Features
Your website is tailored to fit your specific needs.
I love the creative process and how it interfaces with practical reality. A web site should be both artistic and functional. I will ask about your intended audience, and then try to get into their shoes, shaping the site into something that will hold their attention from an informational, functional and eye pleasing angle. And if you are interested, I can help set things up so that your audience can find you easily with search engine optimization.
You may find that you want the site designed and implemented from beginning to end ... and that is what I offer.
I will register a domain name for you (e.g. www.yourpractice.com) create the web site with the features you require and upload it to a host. And that is not the end ... I am also here for you when you want changes and additions or even redesigns.
You may, on the other hand, find that your present web site is out-dated and needs more features and a different look. I will then use your existing domain name and host to make the desired changes.
Whatever your needs are, don't hesitate to discuss them with me. I will do my best to get you rolling.
Some may prefer a more hands-on approach.
Using a coding language called 'PHP', I can set your site up so you can revise the content of any page, any time you want, from the luxury of your office or home computer. All you do is log into a panel with your password and username, and you can edit selected pages. This is great for address changes, new additions to the practice, updated pictures and news about your business. Plus it saves you money in the long run because you don't have to pay me every time you want to make a change or addition.
SITE OPTIMIZATION
What is it?
This is how your site is tweaked and polished to make it as friendly as possible to search engines and to get ranked as high as possible on their lists. This can be a tricky business and there are no guarantees. Especially in highly competitive markets. Whether or not you need this polishing depends on the purpose of your site. If you are just setting up a web site for your own clients or family and not depending on anyone 'finding' you, ranking is not an issue and you need not read on.
If you are depending on the site to 'catch' business from surfers ... it makes sense that you want to be ranked as high as possible with the major search engines. This will be a consideration as to how your site is designed so it's important to know right from the start if optimization is to be emphasised. To find out more about this process, check out what Google has to say on the subject.
Proven Results
Here is an example of what my optimization can do. Within six weeks, I had the following site designed and on the first page of both Google and Yahoo (the two major search engines.) The site is for our bed & breakfast, called Columbia Beach Guest House. In this area, B&B's are quite numerous as this is a major tourist spot. Click on the following links: Google / Yahoo to see it's results with the key words 'parksville qualicum b&b'. Results fluctuate from month to month, but consistently the B&B is on the top of the first page of both search engines. Also, the following links are search engine results using the indicated keywords in the search box. Check Blooming Lovely Landscape & Designs, Uwe Pools and Excavating and Speers Concrete Designs. All these sites enjoy being first at the top of Google and Yahoo.
Your Role in Optimization
One of the keys to site optimization is in having other sites link to you. Google views this as a bonus and gives you a higher score when figuring out your ranking. Therefore, it's wise to promote your site by submitting it to as many business directories or similar interest web sites as possible. Some of these submissions cost a yearly fee and some do not and the submissions are your responsibility. In the example above, I only submitted the B&B site to a handful of free directories. As part of the optimization process, I will submit you to a number of free directories and search engines, but remember that your diligence in this area can be of great benefit.
What I Do For You
Briefly, here is what I do to make your site optimum:
Help you with a domain name. It's good to have a descriptive domain name ... eg. kelownashoefactory.com is better than ipsydipsidoodle.com for the same company (unless the company is known popularly by that latter title.)
Allow the site to be easily found. I design it so it displays content in such a way that it attracts the search words used by your targeted audience.
Set up the meta code (programming language) so it is up to the latest standards, and so it is a desirable environment for the search engine robots that visit your site. Search engine robots get 'annoyed' when the web site contains old and confusing language ... and this may cause them to move on.
Tweak the front page content so it is as relevant as possible to the words people use to find it.
Submit a .xml generated sitemap to Google so they will be able to better explore your site.
Run a series of tests that help to determine it's efficiency for search engine placement. I then make a number of adjustments until it is efficiently set up for the web-bots. One very important test is the keyword density analysis, which tells me the relevance of all the words on your site. Very important to get this right. And you may have guessed, this is one of the more time consuming parts of the endeavour.
Submit it to a variety of search engines and directories and blogs.
Of course, time is a factor. It takes a while for your site to begin showing up on search engines, sometimes up to three months. In that time, it is important for you to begin advertising your site as much as possible.
Remember, having other sites link to you is very important, and that is something you can do to give yourself an edge. If you take the time and have your site optimized, your ranking will be favourable.
HOSTING
Once your site is created, you need a host. A host is a machine that rents you space on the internet ... kind of like a parking space for your car.
Some internet providers, SHAW for example, include limited free web space as part of the package. Others do not. Generally, these free spaces are limited in size and functionality and usually part of the agreement is that they are not to be used for business purposes. For instance, a database (required for shopping cart systems) is not an option if you are using free web space (unless you choose to use the system designed by PayPal.) They are also not as reliable and can have down time ... something that may cost you business if you are relying on having your site running 24/7. Another deficiency is that you are only allowed one email address.
More importantly, experience has shown me that if you want to be indexed quickly by Google and Yahoo, it is better to have a paid host.
But if your site is small and not too complicated, you may decide that your free space is enough ... I can upload your site there so you don't pay an extra hosting fee.
Optimally, I recommend that you have your site on a host because the site will perform better, be more dependable, allow you to have better enhancements and if you need to be ranked with a search engine, such as Google, you will achieve a better ranking score. Really, it is not too expensive, starting at $7.95/month.
In that case Design Menu Web Solutions can set up an account for you with our exclusive, local hosting service, Iwebserve.