| HIRE A DESIGNER WHO USES SOFTWARE: There has been a lot of discussion by designers as to
the value of using WYSIWYG software such as Front Page, Cold Fusion, Hot
Dog or Dreamweaver
vs. creating html code and scripts completely by hand. Purists
believe the latter is better.
I think there
is a place for both in the web design world. Software reduces complicated
html coding, scripting and site construction to a relatively simple procedure. Thus
allowing a designer to focus on the needs of the customer.
True, one can create a cookie cutter
site from templates included with software or templates available on
the internet. But, one must also know html
in order to fix problems, use scripts, or be creative with site
designs.
Software reduces the costs
associated with design primarily by decreasing the time it takes to
design. An ethical
designer, who uses WYSIWYG software, should take this into account
when they prepare an estimate for you. (PS: We
do!)
SKIP THE SEARCH ENGINE PLACEMENT FIRMS:
everybody
is fighting to get in the top thirty listings on the major search
engines. Why? because "experts" have stated that most Netizens
are too lazy to go past the top thirty listings during a search. (PS: I usually search past the top
three pages if I do not find what i want. I bet you do
too.)
There
are many Internet firms promising to deliver top placement for a fee. Be
careful: Search engines change their algorithms often enough to make
that a difficult promise to keep. Be realistic: there are billions of
pages on the Internet. If your site shows up in the top 50 you are
doing good. We will make ourselves familiar with your products
and competitors placement in the search engines. And we'll use our skills
to get you the best possible search engine placement.
MARKET YOUR SITE YOURSELF: It's hard work and
time consuming. But, if you expect to have visitors or make sales it
must be done. If you can afford to pay someone, fine. Otherwise, why not
do it yourself? It will help you to develop
a first hand
understanding of and appreciation for the way Internet business
works. Think of it as an investment in your own success. We give you
access to our Marketing Guide with 26 pages of links and suggestions
for building traffic to your site and increasing sales.
KEEP SITE DESIGN SIMPLE: do you really need
Flash, a database for ten products, JavaScript links, custom
logo/graphics or complicated cgi scripts to start out? You
can always add them later as your cash flow increases.
USE PAYPAL, FREECARTS OR A SIMILAR FREE ORDER
PROCESSING SERVICE: Look for a designer who will do this as part
of their services or charge only a small fee. (We do!) Setting up
these type of services to work with your website is best left to a
professional. If you decide to
do it yourself, check with your webmaster to be sure the cart you choose
can be integrated into your site.
Be prepared to spend four hours or more working with it.
For more information, read these articles about the true cost to
create/own
and maintain a medium to large company website:
Web Price Index:
Average cost
to develop a web site
Average cost of Custom Design services
Average cost for back end E-commerce
Average cost for database development projects
Average cost for an intranet (75 person company)
Next: Web
Hosting
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