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WEB DESIGN FAQS: LISTED BELOW ARE SOME OF THE MOST FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS WE ENCOUNTERED FROM OUR CLIENTS

QUESTION 1: I already have a web page with another organisation. Isn’t that enough? Wouldn’t I be duplicating my efforts?

If you have a web page with a listing service in your industry or parent company that is a GOOD thing! However, that is not a web site. It more than likely only offers contact information and a brief description of what you offer. It lumps you into a wide category that generally includes your competitors, and in many cases, it doesn’t offer the interaction with the public that your own website would offer. Finally – you don’t own the site or have control over it.
Your web site brands you as unique and reveals your identity. The good news is that having that page with the listing service will enhance and empower your new website. It will drive more traffic to your site and put you one step ahead of the marketing game.
Think about it. If a visitor is looking for a florist and finds five listings close to home – and one of the listings has a link to its own website – that visitor is going to go “one click further” and click on that florist’s website. When scanning a list, people always want to know more. Your link gives them that opportunity.

QUESTION 2: I need lead generation and revenue. What will a website do for me?

If you want to find out how to establish a strong lead generation programme seriously consider a website you may be surprised but we have many customers who we have assisted with lead generation on the Internet. After all that is why we are in business and have been for over ten years!

How do we do this? In a nutshell we ensure that you get high rankings on the search engines for your market and consequently people will find people you!

We have a hairdresser who wanted to promote her hair extensions business from a salon in Parkmore Sandton, we have an architect who has become renowned across the world and appears in International magazines, we have a Realty company who we have changed their complete livelihood, leads for a VoIP company and many more examples. It does not matter what your business is we can ensure you get leads from a website. Gone are the days where people though the Internet was just a toy! Consider the Internet today as a super yellow pages where the winners get to the top of the search engines!

QUESTION 3: I don’t sell merchandise on-line. Why would I need a web site?

You may not sell merchandise on-line, but do you sell something special that people are looking for? Do you ever have a customer say “I came here because you sell ________.” For example, a store that sells a line of products or brands that are highly sought after by a faithful following, is going to have potential customers that search the Internet to find out who sells those brands in their local area. Will you be on the search results? Will your competitor be?
The same applies to restaurants and lodging. People are visiting a certain area. Over 70% of travelers in Europe use the Internet to set travel itineraries – and those itineraries include restaurants, accommodations, and shopping. Will you be among the choices found when they search the Internet?
In a nutshell, if you offer something that people are looking for, a large portion of people (perhaps a market unknown to you thus far) will search the Internet, because it’s fast, it’s easy, it’s global and it’s private. A web site will put you in the running with others on the Internet.

QUESTION 4: I don’t even use the computer regularly, and I’m not that computer literate. Would I be able to handle what’s involved in maintaining a web site?

Using the computer is like playing the piano. You can play “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” or a Sonata by Chopin. Either way, you’re getting a tune out. To maintain a web site you should have a computer, and you – or someone in your company – should be able to send and receive email. Your web developer can help you with maintenance, changes and updates, which is generally simple and affordable.

QUESTION 5: We build our customer base through personal relationships. Our customers aren’t computer users. Wouldn’t a web site be a waste considering our clientele?

Your current customers may not use the computer much – that is possible.

A worthy concern should be about the potential customers that do use the computer and CAN’T FIND YOU. The truth is the percentage of internet users have NEVER decreased. It is likely that they will continue to increase. A website keeps you in sync with this trend.

Another interesting statistic:
The fastest growing sector of the South African population getting computer literate also includes those with the highest percentage of disposable income.
A website helps you target that using population.

Another thing to think about …. 75 years ago, most people felt that the telephone was an expensive luxury and not crucial to business growth. That sentiment continued for 30 years. As social communication trends changed, and expenses decreased – businesses changed to insure profitability. Use of the Internet will only increase in the next ten years.

QUESTION 6: I have a cousin who can make web sites. I’ve already promised him that he can do ours.

Is your cousin a qualified web developer? If so, you’re the lucky one. Be sure to impart a sense of urgency in getting the site completed. If he or she makes websites as a hobby, you’ll want to consider the following:

1. A website can be compared to a means of transportation. You could ride a bicycle or drive a Mercedes – either way you can get around town, but one is much faster, more efficient, will take your farther faster, and will be a much more comfortable ride.

2. The flashy graphics and catchy text you see on websites is only about 20% of what goes into developing the site. Behind all those pretty pages are codes and tags, specifically written to attain a higher placement in search engine, making the pages load faster and be more user friendly. Most beginners lack knowledge in the proper usage of codes and scripts, nor are they up to date on search engine optimization. If you have a pretty web site, but no one can find it, you lose an enormous amount of marketing power.

QUESTION 7: Our upcoming advertising commitments will consume all the money we have budgeted for advertising.

