This is of course a subject close to my heart. Many of you have requested information regarding website development planning and evaluation. I've therefore extended some ideas and strategies for your evaluation. This will be a two part issue as marketing a web presence is a completely seperate topic. I've therefore saved Internet Marketing for next month's issue. As most of you know these are services provided by ColDen Communications so if further questions arise, please do not hesitate to ask.
It is hard to be objective when writing in regards to a service we provide, but I have done my best and have even extended some free resources available on the web.
Businesses utilizing the internet with a website have various stories to tell. Some have been very successful while others feel as if they found the black hole on the web and have been sucked in with no rewards to show for their effort. What are the secrets of those that succeed?
Your website presence should be easily navigated, quick to load and designed with goals in mind. Interactivity through forms, guestbooks, surveys, online catalogs and other scripts will help make the site more attractive and goal oriented.
Keep potential clients coming back through newsletters, contests, games, chat, bulletin boards, recipes, resources, and other related material. Give your visitors a way to leave their e-mail address if they would like to be notified of site updates, etc. Have fun with it!
Choose a domain that is easy to remember, easy to spell and offers an idea of what your company does. The last thing you need is a potential client unable to find your site when trying to remember it! Host with a company that is willing to offer references and the fees should not exceed about $20 a month or you're paying too much.
NOVA HOSTING: Hosting service designed for small and home based business owners who want their own IP and web name URL like yourname.com Fees start at 9.95 per month! Includes CGI-bin, T-3 fast and reliable connections, unlimited transfer, unlimited e-mail aliases, unlimited autoresponders, pre-installed counter, guestbook, fantastic customer service, support and much more. Visit http://www.novahosting.com for more information.
For a start-up business, free may be the way to begin. There are many sites on the web which offer free website development tools, free web space, free web e-mail, etc. http://www.tripod.com http://www.geocities.com http://www.hypermart.com are a few of these. Your address may be http://members.tripod.com/~yourname ... not very professional with a ~ that is often forgotten and very hard to translate when speaking to others... but it's a start.
If your organization is looking to set-up shop on the web and want to do it in a professional manner I would highly recommend hiring a professional to help you with your design, lay-out, evaluation of the competition, evaluation of goals and how the site will best meet these goals, choosing a domain, etc. Ask for references and site samples as each designer will include much of their own taste and conceptual beliefs.
A professionally designed website will vary in cost depending on your specific needs of a full catalog or simple site with a lead generation form and e-mail response with contact information. Generally you can figure about $75 for each 8 1/2" x 11" page of material. More for bulletin boards, shopping carts, chat, etc... but it really doesn't have to run into the tens of thousands as statistics speculate scaring many small businesses away.
Professional Design Services
http://www.novaplaza.com/colden
Yes. I would love to help you design or evaluate your web development needs. You can give me a call at (540) 720-1537 to discuss options and goals if you need website development, hosting or marketing services.
NEXT MONTH... Internet Marketing Strategies
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