When you contract a web designer, be sure to include the requirement that the site passes validation for coding and accessibility. Now, if you intend to include Flash, however, those particular pages might not validate. It takes special coding that sometimes works and sometimes doesn’t.
Why, you say? Why validate?
So your site can be read now and later.
Now, by all those elderly shut-ins who so enjoy the escapism your web site offers, either because of your product or service, or merely your friendly words and colorful images.
If you don’t validate, his or her outdated computer might not be able to pull up your site.
Now, by the handicapped person who needs a voice reader to understand what your business is all about.
If you don’t validate, her machine probably won’t be able to tell her of your products, services, name and contact information.
Now, by everyone who uses our finicky, quirky browsers which aren’t keeping up with the advancing technology behind our web sites..
If you don’t validate, and our browsers might not display your site in the way you intended it to be..
And we validate for later to preserve our writings for the future. Want to know more about that? Read The Noodle Incident
Small Business — Where are You?
I started this blog elsewhere and here is one of my first entries about small businesses and their Web presence, or lack thereof..
Recent late-2006 statistics have shown that smaller small businesses, with 1 - 10 employees or so have shown a profound reluctance to to get on the Web — until now. With the price of computer hardware down, the talk of the Web’s cost-efficiency up, and the advent of such user-friendly technology as blogs, smallest businesses are showing a new interest in getting on the Web.
It’s about time. And it is, too. The right time, that is. A recent small business marketing study shows a whopping 70% of businesses with 20 or fewer employees have been made inquiries to Web designers in the past year. That’s up from 26% last year.
As Time Magazine’s Lev Grossman puts it in his “Time Person of the Year” article, it is a new World Wide Web now. And this new Web is for every man. The internet is replacing television as a downtime filler. More people come home from work and get on the internet to blog, to surf, or just browse search engine return lists.
Those lists hold lots of large and medium businesses, but only about 10 percent represent the little guys. And this article is for them.
Here’s some advice for you as you consider that big step. Studies show that the internet/Web design unknown factor and Web design price are the two biggest obstacles for you, and I will put those in perspective here and now.
First, let’s eradicate the unknown factor. Keep this blog open, and click on “Start” and call up your internet browser. Do you use Internet Explorer? Most people do, though some 30% of the public have switched to Firefox.
Now, type into your browser’s search box some words that describe your business. Once you click on “go”, a search engine will grab those words and run to search. The most popular search engine today is Google, followed by Yahoo and MSN. In a matter of moments, that search engine should return to you a list of sites that look like your competitors. Notice those short descriptions? Those were written as meta tags by the business themselves, with the assistance of their Web designer. Can’t you just imagine your own company name up there? What would you write about your company?
Now, let’s tackle price.
Though Web sites once sported 5-digit price tags to be considered only by big-budget companies, that has changed. Now the internet is a source like no other of low-cost or free options for running and advertising a business. A mom-and-pop can’t afford not to be on the Web.
The price of quality Web site design has come down thanks to open source, a community of generous Web experts who work hard creating applications and share them for nothing but that warm, fuzzy feeling. And, though, building a Web site still takes time, creativity and technical knowledge, the days of the $10,000 10-page Web site are gone. Prepare to spend roughly $100 per page, and $15 or so per month for maintenance and hosting.
Try starting with only a few pages and build gradually. That’s another perk of the Web — flexibility.
Three pages can introduce your company, products/services, hours/directions, provide a little advice from you, and give you have a Web presence. Our design company, BethesdaDesignWeb.com, offers such a package, called the “Web Hello”. Or, if you want to be able to update it yourself, try our “Update-it-Yourself” sites.
We think we offer a good value, but if you have another designer in mind, try not to pay more than $300 for the initial page, $100 per additional page, and $15 per month for hosting/maintenance, especially for sites that are not SEO-Friendly, and might be non-validating.
Compare these rates to the cost of a one-time newspaper ad, or a telephone book listing. Did you know a company’s web address can be listed free in many local business directories?
And a Web site offers other advantages.
With most designs, you’ll receive an e-mail address sporting your company name - a most powerful reinforcement of your business. And you can keep your information up-to-date, unlike a printed brochure. Create on-the-spot specials to take advantage of a trend or holiday, or send a quick messages out to your customers. An e-mail to your designer is all it takes, or not even that, if you opted for an “Update-it-Yourself” site design.
And your customers can talk back - through forms, polls and surveys.
Do you know a lot about your industry? Share it. The internet is all about sharing.
You can share advice and knowledge with your customers through a blog or newsletter that is on your Web site. Don’t write reams of advertising copy, instead share real information and establish yourself as an expert in your industry. Not only will you give your business credibility, but you will be contributing to the community and give yourself that warm fuzzy feeling.
So, consider adding a line item to your business budget this year — for a Web site. Maybe $500 or so. Look around for a local designer. Yahoo or Google local listings is a good place to start: Just plug in your town’s name and “web design”. Then try to meet the designer, face-to-face. Explain exactly what you want to share with a Web-surfing potential customer, and see what the designer suggests. Most initial consultations are free. If you decide to work together, provide your share of text and photos on time, don’t ask for too many changes, and try to put your name or town in your domain name (Web address.)
When the site is done, shined up and sitting proudly on the Web, be sure and submit it to many a directory, and pat yourself on the back. You’re brave — you have joined the milling crowd behind the bright blue screen.
I think you’ll like the view.
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Welcome…My first post is to small businesses who are considering a web presence…
Three Top Tips to SEO.
What’s SEO, you say?
SEO is the acronym for “Search Engine Optimization”. And if you are going to have a web site, you are going to have to get some SEO or no one will ever see that color scheme and font set choices that you agonized over for two weeks…
#1 Title, title, title.
Did you know your site had a title? Look up. See it, at the top of the browser window? Actually, each page has a title and each title is important to search engines. Does yours reflect accurately and succinctly exactly what is on the page? If not — change it!
#2 Keywords..Pick 3 to 8 keywords that describe your site and products/service. Use the words in your titles, meta, content, links, and even….now don’t go changing it…your domain?
#3 Content. Is it good? Are you sharing your knowledge. And is it full of those carefully chosen keywords? Good. Search engines will be happy, and maybe happy enough to slip your site high up on a search return soon..
Watch for more tips in future posts..
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