Q: Why does my business need a web site? A:
Your customers - and potential customers - use the web to buy products, obtain information, and establish relationships with businesses.
If you have a better web site than your competitor visitors will be more likely
buy your products or services over theirs. A:
Q: What can a web site do for my business ? A:
Many companies need a web site to stay up to date, some benefits of having a web site for your
company are:
Market Economics
How much would it cost to reach millions of people via television, radio, or print? Millions! For a fraction of these costs, you can reach these consumers on an international basis. If you have a product or service to market, what other way can you reach a vast, untouched, market of 120 million potential customers for the cost of a 4-color brochure?
Establish an international presence
To prosper in the 21st century, you need an international presence. If you are a national company, the net will allow you to go international. You will be amazed how many people will contact you from all over the world. You may receive inquiries from the Middle East, Europe, South America or even the Asia! Cyberspace is the market of the future.
Provide information immediately.
Post job opportunities, new and current locations, information about the products and services your business offers.
Reach a niche market
The net is predominantly used by wealthy, college educated, and technologically proficient people. More than a third (36%) surf the Web instead of watching TV at least once a day. The average age of all web users is 33. If this is your market, you need a web site now. The Internet is estimated to grow by at least 100% in the next two years.
Network
Every business manual stresses that the most important way to succeed is to network, network, and network. The Internet is the world's ultimate networking tool. You should place your web address on your business communication, magazine advertisements, trade journals, and even your business cards. Every person who sees your Internet web address is a potential client.
Your web site should be an integral part of your total marketing plan.
Web sites are primarily used to build relationships with future customers. The Internet can reach millions
of people for substantially less money than traditional marketing methods, such as direct marketing or an ad campaign on television. In addition, the wide range of markets that can be reached results in an internationally higher company profile and a potentially global customer base.
It's the best advertising medium available today. A professional web site provides world-wide exposure of your business for a small initial investment, when compared to other forms of advertising. The global usage of the Internet has grown from 16 to 163 million users from 1996 through the year 2000. The web
is, more than just a giant advertising hoarding or a place to build a brand presence. The number of users continues to increase and they are obtaining more information and making more purchases via the web than ever before. The possibilities for electronic commerce continue to expand and span a range of formats from publishing catalogues online to actually carrying out transactions electronically. The number of transactions that are completed over the Internet (rather than by telephone or fax is increasing. Even if your business is local,
more of your customers will be using the Internet to search for products and services in their local area.
Q: What is the primary business or professional use of the WWW? A:
Access to information. People use the Internet to visit business and professional web sites
to obtain information - and they want to find that information in a minimum of
time. There is a need for logical and consistent web site design.
In addition, people use the web to communicate, to be entertained, and to make
purchases. A well designed web site will take each of these factors into account.
Q: How can I sell my products online? A:
Sales on the Internet can be achieved in two basic ways, either by traditional mail order from an online catalogue or through credit card transactions carried out electronically. The latter is the more expensive to set up, but
will result in a decrease in your sales overhead.
Q: Are people using their credit cards on the Internet? A:
This became much more common beginning in 1998, largely due to two factors. First, the infrastructure of SSL (Secure Socket Layers) and SET (Secure Electronic Transactions), both highly sophisticated encryption schemes, was put thoroughly in place in the browsers and software that makes the safe use of credit cards possible between customers, merchants, and banks.
Secondly, the e-commerce software (such as shopping carts) does not need to be purchased but can be rented on a monthly basis from your web hosting provider. E-commerce software allows a credit card number to be securely sent over the Internet, and then for the complete customer order to be sent to you electronically.
Check our Active Web Page area for a more detailed discussion of the options available.
Q: How widely used is the Internet right now? A:
Here's the latest stats:
E-commerce revenues in the business-to-business sector will rise to $183 billion by 2001.
Consumer e-commerce revenues are projected to be at least $25 billion by 2001.
There were 59 million Internet users in the USA in 1999; 54 % male, 46% female
Average time spent online per week: 5.5 hours
Household income:
$150,000 or more 8%
$75,000 to $150,000 32%
$50,000 to $75,000 28%
Less than $50,000 32%
Q: If I build it will they come? A:
"If you build it they will come" may be true of a baseball field built in a cornfield, but it has little semblance to reality when the phrase is applied to a web site. Many people think a web site is used to promote their business, when in reality it's an extension of their business.
You spend as many marketing dollars on your web site as you spend in any other marketing medium. Most new website owners believe by having a website they will get to advertise to 70 million people worldwide for less than $40 per month! However, they usually forget to ask themselves how these 70 million people will know how to find them. Once a web site is built it should have a marketing plan set up for the next couple of years with plans for additions,
new content and maintaining your relevancy rankings on the internets search
engines. Your visitors will come.....guaranteed, but remember that it takes time and marketing efforts to make your site visible to all of these potential customers.
Q: Can you guarantee my success? A:
As with life, your success will depend primarily on you, the decisions you make and who you choose to partner with. You will get out of your Web site proportionally what you put in to it.
From a financial point of view to the time and resources you dedicate to utilize the skills we teach you. Your site requires your ongoing attention. We empower our clients with the knowledge necessary for them to
be sucessfull. If any "Web Designer" says that a Web site is fast, cheap and easy way to get rich quick, there is nothing further from the truth. This should be a big warning signal and a sign that this is a company/individual that you do not want to work with. Any credible opportunity, whether on or off-line, requires commitment and dedication from all involved.
