Digital Advertising Information You Need to Know

ThomasRegional.com™ Industrial Market Trends - April 1, 2003

Web Site Development Essentials
Creating an online presence for your business not only helps you reach potential customers but also strengthens your relationship with existing clients. In fact, relationship building is more important than ever as marketers increasingly focus on using their web sites to supplement their brand and improve customer service.

But whatever your web site priorities may be, here are some essential ways to optimize its effectiveness:

Get the most bang out of your web development buck.
The typical business web site has gained in sophistication and as a result, is more difficult to build than before. While you can go the low-budget route and do it in-house or hire undergrads to build one for you, attractive, authoritative-looking web sites often require the expertise of a professional firm.

Web developers’ specialty extends beyond HTML coding. They also help you figure out what information to feature on your site; produce graphics, logos and other marketing materials; link your site to databases and e-commerce systems; and incorporate multimedia and other types of content.

Web site development services don’t come cheap, however. For example, for basic HTML alone, web developers charge a median price of $112 per hour, according to BtoB Online’s latest Web Price Index. For design, hourly rates hover around $125. Meanwhile, for copywriting, you can expect to pay about $123 per hour.

Fortunately, there are some simple tips you can follow to maximize your web development dollar. For starters, hire a firm that offers one-stop shopping for site development, hosting and maintenance. This type of company will likely give you a better deal because it views you as a long-term partner and a consistent revenue source. Another way to get a good deal is to use one firm for multiple sites, such as a separate Internet and intranet sites. This way you can obtain a volume discount.

To get a more attractive price, also consider up-and-coming web firms that are still building their reputation. Such companies may be willing to give you a deal. And don’t forget that you may be able to get discounted rates from developers on cutting-edge projects, such as online stores.

Another simple way to get the most out of your web development dollar is doing some work in-house. For example, you can scan images or take advantage of marketing collateral that you’ve already prepared. You can also learn how to maintain the site yourself or train one of your employees.

Finally, to keep costs at bay, keep your expectations in check. Root out the features that you really don’t need. Establish your priorities, figure out what fits your budget, and refrain from getting “feature-greedy.”

Choose your web host carefully.
Deciding on where to store your files is another important process. You can either choose to let your Internet service provider (ISP) host your web site or you can turn to a true web hosting company.

Remember that most ISPs include some server space in their standard dialup Internet access account. That means you don’t have to pay more for hosting services, although some ISPs don’t offer the bandwidth or dependability that a fully functional business site requires.

Like ISPs, dedicated web hosting companies provide servers linked to the Internet, but good hosts have superior servers and speedier, more direct connections to the Internet. Also, a web hosting service often offers features that regular ISPs don’t, including special commerce servers that can enhance the security of online transactions.

So how do you go about choosing a web host? Consider four factors: 1) server space, 2) traffic, 3) support and 4) other features.

Typical business sites need about 5MB of disk space on a server. But if your web site utilizes a lot of graphics and multimedia files, you will likely exceed this average. Also, make sure you clarify whether e-mail, log files and other “overhead” files are included in your space limit, and throw in some leeway for your site to grow. That means that you should find a host that provides at least 15 or 20MB of space at a reasonable price. (Remember that it’s important to adhere to your disk quota because if you surpass it, you will incur a penalty from the hosting service.)

Traffic is another important consideration because your host may impose a surcharge if your site draws more than a given amount of traffic each month. To avoid being financially burdened by an increasingly visited web site, find a plan that includes unlimited traffic or at least affordable over-limit charges.

You should also look for a web host that provides technical support during the times that you will likely seek it. To see how good a hosting service is in this department, call its support lines several times and observe how long it takes to reach someone.

Other features such as your domain name should also figure into your decision. It’s important to get your own domain name (www.yourcompany.com) in addition to one that includes the name of your host (www.hostname.com/yourcompany). At no additional charge, most hosting sites will register a domain name for you, but remember that you still have to pay the standard registration fee.

Also, find out how many e-mail addresses the host provides and whether it allows aliases, which let you create addresses such as sales@yourcompany.com. Inquire about programs for handling mailing lists and generating automatic e-mail responses. In addition, check that the host can track visitors to your site. And if your web site has interactive elements such as forms, surveys or online transactions, make sure you inquire about features such as ASP/ColdFusion coding and e-commerce support.

On the flipside, you also want to avoid paying for features that you don’t need. For example, if you have no intention of taking credit card orders online, don’t pay for special security features like secure socket layer (SSL).

Finally, once you’ve whittled down your list of web hosts, ask each finalist to provide you with a list of the sites it houses. Then go to those sites and observe how fast the pages load. You can also e-mail the sites’ Webmasters and try to find out what they think of the hosting company. Moreover, you can consult Internet mailing lists, computer user groups and professional associations in your search for the most ideal web host for your company.

