June 9, 2008
I was thinking a bit today on the difference between the words ‘cheap’ and ‘affordable’.
Really because I often get calls from clients asking for ‘a cheap website design’…
So I thought I’d examine the words a bit and how I view them in my own life.
First of all, to me, some things that are cheap, really aren’t affordable in the long run. One of my bad habits is picking things up at the dollar store. Cheap household tools especially. Have you ever bought one of these junky pieces of crap?
If you have, you know that they are good for about one, maybe two uses. Then it’s right back in line at the dollar store again for a new screwdriver or crescent wrench. Now, at first glance, that buck I paid for said tool may sound like a good deal. But as my wife pointed out one day, it’s really just paying the premium price in installments. Yup, a good old Craftsmen tool runs about 6 bucks or so. So if I’d have paid the price the first time, I’d have me a doozy of a wrench and not have to worry about it breaking.
Do Craftsmen tools break? You betcha. But they offer a warranty for the price you pay. So you are covered if something does happen to your tool.
How does all of this apply to affordable website design?
Simple. Cheap does not always mean affordable. Cheap and good are rarely mentioned in the same sentence. Cheap denotes a half effort. A less than par performance. A less than average product.
So no. We don’t offer ‘cheap’ website design.
We do offer affordable website design.
Call us and see:
Chuck Crawford
559-761-0910
Posted by admin under Affiliate Websites, Business, E-Commerce, Real Estate Websites, SEO | Comments (0)
May 22, 2008
E Commerce sites can be a tad different than most of the affiliate or information sites. They require a different approach and a lot of thought for the security of your users.
After all, they are going to use their credit cards or other financial information to purchase a product or service from you site.
So throughout your design and development, you need to consider security number one. Yes your site must build confidence and have good sales text. But your users absolutely must feel safe and secure to take the plunge and purchase your offer.
Some of the ways to accomplish this are.
Create a professional look and feel for your site. If your site looks junky and cluttered, you are sending a message. You are telling them that YOU or your company might just be junky and cluttered. Not much of a confidence builder, huh?
Get to the point. Jumping all over the place and offering a million offers that have nothing to do with each other will not make you millions. It will water down your search engine optimization and frighten off many of your customers. Be the authority. Sell one line of products or services. Do it well. Earn their trust.
Use a secure cart. Buy a security certificate if you intend to use your own custom cart. If you intend to use a processor that has their own cart, clearly label it on your site. Let your users KNOW that they are safe. Tell them why. Don’t take for granted that they know a particular company solely because you know that processor. Point out the safety features. Point out the reasons why it’s ok to buy your product.
Clearly outline your privacy policy. TELL your users what information you collect, why, and how to contact you if they would like to change that information you hold. Give them more security by telling them if you use tracking cookies. Tell them what you intend to do with their email address and why.
Also, clearly define your site’s terms of use. Protect yourself as well as your users. There are laws that require this policy outline in many states. Especially for children under the age of 13. Create a solid terms of use and let your users know what it is.
Clearly label the links so that your users can find your contact info for shipping issues, the policies mentioned above, and your return or refund policy. If you don’t allow returns or refunds, LET YOUR USERS KNOW. It will save you many headaches in the future.
Lastly, use a company that has experience for your development partner. If your designer / developer does not suggest these additions to your new e commerce site, you need to look elsewhere.
Or, you could just give us a call…. 
Chuck Crawford
559-761-0910
Posted by admin under E-Commerce | Comments (0)
May 21, 2008
One question I receive often in my email is whether or not to use free or low priced templates for projects.
Now, my response might surprise you. Because my answer might just be yes. Depending on your project, your budget, your time of delivery needs, etc.
Every project is different, and every client has a different set of needs, goals, and expectations. Budget constraints are probably one of the biggest hurdles you have to overcome when moving forward with bringing your project live online.
With a really tight budget, free templates can be just the solution to cut corners and get moving on the web. But there is a catch. Getting that template to perform well in the search engines is still going to take quite a bit of optimization. Adjustments to the code to make it perform better.
A well optimized template containing CUSTOM content (the actual text within your pages) can perform extremely well. We have several clients that have taken this route, and many of them are indeed sitting at the top of the search results.
So don’t let overwhelming price quotes stop you from bringing your dream into realization.
Call us today and we’ll gladly help you decide the best route.
Chuck Crawford
559-761-0910
Posted by admin under Affiliate Websites, Business, E-Commerce, Real Estate Websites, SEO | Comments (0)
May 19, 2008
Domain name selection. Your ‘www’ on the web. An easy part of the design process, right?
Maybe. For some. But not for everyone.
One of the things we encounter a lot with new clients wanting better search engine placement is that they have often opted for a poor domain name for their site.
For example. Let’s say that ‘Bob’ builds custom bicycle seats. Really really cool custom bicycle seats. And ‘Bob’ is really really proud of his work. His art. His passion. So ‘Bob’ decides it’s time to take his product online.
‘Bob’ shoots on over to his favorite domain registrar and finds that his DREAM url (domain name) www.bobsfantasyseats.com is actually available! So ‘Bob’ registers that bad boy for ten years, with dreams of being the biggest manufacturer in the world when it comes to cool custom bike seats.
But did ‘Bob’ pick a good name for his product? No. ‘Bob’ picked a cool name for ‘Bob’….
What he failed to do is to consider using some basic keyword research in order to find a good domain name that might actually help him rank better in the search engines.
Before you start writing your email to me full of branded examples (www.google.com comes to mind…) let me say this. YES, using other optimization methods, coupled with an excellent advertising budget, ANYTHING can be branded. If you have millions of dollars, you can make wooymooy a universally recognizable brand.
The fact of the matter is, most of my new clients don’t have an unlimited budget. Most don’t have years to cultivate the branding and the time to wait for other optimization methods to compensate for a branded domain. No, most of my clients want faster results. And that means looking for a domain name pertinent to the product your selling. Using keyword research to see what your users actually type into the search engines.
So going back to our example, wouldn’t it have been much better for ‘Bob’ to consider something like custombicycleseats.com? Even custombikeseatsbybob.com would have been better than the domain given in the example. Because these domains contain keywords that Bob’s buyers might actually search for. Resulting in visitors that are not only curious about your product, but resulting BUYERS.
What a concept, huh?
But yes, it can be confusing, and we are here to help. We are experts in helping you locate the best possible domain name for your products.
Give me a call and I’d be happy to help.
Chuck Crawford
559-761-0910
Posted by admin under Affiliate Websites, Business, E-Commerce, Real Estate Websites, SEO | Comments (0)
