to have your telephone number on every page, easy to find - this promotes calls!
Our experience, with emails, tells us that a lot of time can be spent replying to anonymous emails, never being able to speak directly to the customer. With forms certain information can be required for example, a telephone number or mailing address,
Of course, ecommerce websites can use a combination of all three options.
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How important are meta tags for keywords, title and description? |
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Some years ago meta tags were critical for proper placement in search engines, without them your site would not be listed for the keywords and search terms you preferred.
However today, Google and many of the major search engines no longer look at the keyword meta tag. This doe not mean it should not be included and for that matter properly optimized, as some engines still use this tag.
The title and description meta tags are still widely used and will effect your eventual rank in the search engines along with the multitude of other factors.
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Why not have a website designed with frames? |
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A site built with frames is like a meal served in 10 courses. Each course is small and you have time to digest between courses. When compared to a meal served all at once - in the end the food may be the same but if all of it was served at once you may not be just satisfied, but well - full.
The search engines digest the content of your site much like you eat a meal. Sites built with frames are fragmented and are not digested in the same way as a site without frames. Two sites that are otherwise identical but one being built with frames will eventually rank lower in the search engines than the one without frames!
Some search engines will not even see pages other than your home page if it is built with frames!
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