Archives August 2022

I want to be able to remember who visits my site, can you do that?

Absolutely! Creating dynamic sites that your visitors can interact with, and more important, that you can capture consumer information is offered.

We can also create databases for you to keep information about those that visit, and give you the ability to market to them.

Is all this animation on your site expensive?

No, all of the animations, menus and designs you see on this site are available and would be offered, at no extra charge on any site we would create.

I only need a small site, will it look good?

Every page and site we create is a billboard advertisement for our service. We would not produce a site that would not look good to your customers or ours!

I want to be able to update my own site, can you do that?

No Problem. There are several ways to accomplish that, I would be happy to discuss with you to see which fits you the best. I have set up several sites where the site owner is able to update their inventory without having to call me to do so.

I don’t like the box look that seems so popular, I think it wastes too much space. Can you create a site that takes up the entire window?

Absolutely, however there are some limitations that we would need to deal with, the most important being how your site will look at all sizes of screen and settings.

We can also do what might be called a “faux” screen, where it appears the entire page is utilized when we get to keep control of the size and therefore control of the appearance.

Last, having too much content and not enough space on a web site is not a problem we encounter all that often.

Do I need a Contact Form?

Need? No, Want? YES!

The biggest reason is that (as of this writing) up to 48% of all surfing is done by people on computers that are not their own, specifically employees surfing on the company computer. They most likely do not have their private email set up, so to email you would mean to use the company email. Many people are not allowed or are concerned about privacy.

Another reason is that we see many of the forms are completed past or even way past normal business hours, so with a contact form, you will have someone who may not want to disturb you at 3 AM for an inquiry, they don’t seem to mind completing a form at that time.

By providing a contact form, people can send you the information you want from any computer and at any time. So it is something that we suggest very strongly if the goal of the site is to gather a lead or customer information.

How much does a site from PaulgDesigns cost?

There is no one answer, it depends on a number of different factors. For example how large the site is, what your site requires and any special requests you may have.

We are happy to create one page sites for small businesses as well as very large sites that include interaction, e-commerce and database management.

One aspect of our pricing is that we include everything you will need in our initial budget. We do not start a project and strangle you with add-ons or “mandatory options”. We will quote you a price for the creation of the design and layout, then quote you a per page price, so you will be in control of the final figure.

After an initial conversation, we would be able to give you some budgetary pricing for your site. We can also work on a project that has a set budget as well.

I am trying to do my own web site and got stuck, can you help?

Yes! I offer mentoring and tutoring as well as repairs and guidance for you to maintain your own web site.

It is very common on help boards and newsgroups to see a graphic artist or marketing person to be assigned the task of designing and creating the company web site. This also happens with do-it-yourself types that are trying to save some money.

I offer help anywhere from looking at your code and making minor changes, sometimes at no cost, to designing and templating your site so that you can create the bulk of it. I also offer to create the flying menus that are so popular for you to add to your site.

In short, if you are looking for work on a web site, it is worth your time to call or write to see how I might be able to help you.

Web Sites Cost Too Much.

While technically that is not a question, it is a feeling many small business owners share. Perhaps they investigated having a site and were quoted some price that seemed out of line. This is not uncommon.

But..if you spend money on yellow pages or mailers or newspaper ads of even radio or yard signs, by not having a web site you are missing out on the opportunity to continue “talking” to that customer that experienced the other advertising that you paid for, in other words, you are short changing all of your advertising efforts..

Statistics show that web site activity enjoys a huge spike in visits right after a mailer of other form of advertising hits. And many people, after reading your ad, don’t find a web address to gather more information about you, …typically hey move on to someone that does.

But having a web site is surprisingly inexpensive, call or write to get a quote.

My current web designer says that meta tags are useless, do you agree?

If your current web designer does not have meta tags in your site, without a doubt FIRE THEM! All sites should have meta tags, keywords and descriptions …period!

I have read a number of opinions and articles on the subject, and every one that I have ever read that says the meta tag is useless, without exception they all have included meta tags in their own sites.

Now they can be misused, and their value today is not what is once was, however the totality of time required to insert these into your site is not over 5 minutes. Why would you possibly not take 5 minutes to help your web site to be found?

Meta tags, keywords and descriptions are codes that are inserted into a web site that search engine bots and spiders read to catalog a site into the search engine databases.

I get a lot of visitors to my site, but not a lot of results, what could be wrong?

First, we offer a free evaluation of existing web sites, visit my evaluation page for more information.

Without seeing the site, it is hard to say, but some pretty common mistakes owners and designers make are:

Selling the wrong thing: What I mean by that is unless you are actually selling a product online via e-commerce, you don’t really want to be trying to sell the product or service itself, you want to sell the action.

Meaning, if you are trying to gather a lead, sell the action of picking up the phone, write that email or fill out that form. If you are tying to have them visit your location, sell the action of them actually coming to see you, not just enjoy your site.

That is why the first order of business is to establish your primary and secondary goals for the site.

I own a small business, why do I need or want a web site.

While need might be a strong word, by not having a web site, you are certainly alienating or not even getting a chance with some buyers in your market.

Each situation and business is different, however if you are in an area that you have a good number of business travelers, you may be able to pick up some people that would otherwise not be able to find you. If you live in an area with new developments, these will have people that may not find you otherwise.

If you do any other advertising, mailers, papers etc, a web site can help to “close the deal” by giving people more information about you.

Last, with many small businesses, you may not need more than a page or two, and having a coupon for people to print is not a bad idea.