FAQ
This page provides answers to some of our frequently asked questions, as well as tips on getting your website noticed.
#1: How do I increase the visibility of my website when there are so many other websites competing with mine?
This question comes up quite frequently and the answer lies in the marketing. Even though a website is used to advertise your business, it still needs to be marketed to be successful. Would you start a business and never advertise?
Envisionary Designs™ will submit your site to a few of the more popular search engines, such as Google and Yahoo!, but we highly recommend our clients promote their websites as much as possible. There are several ways to achieve this, but a few suggestions are to:
Brand it …
Have your website address printed on any advertising, marketing or business-related materials, such as invoices, receipts, business card, fliers or newspaper ads. Let all of your clients know that you have a website. Word of mouth goes a long way. We have one client that always asks her customers upfront if they have seen her website. If not, she will give them the address and ask them to read about her first.
Another idea is giving away promotional items such as Post-It notes, coffee mugs or pens that have your website address branded on them. We offer a service to help you get your logo on such items using a few low-cost providers. See our Custom Design Services and Pricing pages for more information.
Pay-per-click it …
You can set up pay-per-click advertising based on how much you want to spend per month. Pay-per-click marketing campaigns are typically text ads, or “sponsored ads,” that are returned with the search results. They provide your business with higher visibility.
For instance, these results are displayed in the sidebar on Google when you perform searches. When a visitor clicks on the advertisement, the advertiser (you) is charged a small amount. Depending on the search engine, minimum price per click starts at 1 to 50 cents with popular search terms costing even more. Some of the pay-per-click search engines are Google AdWords and Yahoo! Search Marketing, as well as MIVA (formerly FindWhat) and others. Keyword research is recommended prior to using this service and there are several articles online to help you get the most from them. Google offers a Keyword Tool to maximize your usage.
Link it …
This method can either be free, or cost you money. There are numerous directories and search engines where you can submit your website address that do not cost anything.
One of the largest free directories can be found at DMOZ.org. DMOZ, or The Open Directory Project, is billed as “the largest, most comprehensive human-edited directory of the Web. It is constructed and maintained by a vast, global community of volunteer editors.” Although DMOZ is free, it can sometimes take months to get listed.
Paid Directory Listings
Yahoo! Directory, currently priced at $299 per year. You will need a Yahoo! login to get started.
Superpages claims “it is the leading online business directory. With hundreds of millions of customer searches per month, we connect local, regional and national businesses with buyers looking for what they sell.”
Best of the Web has been around since 1994 and provides a 60-day free trial with a flat monthly rate of $49.95 after the trial period.
Business.com offers both pay per click advertising, or inclusion in their worldwide directory for $299 annually.
You can also perform an online search for more directories where you can submit your site.
#2: Do I need to hire a local website designer?
Envisionary Designs™ has created websites for clients who are local, as well as out of state. Phone and email make it easy to effectively communicate with our clients, so it is not necessary to meet in person.
#3: How long does the process normally take?
The time frame from start-to-finish takes a variable length of time for each client, depending on the workload involved. Obviously, the less complex the website, the less time it takes to complete. We can provide you with an estimate upfront.
#4: What is needed in order to begin?
Layout
If you have seen other websites that you like, please send us the links so that we can get a better understanding of your style. We also suggest that our clients take some time and decide what pages they would like to have on their website. For example, some pages such as a home page, a list of products or services and a contact page are fairly standard, but others might not seem so obvious. Creating a Microsoft Word document with the various pages is a great way to get an idea of what to include.
Written Copy
If you have lengthy copy for the site, such as a biography, please write and proofread it before sending it to us. This will allow us to focus on the design and functionality, instead of on editing. Less time spent editing translates to a lower cost for you.
Images and Multimedia Files
We have a list of sites from where to purchase fully-licensed stock images and sound bytes, but we will need your company logo and any other previously designed graphics you wish to us to use.
If you want us to help with the printing or product branding of your logo, we need to ensure those images are of higher quality. We prefer Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator formats, but if this not possible just send us what you do have and we will let you know if the image quality is high enough for the printer. Please see our Custom Design Services and Pricing pages for more information on custom graphics design and product branding.
As a note, if your files are too large to send via email, we will create an FTP site where you can upload the files. We have also scanned items for our clients.