Through a combination of experience, feedback and new technologies we have continued to strive for a better product. Something that can offer more to you, the client, but at the same time become easier and more intuitive to use. We have also looked to incorporate new modules and functionality to add to the library of tasks The Admin Site can help you with.

Behind the scenes there have been many changes to help make The Admin Site run faster and smoother than the older version, however, what we’re excited about are some of the great new plug-ins we have available in version 2.0.

Some of the great new features available are…

New Online Store
Spike has developed their own online store which can quickly and easily be customised to your businesses requirements. The store can connect to a variety of payment gateways including the world renowned PayPal or Camtech gateways. Ask us how our store can be tailored to your businesses.

HTML Newsletter Management Version 4
Many of you have a version of the HTML email / newsletter on your system. Each version of the HTML email / newsletter comes with increased filtering options, record keeping and reporting.

Brand New Photos Galleries
Our new photo galleries make use of the funky new jQuery technology which allows your website’s visitors to easily view hundreds of photos at terrific resolution while navigating easily between the photos.

The Admin Site Version 2.0 allows you to easily upload multiple photos, add comments as well as edit, hide or delete individual or groups of images. You are also able to categorise all of your images into albums and galleries.

You can view an example of the galleries at http://au.blueseptember.org/blue_september_photo_albums.php.

Product Image Zoom
This is a terrific little application which allows your clients to easily zoom in on smaller images in order to see the detail of the product. All you need to do is upload a small image and a large image via The Admin Site and the rest is done for you.

You can view an example of the Product Image Zoom at http://www.pca.org.au/results09/sx/awards/Best-of-Show-Award-3.php

New Video Galleries
Many of you have had the need for video on your website over time, now we have a great application which allows you to either upload your own videos, or grab a video from YouTube and put it into you website. You can have as many videos as you like, listed in a play list which is easy for your website’s visitors to click and view.

We’ve made use of this technology in our new video tutorials which many of you would already be using. We can of course ‘skin’ the player and playlist so that it fits perfectly into your website’s look and feel.

Video Tutorials
With the latest version of The Admin Site comes video tutorials. The video tutorials are never longer than five minutes in duration are aimed at showing your how to quickly and easily use The Admin Site. You are also able to request the creation of a video should you require it.

Improved Search Engine Optimisation
With version 2 of The Admin Site comes the ability for you to control even more aspects of your website which effect your performance in search engines such as Google.

On top of these great new additions to The Admin Site, Spike WebDesign has also been doing a lot of work developing software which helps to streamline our clients’ workflow. If you have tasks which are taking up a lot of your time or repeatedly costing you money, talk to us about how we can automate these tasks and free up your time to focus on more important areas of your business.

“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!

Tiny Toes Ballet is a Sydney ballet school specialising in Children’s ballet and Dance for Kids. Due to being a children’s dance school and wanting to position themselves in the ‘ballet for kids’ market, Tiny Toes Ballet and MWC Media decided there should be a playful feel to the website. They wanted some moving elements that would make the page interesting without taking away from the main content or making the overall user experience complicated.

Each page of the website features a fading photo gallery depicting shots of children from the school. The photos communicate brilliantly how engaged the children are and are clearly having a terrific time.

The Tiny Toes Ballet website was built using a combination of HTML, Flash, xml, jQuery and tradition JavaScript. You can view the site at http://www.tinytoesballet.com.au/.

Specs For Less required a website that would allow them to showcase their huge range of Designer Frames, Fashion Frames, Standard Frames and Budget Frames as well as allow customers to customise their purchases and decide whether they required just the frames or also wanted to purchase lenses.

The Specs For Less website is powered by Spike WebDesign’s proprietary content management system, The Admin Site. Through the use of The Admin Site Specs For Less have control over:

• Frame and lens management
• Postage pricing management
• HTML Emails to a database of subscribed members
• Member management
• Gift Voucher Creation and Management
• Control over all page content

The shopping cart for Specs For Less is integrated with PayPayl. As a world leader in online payment gateways it was decided that PayPal was the best option for when the site first launched.

We also needed to allow for the entry of customer prescriptions. Lenses are very specific and personalised; therefore, if a customer chooses to buy a frame with lenses they will not be able to complete the purchasing process without filling out their prescription form. Specs For Less is dedicated to ensuring their customers get the best possible lens for their eyes.

Finally, we installed our search engine optimisation strategies and backend software to ensure Specs For Less got off to the right start by performing well in search engines such as Google.

If you have any questions about the new Specs For Less website or would like an online store or a similar website please send us an email. You can reach us through our contact page, http://www.spikewebdesign.com.au/contact-us.php.

The agents at North West Homes, James Abell and Angela Denny, wanted a web presence that would allow them to communicate with the clientele and provide easy access to their information.

Two important briefs for their website was that it was first clean and easy to view and secondly that it matched their reputation for quality and service.

The North West Homes website is powered by Spike WebDesign’s proprietary content management system, The Admin Site. Through the use of The Admin Site North West Homes have control over:

• All written content on their website
• Agent / Staff member creation and management
• New items creation and management
• Links creation and management

North West Property also required a number of forms throughout their website which enables their clientele to request ‘Free Market Appraisals’, create their own ‘Wish List’ and a standard ‘Contact Us’ form.

Finally, we installed our search engine optimisation strategies and backend software to ensure North West Homes got off to the right start by performing well in search engines such as Google.

If you have any questions about the new North West Homes website or would like an online store or a similar website please send us an email. You can reach us through our contact page, http://www.spikewebdesign.com.au/contact-us.php.

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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