Everyone know the answer to that question, right? Surprisingly, no. In fact, the majority of people I ask this question to don’t know. At best the answer is something like;

“Ummm. .. I have Outlook Express?”

Those who do know nine out of ten times say that a browser is Internet Explorer, rather than Internet Explorer is the browser I use. Terrific branding Microsoft!

For those who don’t know what an internet browser is, it is a piece of software that enables you to “browse” the internet and all the sites and pages it offers. Internet Explorer is a browser, but it is not your only choice, and many would argue that it is not your best option, myself included.

The main browsers available to you (for free) are Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Safari (Apple’s browser), Chrome (Google’s browser) and Opera. While there are heaps more, these are the main ones. If you are interested in seeing which browsers are the most widely used you go to http://www.w3schools.com/browsers/browsers_stats.asp.

If you followed the above link you will see that there are three versions of IE, or Internet Explorer, listed and soon there will probably be a fourth, Internet Explorer 9. The three versions are listed firstly because nearly 40% of internet users are on IE, so it is an important browser. But the reason the three latest releases are listed for IE, and not the three latest versions of the others, is because IE’s browsers differ so wildly and are often the bain of the web designer’s life.

I won’t take this opportunity to vent about Internet Explorer and their terrible record of being compliant with the rest of the internet, but I will explain why you, as the user and owner of a website, should know and care about the difference between browsers.

Every browser is slightly different in the way it interprets a website and in turn displays the content. I’m sure many of you have called your web design company wanting to know why an image is suddenly a lot higher or why something funky is going on with the text. As a website designer, the first question I ask the client is what browser they are using and what version of the browser is it.

Note: To find out what browser you are using and the version of that browser, in most cases you can go to the “Help” menu, when browsing the internet, and there will be an option entitled “About Internet Explorer” or “About Firefox” etc, depending on the browser you are using.

Browsers are gradually falling in line with one another in terms of how they display content, Internet Explorer included; however there are still often significant differences in display.  You as the client have to then make the decision on whether this is a big problem or not.  If the display error only occurs in Safari or Opera you may choose to let it go because only 6% of internet users may see the glitch. However, if the error occurs in Firefox which serves nearly 50% of internet users then you may want to do something about it.

If you do want to do something what are your options? Well the first and cheapest is to fix the problem in the browser which is displaying the error, but this doesn’t always mean that the error is fixed in the other browsers. So then your option is to get you web design company to produce a style sheet for each browser. A style sheet is a set of rules which determines how your website will look. Having multiple style sheets is your best option here, but will add to the development costs. So again it comes down to a decision at your end. Is the display error a big enough problem to warrant the extra spend?

Browsers can be a right royal pain if you fall fowl of their inconsistencies, but it all comes with the territory of having a website. Hopefully now you will be a little better armed when it comes to knowing your website and the way people view it. Send us an email if you have any questions about your website or the way browsers are displaying it.

“I really need a website”.

“I must get that shopping cart so I can sell my products online”.

“I’ll update my website in the New Year”.

Resolutions and thoughts like this are common ones, especially amongst business owners. However, as the New Year starts and all that comes with it means that your current website, or ambitions of finally getting a website, get swept under the carpet.

We’ll make the assumption that you and your business is good at what you do and you have good customer service, after those two things your company’s website is the most important aspect of your business.

A website:

• Is your primary source of advertising.
• Can become the number one pathway that your clients take to reach you.
• Tells potential clients about your services and why they should use you.
• Can save you thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours by automating mundane repetitive administration tasks (if you have a good content management system).
• Can take your client’s payments online and can also create a terrific flow of passive income.
• Can communicate with you current clients, either by bulk HTML emails, sms text message, blog / news articles or general updates on your site.
• Can easily manage vast databases of information once again saving you time and money.
• Showcase your products and services through photo or video galleries.

When you look at these points, as well as extrapolate these ideas based on your business’ specific needs, it would be negligent not make your website your number one New Year’s resolution.

“I can’t afford a new website”.

“Why do websites cost so much?”

Both of these comments are common and nine times out of ten not well thought out. A basic website might take 5 to 15 hours of work to develop. However, most website companies also have their own software or code which they have developed in their own time which they can plug in to new websites, meaning more than just the 5 to 15 hours go into a website.  More complicated database driven websites can often be anywhere from 10 hours work to upwards of 100 hours worth of work.

