Why do I need a Web site?

You're here, aren't you? You're looking at this page to get information, right? Are you at work? Are you at home? There are millions like you. The Internet can expose you to vast numbers of potential customers - local, national, and international. The Web is one of the least expensive and yet most targeted, flexible, and effective forms of advertising available. Plus, many companies discover that a Web site is a more economical, faster, and efficient way to make information available to clients, customers, distributors and employees. Instead of spending large amounts of money producing newsletters, brochures, memos, product booklets, catalogs, etc., businesses are pointing people to their Web site where they can quickly add and change information at any moment, night or day.

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I'm confused and overwhelmed. Where do I start?

We will guide you through the entire process from beginning to end. Whether you're a startup looking to create your first online presence or an established organization looking for ways to exploit the growing functionality of the Internet, Site On Target can help grow your business. Here is what you can do.

• Step One - Think about what you want to accomplish with your site. Do you want to reach new customers? Do you want to service existing customers? Do you want to service internal users? Think about the Who, What, Where, How and Why for your organization. What information is most frequently requested from your organization? What content do you want to provide in a cost-effective manner e.g. specials, news/events, new products, etc?
• Step Two - Gather any/all materials that you think might be relevant: logos, pictures, graphics, text, brochures, your scribbles/doodles, etc. More is better.
• Step Two and a Half (recommended but not critical) - Research other sites. Start with sites in your field, but also consider sites that you have really liked/disliked for any particular reason. Look for content and features you like as well as designs/layouts.
• Step Three - Contact us for a free consultation.

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Can't I just do this myself?

Yes, software and "web-sites-in-a-box" are available, however, for most people, the learning curve is steep and often the results do not meet expectations. At the end of the day, you want a site that is fully functional and professional in appearance. When you value your time and compare it to our cost-effective, experienced solutions, you will find that we always offer the better value.

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What is a domain name and how do I get one?

Our domain name is www.siteontarget.net. It's our unique internet address. On the web a domain name is like a unique phone number or street address. Our real address is 216.239.129.163, but that's way too difficult to remember so domain names were created. We will help you register a unique domain name for your site. Domain names must be less than 67 characters in length (excluding the .com, .org, .net, or .edu). Short names and ones that you won't have to spell out to your visitors are the best. Because domain names are vanishing at a rapid rate, we recommend that this be your very first step.

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How will people find my site?

Internet surfers will generally find your site in three ways

• Via search engine (Altavista, Google, Lycos, Mamma, etc.) or search directory, such as Yahoo.
• Through hypertext links or banner ads from other sites.
• Seeing your web address in conventional marketing/advertising materials developed by you - your Web address should be included in every piece of paper that leaves your organization and every conventional advertising campaign you launch.

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What is hosting? Do you offer hosting? Do I need to buy/install a server?

The host is the computer or server that "houses" your Web site. It could be in your back office, at an Internet Service Provider in your town, or it could be hosted in another city. Physical location is not important but the reliability, capabilities and support of the hosting company are very important. For the vast majority of sites, bandwidth and storage are far less important than features, support and reliability. You want your site to be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and you want a host that will meet your current and growing needs.

Site On Target specializes in web site design solutions...we do not offer on-site hosting ourselves but rather through our partnership with Omnis Network, an industry-leading web host. You get multiple DS3 connections from multiple carriers for high speed and redundancy. This means your site will be lightning fast and highly available. Our hosting plans deliver high performance, dependability and 99.9% uptime.

If you decide to sign-up with Omnis on your own, please use referral code 1g4r6ym when prompted.

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Do you use all the latest technology?

Yes, and we can provide all the latest technology for your site! However, we often choose not to use all the "bells and whistles". The key to success for your site is ease of use, speed of access, and content! Because of varying computer and browser capabilities, not every feature can be accessed by everyone. For that reason, we generally implement new technology only after it has been in the public domain for a while. We specialize in cross-platform sites that just about anyone can use. Also, complex graphics can be painfully slow to download for the average user. We generally design for the middle road since our goal is for your site to be seen and used by the largest number of people!

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Can I see my site while it is under development?

Yes, we create a special private section on our test server just for your site. We then give you a special user id and password so you can login. At various steps in the process, we will show you the current version of your site (at a special web address) and ask for your comments and feedback. For example, most projects start with the front or home page design. We will design test layouts for your review and feedback. Once you have approved this stage of the project, we will proceed to develop the "inside" of your site. During all stages we collaborate with you. There will be no surprises since your site does not "go live" until you have approved it.

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What can a Web site do for my local business?

A couple of years ago, for most businesses, very little, but Internet usage has become so pervasive that even businesses that serve strictly local markets are finding advantages from doing business on the Web. Let locals and future visitors get to know you. How much money would it cost to effectively advertise all the wonders of your business using traditional advertising e.g. radio/TV spots, newspaper ads, etc? Buy a fraction of the ad space, include your Web address and tell the whole story on your Web site.

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