What is your price to design
and maintain a web site?
We charge $15.00 an hour to design
and create a web site with a two hour minimum. Depending on how large a project
is to create, special rates may be negotiated with Time Piece Web Design.
Maintaining web sites cost $15.00 an hour with no minimum charge. All consultations
are free until a work contract is drawn up and agreed on by both parties.
An estimate of services will be given at that time as well, along with any
special rates that may be offered by Time Piece Web Design to our customers.
How many people are on
your staff?
Time Piece Web Design is a sole
proprietorship. Currently, We have one person on full-time status with over
6 years of experience and two sub-contractors available for service. As our
company continues to grow, we plan to add to our staff and our expertise.
We have practical, hands-on, real-world experience in the following areas:
• Pre- and post-sales computer
technical support
• System administration (Windows)
• Database development (Windows)
• Technical support (DNS, email programs)
• Web site design
Do you work as independent
contractors?
Yes, we work as independent contractors
(1099), but we can also work as W-2 temporary employees.
Are you willing to travel
if reimbursed?
When necessary, yes, especially
to talk with engineers and gather information for technical writing projects.
For web design and application development projects, written communication
in the form of marking up printouts of a page often works well because it
is more precise and easier to implement than a remembered conversation.
Why don't you put your
telephone number on your web site?
We used to, but we got so many calls
from telemarketers that it was difficult to get any work done. We are more
than happy to give our telephone number to clients and potential clients.
What do I need to provide
in order for you to start work?
Before we start a project, we must
get the following from you:
1. A decision on the general layout. Decisions on these items
generally emerge during the discussion phase, prior to deciding whether to
go forward on the project. In general, the choices are:
o Navigation across the top
of the page
o Navigation down the side
of the page
o Navigation across the top
and down the left side of the page
o Do you want an "Enter
Here" page (an introductory page containing a major marketing message
that links or automatically times out to your home page)?
2. A decision about the major colors that will be used. Although
any color can be used, there is a set of colors that is guaranteed to reproduce
correctly on most monitors. We suggest using one or more of these colors for
areas of solid color. Or, if you want to use a background pattern, we need
to know what that pattern will be.
3. A decision on the fonts and font sizes that will be used. Generally, the choice is a font like Arial, that is easy to read on a computer monitor. In general, sites that present a lot of text should use a dark font color on a light background. Sites that present a lot of images but not a lot of text will probably look best using black as the background color and fonts in colors that contrast well against the background color. fonts.
4. All text (in softcopy form — plain text, as sent
in an e-mail message, or in MS Word) that will make up the site.
5. Your description and keywords in softcopy form or electonic
file such as MS Word or Wordperfect.
6. Your account name and password at the web hosting company that hosts your web site. Initial development will take place on our site, but if your site will include programming or database work, we need access to your account early in the design cycle to avoid last minute problems.
7. Your company logo and any artwork that is to be included
in the design in soft-copy form. If you only have printed versions, we need
the best possible quality of printed version. (That is, faxing your logo will
not result in an image that we can properly reproduce, so you should US mail
hard copy art pieces.)
8. Your payment
for the first phase of the project. (To be pre-arranged in a work contract
by the owner depending on the type and size of the site you need built.)
Do you put your name or
logo on the web sites that you design?
No. We believe that the purpose
of your web site is to present your marketing message, not ours. If you have
a FAQ section or another section within your site and want to mention us there,
we would be honored. If you agree, as a customer reference, we would like
to link from our web site to your web site. This way other can view our work
and view your business.
Can you help with search
engine submittal and placement?
Yes, we can help, but it is important to realize that simply having a web
site and submitting it to search engines is no longer all that needs to be
done. You will need to
1. Decide which search engines you want your site to be submitted
to. Some directories, such as Yahoo!, and search engines that use Overture
now require payment in return for a commercial listing (Yahoo!) or a guaranteed
top placement (Overture). Many search engines are still free, and it is possible
to get good placement if you invest some effort into crafting the text that
your site uses.
2. Develop a description of your site (about 100 words) and
a list of keywords (actually a list of approximately 500 words and phrases).
Some search engines display the description when your site is listed in search
results and use the keywords to index your site. Other search engines use
the page's visible text (except for text in images) to index a site, while
still other search engines index text stored as comments or in the ALT tag
of images.
