View Alan's Services | Need A Web Site Manager? Get Alan!
Email Accounts:
Once you procure your own web address, you can create an unlimited number of customized email addresses that reveal your web presence, such as info@yoursite.com, sales@yoursite.com, etc. ... assigning email addresses for each of the employees and/or departments of your company, creating a much more professional image. Further, you can have contact pages on your web site that send messages directly from site visitors to any person or department you wish.
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NOTE: Email links on web pages, and forms on web pages that send messages via email, are always being hacked by spammers. The scripts that web designers create to make these functions operate, must continually be updated as hackers figure out new ways of invading them. If this procedure is ignored and a hacker invades one of the scripts on your web site, thousands of spam emails can go out into the world with your email address as the sender and your web site can be shut down by your hosting company without warning. Alan insures against this nightmare by regularly updating all email scripts on all client-sites ... silently, and without a fee!
If you have any questions about any of these details, please feel free to ask them ... just Contact Alan -- you'll get your answers in less than 24 hours.
How Many Pages Makes A Web Site?:
How many pages do you need to complete your web site?
People often ask, "What, exactly, is a web page?" ... Alan answers.
If you have any questions about any of these details, please feel free to ask them ... just Contact Alan -- you'll get your answers in less than 24 hours.
Web Site Management:
Alan has been actively involved with the progress of the world wide web for more than twelve years. He knows the internet and how it works and he not only protects you from scams, but he regularly checks the status of your web pages and provides many other services most other web designers neglect to even think about.
You don't merely want to have a web site built and then never be able to find the person who originally designed it! You want someone that you can dependably rely on, throughout a long-term relationship, and that means you want to Get Alan! Please feel free to visit any of Alan's Web Sites where you can phone his clients directly and ask them what they think of his services and reliability ... they'll all tell you the same thing: "Alan is always there when we need him!"
Read Client Testimonials | Click Here
Alan can help you manage your presence on the web in many ways. Aside from making sure the HTML aspects of your web pages are kept up to avant-guard standards, Alan can help you augment your web presence by helping you incorporate Twitter and Facebook pages, as well as YouTube video presentations ... all of which helps drive more traffic to your web site and your business.
If you have any questions about any of these details, please feel free to ask them ... just Contact Alan -- you'll get your answers in less than 24 hours.
Domain Names:
The first thing a prospective web site owner must do is to procure a domain name; a web address; www.YourSite.com
Domain name registrations/ownerships may be acquired for 1 to 10 years at a time ... it's best to purchase your domain name for at least 3 years or more. It's easy to forget to renew your domian name and, should you let it lapse, you'll regret it greatly - it's an absolute nightmare recovering a lapsed domain name!
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NOTE: These purchases should always be conducted through official authorities. Far too many prospective web site owners fall for internet scams, such as being told they can procure a domain name for as little as $3.00, only to later discover that they are not the owner of their domain name at all and the true owner is the company they purchased it from; making sure they are unable to do anything with their domain name without paying exhorbitant fees for services that may only be had through the company they've been scammed by.
Alan always has his clients purchase their domain names and hosting accounts themselves. This way, they are the absolute owners and have total control of their web site. GoDaddy can supply you with everything you need, at a very reasonable cost.
If you have any questions about any of these details, please feel free to ask them ... just Contact Alan -- you'll get your answers in less than 24 hours.
Search Engine Optimization:
The implementation of Site Optimization involves a variety of techniques that are applied to the HTML coding of each page on a web site, aimed at getting greater and more specific attention from search engines like Google.com. This is a very important aspect of web site design that helps people who are searching the web to find your web site. Many web site designers neglect this aspect of building pages and thus, there are many companies offering this service to existing web site owners for hundreds of dollars per web page. Alan includes these complex coding techniques in every single web page produced, at no additional cost!
Next in line of importance is the title of each page on your site. This is something that is done through the HTML coding ... many sites have unbelievable titles like "Page" which serves no purpose at all! Further, the actual content of the page is looked at by search engines. If there are many grammatical errors or misspelled words, that page will not be listed properly ... worse still, if the content is presented in the form of an image (or in the form of a Flash-designed page) rather than HTML text, that page will not be recognized by search engines at all.
