Introduction

The internet is vast, and in this day and age, anyone, from anywhere in the world can be looking at your website.

In a June 2008 survey, Netcraft.com, an internet services and research company identified responses from 172,338,726 sites around the world. To offer a balanced perspective, on July 12th, 2008, DomainTools.com reports there were 103,401, 498 active domains around the world.

Whatever the exact number of websites is globally, these numbers are simply staggering when you consider the world wide web originated in March 1989, and by 1990, the first web pages were formed.

Eighteen years later, this month, The New York Times reports that in the United States, 162 million people are internet users.

The internet is now a fundamental way of life in our globalized world, both on a personal level, and for the purposes of this interview, a business level. The internet, dominated by the almighty website, will be a significant part of our planet's social structure, likely for many years to come.

A modern day website is primarily designed to be the portal entry into a company or individual's vision, or business model, featuring content designed to provide image, information, credibility and value. A good to great first impression of a website will drive interest, build brand name recognition, and maybe added as a favorite website.

For a business in the market to build a new website, or who may be interested in improving on an existing website look, there are a myriad of design and marketing options available, but like anything in this fast paced world, it can be a bewildering experience to sift through and discover what the practical, cost effective and functional options are.

To provide Ace readers broader perspectives on how to design and market a website in 2008 and beyond, The Ace Marketing Agency invited three savvy website entrepreneurs to participate in an interactive interview in this month's edition of In The Spotlight.

Each of our interview participants specialize in their own brand of website services, and offer perspectives based on their business expertise on such topics as: Advice for building a new website, considering the costs involved, and discussing current and potentially future website marketing trends.

A truly great website may or may not be your business goal, but a functional, easy to navigate and informative website built to drive new and repeat traffic should be a golden goal.

This three way interview combines perspectives from the following participants:

A.) Greg Campbell is a graphic website designer, and owner of Basic Website Design & Graphics, based in Palmyra, NY.

B.) Randolph R. Shea specializes in website development, website instruction and search engine optimization. He is the President and Founder of Befound Website Services Inc., based in Victor, NY.

C.) Steve Schmidt, is the Owner of eDirectHost, based in Victor, NY, a company designed to show businesses how to build their own websites online using eDirectHost's website builder program.

Gentleman, thank you all for taking the time to talk to the Ace Marketing Agency.


1.) What area of expertise does your company specialize in for the development and marketing of websites?


GREG CAMPBELL: I believe my niche is clean and simple, easy-to-navigate, attractive custom designs. The marketing side of what I do is very much the aesthetic impression on the visitor when browsing the site.

RANDY SHEA: I wouldn't claim to be an expert at anything but I believe I am above average now and getting better all the time. I specialize in design, "organic" Search Engine Optimization (S.E.O.), and most of all "host specific" website instruction. Beyond these abilities I have a solid background in business and marketing which in my opinion gives me an edge over and above someone who merely has technical skills. I have a unique results oriented approach that helps to ensure that the website I assist in building for my clients parallels with their existing business or organizational model and objectives.

STEVE SCHMIDT: EDirectHost provides a web based website builder that allows users to create and maintain their own website online. We provide the software and support thats used when building the website. We have streamlined the process within the site builder to help the customer submit the final website to search engines like Google, Yahoo and MSN. In addition, we provide custom search engine optimization for some of our larger customers who wish to rank higher in the main search engines. We also have a team of independent consultants that can help customers that need a website built for them.

2.) What advice would you give to a business who wants to build a new website?

GREG: Know what you are getting into! It may seem to be a simple undertaking, but it's always more than you think. Do you have the skills to do it yourself? Perhaps you do. There are services that will allow you to create a fairly customized site, even with limited computer knowledge. But is that your best option? Does that present the best image for your company or organization? I will often remind people who come to me looking to build a website that though the budget may be tight, paying someone to create and maintain your site can save hours of frustration; meaning that is money well spent. There are certainly many options for maintaining a site (Which is a must! Fresh content is very important!), and it's a good idea to have some sort of game plan for that going in. Aside from that, you also just need to know what you want. Find some sites you like, and model your site after the best parts of those sites. Know what you want your site to do. Are you looking to generate new business? Are you wanting to disseminate information to an existing client base or membership list? Perhaps both? Just good to know up front what purpose you want your website to serve. A well-informed web designer is a happy web designer. :-)

RANDY: Understanding the differences in the hosting packages available is a very important first step that many miss. Many hosting companies will try to lock you in for a long term at a low rate, but later you'll end up feeling like your being held hostage if you want to make a change. In today's market if you make a mistake, in most cases it's better to cut your losses and switch to a new host than to wait for the term to expire. If you need someone to assist you in the development phase of your website look to work with someone who shows a genuine interest in understanding your business prior to trying to sell you on what they can offer you. Do your best to provide them with at least 3 websites that are similar to what you would like to have done and allow them to explain to you what they see from a development perspective. Provide as much graphics and text to them in digital form as is possible.

