Web Site Development
A quality web site has become the key marketing and information tool for business and other information publishers. We create distinctive, easy to navigate web sites for business, professionals and non-profits. You'll like  our friendly, collaborative listen-first approach! We'll guide you through the process with non-technical language. Call for a free consultation, or first try WebXPlan, our free wizard tool. It helps you create a web site business plan outline and gather information for a cost estimate. Use the links below to learn about the web development process, the types of web sites we create and related features and services we offer. Also see our Web site cost estimates and proposals FAQ.
 content text editing
We can edit your draft web site text or create content collaboratively, by interviewing you and others on your staff, doing research as needed, and then writing the text on your behalf.
Because people don't like to read long stretches of words on a computer monitor, we write and edit in bursts of text. Web paragraphs are kept short. Paragraphs are given subheads so people can tell if the text below is of interest. Web text is ideally written in three levels of detail.
- Teaser headline or phrase (home page) and link to summary
- Summary with links to more detailed information
- In depth information, just for people who want it
see content editing samples
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custom web sites
Custom designed web sites offer the most flexibility for the web site owner, in terms of appearance and functionality. If a very specific or unusual look is desired, with custom shapes for buttons and links, this is the way to achieve it. A second alternative is to have us design a custom template to which you can add content yourself. Third, we can customize or add content to an existing template, like those provided by Web site Tonight. Custom coding means programming a function to your specifications. This may entail modifying an existing module, or creating something from scratch. We will help you explore the cost/benefit ratio of custom vs. off the shelf functionality and appearance. See custom design & coding samples and our information about programming estimates.
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easy-update Web sites
We offer a variety of solutions for people who want to update their own web sites. Based on the type of web site you have or want to build, we can make a recommendation. see easy update web site samples
Please see web site maintenance for other options.
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e-commerce Web sites
Selling products on the web can be a stand-alone business, or add revenue to a brick-and mortar company. Creative Communications can design custom sites with shopping cart features, or modify a shopping cart template design at lower cost. In either case the e-commerce functionality is provided by our recommended vendors, ProStores, Inc. an EBay subsidiary, or Trinity Realtime, Inc. when integration with Quickbooks accounting software is desired. See e-commerce samples
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Flash intros & sites
Flash is the popular technology used to create and display animated content and audio. Flash files provide a rich viewing experience with small, fast-loading files, making Flash ideal for web site navigation, movie-style intros and even entire web sites. Flash can also include video footage. See samples in our Flash Portfolio
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About keyword research
Keywords bring site visitors
To attract visitors to your Web Site, it is vital to know what keywords (seldom individual words; more often keyword phrases like "Mexican restaurants Orlando") people are typing into search engines (like Google.com) to find the information they want. As your read further note that we use "keywords" to refer to individual keywords as well as keyword phrases containing several keywords.
Keyword research — definition and purpose
Keyword research is the investigative process of determining the very best keywords for the products, services or information on your web site. These keywords are then used to help you obtain more web site visitors by optimizing your web site and improve your ranking in natural search or by using the keywords in a pay per click advertising campaign.
Importance of ranking in natual search
According to advertising expert David Verklin, 80 percent of web visitors never look beyond the the first page of search results, and 80 percent of the activity is within the first five listings of the search results. Moral: High ranking in search results is critical to getting noticed in natural search.
Some keywords are obvious, some are not
Expertise in a field and its terminology may not eliminate the need for keyword research. It's true that some keyword phrases are obvious. However, when research is conducted, you always find much more than you can think of on your own. In part, this is because people look at information from many different perspectives, and word their searches accordingly. For example, a carpet cleaner may come up with phrases like "carpet pet odor removal," while a potential customer may be searching for how to "clean dog vomit on rug."
Tools for keyword research
The tools we use for keyword research (and you can use them too) are wordtracker.com and Google's research tool. A web site that offers these and other tools from one interface is nichebotv2. These tools are valuable aids. The very best tool to start with, however, is your own imagination (put yourself in your customers shoes - try to think like they would).
When should keyword research be done?
Keyword research can be done and the results incorporated into your existing web site. But it is best to do this research, and do it well, before you build your site. Why? Because then all your decisions about content can be focused around your keywords. Some people build their web site business plan around their top keywords. That's thinking ahead!