Since most people find what they are looking for on the web by using search engines, these techniques are crucial to creating a successful presence on the web. Without them, your web site will never be discovered by anyone performing searches for your products or services on the web. Why sell yourself short? If you have a web site or if you are planning on building a site, make sure your web designer is incorporating all Site Optimization Techniques properly.
If you have any questions about any of these details, please feel free to ask them ... just Contact Alan -- you'll get your answers in less than 24 hours.
Web Site Hosting:
Once you've established a domain name of your own, you will need to obtain a hosting service. This is where your web site resides. All HTML files and graphic image files created by your web designer are placed on a server (a satellite feed) and, from there, your site is made available for all the world to see - 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.
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NOTE: Beware of web site designers who appear to charge you a small fee for designing your web site, but want to provide you with hosting services as well.
First, their servers for hosting are low-grade servers that will deliver your web pages slowly ... second, they place your site on a server with many other sites and when the other sites receive visitors, your site (as well as the others) perform even slower than before ... third, they charge $35.00 to $50.00 per month for hosting! GoDaddy charges less than $5 per month and does the job way, way better ... and, fourth (this is the worst part!), they often own your domain name as well! -- When you want to get away from them (after you discover all these deceptive ploys), you find out that you can't, because they own your domain name; you have to buy a new domain name and start all over again.
Always purchase your own hosting plan, on your own, making sure that you are in charge of all aspects concerning your web site.
If you have any questions about any of these details, please feel free to ask them ... just Contact Alan -- you'll get your answers in less than 24 hours.
Web Site Success Tips:
1. DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME
One common scenario that causes much financial heartache to first-time web site owners is allowing someone, usually a friend or family member, to build a web site for a small amount of money or for nothing at all ... proving the old adage to be true: You get what you pay for. These sites always look terrible, but what's worse is the many ways they fail to function properly -- poor navigation, inadequate hosting services, lack of search engine recognition techniques, distorted images, poor wording, spelling and punctuation, etc., etc. These sites always wind up getting scrapped and their owners have to start all over again, wasting much valuable time and often, after all is said and done, large amounts of money. Do yourself a big favor and have a competent professional build you a web site that will make a positive impression on everyone who visits.
2. AVOID THE "CATCH-ALL" WEB SITE OFFERS
Another common situation that sends many site owners to me seeking help, is what I call the "catch-all" web sites. These involve companies on the web that specialize in hosting sites for particular industries ... listing many businesses with a web page all their own on a site that houses many other businesses of a similar nature, for what may seem to be a reasonable fee. They claim that anyone looking for a business of this type will come and find them there ... but, unfortunately, no one ever does. Such companies employ no search engine recognition techniques and, worst of all, site owners are committed to paying a monthly fee (I've known these to be as much as $165 per month) for nothing at all! Don't be fooled ... there's only one approach to a successful presence on the web: Obtain your own domain name and have a web designer build you a site that navigates sensibly, looks like your business, maintains continuity on every page and contains all the necessary web site optimization techniques.
3. PROMOTE YOUR WEB SITE
After obtaining your own Domain Name ... i.e. YourSite.com (the shorter and easier it is to remember, the better), you must promote your domain name by making sure it is seen on your business cards, letterheads, mailers and any ads you produce via print, radio and/or television -- anything that has your phone number on it should also display your domain name. Your public isn't going to visit your site if they don't know where it is ... and if a competitor has their website listed in their ad and you don't, 65% of all customers looking at the two ads will go to your competitor's business before they go to yours! Finally, make sure your web site designer has included all search engine optimization techniques so all search engines can log your web site on a regular basis and provide you the recognition on the web that you're looking for.