So if you are a business owner and want a new website and you get a range of quotes, a good thing to do would be to divide the quoted amount by your hourly rate, just to get a perspective on the price you’ve been given. Sure, everybody has different hourly rates, but this at least will start to help you make an informed decision.

The other point to consider is the monetary outlay for your website versus potential revenue generated by your website. If someone were to tell you that if you invested $5,000 and would get $100,000 in return over the next few years I don’t think anyone would turn that offer down. However, you would be surprised how many people baulk at a website quote which is only a fraction of what they would be making if their business becomes successful.

Sounds stupid, right?

“I want to make tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, but I’m only willing to spend a few hundred dollars to achieve it”. For people with attitudes like this I have one piece of advice, buy a Tattslotto ticket. If you want to get the most out of the internet and your website, you have to be willing to invest time, resources and money. Otherwise you are dreaming and will be making the same resolutions next year.

So in short, don’t put off to tomorrow what you could otherwise do today. The sooner you initiate the process of a new website or upgrades to your current site, the sooner you will be reaping the rewards.

Happy New Year!

We have written previously about question you should be asking yourself before you approach a website designer, but they were more focused on the general stuff. We often receive quote requests from potential clients saying something like this:

“We want a website exactly like the one at www.websitename.com. How much?”

Now to you that might sound like a reasonable question, however, I would bet a lot that there has been a series of assumptions you have made, or an understanding or your requirements which are not automatically clear to someone outside of your business.

Let’s take a look at an example, an online store which sells wheels, tyres and parts for cars. To the owner of this store it would seem simple; “I just want to sell my products online!” However, questions that we would ask which would impact our quote are such things has:

• What are the break downs of your products?
• Are there different categories within products?
• Can only certain products be purchased with another item?
• Do you require packages?
• What are your postage costs?
• How do you postage costs changed if a bulk order is made?
• Do you want to use your bank as a payment gateway or would you prefer an online gateway such as PayPal?
• How would you like your products to be searched/found by visitors to you site
• Etc

As you can see already there are a lot of variables which are very important when programming an online store which is functionally capable of handling a businesses demands.

This business owner may not have thought any of this through and thus expects are certain price based on his concept of the store being ‘simple’. He would then no doubt be shocked and somewhat annoyed when he receives a quote which is significantly more than he had imagined.

Now while we have listed all of the above questions, the business owner’s responses may have led us to the realisation that the store is in fact simple, however, many web design companies may not have asked these questions and just assumed that it would be complex. They are within their rights to do this.

What many people don’t realise is that when a website is quoted upon, nine out of ten times a fairly involved requirements gathering phase will need place. The less thought a business owner has given their website, the longer the requirements gathering phase will take. Some companies will not bother starting a requirements gathering phase unless they are commissioned to do so, which again is fair enough.

When wanting a new website, an update from an old website or a component like an online store, treat it like a new business and write out a business plan. How would you see it working? What are your goals for it? How could it be best structured for your clients?

The more thoughtful you are about your requirements, the more accurate a quote you will receive.

There are so many Content Management Systems out there, many of them really good. Some of the better known CMS’ are Joomla and Mambo, both of which are built using the same programming language as The Admin Site, PHP.

It was these very Content Management Systems which fuelled our desire to build our own CMS. Many average punters are given content management systems, like Joomla or Mambo, to manage their websites, however, these systems are not user friendly for your average business owner who knows little or nothing about websites and the internet. We wanted to create a content management system which would revolve around ease of use and would not confuse it’s users by bombarding them with dozens of links or with using terminology which would only serve to confuse them.

Our second bug bear about the content management systems out there was that a website had to be designed around the limitations of the CMS. We wanted a CMS which could be customised to any requirement, thus a freer creative process which resulted in what the client wanted, rather than what the content management system dictated.

So after 12 months of research, testing and development we came up with The Admin Site. The initial feedback we received from the first of our clients to use The Admin Site was terrific! Over the following months we sought continual feedback and made efforts to refine and add various elements.

The Admin Site is now approaching is second birthday and like all two year olds, The Admin Site has made tremendous leaps and bounds since its birth, however, what really excites us are all the new plug-ins and functionality we are developing.

The Admin Site now handles a huge range of elements from your basic content entry, to flash or jQuery photo galleries, from search engine optimisation to online store management or email marketing. Basically, The Admin Site can handle anything that you need to do in order to make the day to day operation of your business and website easier and more efficient.

We are extremely excited with what we hope to achieve in the future with The Admin Site and are continually looking for bigger and more complex challenges to which we can apply The Admin Site.

