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A lot of people have Web design
skills now. Why shouldn't we use a graduate who has
these skills?
We do find that this is one of the
most common scenarios we are presented with. Our answer
is that design skills are only a very small part of Website
development. It is no good having an attractive site
if it does not initiate, capture and hold the visitor - your potential client or customer!
The process we go through in designing
a site is extensive.
Firstly, there are a series of
meetings with clients to establish exactly what they
want and need the site to do.
Once the objectives of
the site are clearly fixed, we research the target market
and assess their requirements for such a site.
We then
establish a focus group of the target market that assists
in the development of the site. This group completes
a series of surveys to identify issues such as load time,
copy effectiveness, navigational ease, and the quality
of product presentation and overall design success.
In close consultation with our clients,
we then move on to complete the look and 'feel' of the
site.
The wording of the site can be completed
by an experienced copywriter. The copy is developed in
association with the client and we will work
to ensure that the site will be placed as highly as possible and ensure
its relevancy
in Search Engines.
Every web page will be designed and
built with Search Engine Optimisation in mind - this is included at no
extra
cost!
Privacy commitments are then included into the
site (again, research shows that privacy is
one of the biggest concerns for Internet users).
Our Security Expert is brought in to
try to 'crack' the site code and access databases etc, to
ensure a high level of security is provided for the site.
The entire site is then reviewed via
a complex process whereby a vast amount of technical
information is gathered and assessed by our team.
Once the site passes a series of strict
criteria, ranging from security issues, to navigational
issues, to marketing issues, the site is then passed
for hosting.
Overall, clients are involved in the development
of the site as much as possible, to ensure it meets
the objectives set earlier and is a site of the highest
standard.
How long would it take to build
a site as detailed here?
Once we have received all of the content from
you, your site would be completed within approx three
weeks from the order being received.
Where can I get good images for my
web site?
See iStock for quality, royalty free
photo stock that you can download and use for your site
from as little as 41 USD.
Once the site is up and running,
what do I have to do to maintain it?
The site needs to be marketed on an
ongoing basis.
Fresh information also needs to be put
into the site to keep it up to date and interesting.
You can do this yourself if you have
the resources available in-house, or ultimately we would be delighted
to be of assistance in updating your site on a regular basis.
What are the ongoing costs of
having a web site?
Unless you provide your own Internet
connected server, all sites will require virtual hosting, there is a monthly charge for hosting.
Some sites require no further investment other
than hosting, while other site owners prefer to market
their site more proactively & make regular updates or even send
email newsletters.
Ongoing costs depend on exactly
how you wish to use your web site.
What are the demographics of people
using the Internet?
This varies greatly depending on what
research you happen to review.
Some data on Internet users:
- 44% have income above $70,000 (AUD)
- 65% of users are male
- Average age: 33
46% of adult males (3.0 million) and
36% of females (2.5 million) accessed the Internet in
1999 (this is an increase of 700,000 males and 600,000
females from 1998 figures).
The business community has the
fastest uptake of the Internet of any group.
What is a 'host'?
This is the term given to the company
that actually puts your Website into cyberspace.
Think
of the web site as a newspaper advertisement a copywriter
has produced for you. You then need to place that advertisement
into a newspaper for it to be effective - that's
the same as your Website host.
Like newspapers, there are some good
hosts and some that could be a little better. The important
aspects to know about your host are:
- can they cope
with the 'type' of site you have,
- will their system
be able to cope with the number of visitors your site
attracts,
- and do they provide back up service in case
of problems?
Can you host our web site?
Yes, we host 95% of our clients web
sites.
We can setup the hosting and manage it for you
taking all the hassle and complications away.
Our web
hosting is fully featured, extremely reliable and very
well priced.
What's ecommerce?
Ecommerce is simply the term given
to purchasing products or services over the Internet.
What's a link?
A (hyper)link is a piece of text on a
Web Page that when clicked on, takes you to another
Web Page or Website.
What's a search engine?
A search engine is a computer that
reviews (and ranks in an order) the content of Websites.
If a person enters 'golf' into a search engine, that
person will be shown a list of sites to visit that contain
the word golf. As an example, Yahoo! (the most popular
search engine on the Internet) has 2,066,797 Web pages
to choose from when 'golf' is searched for.
What's Web surfing?
Web surfing is the term given to reviewing
Web pages by going from one link to another.
Will the Internet continue
to grow?
All indications are that the Internet
will continue to grow.
Most day to day activities can
now be completed on the Internet. An example of this
is grocery shopping from the major supermarkets.
Think
of when the first fax machines appeared, when only a
few people had them not everyone needed them - but when
the majority had them others had to have them to
keep in step.
Increasing ease of use, reducing costs
and technological advances will aid the continued growth of the internet.
Is it important to get people
to return to the site? If yes, how do you get them
to return?
It is vital to have people return to
the site again and again.
Research indicates that people
will feel more comfortable with your company and purchase
products or services only after having visited the site
seven times previously.
To have people return to the site you
have to reward them. Other
possibilities include:
- Interesting information regularly
updated such as industry related articles, tips as
said, etc.
- Links page containing links that
appeal to the target market - once visitors know it
is available they can return to the site to access
the links easily.
How do people find out about
Websites?
- 90% from links from other sites
- 85% from search engines
- 65% Word of mouth
- 64% from magazines and newspapers
testimonials
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