Marketing Services > Websites
The Internet. If you don't have a website you are a nobody. Does that really apply to every business? Yes and no. With website design experience going back to 1995, we have seen the good, the bad, and the really, and we mean really ugly.
When we hear that so-and-so's grandmother found their new home via the Internet the reality has been carved deep into stone. People use the web to search for everything these days, and it is now the standard for promoting your business.
So how then do you choose a firm to design a website for your organization? Why does one shop quote $20,000.00 while the next quotes only $500.00? And what about all this Web 2.0 discussion? What does all this mean to your marketing strategy?
At Deckers' our goal is to help your efforts to succeed. To that end we can help you select a firm to design your site, or we can do it ourselves. Our network of professionals are at the forefront of user-interface design and we have worked on projects as small a local retailer to Fortune 500 companies. Success online starts with an intelligent marketing plan that incorporates your branding with a strategy on how to place your website at the top of your sector.
We have decided to list some the important criteria that people should aware of. These are our opinions and you may or may not agree.
- Template Sites: You purchase a template from some site that sells them online. This is generally a bad idea. Now YOUR company's website will look like SOMEONE else's.
- Pull-down Menus : These are so 90's it's not even funny. Besides which they don't work with SmartPhones and they only annoy people these days. Oh, and they impact your SEO efforts.
- Blogs: Yes, you may need a blog. But not everyone does. Yes, we too have seen the books and online sites that state you can make millions with Blogs. You can also make millions with a Lottery Ticket if you are lucky. Work smarter not harder. And Blogs are work. They require updates, and that means more then once a month.
- SEO: Search Engine Optimization - the three letters of the Holy Grail of online marketing. Can you be assured of a top 3 ranking on Google? No. Can it be done? Yes. This is NOT a one time band-aid fix. SEO requires maintenance and that equals time which equals money.
- Budget: For a basic site if the branding has been professionally done, it doesn't require a PHP scripting component, has no database tied in on the back-end and does not offer e-commerce should run around $5,000.00. That is a ball-park figure only.
- Static Site :Okay, so you don't offer a shopping cart and you aren't offering daily dynamic content. Upload once and forget about it. Big no-no. Sites need to be feed and watered like a plant. There is always something you can add to your site at least once or twice a month. Yes, there are valid reasons for this, just ask.
- Browser Testing : Make sure who ever is designing your site tests it with more then IE7 on Windows XP. Macs use Safari. People with Windows will choose from IE7, IE6, Firefox or Opera.
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