We will develop a visually appealing, structurally sound, cross-platform Web site based on client instructions and guidance. We will handle the initial registration of your site with the top 10-15 non-pay for inclusion search engines/directories. We will also keep you abreast of industry news, trends and critical information. We cannot, however, guarantee that your business concept, model, methodology, product, work ethic, customer service levels, will be effective. This responsibility lies solely with you.
We do our job - and you do yours!
Q: Why should I have a professional web site designed for my business? A:
Your web site can provide unlimited information about your company: your hours of operation, locations, and your products and services. Information can be tailored to your target audience and changed as regularly as your business grows. (Your target audience chooses to browse your web site because it is interested in your products and services)
Your web site is a permanent promotional tool and provides your customers with easy, 24-hour access to your company whenever they need it. It saves them time when they're gathering information: no waiting in lines or being put on hold. They can get quick answers to their questions, at their convenience.
Your web site is a powerful marketing research tool. Through email and on-line fill-in forms, you can quickly identify new customers and the products and services they're looking for.
Your web site can save you time and money by handling some of your administrative functions online such as membership, event or class registrations and taking and processing orders, to name a few.
Q: Why not do it myself? Why not design it yourself? A:
That is an excellent question. Many people do build their own Internet sites. There are thousands of reviews in almost every Internet and computer magazine for new web construction programs. It is so tempting! How difficult can it really be?
The answer depends on how professional you would like the finished web site to be, how much money you're willing to
invest, and how long you're willing to wait. A combination of the best web design software tools, including image editing, web compression software, and an HTML visual design editor, will cost you as much as $1200. Then you'll either need a training course or two on how to use all of these design
tools to achieve your desired results, or you need to spend many hours with the trial and
error method. A course on your image editing package is a must! You'll also need to read a book on good web site design to avoid "beginner" mistakes. Another book on HTML site design... you'll need one that covers how to design pages that look good on any browser, on any platform, in any resolution, at any color depth. And don't forget to build a few sites for practice... there's no substitute for experience!
With two to four months of your precious time and a few thousand dollars spent, you'll finally be ready to begin building your own "professional-looking" web site.
You need to spend a lot of effort and money before you are able to lay out and build your very own web site graphics and html codes. The best
approach is to focus on your business and the message you want to deliver with the web site design.
We will handle the art and science of building a good web site. That's what our graphic designers and coders do best.
You will have a better web site design, in less time, at a lower cost and with less aggravation!
Q: We have a web site, but it is not doing much for us... can you help? A:
Does your web site stand out from the others? Does it capture your customers attention with original, eye-catching graphics and a creative layout? Does it offer all of the features and information that you want it to? Does it download quickly? Is it easy for your visitors to navigate and find the information they're looking for? Do the navigation elements work properly? Does it convey the overall message that you want it to?
Does it present a professional image for your company?
If not, we can help. We specialize in web site makeovers - taking an existing web site and transforming it into a productive, attractive, and profitable business tool. Always remember, your web site is a "window through which the world will view you," so making it as professional looking as possible presents your organization in the best possible light.
We can also provide a professional web site evaluation, where we'll check out
the HTML code, layout, graphics, download time, and your sites attractiveness to search engines, then will prepare a detailed written report for you. You select how many of the pages on your web site you want critically analyzed - you can make the changes to the site yourself, or
we can do it for you.
Q: How large should my site be? A:
Remember, a big flashy site is not necessary to convey your message clearly and concisely. Ask yourself questions like these when determining the size of the site to meet your requirements: Who
is my audience? What message do I need to convey to them? How much information do I need to present them with? What do you want your audience to learn about you or your company? Companies should think of their web site as an elaborate business card.
Q: What is required to build it? A:
The most obvious is your actual written and graphic content. Other less tangible aspects such as design or layout are handled in the preliminary meetings where you specify any preferred color schemes and sample web sites that appeal to you.
With regard to search engine listings, we require a list of "keywords" that apply to your industry that potential visitors
search for.
Q: Do you have a pricelist for web site design? A:
To view some of our package prices click here
To view our price list click here.
Q: Can I change the content of my web site? A:
Absolutely. Although we will be happy to maintain your web site for you, there is a charge for this, and you can save
money by doing your own updates. You use a personal password to access your site and make changes much like you make changes in a word processor document. You can also use Microsoft FrontPage (Part of the Microsoft Office System) to modify and publish changes to your web site.
Q: How long will it take to develop and launch my web site ? A:
This depends on how extensive your web site is, and on how quickly the content materials
are gathered. We will guide you through the process of assembling your text and graphics, then
we will construct your site based on the information you provide. The quicker we receive your packet of graphics and text materials, the quicker we can begin the design process. Generally speaking, a mid-sized site takes
approximately a month to get online once we receive these materials from you. We will give you a pretty accurate completion date once we have the chance to review everything you
send us. If your site is published from an electronic version of your company brochure, we can have your site running by the time the InterNIC has
registered your domain name... in about three business days. More complicated and detailed sites take longer. , A Phase One implementation of your site can be
operating in two weeks to one month after the initial plans are finalized and signed off on.
Q: Can I view my site "in progress"? A:
Absolutely, building a web site is an iterative process of changes and improvements and works best when driven by feedback from you.
Q: Will my web site be accessible by Netscape Browsers or Macintosh Computers? A:
All of our designs consider all the major browsers, as well as their legacy versions on both Macintosh and Windows computers and most Set Top Boxes like Web TV, Ultimate TV, and AOLTV.
Q: Where do you suggest I begin? A:
We need to discuss these details to customize our services and turn your vision into a virtual reality. We suggest
that new clients contact us so that we can explain anything that they don't understand and answer any additional questions
they may have during the investigatory process.
For an interesting article on the phases of development a project goes thru Click
Here.
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