3. Craft the text that your site uses (especially your home
page) with search engine placement in mind (for those search engines that
only index visible text). In particular, be specific and use the terminology
that is common in your market or that people searching for your site would
use.
4. Analyze your competition's search engine ranking, determine
the reason for that ranking, and craft your text and keywords to be better.
(Do searches at the search engines you plan to submit your site to, and analyze
the results. Use your browser to display a page's source and view its keywords.)
5. Be prepared to monitor your site's search engine ranking
on a regular basis. Some search engines take up to six weeks to update their
indexes, so changes in ranking may not be noticeable for a long period of
time.
We can help by
• Providing advice and guidance in the development of your description,
keywords, and text.
• Incorporating your description and keywords into the pages that make
up your web site.
• Submitting your site to up to three free search engines. We cannot
guarantee any particular placement.
How do you test the web
sites that you design?
W e test in a variety of browsers: Internet Explorer on Windows and Mac OS,
and Netscape on Windows and Mac OS.
Do you develop web sites that use frames?
We like to use frames because using frames helps organize the information
that is displayed at a web site. For example, navigational elements that don't
change can be displayed in one frame and content that changes can be displayed
in another frame. This makes it easier to maintain a web site because it prevents
the unintended breaking of links that can happen when a page's content is
modified. Using frames also makes it easier to add navigational elements (a
new button or link) because you only have to modify one file — the file
that contains the navigational elements.
There are two drawbacks to using frames:
• Some old browsers don't support frames
• Most search engines can't properly index a site that uses frames
There are techniques for overcoming these problems, so when designing with
frames, the designer must take extra steps to provide a way for old browsers
to navigate the site and for search engines to index the site.
Do you use cascading style sheets to develop web sites?
We use style sheets (CSS) when necessary to achieve a particular effect. For
example, a text link that is not underlined.
Do you develop using Active
Server Pages (ASP) or MacroMedia Flash?
Currently , we do not, but we are trainig to be able to produce both ASP &
Flash programs for use. We currently refer you to one of our two sub-contractor
for anything you would like produced and used in your site.
What web design application
do you use?
We currently use Macromedia Dreamweaver MX for the majority of our work. In
addition, we also feel that human-written HTML is needed to maintain certian
elements of our sites. We also write JavaScript & CGI scripts that generate
HTML, so we need to know HTML well.
Will I be able to maintain
a web site that you design?
Yes. If you use a web design application, you can download the files and make
changes using your web design application. For text changes, you may find
that you can simplify maintenance by downloading an individual file, editing
it using a normal text editor, and uploading the file using FTP.
Can you maintain web sites
developed by Front Page, Dreamweaver, or other web development application?
Yes, we can.
Can you take pictures?
Yes, we have a HP digital camera that we use for taking pictures.
Is there a graphic designer or illustrator on your staff?
We do a lot of work in Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator & Paint Shop Pro,
but we do not regard ourselves as graphic designers.
What is the difference
between a web site makeover and a web site maintenance project?
A typical web site makeover reuses
existing elements (graphics, text, and color scheme) to create a completely
new design. Web maintenance usually involves small, time-related changes,
such as the addition of new newsletters or new employment postings, and the
deletion of stale information. Maintenance may also involve minor changes,
such as grammatical or spelling errors, or the addition of a new page of information
within the existing web site design.
What do I need to provide
before you can start a web maintenance project?
Before we can start a web maintenance project, we must get the following information
from you:
1. A complete description of what you want to accomplish.
2. Information
about how the technologies the site depends on. Does it rely on Front Page
extensions? Active server pages? Macromedia Flash?
3. Your account
name and password at the web hosting company that hosts your web site.
4. Your payment
for the first phase of the project. (To be pre-arranged in a work contract
by the owner depending on the type and size of the site you need built.)
Who owns a web program
you develop?
You own the program. We retain no
ownership interest in any programs we develop for our clients.
How do you handle bug fixes?
If the bug is an error that we caused, we will fix the bug for free. If the
bug is actually an enhancement of the original design, we will make the enhancement
at our hourly rate of $15.00 an hour.
Do you need more reasons to have a web site for your business? Here is 20 good reasons why you shouldn't be without one!
1. To Establish A Presence
Approximately 750 million people worldwide have access to the World Wide Web
(WWW). No matter what your business is, you can't ignore 750 million people.
