Do you really need a web site?
If you own a business, more than likely the answer will be YES! It will not only give you access to a larger client base, but will also allow you to keep current customers satisfied with the added benefit of quick access to information about new products, services, or ventures your company is undertaking.

Decide what type of web design is best for you.
No matter whether your site is for personal use or for your business, goverment or non-profit organizations; there are two basic "types" of websites:

• A static website is one that has web pages stored on the server in the same form as the user will view them. They are sometimes refered to as "online brochures".
• Dynamic Websites are those powered by a database allowing it to acheive a high level of interaction with the end-user.

Now that you have decided that you DO need a site, and what type; consider answering the following web design questionnaire before you contact a company to design and develop your web site.

1. Do you already own, or have in mind what URL (domain name) you want? - If you dont, the company you choose can either purchase the URL for you as part of their service, or they can point you in the right direction.
   
   
2. Who do you consider to be your major competitors? and What makes your company different from your theirs? - This will be of help to your designer when designing your web site to make it stand out from the rest.
   
   
3. How would you describe your company? and Who is your target audience? (i.e. men, women, age group, consumer, supplier, etc) - This will allow your designer to design and develop a web site that best meets the needs of both your company and your clients.
   
   
4. Decide before hand what your budget will be - This will allow you and the company of your choice to come up with the best plan to design and develop your site. Simply put, decide if you can afford the "Toyota Corolla" type of web site or the "Lexus" type.
   
   
5. Do you have marketing strategy already in place? Logo? Printed collateral material? - If so, providing this to your web designer will be beneficial in order to match your site to your existing marketing strategy.
   
   If you do not have an existing logo design, keep in mind that it will usualy be the first representation of your brand and should inspire confidence to your customers. So make that first impression a memorable one.
   
   
6. What type of look are you trying to achieve? What colors or color schemes do you like? - Even though your opinion does matter; in the long run, it is your clients who matter most, so design your web site keeping them in mind.
   
   
7. Will you require a website maintenance plan? - If you plan on doing the updates yourself, you need to know before your site is developed so the designer can keep that in mind. If you do not have much experience with html, the site should either be simple or have a Content Management system in place.

As time goes by, more people go online to find local products and services rather than using the yellow pages or phone book. The internet is the fastest growing advertising and marketing tool becoming the information medium of first resort.

Benefits to your clients

• They can find out more about your business by visiting your site instead of the yellow pages
• They can "visit" your company at all hours of the day, when it is convenient to them, even when your store or office is closed
• They can learn about your services and products without having to get in the car and drive to your place of business
• They can receive further support by offering them information such as FAQs, troubleshooting procedures, product  specifications, how-to procedures, diagrams, and special help lines.
• They can view your products and services at their own pace without feeling pressure to buy, allowing a for a more pleasant experience.

Benefits to you

• No longer confined to your local area, the Internet allows you to break through the geographical barriers, and become accessible to a wider range of potential clients who are interested in your products and services.
• Communicate with customers and partners more efficiently by providing quick access to information about new products, services, or ventures your company is undertaking.
• Unlike printed materials, you can easily change information online.
• Interactive websites allow you to build customer databases and user profiles, providing you the ability to customize offers.
• Your company is virtually open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
• Smaller businesses can look bigger than they are with a professional website design. Now the small guy is on the same playing field as the big guys!

By the numbers

• $233.4 billion: Projected 2007 online retail sales: Forrester Research
• 54% of US travel to be booked online in 2007: PhoCusWright
• 14% of all jewelry will be sold online by 2010: Forrester Research
• 15.9% of US households to buy movies online by 2008: Parks Associates
• 25% of e-commerce operators get 50% of revenues during holiday seasons: WebTrends
• 88% of retailers plan to focus on improving content presented on product detail pages: Forrester Research
• 33% of companies planning to invest more in live chat and 53% planning to enhance their guest checkout process within the next year: Forrester Research
• Online commerce will pass the $1 trillion dollar mark by 2012, Leadpile said
• E-commerce to total $329 bln by 2010, represent 13% of total US sales: Forrester Research

patino-burch design, serving Montgomery, Alabama, is a full-service web design, web development, and graphic design company providing custom web site design and development, e-commerce, print services and web site maintenance.

I have provided design services to a variety of customers including: small business and large corporations, individuals as well as non-profit organizations.

I understand that a web site is a big investment, whether you are starting from scratch, or having an existing site redesigned or updated; but it is also a vital piece of your marketing plan. No matter if you are a small company or a large corporation, a well designed user-friendly web site will help both have an equal online presence.

Whether you choose me as your web design company, or (who knows why) somebody else, here are a few articles that will hopefully be of benefit to you, an will make the wed design process easier.