Why do I need a Web Site and How do I get one?

Why do I need a Web Site?

Normally, the worst reason for doing anything is "because everyone else is..."

However, if you're marketing a product or service and you are NOT advertising where your competition is, you'll find yourself left behind very suddenly.

In the past, when your customers were looking for a product or service, their easiest option would be to pull out the Yellow Pages to search for a store or company in their area that provided the product or service they were in need of. Sometimes this supplied a name and phone number. Sometimes, an address. On more rare occasions, a picture advertisement with a list of services or products.

With the Internet today, that same customer can go to a search engine or index and be presented with a list of businesses that fit their needs, with links to their web pages. Those web pages are loaded with product pictures and price lists, maps and phone numbers, and even online Shopping Cart system which allows the customer to order products and services--all without ever having to leave the house or office.

Perhaps you have a "service" oriented practice such as accounting, law, or medicine that's already doing well and you're wondering why you should burden yourself with the added expense of a Web site. Simply put, not having a web site will soon be like not having a listing in your local Yellow Pages. In the Web world, this is referred to as a "corporate presence." Even if your best business comes by word-of-mouth, your potential customers may want to check you out. A well-designed, professional web site can give you added visibility and credibility. Especially if you provide a public service and your gold is to get information to a large number of people almost instantaneously. Additionally, the cost of maintaining a Web site is probably the most cost effective advertising you'll ever do.

The Internet is one of the first places a person who has access to a computer will go to get information. As one source put it, "the Internet 'IS' information." Whether it's information on Hepatitis C or a specific product or service, the World Wide Web is *the* place your customers look to for information.

 OK, I need a web site ……what do I do now?

• First, you need to decide what information you would like to offer on your site. This can be as brief as one page describing who you are, where your are, what you do, and how to contact you, or it can be as comprehensive as you wish. You can include as many pages as you like describing your products and services or offering information you feel is relative to the needs of your customers and the general public.
• You need someone to design your web site for you. That's us! We take your information and pictures, brochures, or other graphics and combine them to make attractive, readable, professional pages. We’ll work closely with you to make sure you get what you need and want.
• Next, you need to have someplace to store your pages so they can be accessed by all Internet users. This is called a Web "Server." There are two ways of getting a "server" ….

1. Set up a computer in-house dedicated to Internet service. This option requires 24 hour maintenance availablity, a programmer and high speed communication lines. It is generally fairly expensive.
2. Rent a virtual server from an existing Internet Service Provider. By far the most common and least expensive way to get your web page out there is to rent space on another server. This is called a "virtual server".

• The next step is to publish your Web site to the server you have chosen. We offer Web hosting services through VenerNet (FastURL.com). They offer fast, reliable Internet connections with servers dedicated strictly to Web hosting, as well as excellent service,all at a reasonable price. Once you sign up with VenerNet you become a customer of VenerNet and they will handle your billing and technical service. Or you may choose the web hosting service of your choice. In general, we would not recommend "free" web hosting services as they often don't offer the same reliability and service as paid hosting.
• Once your web site is up and running, there will still be maintenance issues. You may want to add or update pages and add new features. If you have someone in your company who is able to do this for you, you're all set. If not, you'll need someone to take care of these things for you. For a small monthly fee, we will take care of your site and see that it is kept up to date and that all elements are working together properly.