Frequently Asked Questions about Websites
How will a Website increase my business?
To be honest, that is almost entirely up to you. A Website won't work unless people know about it. For people to know about it, it has to be indexed on search engines like Yahoo or Google, and you have to advertise that you have a Website The first option will come in time, and more about that is discussed below. As for advertising that you have a Website, several things can be done. The Website address needs to be printed on business cards and letterheads. It should be on any visual advertising media you have, such as an outside sign or a magnetic sign on vehicles. In this sense, your Website is a 24-hour-a-day glorified business card, but with much more information than a Yellow Pages ad.
Another way to get more people to use your Website, and hence pound into their psyche that you have a business, is to make your Website "informational." For example, a veterinarian can list his office hours and services, but could also have reference material posted on pet care. It is a simple rule of advertising - just keep putting your name in front of the consumer. Back to Top
It depends on the type of business you have, what you want to advertise and the layout you would like for your Website. Some clients like a one page Website where all of their information is available via scrolling down the home page. Other clients, restaurants for example, might like pages for their lunch menu, dinner menu, wine list, catering information and pictures. Map pages are also very important. No Frills Websites will work with you to suggest formats that please you and also enhance the productivity of the Website. Back to Top
How do I get high rankings in search engines like Yahoo and Google?
Rankings are usually generated by Website page titles or meta tags. Page titles are what the viewer sees on the uppermost row of their browser, in this case "Inexpensive Websites", et al. Meta tags are similar, but they are embedded in the actual HTML code of the Website. Every few weeks or so, the search engines send out computer programs called "spiders" over the World Wide Web to find new Websites. Eventually, your site will be indexed somewhere. But specifics are needed. For instance, a new restaurant in New Orleans will have a hard time coming up in the top ten of a search for "New Orleans Restaurants."
There are companies that, for a fee, claim they can get a site into a top ten ranking for a fee, but I am skeptical about that You can use the same "New Orleans Restaurants" example to see why.
Another way to get better rankings is to have hyperlinks to other much-visited Websites. No Frills Websites usually includes hidden links to Google and Yahoo, but any other sites you might like to have linked from your site will also help. Back to Top
| "GIF" stands for "Graphical Interchange Format." I've no idea why! GIFs are just one way to save an image file. An animated GIF is simply one that moves, like the one to the right. More examples may be found on the "Some Frills!" section of this Website. |
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No Frills Websites doesn't build animated GIFs, but a lot of people do, and most can be copied directly from the Web for placement on Websites. Back to Top
"Flash animation" is a way to manipulate items on a Website, including, text, images and photographs so that they move in designated ways. A series of pictures may fade in and out like a slide show. Images can appear to come at you, growing larger on the screen. Text can be manipulated to roll or twist until finally placing itself to be read. Examples may be found on the "Some Frills!" section of this Website. Back to Top
How do I get pictures onto my Website?
Pictures are simple. For one, No Frills Websites has a digital camera and, if you are local, can take pictures on-site. Other digital images taken by clients can easily be emailed to No Frills Websites. Actual photographs can be scanned by the client into a file to be emailed, or sent to No Frills Websites to be scanned and then returned. Back to Top
E-commerce is something No Frills Websites is dabbling with, but would not try to sell to a client just yet. It involves selling products from one's Website. Wal Mart, for example, has "shopping carts" and with a credit card, you can buy anything from Wal Mart's Website. This, however, involves monthly fees to a "shopping cart" company and compiling a huge database of products. That is a "Frill" we are avoiding at the moment.
But there are other ways to sell products from a Website. "Pay Pal" is a free service to retailers which simply takes a little over 3% of each purchase and 30 cents per transaction. The Webmaster does nothing but build a link to "Pay Pal" on the Website in the client's name, after the client has activated the "Pay Pal" account. The customer picks the product he wants, and then gives a credit card number to "Pay Pal." When "Pay Pal" receives the authorization to deduct funds, it emails the retailer with the product ID and the amount. Then the retailer ships the package, and "Pay Pal" sends them the money. This, of course, means the retailer must have access to an on-line computer, and must check it at least daily.
Another simple way to sell products is via a form. A viewer can choose a list of products desired, check them off on a form, and then submit the form. The viewer will also include contact information. Hence, when the form information is received via your email, you can call the customer and arrange payment and shipping options. Back to Top
What are "Frames" in Websites?
"Frames" are sections of a Website, some of which can change while other portions remain static. On this Website, for example, there are four frames. The Earth image on the upper left is in one frame. The "No Frills Websites" on the top is the "Header" frame. On the left is the "Menu" frame, and the main section of the Website, which changes every time a menu item is clicked, is the "Main" frame. Frames are not needed for all Websites, but come in handy for others, and can be arranged in a variety of ways. Back to Top
