Getting Started- some important information to help you get started and answer some frequently asked questions:
Why Do I Need a Web Site?
Credibility: On the internet, all sites are on an even playing field. With a clean web site that is easy to navigate, you can compete with other businesses large and small. A web site is vital for success in today's business world. It can increase your credibility, brand recognition, give 24 hour access to your company and increase sales revenue no matter how small your company.
Accessibility: With the benefit of listing directories and search engine web sites, your web site can be found without the phone book! Meta tags, text, page titles and image tags are strategically placed to get your site found and ranked in the search engines for your category and business offerings.
On the Web, you are accessible to an INTERNATIONAL CUSTOMER BASE. With the help of a web site and search engines, your services and products can be found. We are in a time where people "Google" everything. You're money is better spent giving yourself a presence on the internet. With the proper keywords and meta-tags, you will be found by the clientele you are trying to reach.
Informing People: Advertising is created to direct more traffic. Your own web site will help you with that traffic! You can use your Web site to display/sell your products, make announcements to your customers, broadcast e-mail messages, post events on your calendar and provide general information about your company.
You get the opportunity to introduce yourself, explain your business, highlight your offerings, and showcase your work or your merchandise. How often do you get to "sell yourself" to a potential customer/client without hearing, "No thanks, I'm just looking...." ? With a web site, your potential customers/clients can visit without feeling intimidated. They are comfortable because they are getting to know your business and services on their terms and on their time.
Impulse shoppers LOVE THE INTERNET! When they decide they want something and want it now....it's just a click away. Let the customer shop your store 24 hours a day/7 days a week- from the convenience of their own home.
Display and sell your products. In a brick and mortar store location, you have to worry about space, displays, and presentation of the merchandise. On the web, there's room for everything. You can showcase it ALL! Sell your items online by taking e-mail orders, or use Paypal's merchant tools and have your very own shopping cart!
Save on printing costs- Have a club or organization that does a newsletter? Publish your news on your club or organization's web site. It can even be password protected for privacy's sake
How to Get a Domain Name
If you are planning to have a business website, it is very important to have a registered domain name. Consider using your first and last name (.com) if available or the name of your company or business. Before selecting your name, we have some great information on choosing the right name for your .com/.net available here. It's a short read but a wealth of information.
To find out if the name you want is available go to MyDomain.com or Godaddy.com.
You can purchase a domain name from them online. If you would like for Wild-WestWebs to handle this process for you, we will be more than happy to. We recommend that the client have the name registered in their name with their contact information because it gives you complete control of your domain name. You are in control of the name, the billing when renewals are due and in the worse-case-scenerio, in the case that you have a falling out with your web person or web designer. Getting control of a domian name that does not have you listed as the "Registrar" can cause nightmares in getting control of your site should you need to change hosting or webmasters. Play it save and keep your names under your control.
Domain names usually cost $10.95 to $30.05 a year to register. I suggest that you consider a minimum two years registration, or you can pay for several years in advance and save additional money.
Do you Need a Custom-Built Web Site?
So you've decided to look into getting a
website for your business, organization, or
hobby? You don't have to know
anything about a computer or about internet web design. We'll
discuss and plan and find out just
what you want your prospective
clients to know. Your page will be
up and running in no time. Giving
out your website address is like
giving out a business card that they
cannot lose. Your
customers/members/clients can always
find your contact information on
your website so you don't lose
business due to loss of contact.
Should you change phone numbers or
location, your
customers/clients/members can still
find you on the web, again
preventing lost contacts.
Once your site is built, you can take over from there, with exclusive rights to
the pages....or you can have updates made for you as needed.
You decide what
you are comfortable with doing and know that I'll be there to do it for you if
you prefer.
We will remain readily available to our web
site clients and will work when you need the
work done.
If you don't have any
updates or changes for the month, you will
not receive an invoice. We're "on-call" when
you need us but not "on salary" when you
don't.
Visit the samples page.
See if anything sparks your interest. If you
have questions, feel free to e-mail or call. We look forward to hearing from you.