4. MAKE YOUR HOME PAGE ACTIVE & ENGAGING
It's a good idea to have new features and inviting changes that regularly appear on the home page of your site. Without them, it's like walking into a room where everything is still sitting in the same place as the last time you entered -- returning visitors may get the feeling that nothing has happened since their last visit or that "no one is at home" ... and decide to make a quick exit. Offering a different discount on one of your services or products -- each month -- is a sure way to get visitors returning to your site regularly.
5. OFFER SOMETHING HELPFUL ... FOR FREE!
Giving your site-visitors something for free will keep them returning on a regular basis! It's always a good idea to create a Free Tips page on your site where you can educate your visitors about the need for the many services you have to offer them, while helping them to understand and enjoy their involvement on deeper levels. For example, a Free Tip of the Month feature on your site, including a form where visitors may submit their own questions and view answers from your company experts, is something all visitors will enjoy. This will not only keep visitors returning to your site, but you'll have the added benefit of harvesting email addresses for promotions and/or monthly newsletters -- and you'll also be letting visitors know how much you care about serving them ... all at the same time!
6. ANSWER EMAILS PROMPTLY
Be absolutely sure someone answers every email you receive within 24 hours or less. This is a crucial point of interest for any web site owner. People using the internet have grown accustomed to getting results very quickly ... if someone sends you an email and they don't receive a reply within 24 hours, they will assume they are dealing with a business that either doesn't care or, even worse, one that no longer exists.
7. AVOID UNWANTED IRRITATIONS ON YOUR WEB PAGES
Sites that open with a music file playing are subject to immediate rejection by visitors. An unexpected sound or piece of music is generally taken as rude and irritating, as are constantly-repeated animations which serve as nothing more than a visual distraction. Site visitors like to be in control of their experience. If you want to offer a sound file of any kind on your site, it can certainly be a very nice enhancement for visitors ... but it should be presented as a choice that they can make on their own by clicking on a button, and it should be something that contributes worthwhile information that is relative to your business. Lastly, if you absolutely must have music playing when someone enters your site, at least have the sound file gradually fade in so that it isn't such an abrupt experience.
8. NEVER REVEAL EMAIL ADDRESSES ON YOUR SITE
If any email address is readable in text format, hacker-machines (searching the web 24/7) will pick it up and use it. Thousands of spam emails can go out into the world with that email address as the sender and the web site responsible for revealing that email address will be shut down by their hosting company without warning. Alan insures against this nightmare by not using text-reveals, employing encryption techniques and, also, by regularly updating all email scripts (combatting new hacker techniques as they come up) on all form-mailers, on all client-sites ... silently and without a fee.
9. REVEAL YOUR INTEGRITY BOLDLY
Business sites that don't reveal a telephone number or, worse still, don't offer an email link for visitors to make real contact (such as is seen on many larger, corporate sites), only present a statement of obvious untrustworthiness -- if you want to purchase a product or service from any company who offers you no way of contacting them, how secure does that make you feel? Be sure site visitors have all the ways of contacting you that are necessary.
10. PROMOTE/ADVERTISE YOUR SITE ON THE WEB
Advertising is certainly a crucial part of any business plan; the more you advertise, the more business you generate. However, times are changing in rapid fashion and with web sites making many types of businesses available to a global marketplace, the way you advertise your business is also changing. Today, people are going to the web and to search engines, like Google to find what they need, making what use to be the usual forms of advertising much less effective than they once were. If you are interested in advertising your business on the web, I think the hottest tool out there right now is a thing called Google AdWords. This is a bit complicated to put into practice immediately! However, the short of it is this: You can create simple ads that will appear on Google's search results pages, based on people searching specifically for your type of service or product ... you only pay when people click on your ad and visit your site ... you can determine how much you are willing to pay for each click and you can set your own budget, specifying how much you want to spend each month. If you are serious about getting into this, I strongly advise you to read The Ultimate Guide to Google AdWords before you ever begin. You can waste a lot of money and time learning how to apply all the tricks involved in creating a successful ad campaign -- and this is the book that will get you started in all the right ways.
If you have any questions about any of these details, please feel free to ask them ... just Contact Alan -- you'll get your answers in less than 24 hours.
