We've been in this business for a long time. Over the years we have compiled a list of questions that are commonly asked (as well as a few we wish more people would ask). If you are serious about creating or purchasing a website for any reason, we would like to encourage you to look over the tips and suggestions on this site to help you with this process. The Internet already has too many ill-concieved websites and pages. There don't need to be any more.
What can a website do for me?A: One of the greatest things about the Internet is the nearly limitless possibilities. Whether you just want to get your name out into cyberspace, want to expess yourself with your own personal blog or website, if you’re looking for some additional exposure for your business, or looking to set up an automated online store, Zandergraphics is here to help you every step of the way.
When properly built, promoted, and maintained, your website can bring you to the top levels of search results on Google and other search engines. It can promote, sell, and even receive payments for your products with little or no effort on your part. It can tell potential clients who you are, what you do, and even give them a sense of what you believe in. A well designed website could be the most impressive and effective form of advertising that you could possibly invest in.
A: This is probably the most common question we get and it is also the most difficult to answer because the answer to this question is determined by many factors, the most important of which are:
“What do I want my website to do for me?”
Defining the primary functions of your website is a very important step for obvious reasons. It will also help to determine the amount of space that will be necessary for hosting your site. Obviously, an ecommerce website requires more space (and software) than a simple informational site. All special features require special software and/or programming.
More importantly, defining the function of your website will help you define the type and amount of return that you expect to receive from your investment The more you expect to receive, the more your website is worth to you. And be sure to keep in mind that site promotion and maintenance are an important part of making and keeping your site successful, which leads to our next point:
“How much time, money, and effort am I willing (or able) to invest?”
The biggest decision that you will make regarding the path to follow in creating a web presence for your business or organization is to find a balance between your investments of time, money, and effort. Every website requires some of each, it’s just a matter of deciding how much of each you are willing to invest.
Obviously, do-it-youself solutions like our SiteBuilder and Dreamweaver templates are the least expensive, but require huge investments of time and effort on your part. However, you need to be aware that both SiteBuilder sites and Dreamweaver templates have some pretty notable drawbacks which we discuss in our SiteBuilder and Dreamweaver brochure.
A: The short answer to this one is: Call us for an appointment and a free consultation. However, here is a quick chacklist to help you prepare:
1. What is the purpose of my website?
2. What do I want my website to do?
3. What is my budget?
4. What role do I want to have regarding maintenance, updates, or even the actual website design?
5. What domain name would I want? What are alternatives if my first choice is not available?
6. How will I drive traffic to my site and what is my budget for maintenance and promotion?
7. What information will my site offer its visitors?
8. What sets my business apart from my competitors?
9. What sites have I seen that can serve as a model for my site either as a whole or in part?
A: If your plans include ensuring that you are able to log in and make changes to your site when necessary, you'll want to look at our CMS website packages. CMS, or Content Management System software, is available for sites of any size and makes it simple to make minor adjustments to your site content. The front end of the CMS gives your staff access to the text of articles and pages as well as other defined functions. The Administion area of the CMS allows you to make article and page changes as well as more involved changes like adding new menus, new menu items, and even installing new features.
Most of our clients use the front end editing functions to be able to make minor changes, add articles, make blog posts, and leave the "heavy lifting" to us. Many times, with more complicated changes, we can have them done for you very quickly and if you are intersted in knowing how to do it, we're glad to show you. Many of our clients start out slowly and take more control over their site as they learn. If you want to get on your way to posting articles and updates to your own website, contact us for a FREE consultation.
A: This depends on a number of factors including the size of the site (number of pages), design complexity, features, and our schedule in the studio. A one page site with a simple design could be up in a matter of days if a designer has the time to start on it right away. An average website with 5 pages and a standard design will usually take anywhere from 2-8 weeks, depending on the details. Larger, more complex sites with features like shopping carts and/or complex design styles can take up to several months to complete.
In order to keep your site moving along as quickly as possible, there are a few things that you can do to help:
Take time to think about exactly what you want from your site. We can help you with this process, but having a clear vision of what you need will spped up the process and changing your mind or adding new features during the development process can add significant delays.
Gather the content for your site and get finished copy to us as soon as possible. One of the biggest causes of delays in the design process is lack of information. If you are not sure about the content of your website, put together what you can or request a consultation for help with development. Remember, the content of your pages can be easily changed at any time, but large numbers of changes could cause delays or added expense. If you need time to develop content, send along a rough draft or even nust notes, take the time to develop your content properly, and send the final version when its ready. Or give us your notes and we'll write it for you (for a small fee).
Check your email often during the development process and respond to emails promptly. Our developers and designers will communicate primarily through email and if they are awaiting a response from you, the project could be delayed during that time.
A: This depends on what you need, how fast you need it, and studio schedules. We can usually have a one page "placeholder" page up with a simple design and contact information within a few days. Simple five page sites might be able to be up in as little as a week, though the average site will take at least two weeks to develop, depending on content and features.
What many people will do in this situation is determine what site features they absolutely need up right away, get those pieces up as soon as possible, and then add the rest after launch.
Another option for fast site launches is to use our SiteBuilder software which can be installed onto any hosting account. Though this approach does have certain drawbacks and limitations, it is a easy and low-cost way to get a site online fast. For more information on our SiteBuilder Pland, click here or contact us for a consultation.
A: The most effective websites are maintained. regular site maintenance has a number of benefits:
Outdated site content says something about the way you do business and the way that you might handle business accounts. When potential clients can tell that your website content is being kept up-to-date, they are more likely to have confidence in your abilities and reliability.
Search engines like dynamic content, by which I mean content that is updated or added to regularly. This is a large part of the reason why social media site rank as well as they do; their content is very dynamic. If the search engines see that your site is updated regularly, they will index it more often, not to mention the simple fact that there will be more information (and keywords) to be indexed and served up as search results.
Business, industry, and technology are changing constantly; so should your website.
Regular evaluation and maintenance allows for adjustments to be made based on user feedback or changes to web standards. This process of "fine tuning" is common and is an essential part of a good web development strategy.
Regularly publishing new content is the best way to establish your expertise and to show your audience that you are always on the move.
A: The best way to achieve good serach engine ranking will vary depending on the nature of your business, your industry, geographic location, and the audience you are trying to reach. Often, building up search position and site recognition are processes that take quite a while, however, there are a few shortcuts and tricks that can be used to help boost you up faster.
In order to reach the front page of some of the more competitive searches can take months or even years in some cases. The experts at Zandergraphics have spent years working on search engine strategies and exploring and testing methods of building targeted traffic. For more information on finding the search marketing strategy that will work best for your situation and goals, contact us for a free consultation.
A: A site maintenance plan is a is a strategic approach to keeping your site performing the way you need it to. We take a pre-determined amount of time each month to evaluate your site's design and preformance to see if there are any areas that can be updated or improved upon. Site Maintenance hours can be used to create a combination of any Zandergraphics services that you need and bundle them into one convenient and affordable package.
A more detailed description of our Site Maintenence Plans can be found here.