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why do I need a web site? So, you're considering developing a web site. Still not sure? You're not alone. Though thousands of new sites are added each month, the internet is still a new technology to many businesses and individuals.  Each day, 24 hours a day, new businesses arrive on the World Wide Web. On-line transactions are exploding! Millions of business worldwide have turned to the Internet for their advertising needs. The Web is expected to grow by at least a factor of a 100% over the next five years. Just a few short years ago, there were about 5,000 web pages - today, this number exceeds half a million with about 5,000 new services being created every day. No technology in economic history has ever enjoyed such vigorous expansion. Your business needs a solid on-line presence to stand out. OCWebSolution.com can help you do just that. You may have questions and concerns about what to do, how to do it, or whether to do it at all. OCWebsolution.com can help you with these questions, and help to put your concerns to rest. Some questions frequently asked are: So.. why do I need a web site? Is there a real value to the Web? What's the key to a successful site? How do I draw an audience? What's an Internet campaign? What do women have to do with it? Once you've decided to launch your on-line presence, you may have additional questions such as;  How fast can I get my site up and running? What factors should I consider before designing my site? What should I provide in order to have my web site created? What's the difference between "website hosting" and "website design"? What is E-Commerce? What is the best way to make my products available to on-line customers? How does the overall web site development process work? How much will my web site cost? What if I don't know what I want? What kind of mistakes should I try to avoid when developing my on-line business? How is OCWebSolution.com different from other web site development firms?   So.. why do I need a web site? A website can be a relatively inexpensive and effective way to reach a larger audience. Compared to the costs of traditional forms of advertising, a website can provide long-term exposure for your company. The internet also presents a perfect medium for businesses trying to reach potential customers outside their immediate area. Companies offering a unique line of products or services, accommodations and other tourism industries can target customers outside the reach of local newspapers, television and radio ads. Another important reason is that you'll want your customers who hear of your name, products, etc. to find you easily on the web - If they don't find you.. they will find and buy from your competitors. Although it's not as effective as a fully integrated web site, we strongly encourage all businesses- at the very least- to post a static page as a "virtual calling card". Other reasons include; - Get instant feedback  - Reduce advertising costs  - Enhance your Company's image  - Gain national, even global exposure - Have the ability to take orders on-line 24 hours a day, 365 days a year - Be able to provide technical support/customer service on-line or via e-mail - Increase your customers' awareness of your products, services and capabilities - Keep your customers informed of new product and service offerings  return to  top   Is there a real value to the Web? We think so. But don't take our word for it. Consider these facts: a recent Nielsen survey found that 58 million people use the Internet in the U.S. and Canada. 30 million of them were on-line within the last 24 hours and 10 million have made purchases on the Web - an increase of  50% over last year. Nielsen also reports the annual household income of the average Internet user to be $60,000. The number of people going on-line grows at a rate of over 25% each year. You need to reach these people.  Now consider those who are already selling on-line, and what they're selling; Lands End - Toyota - Eddie Bauer - Warner Bros. - Omaha Steaks - K-Mart - Sony - Bloomingdale's - Toys 'R Us - Dominos Pizza - Kellogg's - Continental Airlines - Staples - Nordstrom's - Honda - Target - CNN - FAO Schwarz - Hilton Hotels - WalMart - Gap - Comp USA - Gatorade - and more! return to  top   What's the key to a successful site? The key to a successful website is simple: Does It Work? A well-designed, easy to navigate web site can open a whole new marketing frontier. Users want to be able to navigate through your site quickly and easily, while you want to present them with the appropriate information and images. A poorly designed, cumbersome site can be a cyber-disaster. OCWebSolution.com won't let that happen to you- you'll venture onto the Web with an image that reinforces your business's style and reputation. return to  top   How do I draw an audience? Once you've launched your web site it doesn't necessarily mean that you'll have hundreds of customers a day looking at your site. Marketing a website, like any other aspect of your business, takes some time and commitment. You will want to let potential customers know about your site, including search engines, incorporation with your other advertising efforts, and networking with related sites and organizations.  OCWebSolution.com offers many strategic marketing and promotion services, but cannot make any guarantees about the amount of traffic you will get or what position your site  will rank in the search engines. The overall quality of your site design will help with establishing meaningful traffic to your website. The key to getting visitors to return to your site is to keep your site as current as possible and provide some "stickiness". This refers to the concept that the web site has a compelling reason for users to frequently come back to visit. This can be achieved by getting the user to leave some information behind on the site, such as a personal profile, an investment portfolio, a resume, a list of preferred cities for weather reports, personal horoscopes, newsletter sign-up, birthday/gift reminders, etc. The concept is that once a user has taken the time to upload all of this personal information on that particular site, they are likely to "stick around" and reuse that site again, which limits the possibility of switching to another site which may provide similar services. You'll also want to make changes as often as necessary so your viewers have the most accurate information. Provide features