What is Keyword Effectiveness Index?
It is also important to try find keywords with a high Keyword effectiveness index (KEI). That means that there are many people searching with that term, but not many Web Sites delivering content for that search. This constitutes a niche market you can tap into. The Wordtracker tool displays KEI results.
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PHP form programming
Forms allow you to collect information from people visiting your web site. For example, collecting email addresses is vital for followup-marketing, but you must ask for visitors' assent (opt-in), which is done on a PhP form. Forms can be simple or complex. PhP programming has several advantages. It keeps your email address on the server, rather than as plain text on your web page. This prevents your email address from being harvested by automated software and added to spam lists which are used to send you junk emails. PhP has other security measures built into its scripts. Finally PhP logic verifies information input into a form. For example, it checks that a phone number has the right number of digits; or if a person requests an email response but does not provide an email address, the form will prompt the visitor to supply one. See PHP form samples
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Programming Estimates
When we are asked to price custom web-site programming, we first must specify all aspects of the functionality that will be provided, including the flow of information and events. Due to the time involved, this is a cost-based consulting service. Based on this planning (which will involve you, the client in a collaborative role), we'll deliver written specs and a comprehensive no-obligation proposal and cost estimate. You are free to use these specs to obtain apples-to-apples estimates from other vendors if you wish.
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Web & email graphics
Web graphics promote your credibility
The quality of your web graphics strongly influences how people perceive the professionalism of your company or organization. We can help insure your graphics say positive things about you! We design logos, buttons, maps, icons, Flash elements, simple or complex illustrations and also staged photo illustrations for your web site. We can do this as part of a web development project, or a-la-carte for existing web sites.View some samples
graphic & rich-text email templates
When you are promoting products or services by email, or want to convey a mood or feeling in an email, a picture sure helps! We create template emails that can be enhanced with graphics and formatted just like a web page. Use your template to create brand awareness too. Your template can be used with different messages while still keeping the special formatting. See samples
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Web site evaluations
If you have an existing web site you would like to improve or redesign, and would like a professional analysis of what is needed, we conduct heuristic site reviews and provide a 2-3 page executive report with recommendations that address graphic design, coding structure (keep, amend or discard), navigation and usability, search engine visibility, content (editorial standpoint), congruence of content with stated web site goals, congruence of web site with company business goals, and programmed functionality (keep, amend, discard, replace). If you have a specific budget, we will provide recommendations geared to that budget. Cost for site reviews is $200 up to 25 page site. For larger sites, please call or email us with a web site address to get a fixed price quote for a site review.
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Web site maintenance
Occasional changes and updates
Our staff can make small or occasional content changes to your Web Site at a hourly rate. This approach may also suit you if you expect to make occasional change to the site structure, such as changing menus or adding functionality like a blog or site search.
Maintenance plans from Creative Communications
If you expect to make regular content updates, we offer a reduced-rate yearly maintenance plan, where (typically) we receive new text and photos by email and make the changes for you, with no minimum charge.
Do-it-Yourself maintenance (with purchased software)
If you want to make changes often, there are various options. You can make updates yourself from an interface much like a word processor. One solution is a software program called Contribute, from Adobe ($150, Mac or PC versions), that you install on your computer. This tool lets you make new pages, add and delete photos and text, create links and upload your changes. We offer setup and training for Contribute, a good self-editing solution for most existing web sites and blogs. If you have or are willing to develop the expertise, you can also buy and use the professional tools we use to develop web sites. — Dreamweaver and Fireworks from Adobe.
Do-it-Yourself maintenance (with leased online software)
We also partner with a company that embeds code in your html pages, then provides a web-based program from which you edit your pages for a minimum yearly fee of $75. Another partner company offers quick-start templates that we set up for you and you can subsequently edit with a web-based interface.
Do-it-Yourself maintenance (e-commerce)
If you are starting an online store, we can design it for you and train your staff to add and delete products, change descriptions and conduct other related administrative tasks in a web-based program created by ProStores, Inc., an E-Bay subsidiary.
Do-it-Yourself maintenance (open source)
For companies with IT departments We also offer page-editing interfaces for open source database-driven Web Sites (Mambo, Joomla).
