High Tech With Humans In Mind

Combining classic publication design with modern internet technology.

CREATING OR EXPANDING YOUR INTERNET PRESENCE? An Online Publication is an unique form of web design that is cost-effective, easy-to-navigate, and beautifully designed. Combining the classic beauty of a printed publication and the modern technology of an online environment your Online Publication will not only inform, entertain, and maintain a captive audience but will establish, support, and promote a solid online identity.

• Understanding human computer relations.
• Creating a site that's smart (and not just pretty).
• Web design and internet marketing services.

Understanding human and computer relations.

• We find comfort in the familiar.
• We resist change.
• We won't do it if it's not easy.

We find comfort in the familiar. And what is familiar is the printed piece. This is my attempt to create a tool that fuses classic publication design with modern online technology; keeping what is easy, good, and true and adding only where it supports, aides, and empowers.

“Where did we get the idea that navigation looking like a remote control was the way to go? Most of the people I now have several remotes and don't know how to work any of them. And looking at a page that resembles a video game is even more frustrating. I don't play these games. Was it a prerequisite?”

Our public resists change. They are not, nor do they want to be, a tech genius. The Online Publication is an effective use of technology that doesn't offend the novice while offering excitement to the pro.

“We don't want to have to figure out how to navigate your site. It should be easier than picking up a catalog and phoning in an order. If it's not, then why do it?”

If it's not easy, we won't do it. If it's not attractive and is too cluttered with extraneous information we become offended and confused. We are the general public, people who work hard and we don't have time to plod through unfriendly territory.

“Browsing various websites and navigating the Web can often be frustrating; it takes too long to load, there's extraneous music and animation, too much text and you cannot even find the contact information. This is just mean-spirited.”

TOP OF PAGE

Creating a site that's smart (and not just pretty).

• Concentrate on being smart.
• Optimize your site.
• Promote and market your site.

Concentrate on being smart. And don't be so concerned with "liking" it. If you are a business and your site is informational, don't try to entertain. Your audience isn't coming to you for entertainment, they want information and they want to access it fast. Music, annimation, and pop-ups only tend to frustrate your serious customers.

“Certainly looks can be important and an attractive site will keep an audience entertained but tastes vary and what might be attractive to you will not neccessarily be attractive to your customer. Everyone has a different opinion of pretty or nice or unique. These words mean nothing, nor does a criticism that might contain these vague descriptions. I suggest that a site that gives you the best results assures you liking it.”

Optimize your site. Without a doubt, search engines are the main source of traffic for your site. Over 90% of all web site traffic comes from search engine results and directories. Search Engines use Meta-Tags to index your site in terms of relevance to keywords and content. By using the appropriate Meta-Tags you can boost your ranking.

“I cannot stress enough the importance of using Meta Tags. Most people think of them after a site is built and then they are an inconvenience. If you do not use them then your site is going to be invisible to search engines, which is like having a wheelbarrow with no wheel. You can fill it up but its not going anywhere!”

Promote and market your site. When working with web site promotion and marketing, there are a few techniques that can provide a significant traffic boost for very little cost when applied correctly. The best way to get noticed by the search engines is to:

• Clean code on your html pages.
• Choose the keyword phrases that best reflect the main focus of your site. Use those keywords to optimize your meta tags designed to conform to the ranking criteria of the top search engines.
• Employ link building strategies such as reciprocal link relationships with related businesses. Many search engines now use link popularity in their rankings. Link popularity is a very time-consuming activity, be prepared to spend a minimum of 10-20 hours in order to start building your link popularity.
• Manually submit your site to Web directories like the Open Directory Project. Submit to spider-based search engines. Research indicates that these types of search engines give preference to sites that their spiders find through links.
• Start with the basis of good search engine and directory listings. Make sure you read and follow each search engine and directory's rules for submissions. Before making submissions, always verify that all your website links and pages work, with no pages "under construction".

TOP OF PAGE

Web Design and Internet Marketing Services

Typically web site design, redesign and development projects are not charged by the hour but rather by a total project cost depending on the unique requirements of the customer. Internet solution packages for web sites typically start around $2500 and includes 10 pages with graphics, but, depending on the scope of the site and its requirements, it may be more or less. E-commerce sites requiring credit card processing typically start around $3500 and increase incrementally with the number of products to be sold.

For smaller jobs and for short-term projects, an hourly fee is appropriate. All services require a 50% deposit and payment in full upon project completion. Services include:

• Domain Purchase (vendor billed)
• Hosting Package (vendor billed)
• Site Design ($500/design)
• Site Construction ($75/hr with a minimum charge of $1000)
• Monthly Maintenance (depends)

This should give you an idea of what you kind of investment you will want to make. You can always get it done cheaper but remember it always costs less doing it once. Drop me an E-mail if you have any questions: joe@josephmpowell.com

Joe Powell

TOP OF PAGE

< | JOSEPHMPOWELL.COM | WEB DESIGN & INTERNET MARKETING | RESUME | CURRENT WORK | CONTACT | >