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How much does it cost? |
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As with any service, from
a plumber to a financial adviser, costs vary depending
on requirement. Web design and print is no different.
We appreciate that this is often the first question
people want answered and as such we offer an initial
free consultation in which we ask a set of questions
to start understanding the implications of our potential
clients requirements. This allows us get an idea of
the costing and gives them a clearer idea of what
is possible. If you would like to discuss a future
project you can either
contact us through our online contact
form or call us on (905) 450-1975
- we'd be delighted to talk through your ideas and
help you to make decisions about what you want, how
long it will take and how much it will cost. |
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Do I really need a website |
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If the main reason behind wanting a web site is
that your competitors all have them you're probably
not going to make the most of your online potential.
It is always more effective to view the internet
as an opportunity for you or your company rather
than as a threat. At the most basic level, a new
web site is an opportunity to provide additional
information on you or your company. This could start
from the bare essentials such as a company profile,
contact information or an online contact form. On
a larger scale a website is a great way of strengthening
a new brand, modernising an old brand and introducing
existing customers or fans to new work or services.
It can also aid with customer feedback - giving
web site users a direct link to you to ask questions
and let you know where you're going right or wrong.
To take it up another level, some companies and
individuals use the internet to enhance their business
operations by selling products or services online.
This is still a relatively new area but has had
some truly amazing results for companies operating
in specific market areas. Amazon is perhaps the
best known example of how e-business can be harnessed
to outstrip competition. As e-commerce technology
improves and consumers become more knowledgeable
and trusting, more and more businesses will find
an advantage in selling online, which is why an
understanding of how the internet can aid you now
will give you a head start for future developments.
The sooner you get started the more capable you
will be of harnessing the future possibilities.
Click
here for more reasons why you need
a website?
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How do I go about choosing a company to
design my Web site? |
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The first thing to do when deciding who will develop
your new web site is to find a range of companies
either through word of mouth recommendation, by
searching online or by looking in trade magazines
and national press. Go to their sites and have a
look around, then go to their client's sites and
explore them. If you find them easy to navigate,
clearly laid out, visually attractive and functional
- make a note of who designed them. Now you have
a shortlist of potential developers.
Before contacting these companies it is always
a good idea to have as clearly defined a concept,
of what you want on your site and how the site will
operate, as possible. This will help when talking
to companies, they will be able to give you a more
accurate idea of what they can do and you will be
more able to pin them down on pricing and timescale.
Draw up a site map, collate the images and text,
and start thinking about the sort of functions that
you want the site to have such as mailing lists
or message boards.
Now you're ready to start asking questions. Contact
your shortlisted companies and supply them all with
the same level of information. If they are proactive
in finding out about you and your needs give them
as much information as you feel comfortable with.
A company who asks you to fill in the gaps and talks
through the implications and possibilities of your
future site will be more capable of fulfilling your
requirements. They will be able to provide you with
a higher level of customer service and usually be
more cost effective than less communicative companies
because they are more capable of tailoring their
service to your needs.
This process
should give you a clearer idea of what your site
should and can do and help you to understand the
pricing and timing structure of your web project.
You should also end up with a refined shortlist
of companies all capable of delivering the best
site possible. From this point onwards its really
down to personal preference and individual differences
between the remaining companies, but you should
be off to a good start with whoever you decide upon
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How long will it take to set up? |
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We can set up a web site within weeks (days for
a simple site) but we need the content to be fully
available.
Many businesses understandably want to develop
the content themselves. However, this can take a
very long time because of the day to day pressures
of other work and perhaps a lack of some of the
internet marketing and copywriting skills required
in house. Content development is usually the longest
part of setting up a website.
3wmagic content
development and copywriting support can help you
get your project back on track. See our page on
professional copywriting for websites and marketing
campaigns.
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Do I need a domain? |
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A domain is an internet
address for your site. Yes – you need one.
3wmagic can help you research availability
and obtain one that will work well for you. |
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What’s hosting? |
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Your website needs to run on a computer.
This is normally done on a server which is shared
with other sites or dedicated just to your site. This
is not a simple task in practice and most companies
decide to have a specialist ‘host’ company do this
for them.
3wmagic provides
different web hosting packages to suit your site needs. |
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Can’t you just do the design and we can think about the
content later? |
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Yes, of course, but ………:
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Your content
will affect the site structure and navigation.
These form a major part of the site design.
The site structure and broad content needs to
be known before your design is created. |
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Ideas frequently
develop and change during the process of creating
the content. This may impact on the design. |
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We normally
recommend the design is left until the content
is substantially completed to prevent wasted
time and (your) money. |
Click
here for more information on our
web site design process.
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Do you need to re-register your site with search engines
frequently to ensure good profile? |
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It is unnecessary, costly,
and sometimes even counter productive to re-register
pages with engines regularly, e.g. monthly. Some web
site submission companies still promote this service
for obvious commercial reasons. Our advice is in general
NOT to do this, particularly since often this is undertaken
using automatic search engine registration software
to keep costs down. This can be ineffective for some
engines and even be penalized by them. |
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Do you have to register with thousands of search engines? |
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Whilst there is
a huge number of search engines worldwide, many have
a niche geographic or industry focus. The vast majority
of searches, however, use the biggest ones (Yahoo,
Google and the like). Many minor ones (and some major
ones too) use one or two central directories or databases.
It makes business sense therefore to concentrate on
optimisation of your positions with the internet big
players and /or databases. Smaller engines may be
particularly relevant for your site however, e.g.
one specialising in your industry or geographic region. |
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