Recently asked on how much it costs to build a 75 page website on what I will call Subject A, I thought this might be a good time to explain a way to calculate this. Possibly even, on how not to calculate this.
I get this question repeatedly, “How much does it cost to build a basic website?” My answer? It’s $10 plus my hourly rate if you want anything extra on the site. Example of $10 website without extras. Anyone want one? Continue reading »
Still brainstorming for this years blog posts, I knew I still had to come up with something for the first business day of the year. I decided to write about the most important thing I can stress, site wide CONSISTENCY.
If you want a great website, you need consistency. The site needs to be consistent in format, usage, and even in your sites code. Your code is where it all starts, and slop on the server side reflects the same on the user side. Here are a few tips to keep your site consistent throughout. Continue reading »
It’s true, most websites work great. I can lease a server from pretty much any hosting company, slap a website on it, and expect up time of 99% or greater with no issues for years. Another thing websites do really well? Nothing. This post is directed specifically to small business owners, because I know many of you have websites that do just that, they do nothing really well. Continue reading »
Slow loading website are most certainly a dying breed. If your website takes more than ten seconds to load, you might as well have a giant website under construction image up as well. Doing my analyses, I found the average home page load is usually between 2.5 and 7.5 seconds. If you want anybody looking at your website, it’s time to speed that load time up. This week I will be posting several tips on how to do just that, starting with some basics today. Continue reading »
Maybe it’s just me, but when I review websites I find I always seem to have a soft spot for websites with smiling faces. Last week I was asked to check out this Denver photo booth rentals website, and the first thing that catches my eye is the smiling faces. Maybe it’s the; see someone else smile, I smile factor. Regardless of why, this site nailed the essence of what they are trying to sell with smiling pictures.
The website rents photo booths. Is that what they are really selling though? If you go to their home page, Denver Photo Booth Rentals, you will find 12 pictures, and only one of them is the actually photo booth. Continue reading »
Doing some free website reviews on a webmaster forum this morning, I came across the classic case of time and money spent with no market analysis. The site owner has a pretty good looking site, has a product competitively priced, and a small budget for marketing. The problem? It’s not making sales as expected, and he is having a hard time getting visitors. If he had only done a little market analysis work first.
Starting a website without a market analysis is like buying a lottery ticket, and that ticket cost the price of developing your site. Have any of you gotten rich by buying lottery tickets? The odds are kind of against you here. Continue reading »
Oh man, oh man, oh man…
Since Thursday last week I have been doing some research on small business websites. I have looked at about 300 so far. Some of you reading this may own one of the sites I visited. I sent a few emails to site owners where I saw quick fixes.
Some of the sites though, maybe I should say many of the sites, were just plain horrible. I don’t really know how to explain this other than, I simply have a headache from looking at them. In the past you have probably seen those lists by other bloggers or webmasters where they list the worst sites ever. Well after doing my bit of research some of those worst sites ever were better than the ones I have seen over the past few days. Continue reading »
For someone who owns a business, it might be a good idea to have a website for the business. Why? That’s because with a web site you can further promote the growth of your business. Many of your potential customers surf the web and look for the products they want before they actually buy it. With a website, these potential customers can view what you have to offer and contact you if they choose to avail of your products and services. Simply put, the website will bring success to your company.
But that success can only be possible if you get an effective website. But if people wouldn’t like the appearance of your website, then they might not even consider buying anything from your business. But if you’re on a tight budget, then you might have a problem getting an effective website. In this case, try to find a freelance web designer instead.
If you have a small business, then looking for a freelance website designer could be a good idea. Freelance web designers can charge much lower fees than companies in most cases. There are various freelance website design companies out there, so you have to carefully look for a good one. Continue reading »
Are you a small business owner with a website? Here is a quick checklist I developed just for you making sure you are at least covering the basics for your website.
Website Checklist for small business owners.
Website Web Site Web Page. It’s one of the reasons I started the Webmaster Wiki. I always said website, and my wife, whom used to be a technical writer, said web site. It’s what her style guide said, and who would argue with that. Typing the words web site a million times though, they just start blending together. It’s website, dang it. Continue reading »
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