To be a part of that community and show that you are interested in serving
them, you need to be on the WWW for them. You know your competitors will.
2. To Network
A lot of what passes for business is simply nothing more than making connections
with other people. Every smart business person knows, it's not what you know,
it's who you know. Passing out your business card is part of every good meeting
and every business person can tell more than one story how a chance meeting
turned into the big deal. Well, what if you could pass out your business card
to thousands, maybe millions of potential clients and partners, saying this
is what I do and if you are ever in need of my services, this is how you can
reach me. You can, 24 hours a day, inexpensively and simply, on the WWW.
3. To Make Business Information Available
What is basic business information? Think of a Yellow Pages ad. What are your
hours? What do you do? How can someone contact you? What methods of payment
do you take? Where are you located at? Now think of a Yellow Pages ad where
you have instant communication. What is today's special? Today's interest
rate? Next week's parking lot sale information? If you could keep your customer
informed of every reason why they should do business with you, don't you think
you could do more business? You can on the WWW.
4. To Serve Your Customers
Making business information available is one of the most important ways to
serve your customers. But if you look at serving the customer, you'll find
even more ways to use WWW technology. How about making forms available to
pre-qualify for loans, or have your staff do a search for that classic jazz
record your customer is looking for, without tying up your staff on the phone
to take down the information? Allow your customer to punch in sizes and check
it against a database that tells him what color of jacket is available in
your store? All this can be done, simply and quickly, on the WWW.
5. To Heighten Public Interest
You won't get Newsweek magazine to write up your local store opening, but
you might get them to write up your Web Page address if it is something new
and interesting. Even if Newsweek would write about your local store opening,
you wouldn't benefit from someone in a distant city reading about it, unless
of course, they were coming to your town sometime soon. With Web page information,
anybody anywhere who can access the Web and hears about you is a potential
visitor to your Web site and a potential customer for your information there.
6. To Release Time Sensitive Materials
What if your materials need to be released no earlier than midnight? The quarterly
earnings statement, the grand prize winner, the press kit for the much anticipated
film, the merger news? Well, you sent out the materials to the press with
"The-do-not-release-before-such-and-such-time" statement and hope
for the best. Now the information can be made available at midnight or any
time you specify, with all related materials such as photographs, bios, etc.
released at exactly the same time. Imagine the anticipation of "All materials
will be made available on our Web site at 12:01 AM". The scoop goes to
those that wait for the information to be posted, not the one who releases
your information early.
7. To Sell Things
Many people think that this is the number 1 thing to do with the World Wide
Web, but we made it number seven to make it clear that we think you should
consider selling things on the Internet and the World Wide Web after you have
done all the things above and maybe even after doing quite a few more things
from this list. Why? Well, the answer is complex but the best way to put it
is, do you consider the telephone the best place to sell things? Probably
not. You probably consider the telephone a tool that allows you to communicate
with your customer, which in turn helps you sell things. Well, that's how
we think you should consider the WWW. The technology is different, of course,
but before people decide to become customers, they want to know about you,
what you do and what you can do for them. Which you can do easily and inexpensively
on the WWW. Then you might be able to turn them into customers.
8. To make pictures, sound and film files available
What if your widget is great, but people would really love it if they could
see it in action? The album is great but with no airplay, nobody knows that
it sounds great? A picture is worth a thousand words, but you don't have the
space for a thousand words? The WWW allows you to add sound, pictures and
short movie files to your company's info if that will serve your potential
customers. No brochure will do that.
9. To reach a highly desirable demographic market
The demographic of the WWW user is probably the highest mass-market demographic
available. Usually college-educated or being college educated, making a high
salary or soon to make a high salary, it's no wonder that Wired magazine,
the magazine of choice to the Internet community, has no problem getting Lexus
and other high-end marketers advertising. Even with the addition of the commercial
on-line community, the demographic will remain high for many years to come.
10. To Answer Frequently Asked questions
Whoever answers the phones in your organization can tell you, their time is
usually spent answering the same questions over and over again. These are
the questions customers and potential customers want to know the answer to
before they deal with you. Post them on a WWW page and you will have removed
another barrier to doing business with you and freed up some time for that
harried phone operator.
