Web Site Design Services

There are so many who can construct a web site, but knowing how to string pages together with html is only a first step. If you want it done right ... the right words, the right layout and the right look ... let us help you present your company to the Internet.

There are many elements that go into the creation of an effective WWW presence. These elements will differ from organization to organization, and even from page to page within the site itself. When you contact us, we'll go over many of the features which are available to you in the construction of your site, including...

GRAPHICS

You can include photographs, logos, backgrounds, special fonts, drawings, etc. to make your site more visually appealing to your visitors. In adding graphics to a web page, it is important that those images load quickly without noticeable deterioration in quality.

INFORMATIVE TEXT

People who use the web do not want an abundance of unnecessary text. The information provided must be presented concisely, with proper grammar and spelling, and must be intuitively located so it can be promptly retrieved. We bring to each web site a wealth of writing and editing experience for newsletters, newspapers, and for web sites.

DOMAIN NAME REGISTRATION

One of the first things a business or organization needs to consider is whether or not it wants its own domain name (i.e. http://www.yourname.com/). It is generally a good idea to secure a name when you go online, as it allows you the flexibility to switch ISP's at will and yet keep your same address. If you prefer, we can make all arrangements for you with the registration process and in setting up an ISP account.

E-Commerce

This is overwhelmingly the fastest growing part of the Internet. There are a number of ways a business can incorporate e-commerce into a site: for example, there are a variety of software programs available which make it easy for a customer to gather products into a "shopping cart", then type their credit card number into a form so it can be securely transmitted to you (using encryption software) for order fulfillment; or, you can simply provide all your contact information online so the customer can contact you by e-mail, phone or in person.

ORDER FORMS

As mentioned above, order forms can allow for either the encrypted transmission of contact information, or, forms can be included which simply send you this information via unencrypted e-mail. If you want to encourage people to use their credit cards online, however, then it is to everyone's benefit for this information to be secure.

JAVASCRIPT ENHANCEMENTS

Javascripts allow your site to have more dynamic content for your visitors to enjoy, and allow for visually interesting page enhancements. These would include mouse rollovers, slide shows, pop-up info windows, easy bookmark buttons, pull down menus, typing marques, and much more - all of which increase the aesthetics and friendliness of web pages.

SOUND

Recent advancements in compression technology and more efficient use of bandwidth is making digital audio much more prevalent on the web. For example, you now have the option to verbally describe your products or services, play background music, add sound effects, etc. If you are a musician, sound clips from your CD or audio tape source can be included on your website to be played in real-time with both Netscape and Explorer browsers.

ANIMATION

Because simple animations download reasonably quickly, they have been incorporated into web sites over the past couple years to make the site more visually appealing and fun to visit. Beyond being informative, it is very useful for a site to be "entertaining." With the recent arrival of advanced animation software, expect to see the use of animations continue to increase.

GUESTBOOKS

By encouraging visitors to provide you (at the very least) with their name and email, a guestbook is a simple way to gather feedback; to allow potential clients to request information and to expand your mailing lists. If you can give something in return for this personal information (such as discount coupons, email notification of sales, etc), then a guestbook is even more likely to be productive.

PDF FILE CONVERSION

PDF files allow for scan or HTML conversion of your existing print materials (ie. forms or newsletters) to then be uploaded and viewed on the Web by free Acrobat Reader software. The original graphics and page layout are retained, and can be printed out by any printer. PDF pages are slower to load, and difficult to read online, but are beneficial if you have detailed text content you would like your clientele to be able to print out.

"REVISION / MAKEOVER" OF EXISTING SITES

How many times have you heard someone say that their web site is "not working for them"? There is a reason for that: All web sites are NOT created equal! Way too many people believe that being "on the web" is all that it takes. To do it right, your site must be properly constructed. Give us a call if you think your site is ready for a makeover.

"DETAILED EVALUATIONS" OF EXISTING SITES

If your site is not giving you the results you had hoped for, it may be because of its structure. We'll check out its HTML coding, layout, download time, graphics, and attractiveness to search engines, then will prepare a detailed written evaluation for you. You select how many of the pages on your website you want professionally evaluated - you can then make the changes to the site yourself, or have someone else do it for you.

CUSTOM BANNER DESIGN

One proven way to increase traffic to your own Internet address is to place a banner on other web sites. For example, if you sell children's tennis shoes, it would be advantageous to arrange to put an advertising banner on a site featuring children's jackets and another banner on a site selling children's books. For greatest effect, we will design the banner to pick up on your logo and the look of your overall site presentation.

SEARCH ENGINE REGISTRATION

Search engines are like an advanced form of telephone directory assistance. If someone is looking for you, they can type in your name and, if you have a web site, your web address will come up. Or, if they are simply looking to find a business or organization in your field, the search engine can also help. While we automatically register you with many of the major search engines, it's important to realize that for a web site to be easily found it must be properly constructed... having extensively studied the workings of search engines, we are especially aware of the various design techniques required to help our client sites respond well to search queries.

INTRA-SITE SEARCH ENGINES

For larger web sites, or those with varied content, an intra-site search engine allows the visitor to quickly find an item by entering a search word query into a search box on the home page. The search engine indexes only the pages on your site, and returns results of instances of pertinent content on a list, so the viewer can easily link to the desired item.

SITE MAINTENANCE AND REVISIONS

Don't make the mistake of putting up a web site and then forgetting about it. For a web site to be truly successful, it MUST be kept current and fresh looking. That means updating with state of the art visuals and current text content. One of the many services we provide is taking care of your web site maintenance and revisions for you on an "as needed" basis - by outsourcing this work to us, you and your staff are free to focus on your own professional activities without the need to learn code or buy software.

If you are ready to do business online, but are not sure where or how to begin, go to our Getting Started page.