Please allow Wild-West Webs the chance to
work with you to create the perfect site for
your situation. We will work together
to come up with a logo (if you don't already
have one) and a site structured to fit your
specific needs or interests. We offer different looks and can utilize
photographic work to create a "snapshot"
that uniquely represents what you want to
say to your clientele.
I Already Have a Site, Why Update It?
You have a domain name, you've already
established a traffic, but you want a new
look? A web site make-over gives you a new
design with updated information. I
can make-over one page or the entire site.
We'll discuss your needs and I'll work with you
to come up with the plan perfect for your
business, club or organization. Keeping your site updated and accurate helps in two ways: it keeps your returning visitors happy and it keeps the search engines and robots interested in your site- helping you maintain (or improve) your position in search engine and web directories.
What Do I Need In Order To Begin a Website? What Should I Expect?
1) You need a domain name. If you do not already have a .com or .net name for your business, the first step would be to purchase one. It is ALWAYS RECOMMENDED that you purchase and own your own domain name. I can purchase if on your behalf but it is a task you can complete on your own. I'd suggest reading the article: "What's In A Name?" that will help you in selecting a domain name.
When you are ready, we recommend going to www.mydomain.com and creating an account (free) and purchasing your domain name. (YOU DO NOT HAVE TO PURCHASE anything else at this time- ignore the "add-on" offers. )
Be sure to keep your log in and password. Your webmaster will need access to this account to direct your domain name to the proper name servers at your new hosting account.
2) You will need an idea of how many pages you'd like on your site and an outline of what those pages will be. A simple outline, sketch on paper or we can discuss your needs over the phone. We may have suggestions for items you'd not thought about yet so please feel free to ask for help in deciding what pages your specific site may need.
3) You need to decide if you will be wanting to update your own site. If you will, we will need to determine what software you will need to edit your site. (This will require some knowledge of web design. Technical assistance is available but will be charged at the hourly rate. ) The purchase of editing software is not included in any quotes from Wild-WestWebs.com. We also offer the alternative to expensive software with a content management system to give you editing freedom of the text and photos on your pages.
4) You will also need:
- the text (we can work on this together but you will have to provide the content for your site before it can go live on the internet).
- It is always a good idea to plan your site before you start creating it. Surf the Internet and visit a lot of websites before starting work on your website. If you're an artist, visit other artist websites and art gallery websites for ideas. This is a good way to identify what works for you and what you might want on your website. Collect and add the websites to your "Favorites" or "Bookmarks" so you can easily get back to them once you start design.
- What's your objective in having a website?
- Who's your intended audience?
- What kind of site navigation are you planning?
- How will your artwork be displayed?
- Are you planning to create a gallery?
- How many images will you be showing?
- What do you like most about other websites?
- photos (you have the option of sending photos to wild-westwebs to scan into digital versions-- this will be done at the hourly rate, or you can take your photos to an office supply/copy service and have them scan the images to a disk for you then mail the disk to me. --I prefer the second option. I cannot be responsible for the loss of original photos as mail transit going both ways increases the risk of loss or damage. PLEASE do not mail keepsake, irreplaceable photos. The best option is to scan and send digital versions via email, ftp or by sending a disk via USPS mail. If you need ftp access, that can be provided to you. If you need help "ftp"ing photos, I'd be happy to walk you through the process.
- down payment which will include: hosting (full annual amount) and 50% of the estimated design fee.
How long of a process is it to have a new site built?
This is a great question. The answer is different with every site built. The process comes in stages. I find it best to explain the stages but refrain from putting a time constraint on it. We work to get your site up as quickly as possible. In most cases, your site (once we arrive at a look/mock-up design that you approve) can be live within a week.
Stage One: Arriving at a design. This will be the look of the home page and all navigation buttons required. Once approved, we move to stage 2.
Stage Two: Setting up hosting, email accounts and posting home page to hosting account. SEO work is begun.
Stage Three: Inside pages are created and populated with information provided by the site owner.
Stage Four: All inside pages are linked to home page, webmaster SEO tools are installed, sitemap is submitted to major search engines and web directories, site admin is handed over to site owner (if applicable0.
Balance of web services fees are due.