STEVE: The first thing you will need to do is figure out how much you want to spend in building the website and then hosting and maintaining the website on an ongoing basis. There are many ways to tackle this, do you want someone to design and host a website for you or do you try to build and host it yourself. Keep in mind that once the site is up and running you will need to make changes down the road and all of this needs to be budgeted up front. Your strategy will depend on your budget. You will also need to determine what features you want on the website, the more features you want the more it will cost to build. Designers can charge you from $500 to $5,000 to design and build your website. More professional sites can run as high as $25,000 to build. Web based programs that help you build your site online can run from a $0 setup to a $250 setup and then you have to pay for the monthly hosting fee. Hosting fees can run from $5 a month to $100 a month depending on the type of site your going to build (informational or eCommerce).



3.) How can businesses build and market a website at an economically favorable cost?


GREG: There are a few options. The internet is the great equalizer. For the most part, everyone has equal access to the same audience. You just have to have a plan for how to let the audience know you are there, too. There are lots of "do it yourself" options out there. That is certainly one way to go. Other than that, just do your homework. Shop around and see what is being offered, and see what value you are getting for your dollar. I believe one huge thing I offer my clients is that I have done a lot of that for them already. I can be a personal consultant for website design, and maintenance, and, to some degree, marketing. I can offer advice on what works and what doesn't, from my experience.

RANDY: This question might best be answered by first asking what are the intrinsic and extrinsic objectives that the organization is hoping to achieve in having the website both in the short and long run. What many organizations are finding is that by having and maintaining a well developed website they save money from their advertising and marketing budgets that can then be applied to their budget for hosting and maintaining their website. Learning how to make simple changes and/or learning to develop your own website can save you a lot of money longer term. This can be particularly important for smaller organizations when activity slows and/or operating budgets are low. Some who have had websites in the past were at the mercy of those who had developed them for them and could not afford the rates that the development companies were charging to build it out and maintain it for you.

STEVE: Look to build the website yourself by either using a program like MS Frontpage or look at some of the online website builders. Online website builders have become pretty advanced over the years and can provide a professional website. Most will come with free search engine submission to help market the site.

4.) What drives visitors to a website as a destination resource?

GREG: Fresh content. Fresh content not only brings back regular visitors, but it boosts your search engine ranking so that new visitors will find your freshly generated content. Most often these days that content is in the form of some sort of blog, but as long as your pages are changing, and maybe even your site structure (adding pages, perhaps re-naming some) your website is going to be frequented as a valuable resource.

RANDY: This question can be rather involved. I was in the minority a few years back when I said that Search Engine Optimization (SEO) was going to become the most important factor. At this point I don't spend much time trying to convince people of what I can do it for them, I just show them. Although I could easily charge more for S.E.O. when I develop a website, I include the basics at no extra charge. Beyond that I favor focusing on what type of visitors my clients are hoping to attract and secondarily what action are they hoping the visitor will take. Most often they are hoping that those who visit their site contact them and/or purchase something but there a whole range of other objectives that I try to tune into when I consult with them. Website development is not an even, it is a process.

STEVE: There are many factors to this but the main source of visitors is how well your website is positioned within the search engines. Like everyone else in the world, when you want to look something up you go to your favorite search engine and type in a few key words and "BAM!", here come the results. Most business will go to the top 3 listings in the search engines, so if you're listed high for your key words, you are golden. If not, then you have to work at getting higher, and until then you will get some customers but not as many as the top 3 listings do.


5.) What are some current up and coming website trends not everyone may know about, but could be beneficial to small and large businesses?


GREG: This is news to no one, but user-generated content is definitely the trend. Whether that's the blogs I have mentioned already, or the various interactive community-oriented sites where visitors to a site really do generate the content, the web is becoming very interactive. Different technologies (like AJAX and other scripting languages for example) are allowing for content on pages to load without the page loading or refreshing, and this is making websites look and feel more like desktop applications all the time. The web is definitely the next "platform". (Software makers are beginning to focus more on making web applications more than desktop applications.)

RANDY: Social and/or business networking and blogs. Some may say this is not anything new but most of those who have websites either don't have the time and/or understand the importance of doing this. I see this trend as still being in its early stages.

