When you've decided it's time to "join the 21st century" and have a website built for your business, there are several things you need to know, especially if you're not going to get "ripped off".

The first thing you need to do is have a Domain Name registered to you. Some examples are "www.ibm.com", "www.pdesign.net", etc. Domain Names can be registered through a variety of companies at a variety of prices; Phillips Design will help you select the right one for you.

Here's the first area you need to be careful about: most website development firms will charge you up to $200.00 just to register your Domain Name for you!

Another thing to be watchful for is the fact that many website development firms register a domain name such that they actually own it, so when you decide you want to move your website, you have to actually purchase your own website from the website development firm! Phillips Design registers your Domain Name so that you own it, and we DO NOT charge you for the registration service (assuming we're building your website for you)!

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We understand that most small to medium sized businesses that want to establish a presence on the Internet, want to do so as cost-effectively as possible.

Our Website Development services are typically priced 1/3 or less than the corporate development firms.

We will meet with you to determine exactly the site best suited for your business, then give you a solid cost and time - to - completion estimate before beginning the job.

We suggest you shop a few website development companies, then call us last.

For most businesses, I recommend they "start small". While this may be counter-intuitive from a sales point of view, from a "return on investment" point of view it's the only way to go. By starting with a relatively small website, you'll realize the return on investment much sooner.

 

This will also allow the site to grow over time, which is a very good way to realize multiple visits from customers and potential customers alike.

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Once your site is "up", you will need periodic changes, maintenance, etc. Most development firms will charge you either a hefty hourly fee or a monthly maintenance fee for this service. At Phillips Design, we offer 3 options regarding your on-going website maintenance:

1. $45.00 per hour quoted in advance on an as-needed basis (1 hour minimum) (Less than half the national average!)
   

2. Free in exchange for qualified referrals on an as-needed basis* (see below for our description of a qualified referral).
   
3. A period (typically 3 months to one year) of free maintenance in exchange for a co-marketing agreement** (see below for more info).

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Another thing you need to know: once your site is "on-line", is that potential customers have to know about it. This is done primarily by making sure your Internet address is on every piece of collateral advertising you do (business cards, letterhead, invoices, packing slips, newspaper, radio & TV ads, your store window, company vehicles, etc).

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To recap, Phillips Design will save you money 3 ways on your Web Site:

1. The development cost will be 1/3 or less the "corporate" fees!
   

2. Free maintenance in exchange for either qualified referrals* or a co-marketing agreement**
   
3. No extra charges for domain name registration, arranging hosting space, etc!

*Our definition of a qualified referral is a business owner/manager/DECISION MAKER that you have told about Phillips Design and is expecting our call. We need at minimum the decision maker's name, business name and phone number.
**Co-marketing agreement: Once your website is launched, one smart thing to do is to send a letter to your entire customer base announcing it. Assuming your customer base is primarily businesses, we'll append a paragraph explaining that your company has arranged for a discount for website development and/or maintenance through Phillips Design for them, and that Phillips Design will be contacting them within two weeks to determine if they're interested. We require a copy of the customer list which includes the business name, address, contact name and phone number.

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Some things to consider once you've decided to "go on-line" are:

1. What is the primary purpose of the site?
   

2. What is my budget?
   
3. What are some of the design considerations?
   
4. What can *really* be done with a web site (no hype!)?
   
5. How do I want my site to "flow"?

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Unless otherwise instructed, all sites are built at 800x600 resolution, using the latest W3C-approved HTML standards. This ensures that your web site will be viewable as intended by the largest percentage of web surfers. Phillips Design reserves the right to refuse any job.