If you have any questions about how The Admin Site can help your business and website or would like to arrange a demonstration, please drop us an email at info@spikewebdesign.com.au.

They say that they have done their research and found that you are the holder of the trademark, which they are currently protecting on your behalf. At first this seems legit and a number of my clients have been concerned. One particular case we had just purchased a .ASIA domain for a client, then they receive an email telling them that they do not own this and it is being blocked. Then the company kindly offered to secure the domain on our client’s behalf.

Now what would have happened if our client had not asked us to sort it out and had instead consented? First, the Asian company would have contacted us ordering that we transfer the domain to them based on OUR client’s request. Then they would charge our client roughly ten times the going rate for domains, and they would sell it to them on a ten year contract, when the minimum or usual term is one year.

Now, since our client asked us to investigate these emails for them, we replied to the emails kindly declining the offer. We also noted that our client already has the domain and that there is no need for them to ‘buy it again’. This didn’t phase the Asian company. Instead they kept emailing our client, and now us too, notifying that we would lose the address unless we bought it through them.

As you can imagine our client was getting rather worried. We finally managed to make this company ‘go away’ by telling them if they sent one more email the next person they would be hearing from would be our lawyers. Of course, we heard nothing more.

Our client’s domain remained in our possession, their website kept running and we heard nothing more from this specific company.

There are many companies doing this and the best way to handle this situation is to delete the email immediately. If you are at all concerned, forward the email to you webmaster and ask for their opinion.

But remember, if someone is emailing you saying that they have possession of something which you have bought, they are almost definitely dodgy and should be ignored.

Over the last year or two it is a regular occurrence that a client, who we are designing a website for, will come to us saying that they’ve been contacted by a Search Engine Optimisation company who is promising big things. This frequently occurring situation is the instigator for the writing of this article. Hopefully this article will save us (Spike WebDesign) time in phone calls explaining what the SEO companies are really offering, and be informative to the general punter who doesn’t have the expertise or understanding.

Firstly, let me start by saying that there are a number of really great SEO companies around who achieve really solid results. However, I have yet to encounter a SEO company which tells ‘the whole story’. I would like to relay two recent encounters to you.

Not long ago I was asked by a friend, who is the GM of an international company, to sit in on a meeting with a SEO company claiming to be the ‘Nations leading SEO Company”. They were not informed that I was from an outside website design company so I got to see the beast at its best.

The SEO company had definitely achieved some great results for previous clients and that was not in question, however, during their extremely hard sell sales pitch they told many half truths and quoted statistics which they ‘heard’ we true. As the meeting went along there were various ideas put forward as well as ominous warnings of ‘if you don’t use us then you are doomed’ and ‘you can’t afford not to use us’. However there were two questions that had not been answered and I was dying to ask.

The first question was: “How much do you cost?”

The Answer…

“Our fees start at $10,000 per year”.

Wowzers! They start at that? This isn’t building a new website folks. It also isn’t rebranding or any kind of logo work, and that was their starter amount. After I picked myself off the floor and did a quick calculation that I could have created my friend’s entire website for a once off fee, including search engine optimisation, for less than their annual starter rate, I asked my second question.

“So if we were to use your services but after three or four years for some reason could no longer afford to pay you, would there be any lasting effect or infrastructure built that will stand our website in good stead? Or will we just fall off the Google map?” (Smiling sweetly the whole time).

The Answer…

“Well.. you would, uh… you would fall off the map!”

And there it is ladies and gentlemen. The cornerstone of most SEO companies and the major area where SpikeWebDesign differs from them. They make your website totally dependent on their service and just like any drug, when you stop forking out the cash, the high is no longer there and you plummet.

We don’t like to create ‘SEO junkies’ who rely on us, thus we create infrastructure that is lasting and we also teach you how to increase your website’s search engine optimisation yourself.

The second story I’d like to relate occurred when a new client was considering moving to a SEO company because they apparently had lower fees. However, hidden behind unclear wording was the truth. Again my client would have been trapped into a never ending loop of recurring fees, in this case hundreds of dollars in monthly fees. They also believed that they were being offered a deal on domain names, when the truth of the matter was that they were actually being charged nearly three times the going rate.

Our client wasn’t to know any better. SEO companies often use confusing lingo that only those in the website industry can see through. On some occasions these companies even tell blatant untruths such as convincing clients that you can own (read ‘purchase’) specific search terms which will get you listed number one in Google.