STEVE: What we are currently seeing a lot of lately is customers getting creative about what they want on their sites. Mostly blogs, RSS Feeds, YouTube Videos and Flash. The more information and content you get onto your site the more the search engines like to come out and index your site. The more you update your site with new content the more often they come out as well. Blogs are considered king of content and Google loves to come out and index blogs so the more blogs you have and the more you update them the more Google will come out and index the site. We are also seeing a lot of customers having multiple faces on the internet. You may start with a website and then setup an account with face book, MySpace or some of the major blog players. All having links back to the main website to help your site rank well.


6.) In your experience, what turns visitors off to a website?


GREG: Well, to go along with what I've said already, I think stale content for one. It may not necessarily turn your visitors off, but after a few visits (or even the first where they can tell the content is old) you're going to lose your repeat visitors. Other than that, too many moving parts, lots of clutter, information overload, poorly structured site, ... clip art!! All of these are seemingly little things that can make a bad first impression.

RANDY: Links that don't work or navigation that doesn't have a smooth and logical flow to it. Content is very important but so is spelling and grammar. Too much flash and music can actually be a turn off depending upon the type of organization the website is intended to represent. Functionality should always come before pizzazz. Oh yea and pop ups. They are just plain rude and I've found much more effective approaches for my clients that the visitors will actually appreciate.

STEVE: Popups, broken links, Affiliate advertising all over the site and poorly designed web pages. Websites have to look professional and be easy to read and navigate with the right content. Some advertising is ok but you shouldn't overdue it. And Please, Please, Please don't use popups on your site, your customers will hate you for them.

7.) What do you see as the future of website marketing?

GREG: Since the web is becoming such an integral part of life - not just of your computing experience - it is obvious that it will be also the next marketplace. It already is, I think. But I'm sure this will continue, and advertisers will look to get their message out in new and creative ways, using all the latest technology available. Interactive is good. Targeted marketing is much more possible through the web. There are many benefits to web marketing, and I think we're just getting started.

RANDY: Finally a simple answer. What I am doing now!

STEVE: Website marketing to us means getting as high as possible on the search engines. The number one thing to get there is to have lots of incoming links from other sites to yours. These links should be from key words that you want people to find you on the internet with via search engines. Google has just over the past year placed a lot more relevance on incoming links from blogs and social networks, so start blogging out there and link back to your site. Always try to keep your site simple and remember, good content is king, and try to place a lot of good info on your site.


Thank you all for your time.


ABOUT THE INTERVIEW PARTICIPANTS


Greg Campbell, owner of Basic Website Design & Graphics has loved computers since learning to program his TI-99/4a as an 8-year-old kid. Many years later, using his programming skills in slightly more useful ways, Greg is a self-taught HTML programmer, and dabbles in PHP and Javascript coding. He began designing artwork for CD's, merchandise and concert posters while touring full time with his wife as the duo "basic". After creating and maintaining their band website (basicmm.com) for a few years, others began asking if he could provide this service for them, and thus was born Basic Web Design & Graphics. Greg and his wife Jen live in Palmyra, NY with their five children. Greg's favorite food is ice cream. :-)

To learn more about Basic Web Design, please visit www.bwd-graphics.com, or you can reach Greg by phone at 315.597.4149, or e-mail at greg@bwd-graphics.com.

Randolph R. Shea is the founder and President of Be Found Website Services Inc. located in the heart of Victor, NY. With his knowledge, skills and abilities in website development, Randy compliments his services with a solid background in business, sales, and marketing. He has the facilities to expand his business and intends to do so should his business model continue to prove successful.

To learn more about Be Found Website Services Inc, the best way to reach Randy is by phone at (585)924-1980 or on the web by using the contact form at www.befoundwebsites.com.

Stephan Schmidt, of Information Technology Specialists, has provided business assistance to hundreds of Businesses throughout the United States. For nearly 20 years Stephan has worked in the areas of computer programming, training, consulting, project management, disaster recovery, and technology selection. Mr. Schmidt has been the lead on projects with companies like Ortho Clinical Diagnostics, Bausch & Lomb, Celltech Group, New York State Electric & Gas, Albany Medical Center and Wegmans. As a Business owner, Stephan operates eDirectHost which provides website design, hosting, search engine optimization and merchant account services for small businesses. Stephan is a current board member of the Victor Historical Society and Volunteers with many other organizations.

To learn more about eDirectHost, please visit www.edirecthost.com, or you can reach Steve by phone at 585.869.6801, or e-mail at support@edirecthost.com.