SMALL BUSINESS WEB DESIGN

The foundation of your success is the building of an effective sales web site.

Your web site will be your advertisement, your storefront, your customer service representative, your sales person and your cash register.

No matter what Internet marketing techniques you choose to employ, your website will ultimately be your key to success online.

Visitors arriving at your web site will “sniff around” and move on. If you don’t get their attention immediately, you will lose them forever.

You must pay careful attention to every aspect of your web site development. If customers don’t stick around to buy what you have to offer because your web site loads at snail’s pace…it’s too cluttered…too hard to read or difficult to navigate, you won’t get a second chance!

A well-designed web site is an integral part of a successful sales process.

Choose You Web Host Wisely

Your web site will be the very foundation of your Internet presence. Selecting the right web hosting service is critical to your success.

When you choose your web host you are effectively choosing your business partner. You’re deciding who will be responsible for presenting you web site – your business – to the world.

Your web host is responsible for ensuring that your web site is always up and running at top speed. If your web site is constantly down…or if it takes eons to load…you can be sure that you are losing money.

Use this checklist when choosing you web host and make an informed decision. Factors include:

• Fast Servers- Quality hardware and redundant OC3 or T3 connections. How fast your web pages load is directly proportional to your income. Don’t let anyone tell you that a server can be too fast!
• Domain Name Support & Registration Service- You web host must allow the use of your own domain name. They should offer free registration and work closely with Internic to get things done fast.
• No bandwidth, No Access or Hit Charges- There is absolutely no reason to use a web host that charges for bandwidth, access, or hit fees. The best hosting services offer unlimited bandwidth with standard packages.
• Unlimited CGI Access-(FTP/Telenet) You will need CGI scripts at some time or another. Insist on having your own cgi-bin and the ability to upload any script you want. Never use a web host that that limits you to their scripts only!
• Unlimited Technical Support- A good web host should have competent staff to speak with. Insist on free, unlimited technical support via both email and telephone. This is vital!
• Control Panel or Web Based Administration- Most quality web host have some type of interface that allows you to manage your server via the web. This is not vital, but can be very handy for many who don’t consider they to be the technical type.
• Secure Server- If you plan on selling anything directly from your web site, you’ll need secure server capabilities. The best offer low or no additional setup fees, and a low or no monthly fee for SSL (Secure Socket Layer).
• Access to Raw Server Logs. This is an important feature because you'll need access to this information in order to analyse your web site traffic. Your server logs can tell you exactly how much traffic your site gets every week, how long visitors stay, where they are coming from, how they move through your web site and much more. You should have unrestricted access to your own server logs.
• Full E-mail Services- Your web host should offer full e-mail services, including POP mailboxes and unlimited e-mail aliases, including a generous supply of autoresponders. Don't pay extra for these features, as they should be standard.
• Power and Daily Server Backups- A top quality web host utilises a power backup system and performs daily off-site backups of your server. This ensures that you will never lose anything should the hardware crash or natural disaster occur.
• No Minimum Contracts- Don't ever sign a long-term contract. It's just not necessary. If something should happen and you decide to switch host, being locked into a long-term contract could be very costly.
• What is their downtime? A web host who knows what they're doing should be up 99% to 100% of the time!
• Test their technical support Try e-mailing them a question to check how long it takes to receive a response. Their tech support should be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by phone and e-mail.
• Security- Hackers can cause phenomenal damage to your web site! They can worm their way into your system and shut you down...they can alter your copy and they can steal client files and confidential credit card numbers! Look for a web hosting company who has worked out all the big security issues.
• Services/Scripts/Software. A good quality web hosting company should not only have an extensive library of scripts that you can use to add guest books, forms, statistics, etc...to your site, they should also be prepared for e-commerce with shopping cart software, merchant account setup support, real-time processing availability and more. They should also support Java, Shockwave, Real Audio and more.
• Be sure that you are not being charged for the extra services.
• Money Back Guarantee-A quality web host offers a 30-day money back guarantee. You should insist on it. It is a sign of a professional company that will stand behind its service.

With our alliance partners, we have access to range a highly skilled designers, programmers, engineers, online copy writers and other professionals who have designed hundreds of successful web sites.

For a free initial consultation contact now

Backend and up-sell products
Email marketing
Search engine marketing
Linking strategies
Newsletter or Ezine
Viral marketing
Using classified ads to reach customers
Public relations / press releases
Creating profitable alliances with joint ventures
Affiliate programs
Web testing surveying and web site tracking
Competitive intelligence