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Web site marketing
Traffic-building strategy and procedures
We help web site owners with strategy and the nuts and bolts procedures for building traffic to their sites. Below is some basic information:
Time and money considerations
The amount of time and money needed to generate viable traffic to your web site is influenced by numerous factors. We can help you evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of your marketing position, and help you determine the most cost effective approaches. Here are just some factors:
- How competitive is the market for your products or services?
- Have you identified a niche market?
- Do you have relationships with influential leaders in your niche market?
- Do you have a price, quality, service or reputation advantage over competitors?
- Does your product or service solve a problem?
- Is your desired audience local, national or international?
- How much demand there is for your products or services?
- If your product or service new/unknown?
Approaches to marketing web sites
Marketing approaches can combine natural search, pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns, email advertising, affiliate advertising and other online approaches —as well as conventional media advertising and public relations.
What is natural search?
Natural search refers to the unpaid ranking obtained in search engines, primarily Google.com and Yahoo.com. Someone types a search query in Google, for example "Mexican restaurants Orlando" and the search engine displays the web site addresses, web site titles, and a brief chunk of text from sites in which those keywords appear. Usually there is about 10 listings per page. Your goal is to be among the top ten results, so people will click on your web site link, see your mexican restaurant info, and come eat your tacos.
Improving ranking in natural search
The initial steps for improving natural search ranking are keyword research and implementation. Keywords are placed within page titles, headlines, subheadlines, body text, image descriptions, domain names, "alternate" tags and both external and internal links. Additional steps include:
• writing effective headlines and site descriptions
•
making the page structure search engine friendly
•
investing time in a link exchange campaign
• submission to search engines and directories
Pay-per-click advertising
Pay-Per-Click programs involve keyword research also, but ranking is obtained by a bidding system as well as relevancy, where web site owners pay to have their listing (a short, keyword-heavy text ad) show up in one of the top positions identified as "sponsored links," at the top or right margin of the search engine results page. One of the most popular is Google's AdWords program. Banner ads may also be used on Googles content partner network (independent web sites).
Cost of Pay-per-click
The web site owner is billed anywhere from a few cents to $2 when a viewer clicks through to the owner's web site. The click-through price is determined by the competitiveness of the keyword (which is usually a key phrase, not just one word) and how much someone is willing to bid for placement at the No. 1 spot or lower (i.e., a No. 1 placement may cost $2 per click through, while a No. 5 placement may cost 10 cents, but may generate less traffic). On Google , the relevancy match between your ad and your landing page is also a factor. The art and science of managing an adwords campaign is to get the most traffic at the lowest cost. If you already an AdWords customer, here's a Google article that will help you make your campaign more successful.
Pay-per-click vs. natural search
Pay per click advertising is growing in volume every year, and can generate results (sales) immediately; natural search ranking takes longer to establish but has long term value and may be be given higher credibility by web visitors. Many companies use both strategies.
Promoting web sites in newspapers and magazines
Conventional media is often used successfully to target specific market segments, for example, a small ad in a flight magazine may bring many visitors to a Web Site about travel destinations. Public relations notices (unpaid coverage in the media) can be used to announce the publishing of a Web Site or to announce new ideas, products or services. For example, a web site about concept cars may get a substantial mention in Car and Driver magazine.
Targeting your audience
With conventional media, because of the high cost, it is best to target your audience if you can. Look at books like the Writer's Market, which identifies thousands of specialty publications.
Promoting web sites on radio, TV and billboards
If you have the budget and are going after a very broad audience for your web site, you can also generate interest and "brand" your web address through radio spots, TV ads and billboards. If your site is non-profit, you may qualify for free spots. We can help you decide what will work best for you and create the ads or artwork for you. We look forward to helping you market your Web Site!
Google site indexing demystified
Google now helps webmasters learn how thier pages are being indexed by
Google, what problems if any Google spiders encounters on your pages,
and how to resolve them. These tools also tells you which queries drive
traffic to your site, and exactly how those users arrive there.
Further, you can tell Google what pages on your site are most important
to you, and how often you update your content. Further, you can tell
Google how you want the URLs Google indexes to appear!
This is a FREE service if you have a free Google account. Google.com/webmasters/sitemaps/login
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