Q:
Why do I need a website for my business?
A:
A web site is a 24/7 digital salesman, whose primary goal
is to sell your products and inform your potential &
current clients. In this day and age, a web site is a
vital marketing tool just as a telephone was to business
50 years ago. t allows you to create a professional image
for your business and is more economic than other traditional
advertising methods such as print ads, yellow pages, TV
& radio advertising. Your business is marketed globally
as well as locally to an audience of millions. With
so many benefits the question should not be why, but why
not?
Q:
How long will it take to design my web site?
A:
The time required to complete a web site project varies,
depending on the web site size, design complexity, programming
requirements and our current schedule of other projects
in hand. We will give you a time estimate when we discuss
your project.
In most cases
the time to complete a web site is dictated by the client,
and how soon you as the client are able provide us with
the essential documents needed , such as copy or text
and pictures. A simple brochure site can be up and running
in 1 or 2 weeks or less. More complex projects can take
longer. When we know your exact requirements, we will
set up a schedule with a realistic end date.If you have
a deadline in mind we will do everything we can to meet
that deadline for you.
Q:
What do I need to supply to build a website?
A:
You will need to supply us with the text and pictures
you want to appear on your website. The more complete
this material is, the easier and cheaper the process will
be. You can supply your own text and pictures (e.g. full
sized jpegs from digital cameras) via email , cd or we
can load them onto a thumbdrive from your computer. If
you do not have images or text for your website we can
provide these services to you at a nominal fee.We can
also search for pictures or graphics for you on the internet,
if you don't have any of your own. It is also helpful,
if you have any particular ideas about colors schemes
or styles that you want, to tell us as much as possible
at the start.
Q:
How much does a website cost?
A:
What your website will cost will depend, to a great extent,
on what you want (number of pages required, functions
on the website, etc) every website is unique, the time
involved in one can vary considerably compared to another.
This is why we offer a free price quote so we can give
you an estimate as to how much the project will cost before
we start developing the project for you.
We request a 50% deposit of the total project cost to
begin the design process & the remaining balance of
payment is then due upon completion of the project and
the website going "live".
Payment can
be made by cash or check or you may make an online payment
with a credit or debit card via Pay Pal on our payment
page.
Q:
Why should I use online marketing in my business?
A:
Internet marketing allows you to advertise your products
or services continuously to local and international markets.
It is less costly than traditional marketing methods and
reduces printing requirements. It allows you to capture
leads and customers who are actively searching for your
business or services.
Q:
What is a domain name?
A:
A domain name is a unique address which points to your
website. Eg. www.m1netsolutions.com. Call it your "phone
number" on the internet. Many personal sites use
only the domain name of their Internet Service Provider
(ISP) but we strongly recommend you get your own domain
name if your site is for a commercial business.
Q:
How do I register my domain name?
A:
First, you will need to check if the domain name you are
looking for is available to be registered : you can use
our free on-line search facility on our M
1 Net Host website in order to determine whether a
domain name is available and, if not, the organization
or person to whom it is registered, and at what time that
registration was made. We can offer you advice and help
in registering your domain name if you need it.
Alternatively, most web hosting companies allow you to
do the same checking before you get a webhosting package
which will be associated with the domain name you have
chosen. Note: Registering and owning a domain name does
not mean that you are not liable to adhere to all patents,
trademarks and copyrights other companies have on names
similar to your domain name. We suggest you contact an
attorney who can explain to you the laws of this area.
There is a link to our recommended source for this service
on our Useful Links page if you
do not have your own business attorney.
Q:
What is Web Hosting?
A:
Web hosting is the process of renting web space or storage
on a remote server/computer which "hosts" your
website files so that they can be viewed on the internet
once your website is published and "live". Web
hosting companies offer several web hosting packages.
We can help you to determine which one is the best for
your requirements.
Web hosting
can most often be purchased together from the same company
that you register your domain name with.
Q:
Do you sell domain names or offer web hosting?
A:
Yes, we offer domain name registrations and web hosting
through our web hosting company site M
1 Net Host. We believe that our clients should have
complete control over their website, which means you may
choose a separate web hosting company other than M
1 Net Host to provide you with these services if you
so desire . We will be happy to help you to determine
which web hosting company and which web hosting package
is the best for your requirements.
Q:
I already own a domain name, can I use it with your companies
services?
A:
Most of the time, transferring your domain name to a new
web server is a straightforward process. In any case,
we will be happy to assist you with this.
Q:
I don't live in Michigan, can I still use your services?
A:
Yes! By using the Internet, email and the telephone, we
can communicate effectively with clients in any location.
Q:
Do you recommend full flash web sites?
A:
No. not all search engines cannot fully index full flash
web sites. We do not design or offer flash websites, so
if that is what you are seeking we are not the company
for you. We do have several other local designers we are
willing to recommend for flash websites if you so desire.
Q:
What is a search engine?
A:
A web search engine searches for information on the public
web by sending out a spider to fetch as many documents
as possible. The most well known search engines include
Google, Yahoo & MSN.
