How can my business benefit from a web site?

How do clients and customers find my site?<

How much will my business web site cost up front?

What will it cost to maintain my web site?

What information do I need to provide for my web site?

How long does it take to create a web site?

How often can I make changes to my site?

What if I want to make significant changes to my site?

I already have a web site, but I would like to work with a new designer to make changes and maintain my site?


How can my business benefit from a web site?
A web site offers anyone in the world access to as much or little key information as you wish to include in your web site. It is available 24 hours a day seven days a week. You can showcase your products or services and provide contact information. Your web site is your business and you are only limited by the amount of time and information you provide to the web designer creating your site.

Some key features available via a business web site are:

• Information and on-line ordering available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year!
• Full color photos, animated graphics and sound to promote your business.
• Brochures, catalogs and photos of your business create your image on the web.
  Secure Credit card payment features for your product or service.
• Interaction with customer/client - request information, surveys, contests, & questionnaires.
• Business introduction & history
• The ability to reach customers/clients who are looking for your product or service (by searching your key search words or business name).
• Providing contact information including name, phone, email, fax, cellular information for each individual within your company.

How do clients and customers find my site?
They may use one of the following:

• Type in the actual Web site address or URL
  A potential customer/client types in the name of your web site location in the search option of a top search engine and your business is returned to the viewer and they then click on the link and are sent to your site.
• Type in key words that pertain to your business service or product or your location URL.
• A potential customer/client types in key words that the search engines match to registered business web sites. The engine lists the top matches to your key words.
• Search the on-line yellow page listings that are compiled from actual phone book data.
  On-line paid advertising. You may choose to do some type of advertising at other web sites that would direct the customer/client to your site.

How much will my business web site cost up front?
One time setup and design fee:

Designer: A one time design fee will be charged to create and design your web site. This fee will be determined by how many pages you want to include in your site, the number of graphics and photos, the amount of data entry required (see Our Tip) to input your information.

Hosting: Your ISP may charge a one time setup fee for your web site to be activated onto their server.

It is important to have an idea of what you want to convey or provide in your web site, this will assist the designer in giving you an estimate of what your potential site will cost. 

What will it cost to maintain my web site?
Reoccurring Fees:

Designer's Maintenance Fees: You will generally be charged by the hour for graphic and text updates (See Our Tip). A quote for new pages, graphics and layout changes should be available before your designer begins work.

Your Hosting Fees: will require a hosting fee generally each month. The fee is determined by several factors:    The amount disk space that is needed    on their server    The number of times each month    you FTP files to their server.    CGi and JavaScript services used

What information do I need to provide for my web site?

• Business name, address, phone, fax, cellular, current or potential email and web site address.
• Promotional material, such as fliers, brochures, press releases etc. help the designer create your site to reflect you business product or service.
• Names of employees and their contact information
• History or introduction to your business and a photo of you, your staff and/or your storefront.
  Brochures or written information about your product or service.
• Business Logo and photos of your products or business. (If you do not have a logo we can design a logo or use a unique font style for your name.

How long does it take to create a web site?
Allow 3-6 weeks to design the site and an additional 2 weeks for the site to become available on the search engines. The concept and theme of your web site will take the most time for you and the web designer. It is best to make all the decisions in the beginning rather than paying additional for changes down the road. After the concept and graphics are ready it will depend on the content (photos and text) of the site. TIP: When preparing the text or copy for your site it is a good idea to save it in the following format of text(.txt) or as a Word(.doc), this will enable the designer to import the text rather than charging for data entry. You may want to discuss this with your designer when you meet to discuss the creation of your business web site.

How often can I make changes to my site?
Text changes or adding photos or graphics can be done as often as needed. When these changes and additions will be completed depends on the designers work schedule. It is important to let your designer know if you are trying to meet a deadline. TIP: Generally it is more efficient for the designer to make several changes at once and then replace your old files than to make small changes often, unless they are time sensitive. By submitting several changes at one time your company will save money, as generally you are billed by the hour with a minimum time even if you only have a small change.

What if I want to make significant changes to my site?
It is a very good idea to add new information and visual interest to your web site. Your site will never be "finished", it is like any other advertising plan or business promotional tool, there will always be a need for new information or a new way to convey the information you want the viewer to see. Your site needs to change so that viewers return often to see what is new!

I already have a web site, but I would like to work with a new designer to make changes and maintain my site?
This can be done easily. When you make the decision to work with a new designer you must provide them with the needed information to send files and updates to your website's server. Your hosting provider can give you this information including an account name and password.

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Browser - A program that views the Internet HTML language and graphics.

CGI Common Gateway Interface - A web standard for adding additional functions to HTML. Special script is loaded onto your ISP's web server and your HTML page references the CGI.

Designer - The individual/s who create your web site concept and graphics. Usually all aspects of your web site except scripts that run on your ISP's server. However, they work closely with your service provider to ensure your site will operate smoothly.