11. To Stay In Contact With Salespeople
Your employees on the road may need up-to-the-minute information that will
help them make the sale or pull together the deal. If you know what that information
is, you can keep it posted in complete privacy on the WWW. A quick local phone
call can keep your staff supplied with the most detailed information, without
long distance phone bills and tying up the staff at the home office.
12. To Open International Markets
You may not be able to make sense of the mail, phone and regulation systems
in all your potential international markets, but with a Web page, you can
open up a dialogue with international markets as easily as with the company
across the street. As a matter-of-fact, before you go onto the Web, you should
decide how you want to handle the international business that will come your
way, because your postings are certain to bring international opportunities
your way, whether it is part of your plan or not. Another added benefit; if
your company has offices overseas, they can access the home offices information
for the price of a local phone call.
13. To Create a 24 Hour Service
If you've ever remembered too late or too early to call the opposite coast,
you know the hassle. We're not all on the same schedule. Business is worldwide
but your office hours aren't. Trying to reach Asia or Europe is even more
frustrating. But Web pages serve the client, customer and partner 24 hours
a day, seven days a week. No overtime either. It can customize information
to match needs and collect important information that will put you ahead of
the competition, even before they get into the office.
14. To Make Changing Information Available Quickly
Sometimes, information changes before it gets off the press. Now you have
a pile of expensive, worthless paper. Electronic publishing changes with your
needs. No paper, no ink, no printers bill. You can even attach your web page
to a database which customizes the page's output to a database you can change
as many times in a day as you need. No printed piece can match that flexibility.
15. To Allow Feedback From Customers
You pass out the brochure, the catalog, the booklet. But it doesn't work.
No sales, no calls, no leads. What went wrong? Wrong color, wrong price, wrong
market? Keep testing, the marketing books say, and you'll eventually find
out what went wrong. That's great for the big boys with deep pockets, but
who is paying the bills? You are and you don't have the time nor the money
to wait for the answer. With a Web page, you can ask for feedback and get
it instantaneously with no extra cost. An instant e-mail response can be built
into Web pages and can get the answer while its fresh in your customers mind,
without the cost and lack of response of business reply mail.
16. To Test Market New Services and Products
Tied into the reason above, we all know the cost of rolling out a new product.
Advertising, advertising, advertising, PR and advertising. Expensive, expensive,
expensive. Once you have been on the Web and know what to expect from those
who are seeing your page, they are the least expensive market for you to reach.
They will also let you know what they think of your product faster, easier
and much less expensively than any other market you may reach. For the cost
of a page or two of Web programming, you can have a crystal ball into where
to position your product or service in the marketplace. Amazing.
17. To Reach The Media
Every kind of business needs the exposure that the media can bring, as we
touched on in reason #5 "To Heighten Public Interest", but what
if your business is reaching the media, as a news wire, a publicist or a public
policy group. The media is the most wired profession today, since their main
product is information and they can get it more quickly, cheaply and easily
on-line. On-line press kits are becoming more and more common, since they
work with the digital environment of more and more pressrooms. Digital images
can be put in place without the stripping and shooting of the old pressrooms
and digital text can be edited and outputted on tight deadlines. All the these
can be made available on a Web page.
18. To Reach The Education and Youth Market
If your market is education, consider that most universities already offer
Internet access to their students and most K-12's will be on the Internet
within the next few years. Books, athletic shoes, study courses, youth fashion
and anything else that would want to reach these overlapping markets needs
to be on the Web. Even with the coming of the commercial on-line services
and their somewhat older populations there will be nothing but growth in the
percentage of the under 25 market that will be on-line.
19. To Reach The Specialized Market
Sell fish tanks, art reproductions, flying lessons? You may think that the
Internet is not a good place to be. Well, think again. The Internet isn't
just computer science students anymore. With the 70 million and growing users
of the WWW, even the most narrowly defined interest group will be represented
in large numbers. Since the Web has several very good search programs, your
interest group will be able to find you, or your competitors.
20. To Serve Your Local Market
We've talked about the power to serve the world with a Web page. How about
your neighborhood? If you are located in San Francisco Bay Area, the Raleigh
NC area, Boston or New York, there is probably enough local customers with
Web access to make it worth your while to consider Web marketing. A local
Palo Alto, CA restaurant even takes lunch orders through the Internet! But
no matter where you are, if the big client has Web access, you should be there
too.