Search engine
traffic is considered to be the best traffic a website
can receive, along with printed or online directories
: nearly 85% of traffic to most web sites is found by
using a search engine or directory.
Q:
How do search engines work?
A:
Search engines are very complicated computer programs,
many of which are patented or are trade secrets. For example,
the technology that powers the market leader Google's
search engine is called PageRank or PR for short . With
PageRank, one of the most important requirements is to
have several other diverse sites or online directories
link to you. Search engines employ the use of "spiders"
or "bots" to gather information from websites.
The spiders continuously crawl websites pages, following
the links on the pages. This is one attribute of your
web visibility that our services can help you to optimize.
Q:
What are 'meta tags'?
A:
The meta tag in HTML is not a required tag when you're
creating your web pages. The meta tag is used by search
engines to allow them to more accurately list your site
in their indexes. While modern search engines mostly look
at the content of your pages, meta tags are still important
for ensuring that the search engine properly classifies
your site.You will never see these names in the browser
window, but search engines use them to index your web
site. Meta Tags are crucial for getting listed on the
major search engines. For assistance in generating your
meta tags call or email us today.
Q:
What does "optimizing a website" means?
A:
It's essential for a web designer to find a balance between
several elements : usability (e.g. navigation menu), accessibility,
search engine visibility and fast download time. For example,
if your website is not accessible, you will lose visitors;
if it has a low visibilility for search engines, you will
lose potential visitors. This is also commonly referred
to as "search engine optimization", or SEO for
short.
Optimizing
your website means optimizing your website pages so that
you get the best possible rank listings within the search
engine results for a particular term, keyword or keyword
phrase.
Q:
I have a new website but why isn't it in the search engines
yet?
A:
It can take a certain time before the spiders used by
search engines find your first pages and include them
in the search engine's results. That is if search engine
optimization techniques have been employed in the design
of your website. We can offer you an evaluation of your
current website and explain why you may not be getting
results and what you can do to improve these results.
Q:
Why can't I find my web site in the search engines?
A:
Once your site has been built and search engines find
it, they may require several weeks, or even months to
actually spider and list your web site in their search
results or directories. How fast your site is listed depends
on each individual Search Engines site crawling database
schedule. Watching your server traffic logs for visiting
spiders can help to determine this. However, even indexing
of your web site does not mean
that it will appear high on search engine result pages
for any given keywords. It takes a lot of effort and time
to get a web site rank high for certain competitive keywords.
It is relatively easier to rank high for keywords or key
phrases that are seldom used and non-competitive. For
such services we recommend that you contact us to set
up a consultation on the costs for a search engine marketing
program.
Q:
How do search engines rank a web site?
A:
Every search engine uses a different algorithm for ranking
the various websites. An algorithm is a very complicated
set of rules that a site needs to adhere to, in order
to rank well in the search engine's results. These algorithms
often change, which may result in a high ranking website
being dropped to a lower search engine rank position.
Our company prides itself with staying on top of the ever
changing world of SEO rankings tactics.
Q:
When I type the relevant keywords for my business, why
doesn't my website appear or why is it low in the results?
A:
This is where Search Engine Optimization (SEO) becomes
important: it is the process of increasing the number
of visitors to a web site by ranking high in the search
results of a search engine. The higher a website ranks
in the results of a search engine, the greater the chance
that it will be visited by potential clients.
By properly
designing your website, we will first ensure that search
engines easily find your pages and index them : this is
the first (and an important) step..
However, a
"newly created website" is usually not of great
interest to search engines in comparison to its longer
established competitors : this is perfectly normal and
logical; the process of becoming popular is time consuming
and requires a good knowledge of how search engines work.
The quality of your website content and the adding of
new and "fresh" content to your website also
is a key to achieving high search engine rankings naturally.
Ethical SEO
techniques will improve the chances that the site will
be found by the search engine and well placed : the goal
after that is to have your pages appear in the top results.
We can offer
SEO packages on a monthly basis, which includes a monthly
report on how well your site is doing. To find out more
about SEO and how it could benefit your business, please
have a look at our Search Engine Optimization Page or
contact us for a consultation.
Q:
What is an email mailing list?
A:
An email mailing list is just like a conventional mailing
list - it allows businesses owners to maintain a list
of customers, businesses and distribute communications
to those on the list. An email list is convenient because
you can write one email, click the Send button, and the
message is automatically personalized and distributed
to everyone on the list. These lists are a good way to
stay in touch with your customers, announce special events
or discounts, and offer promotions.
Q:
Is a email mailing list considered spamming?
A: The mailing list systems M 1 Net Solutions
utilizes ensures your emails will not be considered spam
(unwanted emails). Your customers can opt out of your
mailing list at anytime they wish by clicking a link in
the email and selecting the opt out check box. Similarly,
new customers can sign themselves up using a simple form.
Email marketing can greatly increase your sales and ROI.
Q:
Do you offer professional photography or graphic design
services?
A:
Not directly, but if your project calls for copywriting,
photography, original illustration, streaming video or
other creative services, just let us know. We have an
extensive network of creative associates that we work
with. We would be happy to make a recommendation to you
for these services and you can find a number of them listed
on our Useful Links page.
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