Climb to the top of search engine results.
Appearing in the first two or three pages of search results is crucial to the success of your web site, but this is no easy feat. You have to compete with marketers who pay to be placed in search engines or to have their sites explored by search engine crawlers.

To ensure that your site gets top placement, you should hire an analyst or an interactive agency to perform search engine optimization for your web site. If you want to do it yourself, however, you can follow certain steps to better position your web site.

For one, you should make sure you cover the basics, like purchasing the most effective domain name. Also, if you choose a new URL, check that previous users are linked to the new site from all other company sites. You should also use tags for your site’s title and description because search engines classify your site based on these tags.

Another effective technique is to ensure that the sites linking to your site are relevant. While last year, high search engine placement hinged on the quantity of sites, this year, its relevancy that counts. For example, a search engine will rank you higher if the site linking to you contains words that are related to your business. “The number of inbound links is less important than the importance and relevancy of the sites that are linking to you,” says Dana Todd, the co-founder and principal of SiteLab International, a California-based interactive agency.

You should be wary of frames and Flash, which can both lower your search engine placement. Frames, which divide a web page into distinct parts, are problematic because search engine crawlers generally catalog only one frame per site. This means that if the search engine reads your navigation frame but your content is actually in your main frame, then your web site can end up getting overlooked. If you’re not willing to forgo frames, you can address this problem by placing enough context and content in every frame. Flash pages pose a similar problem because search engines can’t read them. So if your design is Flash-based, provide an HTML version as well.

Also significant in search engine placement are keywords—the words you put in your site’s description and title. According to Matthew Berk, a senior analyst with Jupiter Research, you shouldn’t always turn to the obvious because choosing popular keywords will fail to distinguish you from everyone else. Conduct some research and find out how customers and partners see your business. Their responses may be a surprise, says Berk. “Don’t just use your brand names,” he advises. “For example, if you sell Zoloft, you might want to include the phrase ‘happy pills’ instead.”

Protect your site.
Although hackers tend to target the most well known web sites and statistics show that it’s unlikely that your web site will ever be vandalized, protecting your web site is still a good idea. A hacker attack could potentially cripple your site and humiliate your company. Or even worse, an intruder could disable your online store and steal your customers’ credit card information.

While being connected to the Internet makes your web server inherently vulnerable, there are several basic steps you can take to thwart attacks and minimize damages:

First of all, you should use a firewall to protect your network. If you’re unfamiliar with what a firewall is and how to choose and configure one, ask experts for help. Many administrators isolate their companies’ web servers from the rest of the network to guard against break-ins.

Another common-sense step is using good passwords. Avoid passwords that are too easy to figure out—such as dictionary words, names and other personal data.

You should also restrict server access. Make sure that only authorized people can access the server. What’s more, you should carefully manage these individuals’ level of access. Once users become inactive, delete them as soon as possible.

When services are not being used on your web server, turn them off. You should look into removing FTP, SendMail, gopher, NFS, finger and other services that can make it easier for hackers to penetrate your server. You should also get rid of unnecessary shells, interpreters and directories.

Maintain a complete backup of your web site and store it on a separate and secure computer. That way if a hacker somehow gets in and tears down your web site, you can set up the backup version more rapidly.

Monitor your system and web logs for any unusual activity. To safeguard your log files and expose any suspicious behavior, you can rely on programs such as Tripwire for Unix systems and Internet Security Scanner for Windows NT. Remember that out-of-the-ordinary log file activity might be your only clue to an intruder’s attempts.

Another important step is constantly updating your software. Keep in mind that Microsoft and all Unix vendors regularly release updates and security patches to their operating systems and web servers. Also, you should learn how to manage your server and network or hire experienced people to do so. Enlisting outside help is even more crucial if you plan to run an online store, an undertaking that demands special protection. Managing customer credit card numbers and other sensitive information requires you to get a server that provides encrypted connections and extra security measures.

By following these basic optimization techniques, your web site can attract customers, support your brand image and remain secure.

Sources:
Make Your Site Search Engine Friendly
Karen J. Bannan
BtoB Online, March 10, 2003
http://www.btobonline.com

How to Keep Your Site Secure
All Business
http://www.allbusiness.com/articles/content/456.asp

Web Price Index
Matt Carmichael
BtoB Online, Sept. 9, 2002
http://www.btobonline.com

The Cost of Building a Web Site
All Business
http://www.allbusiness.com/articles/content/648.asp

How to Choose a Web Host
All Business
http://www.allbusiness.com/articles/content/563.asp

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