It is important to recognize that a website is NOT an advertising investment. It compliments and empowers your advertising efforts. Ads are the property of the advertising vendor, and are a revolving cost to a company. You buy an ad for a specific amount of time – and then the ad is gone.
A website is a marketing and communication tool that belongs to you. You control it and you can use it continually. It is a company asset similar to a telephone or fax machine. You buy it one time and only pay for the service to use it. Websites reach a growing customer base that up until now has remained hidden to you. It also services your current customer base, giving them more options to communicate with you.
Once you have a website, you can print your web address on all of your advertising, offering potential customers and clients an opportunity to find out more. A website in today’s world is also a stamp of credibility to the public that hasn’t yet met you.

QUESTION 8: I prefer the "personal touch". Our new clients / customers come to us because of the personal service they receive. A website seems so sterile and impersonal. It won’t attract "our kind of customers."

This statement is commonly made by specialty shop owners and real estate agents. Real estate agents will add “I already highly invest in space advertising.” The business owners that express concerns such as this one are the nicest people we meet – and usually sound business people. They know how to treat a customer or client with special care.
However, they don’t understand that all kinds of people use the internet to access information. The internet, unlike advertising mediums does not target a set demographic. Magazines, Newspapers, Television, Radio – all are demographically based.
The internet targets everyone in almost all demographics. And those demographic shift and change.
There are over 8 billion web pages indexed in the Google search engine. The top three commercial markets on the web are Technology, Real Estate and Tourism. Technology businesses know they need a website. If you’re in real estate (even an individual agent) YOU NEED A WEBSITE. If your business markets to travelers (accommodations, restaurant, specialty shopping, tickets, travel wear, recreational products, travel gear, animal care, children’s activities) YOU NEED A WEBSITE. Statistics show that 7 out of 10 people will go to the internet for information before they purchase real estate or set a travel itinerary.
A website usually is rather impersonal – and that’s a good thing. When people use the internet they want information not a personal relationship. The information will bring them to you. You create the relationship.
A website gives you a higher number of potential customers to create a relationship with. If internet users don’t find you on the web, they’ll seek out your competitors who have websites.

QUESTION 9: I wouldn’t know what to do with a web site if I had one.

The answers to the questions and concerns above should expand your knowledge on what a web site can do for your company. But consider this in addition to what has already been covered:
Try to understand the mind-set and culture of this group of people that uses the Internet to find information:
There are two reasons people search for company information on the web.

1. They are looking for information on you, who you are and what you offer. They may have heard about you from a friend, seen your advertisement, billboard, business card, or heard that you carry something they’re looking for. If they know who you are and they search the Internet to find out more about you – and find no website – they may assume you are not large enough to support a website, or aren’t interested in them as customers. (To the web user – no web site is like not finding a company listed in the phone book. You have to wonder … why?)
2. They are looking for a product or service that you offer: Obviously, if you’re not listed, they will pursue service from some company that is listed.

SUMMARY

Does your business need a Web site? With the proper planning and implementation, your Web site can fulfill the promises above and more. This single addition to your business allows your existing investment of time, effort, and money to work harder for you. Regardless of whether your market is local, regional, or global your business can experience all of these benefits through your own Web site.
A website is a marketing tool that costs you ONE TIME and continually repays you by giving your company exposure for as long as you keep it available.
A website greatly expands opportunities to communicate with potential clients and customers that you may not yet be servicing as well as current customers. It gives your company a mark of credibility with that continually growing portion of the population of Internet users.

A website at its basic level can offer the following benefits, and possibilities for expansion are endless:

Who you are as a company – your origins, reputation in the community, successes you’ve achieved
What your company has to offer – products and services
Information on how to find you geographically
Different ways to communicate with your company (phone #’s, FAX, email, physical address)
Special offers and upcoming promotions, new additions to products and services
Company news
Public displays of testimonials from other customers about your company.

When you consider the continual growth in numbers of Internet users and the growth of companies that are on the Internet, some of which may be your competitors, it could cost you NOT to have a web site and make you look like you’re not serious about your business.

Now that you’ve articulated (at least in your head) the answers to these questions you’ve got a good idea of why your business should have a Web site. The next step is to find the right developer for it. At EPNET we have served many reputable customers in South Africa and would like to share this experience in a free consultation to precisely identify how an online presence may benefit your enterprise.
We will contact you soonest to inquire your availability. If you have any questions or concerns in the meantime, do hesitate to contact us, we will appreciate assisting you further at any time.

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EPNET is a professional Internet strategy and Web design company based in Johannesburg, South Africa. We specialise in best-in-class website design, online marketing, Flash multimedia, Internet marketing and sparkling service. EPNET features an integrated team of web consultants, creative designers, writers, programmers and marketing professionals that know how to get online results.

Our business-driven approach separates us from typical web design companies. For the past ten years, we have built a reputation for creating a positive return on investment for our clients. If you are serious about your web design success, we can get you there.

Strategic thinking, top designers, personal attention, competitive prices, real world results - discover the EPNET difference.

Do you want a website or do you want a website design and marketing service to make you money, and get you noticed?? Read our article on profitable website design and marketing and what we will do for you!

Web design and profitable websites

For further information contact Gordon Barker Internet Strategist co.za design4