Do you really need a website? These days, if you have a business the answer is almost certainly yes. And while there are many options available out there for getting your website online - from the "friend of a friend" who might have some rudimentary website skills, to expensive big city design companies, your website needs very likely fall somewhere in the middle ground: an affordable, professionally designed custom website that enhances your company's image while not being overly flashy.
Click on the headings below for a brief description of each website service.
Whether you need a basic website that simply lets the world know how to get in contact with you, or a more elaborate website with online shopping capabilities, I can design a site to meets your needs.
My services include developing and implementing all elements on your website, from organizing your materials into a logical sequence, to graphic design, to getting you onto the web.
Your website's "look and feel" can be something we work on from scratch, or something based on ideas you have seen in other websites that you like.
Website files reside on special computers (known as "servers") that are hooked into the internet 24 hours a day. These servers are maintained by hosting companies. I can arrange reliable website hosting services that will keep your site online and accessible to the public at all times.
I strongly suggest avoiding the "free" or reduced fee services, since these are often unreliable and may include irritating pop-up ads that distract the user from your own website.
One of the most difficult aspects of putting a small business website together can be writing the content. For many people, writing about themselves or their business is just not something they are comfortable with. Additionally, website content should be written in a way that is "search engine friendly". If needed, I can put you in touch with affordable website content writers that can present your business to your website visitors in a professional way.
The website's domain name is what most people refer to as a "website address", such as "www.yourcompanyname.com". Website domain names are registered through separate companies known as domain registrars. I can assist you in registering a domain name with the proper organization, and also help you choose a name that will help customers find your website more easily. I strongly suggest using a reputable registrar such as Network Solutions, rather than one of the "discount" companies. You will pay a few dollars more per year (about $35), but it can save you a lot of hassle in the long run.
Having your website listed with the search engines (Google, MSN, Yahoo, etc.) can be an important step in creating a visible online identity.
I have the experience necessary to "optimize" your website in a manner that can help your website's ranking in the search engines and bring you more traffic.
For more detailed information on this process, click here (opens a second browser window).
Confused about how to set up and retrieve your e-mail? Need more than one e-mail address for your company? I can arrange this crucial service for you, as well as teach you how to access and reply to your e-mails from the office or while on the road.
In order to find out how well your website is working for you, there are a variety of website tracking service that record the number of visitors, what pages they read and for how long, as well as many other useful statistics. Although optional, I highly recommend this service to find out just how well your website is doing and why.
It's possible that you or your staff may have the capabilities to make updates to your website after it's finished. If so, I'm happy to show you how to do this. Or, if you you prefer, I can take care of the updates to your site.
- Updates are billed at an hourly rate, with a minimum charge of 1/4 hour. Depending on the amount of work involved, we can arrange billing on a monthly or quarterly basis. For most websites, routine updates do not amount to more than a couple hours each quarter.
- If you think that your website will need updates on a frequent basis, you may opt to enter into a quarterly maintenance contract.
