Joomla! site syndication http://webdesign.oicnow.org 2008-05-11T17:20:05+01:00 http://webdesign.oicnow.org http://webdesign.oicnow.org/images/M_images/joomla_rss.png text/html 2004-06-12T11:54:06+01:00 http://webdesign.oicnow.org http://webdesign.oicnow.org/index.php/Website-Planning/Business-Websites.html Web Design for Business WebsitesKey things for a business web site are:Keep it simpleKeep it easy to navigateKeep it easy to useKeep it informativeKeep it professional lookingKeep it as quick-loading as possibleKey things not to do (unless you are greating an entertainment web site):Don't use intro pages or flash intros (it just slows visitors down)Don't put extra graphics that aren't neededDon't put music on it unless you are in entertainment Don't put on a counter (log analysis tells who visits your site)Don't use framesDon't use Flash navigation (unless you have a html alternative on each page)SMALL STARTUP BUSINESS WEB SITE BUDGET (No budget to ~ $100)For a small startup business that needs a web site, but has no or a small (under $100) budget the best thing to do is go with a hosting company that has web design tools for making a semi-professional looking site. These web design programs normally give you some templates to pick from and allow you to modify some things to personalize to your business.A website is something that practically every business needs and can benefit from if correctly designed and used. SMALL STARTUP BUSINESS WEB SITE BUDGET (Budget $700 - $7,000)Most professionally designed small business websites can be designed on a budget from $700 - $7,000. E-commerce web sites can also fit into this budget if they use existing shopping cart scripts. Here are some points to budget for in general: ~$10/month - Can pay for hosting and there a lot of good hosting companies that provide website creation tools. Sites created with these tools can look good, but are not Search Engine Optimized (SEO) and you do have to work within the limitations of the web site creation software.~$1,000/setup budget - Can pay for a nicely designed website of about 15 pages with contact form, SEO, and first year's hosting. ~$2,000 - $7,000 - Can pay for a custom designed e-commerce website that has SEO, and includes first year's hosting. If you are very computer savy and know html, php, MySQL, Dreamweaver, SEO, etc. then you can get a site done for less. However, you might want others to create it if you don't know how to make a site easy to use and search engine friendly (SEO). text/html 2004-07-07T11:54:06+01:00 http://webdesign.oicnow.org http://webdesign.oicnow.org/index.php/Website-Design-and-Development/Picking-a-domain-name.html Picking a domain name is very important! It should be:Easy to remember (accurately!!!)Reflective of what you do (WeGroomDogs.com) or your business ( SmithLaw.com), and maybe location (SingleVolunteersSanDiego.org)Short if possible Depending on your website, you may have multiple domain names pointing to the same web site. If you have 15 pages of solid content (think a lot to read), then you might have up to 3 domain names. text/html 2004-08-09T08:30:34+01:00 http://webdesign.oicnow.org http://webdesign.oicnow.org/index.php/Website-Planning/Websites-Your-Business-Advertisement.html Websites are the new Yellow Pages combined with info brochures for business. They can attract business or turn people away. First impressions count so you need to look professional and clearly state what you offer! Don't make people guess as to what is your business and how they can be better off using your services or products.Boldly state on your home page your business and what you offer. Then link to other pages that tell about products/services, industry, about the company, testimonials, ways to contact you, where you are, etc.. text/html 2004-08-09T08:30:34+01:00 http://webdesign.oicnow.org http://webdesign.oicnow.org/index.php/Newsflash/Websites-CRM.html Websites can be your Customer Relations Management (CRM) center. Providing a way to distribute information to customers, to contact them, to give them support and service! text/html 2004-08-09T08:30:34+01:00 http://webdesign.oicnow.org http://webdesign.oicnow.org/index.php/Newsflash/Websites-Sales-Generators.html Websites can generate sales or leads quite well ... if people can find your website and it is designed correctly. To find a website it has to be visible to the major search engines.