The pitch that allows SEO companies to exist and to continue to makes truckloads of money is that they promise to make your money back and then some. Their favourite term is ROI, Return On Investment. What’s wrong with this? Nothing. However, every single business investment you make should be making or saving you money so promoting this fact isn’t an excuse to charge exorbitant rates.

How much should SEO cost? That’s a good question and the answer depends on your website as well as your competition. However, you should not be paying thousands of dollars monthly or annually to companies who are not building you a solid base. You should not enter into an agreement with a company which means you are totally reliant on them and at the mercy of their pricing decisions or company direction.

Find a company like Spike WebDesign who have no on-going fees and who can optimise your website and online profile and then give you the tools to continue the process yourself. Spike WebDesign’s content management system, ‘The Admin Site’, allows you to have complete control over all on-site optimisation on your website, plus has the inbuilt functionality to further your off-site optimisation needs such as link partnering.

My final point before I sign off is an important one. Do not believe anyone who guarantees you that they can get you listed number one in Google. So many companies make those statements but to them I ask:

• Does that guarantee go for any keyword and phrase I choose?
• Does that mean on Google.com as well as Google.com.au
• Are we talking number 1 in Google’s organic results (the ones on the left)?
• Will your SEO process compromise the integrity of the content on my website? (This is an important one, always design your website for your users, not search engines).

There is no magic method of attaining top rankings in Google or other search engines. It primarily comes down to the level of competition within your industry/keywords. For example, if your company made towels and was called ‘Micro Soft Towels’. You would never rank well in Google due to the power and size of Microsoft’s website.

There are far too many smoke and mirrors salesmen in the SEO world who rely on their customers’ lack of knowledge. Do your research, don’t believe everything you are told and get more than one quote.

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The first thing a lot of people would do when in search of a web design company is search for something like ‘Website Design Company’ in Google. This on the surface sounds like a completely logical idea and you will find website design companies. However, whether or not they are going to be right for your needs is another thing all together.

When you break it down to its most basic level there are only two types of websites – off-the-shelf template websites and custom built original sites. This often translates into cheap versus expensive, but not always.

Most off-the-shelf template sites come with a low price tag, but often there are on-going costs such as monthly payments, which when totalled over the life of your website can be very expensive. This is often an area where people get led astray. They see something like $99.00 a month compared to $5,000 once off and think it is a no brainer and depending on how long you intend your site being around for, you might be right. The tradeoffs with going with the off-the-shelf template website are:

• You will have to make concessions on the look, feel and functionality of your site. It like the difference between going to a carpenter versus IKEA. In one situation you are starting with a blank canvas and all the tools available to you whereas with the other the end product is already created and you have to live with someone else’s choices.
• You may want or need your website to perform a specific task or display something in a certain way but an off-the-shelf template won’t do that for you. You may then be able to get the template company to do some custom work for you but they then hit you with an inflated price tag.

Despite those above points an off-the-shelf template website is sometimes the right option. At least you know what you’ll be paying and getting, as long as you do your research. Off-the-shelf can also be a better option when cashflow is a major issue for a company (but why not ask a custom website designer for a payment plan?).

There are many ‘internet cowboys’ out there who call themselves website designers and the amount of horror stories we have heard from clients are amazing. Always get a number of quotes from various sources. The quotes we produce are consistently significantly less than our competitors and we can’t figure out for the life of us why they are so expensive. The only answer we can rationalise is that some people just accept the first quote they get and are ripped off because of it.

What we have found is that despite having a lower price tag than many competitors, we are actually offering a better service. Clients always speak directly to us, there is no double handing or phone system in the way. We always try to meet our clients in person and have brainstorming sessions to get to the bottom of their needs. In short, we care about doing the best job possible. This sounds like something you should automatically get from anyone contracted to build your website but the sad thing is, a lot of website designers and companies rely on people’s ignorance of the internet and it’s technologies and use this as veil to hide their poor customer service.

As a rule, word-of-mouth is a very good way to find a website designer. No doubt you know someone who has had a website created. Ask them how they found the experience and if they would recommend the design studio or designer. If so, that’s a great start. If you don’t know someone, then find a website you like and contact them, asking for a referal to their designer.
Finally, when you do choose a designer, ask these questions:

• Will I have access to all files on my website should I wish to move to another company?\
• Will there be anything that impedes the process should I wish to move to another hosting company?
• Can I please have my FTP login details for my records?
• Can I please have any login and password information for my records?
• Can you please provide me with a quote that details all aspects including design, hosting, domain purchasing and most importantly, any on-going costs?