Dial-Up/DSL/Wireless Fee - A fee that is charged by your ISP that provides you with access to the Internet and email options, generally paid monthly. You must have Internet access to provide a email address to your customers/clients.

DNS - Domain Name System - This is the Internet address system that uses words with dots between them. The name is read from the most specific to the most general. USA top domains are .com (commercial) .edu (education) & .gov (government). You can register your own domain name with one of the above extensions ($70 for two years)or you can use your ISP's domain name followed by an 8 character file name for your web site address.

Email - Electronic Mail - A system that allows you to compose messages and transmit them over the Internet or within a network or Internet.

Forms - Interactive Forms - Forms are created on web pages to collect information from the reader/viewer of your site. The information is then sent to you through email. Forms also send information to a secure server for credit card purchases.

FTP - File Transfer Protocol - The system used to transfer/copy files from computer to another using the Internet. When your web site is moved to your ISP's server this type of transfer is used.

Gif - Graphic Interchange Format - This format was created to compress an image so it is much smaller in file size than the original graphic. This created a smaller file that is moved over the Internet and it will display more quickly on the web page.

Graphics standards for Print - Graphics such as logos and other art in addition to photographs are designed at a high resolution, usually 300dpi(dots per inch)for color images and 600dpi for black and white. They can then be printed or reproduced at a high quality. Printable graphics can always be adjusted for use on the Internet.

Graphics standards for the Web - The Web browsers can only display images at 72 DPI, which is less than 1/4 the quality of printable graphics. Web graphic must be redesigned at a higher quality for print.

Home Page - Your front door - First page that a client/customer will see when they visit your site. This page will have links to other pages in your web site and will be the main page your viewers are directed back to.

Hosting/Web Hosting - Your web site html files(pages), graphics, sound files and needed scripts will be loaded onto your the ISP's computer (server). Their server will provide anyone requesting to view your site over the Internet access to your web site.

Hosting/Web Hosting Provider- This company will provide the server referred to above allowing viewers on the Internet to ability to access your site. The Hosing Provider will provide other special services that allow you to add features to your website. See Our Hosting Options

HTML - Hypertext Markup Language - A special language used to create pages on the Web.

HTTP - Hypertext Transfer Protocol - Your browsers and the web servers use this to communicate to each other.

Internet - A large organized integrated network connecting universities, research institutions, government, businesses, and other organizations so that they can exchange messages and share information.

Intranet - A private network that is has restricted access within an organization. This system uses the same concept and standards as the Internet.

ISP - Internet Service Provider - The company who provides your access to the Internet for email and web site hosting services. You may have a different provider for your web site other than your email service.

JavaScript - A scripting language that extends the capabilities of your HTML. It was designed by Netscape. Browsers older than 3.0 may not be able to read this language.

JPEG - Joint Photographic Experts Group - JPEGs were designed to convert and compress photographs for use on the Web.

Key words - 5-7 key words that describe your business, location, service or product. Words that a client/customer would use to search for your business.

Links - A graphic or text that has the ability to send the viewer to another location within your web site or to another web site or address on the Internet. When you move your mouse over a link (graphic or text) the mouse becomes a pointer finger and text links will generally be underlined.

META Tags - Provides additional information to the robots that spider or scan your site when it is registered. It is an additional way to add key information in addition to your web site content.

Password - The password is made up of a set of numbers, letters or combination of both that are known only by you. This password used with your user ID/name give you access to your ISP on-line service account.

Register - Each search engine must receive information on your web site to catalog it in the right category and to list it by your key description words.

Search Engines - A search engine is a program/vehicle that provides key word searches for any information that has been registered on the web.

Server - Your ISP maintains a computer that is linked directly to the Internet and feeds information from its data files to browsers on the Internet.

Updates to Your Web Site - You will need to make changes to text/copy to update prices or information in your site. This may be done through your designer as often as needed. See Our Tip:

URL Uniform Resource Locator - Also known as a web page/site address or location An addressing system that locates documents (web sites and their content) on the Internet.

User Name/ID - Your user name/id is used with a password you choose to access a computer. Your ISP will require this dial-up ID and your password to give you access to thier on-line Internet service. The user ID/Name is also the first part of your email address and is then followed by the @ sign and the domain name. (Ex. yourname@yourwebsite.com) yourname is the user id/name and artcottage.com is the domain name.

Visitor Counter - This option allows you to see the number of visitors to your page they can also be invisible to the viewer, but in a separate location for you to monitor. An example is at the Art Cottage home page in the center left column.

Webmaster - A webmaster can be in charge of the web site maintenance, server maintenance or both. If you experience a problem with a web site or have a question or comment you can find the email address for the webmaster at the bottom of the home page on the web site.

WWW/Web - All Internet computers and services that provide a system for finding resources and information. Services include HTML, video, sound, and multimedia.

Web Site/Web Pages - A group of pages linked together to create your business image. They provide information about your products or services, interactive forms and interaction on the Internet.

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