that change regularly (like calendars of events, special offers, activities, or current weather conditions for various activities), so customers have a reason to come back. Consider adding features to your site that allow you to make regular (even daily) postings with ease (the BizEstore is a great tool to make changes quickly and easily with no HTML experience required!), or consider establishing a site maintenance program with OCWebSolution.com for regular updates. return to  top   What's an Internet campaign? OK.. so your site is designed. It suits your business and advertising goals and provides clear, concise, relevant information. It's easy to navigate, interesting to read.. so now what? A web site is an extension of a successful marketing program. It provides your business with the means to convey information well beyond what a television, radio, or print advertisement can accomplish. As part of your web site promotion campaign, you will need to publish your URL on all of your stationery and promotional materials. The successful marketing of your URL to your existing and potential customers will add to the success of your web site. return to  top   What do women have to do with it? Never underestimate the power of a woman. Statistically, women are responsible for approximately 70% of all retail purchases. Therefore, if you intend to sell on-line, you need to consider ways of catering to women on your site. return to  top   How fast can I get my site up and running? Most custom design projects can be completed within 1-2 weeks. The time span will vary depending on the complexity of the project and the content development for the site. With the BizEstore system you can get started immediately and begin to design and create your web site within minutes with the click of a mouse!  return to  top   What factors should I consider before designing my site? Your specific goals for your website should be planned out well in advance prior to the actual site design begins. You may want to consider a few of these questions:  - What audience are you trying to reach/target?  - What should your customers get from your website?  - Are you trying to simply inform people, or do you want website viewers to purchase products, make reservations, or take other immediate actions?  - Should a customer be able to get all of your information/products from your site, or would you prefer that they call or visit you in person?  - Do you intend to use your site for e-commerce?  All of these questions lead to valuable information that will affect your overall site design. The purpose of your site will determine how your site should function, what features it should include, how often it should be updated, and more. return to  top What should I provide in order to have my web site created? OCWebSolution.com offers complete "one stop" services, which can include a professional copy writer, graphic designer, layout and content manager, project manager and so on. You provide as much input as you desire on the content for the site and our experienced staff will develop it for (or with!) you. return to  top What's the difference between "website hosting" and "website design"? Website design and website hosting are two separate services for your website development. Website hosting is a service that allows you to place your files on a server with a direct, full-time connection to the internet- to allow users to find you on the world wide web. For smaller businesses, website hosting will be provided by a company (such as a hosting service or Internet Service Provider) that can provide a reliable connection for your website. The design stage includes preparing all of the graphics and information for your site, doing page layouts and developing the actual computer files and programs that will run your site.  You should be prepared for two main costs incurred by your initial website development: (1) a design fee, which is normally applied when you begin to design your site, and (2) a hosting fee, which is normally a monthly or annual fee paid to a hosting company. return to  top What is E-Commerce? Electronic commerce is the buying and selling of goods and services over the Web. Companies no longer need a physical storefront - an on-line Web presence allows customers from all over the world to purchase goods and services 24 hours a day- 7 days a week! return to  top What's the best way to make my products available to on-line customers? With our SECURE integrated custom shopping cart and our BizEstore system- It's easy! Our e-com products are e-commerce enabled and ready to go! If you don't already have a Merchant Account we can help - a FREE merchant account is INCLUDED when you sign up! Our design team will walk you through the process to ensure that you are selecting the right account to match your site's goals. The system features an online product catalog and ordering system that can be managed right from your desktop on your favorite browser! All BizEstores are hosted on a secure server to provide peace of mind to your customers. return to  top How does the overall web site development process work? OCWebSolution.com will work with you to create a personal, custom design for your on-line business. We do not believe in utilizing the "cookie-cutter" approach to design. You will receive the personalized attention you deserve in order to help differentiate you from your competitors and imperative in order to achieve your marketing goals. Here is a basic outline of a few necessary steps; (1) Begin by surfing the Net. Spend time on-line researching the Internet and looking at your competition. Try to find sites you like (color, layout, content) and write it down. (2) Think about the major categories of information you want to feature on your site.. (3) Gather all of the information you already have (brochures, flyers, print ads, proposals, etc..) and try to break it into the major categories you just identified. There are a number of different sources for the information for your site. Consider using information from your business plan, catalogs, advertising campaigns, procedures, pricing, technical data and prepare it just for the site. (4) Content, graphics, functionality and layout is next. All of the sites designed by OCWebSolution.com are specifically just for your site. You'll provide some basic input on the color scheme you prefer and the layout desired. Then our professional design team and programmers will go to work. As pages are created we post them to the web to give you an opportunity to make changes/suggestions as your site develops.  (5) Layout and content is completed and posted. (6) Client review; you review the site in it's entirety and give us any and all changes you would like to make. We'll make the changes right away and then your ready to "go live"! (7) Marketing programs should be implemented, such as search engine submission (and ranking), reciprocal link exchanging, affiliated program, opt-in email lists, gateway pages and more! (8) Site Maintenance to update content, product listings, etc. basically anything that is needed to keep your site accurate and up to date. return to  top How much will my web site cost? Sites can range based on the complexity of the design. A general estimate for most custom business sites range from from a simple "starter" page for $299 up to several thousand for a dynamic interactive presentation. We provide one FREE hour of consultation to get your custom project started where we can breathe life into ideas and map out your primary objectives. We will determine an all-inclusive fee to offer a "total solution" for your business including design, maintenance and marketing that keeps in line with your budget and goals. Monthly site hosting fees start as low as $14.95 per month, monthly site submission to over 1,000 search engines and on-line directories at only $8.25 per month and a fully integrated, turn-key e-commerce site for a one-time fee of $149 and only $39.95 per month. OCWebSolution.com has and continues to work with all businesses of all sizes with any budget. You will never be surprised by any "hidden charges". We make sure that you always understand what you are getting in return for your investment. return to  top What if I don't know what I want? Rather than just taking your corporate brochure and putting it online, we will work with you to define and develop content that is relevant to your target market and will draw meaningful traffic to your site.  We will provide strategic input and offer a variety of solutions based on a discussion of your company's marketing goals. return to  top What kind of mistakes should I try to avoid when developing my on-line business? There are several common mistakes that many businesses should avoid when deciding to develop a web site, such as: (1) Only putting your company brochure online.  This fails to take advantage of the interactive nature, multimedia capabilities, and nearly limitless space of the Internet.  While this may be an OK place to start, it should certainly not be where you stop! (2) Never updating your content.  It's important to give visitors a reason to return to your site, as well as to attract new traffic.  Nothing is more discouraging for a potential customer than to be greeted by stale content, outdated information, and dead links. Monthly features, seasonal promotions, new products/services or special sales are all effective ways to engage the interest of your target market.  OCWebSolution.com offers on-going site maintenance on a weekly, monthly or "on-demand" basis and in most cases these updates are included in the price of your monthly hosting fee. (3) Failing to define goals.  What do you hope to achieve with your web site?  Many businesses choose to get a web site because their competitors are doing it and they don't want to be left behind, or because they feel that by not having a web site it will undermine their credibility or make them look out-of-date.  While these are valid reasons, it's important to look beyond them to define what you want your website to do for your business.  Do you want to expand your advertising reach, without the high costs associated with traditional media advertising?  Is your goal to increase consumer awareness about your company, or to generate leads and sales?  Would you like to gather market research?  Do you want people to buy from you online through an "electronic storefront" that never closes, or do you plan to use your web site as a means to drive people to your retail establishment?   OCWebSolution.com can help you define your goals and explain how you can use your website to save money, increase revenue, and improve customer service. (4) Failing to offer interactivity.  The more you are able to engage a visitor to your web site, the greater the likelihood that he or she will turn into a customer.  Static pages full of linear text are less interesting and appealing than web sites that offer visitors a chance to participate.  Take advantage of the medium! (5) Lack of marketing!  "If you build it, they will come" does NOT apply to websites!   It's important to have a marketing plan to drive meaningful traffic to your site.  Registering with search engines is important, but that's only the first step.   A well-planned marketing campaign will include both online and offline (traditional media) activity.  Options include banner advertising, online classified ads,  newsgroup promotions, targeted e-mail campaigns, direct mail campaigns, print brochures, press releases announcing your site to various media, and more.  OCWebSolution.com offers many site promotion services to help bring traffic to your website. return to  top How is OCWebSolution.com different from other web site development firms? Because  your business is unique, we focus on the importance of differentiating your business from from your competitors. We don't believe that a "cookie-cutter" approach is the most effective way to design your site. At OCWebSolution.com we guarantee that your business will receive the personalized attention it deserves.  We specialize in creating effective, full-service packages custom designed for your business's needs and budget.  We can assist you with complex programming, content development, help you define goals, and suggest new possibilities.  Our ongoing maintenance and marketing services help ensure your website's continued success.  Other firms may leave you feeling "abandoned" once your web site is online.  At OCWebSolution.com we offer ongoing support and marketing services to give your website a chance to breathe and room to grow and change along with your business.  We are always accessible to answer your questions and provide you with new solutions.  We place a high priority on clear communications to ensure that you will fully understand the options available to achieve your goals through your web site and integrated marketing plan(s). return to  top I return to faqs page