the Art of Zen

Do you already have a web site but aren’t getting the returns you expected? Or are you just now thinking about putting your company on the Internet and have no clue what to do first? This guide will get you headed on the right path to a successful future online.

1. Purpose
Why do you want a web site? What do you expect to achieve from having your company online? This is probably the most important question you can ask yourself. If you’re going to invest your hard earned money to put your company online, you have to know what the final return on your investment is going to be.

If you don’t have an answer to this question, then stop now; close your eyes and imagine what you want to accomplish with this venture. Once you have that vision, write it down and move on. Some possible answers might be:

1. Strengthen Brand Identification
2. Business to Consumer Sales
3. Business to Business Sales
4. Product Promotion

2. Domain Name
Do you have a domain name (URL) for your company? This is what is going to identify you online. If your company name is not available, try to keep it as close to your company or product name as possible. If you don’t currently have a domain name, we offer the service of handling your domain registration for you. Two places you can go to search for your domain name are:
1. www.register.com
2. www.godaddy.com

3. Hosting Provider
Your domain name tells people where you are online. But that is not the only thing you need. You need a place to put your web site; and that’s what a hosting provider is for. A hosting provider essentially leases you space on a server (Internet based computer) so you can put your web site online. If you don’t have a hosting provider, we can arrange hosting for you. A good reference of hosting providers can be found at www.webhostmagazine.com.

4. Site Organization
By creating a “Site Organization Chart”, you can layout the path people will take to get the information they need. By providing them with easy navigation and maps to your information, we can lead them to make an educated decision about your company or product.

This can be confusing, and we can help you with this process in our initial development phase of web design.

5. Site Content
You can’t just throw everything you know about your company online. You need to only provide the information necessary to achieve the “purpose” you wrote down in item one above. The right blend of copy and imagery are essential in creating that “Call to Action.”

If you need a complete rework of your company advertising copy, we have quality writers available to help revive that fading content.

6. Optimizing and Advertising
Unlike some companies, we don’t guarantee first page placement on search engines. We do however, guarantee that we will do the research, work with you to create a list of keywords and phrases (identifiers), and position those keywords appropriately within your site to give you the best possible chance of moving up into the top listings of the search engines.

Having a background in print media allows us to help you create an advertising package for promoting your company online and offline. From redesigning your stationary and business cards, to newspaper and magazine ads. We provide a “One Stop Shop” for all of your marketing and design needs.

7. Maintenance
You can’t just put a site online and forget about it. (Well you could, but it wouldn’t achieve its purpose.) A site needs to be monitored, adjusted and updated to provide the most current information to your viewers.

Monitoring a site allows you to see where people are entering and where they are leaving. If you’re not getting sales, then you need to know why. And that is where regular traffic analysis and maintenance come into play to insure maximum results from your investment. Monthly tracking and maintenance will help increase your chances of success both with your target goals and search engine rankings.

To get more information, or to set-up a free consultation, contact us today!