There will be of course other questions or scenarios that arise that we haven’t mentioned here. However, the process of getting a website should not be daunting and if you feel unsure for one minute then you are probably not with the right company.

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The first question that needs to be asked is a simple one but the most important. Why do I need a website and what do I want it to do? Many people will answer straight away; “Well I would like an ‘About Us’ page, maybe a ‘Contact Us’ page and a few other pages like other sites have… you know.” This response is akin to telling a builder that you’d like a house with walls and a couple of doors scattered throughout the house.

What you need to consider are questions like these:

What would you like your website to look like?
The first step we always suggest to clients is to look around at other sites you like and take note what it is you like about them. We suggest you look at sites both within and outside of your industry. Once you do find a few appealing sites, ask yourself: Is it the color scheme, the menu, the horizontal or vertical layout etc that appeals.

Other areas to look at are any materials, logos or corporate colors you already have and use for your business.

A lot of money can be saved if you are clear about the look you want rather than wanting to make significant changes later when the development of your new website is well underway. Building a website is not dissimilar to designing a house. It is easy for an architect to add a new room to their plans while they are in the conceptual stage, but once the house is built and the structure laid down, adding a new room is a big and costly problem. The same goes for websites, large structural changes are easily done in the initial design process but become costly if requested when all the foundations have been laid.

Do you want to attract new customers with your website?
This is a must if you will be marketing your business/website. When potential clients hit your website for the first time you’ll want your website, and more importantly, your homepage set out in a way that presents important information about why your business is different to your competitors as well as a few well placed ‘Calls to Action’.

Treat your homepage the same way you would speed dating. You only have limited time and space to communicate your best features as well as why you are more attractive than the next competitor.

Is your website purely an online information source for current clients?
This is often seen as the opposite of the first question, however, they often work hand in hand on well built websites. Many businesses have a lot of information or new products that can be helpful to both existing clients and new ones. However, if you believe many visitors will be coming to your website searching for information rather than a service you provide, then it is important to know prior to their arrival what they’ll be wanting and then, secondly, have a great navigation system that allows users to easily find what they are looking for.

Do you want your website to be interactive?
Some websites are purely for the user to absorb information while others have interactive components, be it survey’s, games, filtering of content to customise their experience etc. Do you want your website to offer interactive components?

Will you need a Content Management System (CMS)?
Many sites have the requirement to frequently update their content. Be it information, sporting results, news releases or otherwise it can be very expensive to employ a company or contractor to continually make these updates for you at their hourly rate. A better option in this scenario is to have a content management system tailored to your requirements that allows you to maintain your own site..

Think about sections that you would like to be able to update regularly or processes that currently take you a lot of time that might be able to be automated or made easier via the use of a CMS.

Not every site requires a CMS. Consider at length whether you have the time and resources to continually update the content on your site. If the answer is no then you shouldn’t waste your hard earned on a CMS.

Will you have a need for video?
A lot of websites these days feature video. There are many different ways video can be delivered through your website and in order for the best strategy to be implemented you need to decide the nature of your video requirements. Will your videos be continually changing, will they be lengthy, or short and punchy? Do you want them to be readily available to the world or available only to registered members?

Will you be selling products through your website?
While many websites have the purpose of creating more business and income, not all sites require or want their products to be sold online. Selling through your website can be as simple as having a downloadable order form or it could be as complex as an online store complete with a shopping cart, dozens of products with purchasing and delivery options.

Do you want your website to collect, organise and analyse data for you?
It is very important these days to monitor your website’s performance and then in turn tweak various elements based on the statistics to help achieve the various goals you have. This is a double edged sword though. There are so many different statistics which can be gathered from a website that it can become daunting and confusing. The key is to identify goals for your website, such as selling products, and then gear your statistics analysis so that you can focus on ways to achieve those specific goals.

Now just because you know about a lot of functionality now, such as shopping carts or video, it doesn’t mean that your site should have them. In most cases the old saying of ‘less is more’ is also applicable to websites. Because something might be cool doesn’t mean it will make your clients’ experience better or faster. The focus should always be “how can I help the client find what they are looking for and intersect that with the goals for my website as quickly and efficiently as possible”.

In short, a web designer can help you plan your website but it is you that needs to have a strong idea of what you want to achieve with your website if you want to have a successful internet presence.

Future articles will go into a bit more depth about Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), choosing a website design company, content management systems and more.
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