Web Site Services
In addition to basic websites we offer a range of services including content management systems (CMSs), blogs, email newsletters and more. Some of these services don't require anything more than installation and configuration. In other cases, some amount of custom software development may be needed. Whether you need minor modifications or an entire custom website we can do the job. We've worked on a completely custom order entry system, a product information database for wholesalers, and a membership database system among other custom software. We are proficient in a range of technologies; see the list in the sidebar.
For more info on any of these services click the link below:
- Content Management Systems (CMSs)
- Blogs
- Email Newsletters
- Ecommerce Sites
- Podcasts
- Mailing Lists
- Autoresponders
- Spam-Proof Your Forms
Content Management Systems
Many website owners need the ability to update their websites themselves—without requiring the help of a webmaster or web designer. Numerous CMSs have been developed to allow non-technical businesspeople to edit the information on their own websites. With these systems editing your website is like editing a word processing document. Some popular systems include:
- Adobe InContext Editing is a software service provided by industry leader Adobe to allow business owners to easily update their websites. If your needs for website customization and editing are simple, InContext Editing is an excellent choice. Try a demo of website editing with InContext Editing on adobe.com. Click the green Edit Page button to get started.
- Joomla is free, open-source software that offers numerous plug-ins to allow you to create a customized website. If your needs are more specialized than what can be supported by Adobe's InContext Editing, Joomla may be the right solution for you. Many visual themes are available, some for free, some at a nominal cost. If an existing theme works for you, you can save money on the design portion of your website. Or we can customize a theme to your requirements or we can create an entirely new theme specifically for your organization. With widespread community support and active development Joomla is an excellent choice for a content management system for your web site.
- Wordpress is another good choice for content management. Originally developed as blogging software, the free, open-source Wordpress package has come to be used by many organizations as a CMS. For simple websites with a relatively small number of pages Wordpress can work very well. Wordpress is very easy to use and offers some options for end-user customization that are not available (or not as easily available) with other solutions. Many attractive Wordpress themes are available and can be used either as is or customized for your needs. Wordpress is a particularly good choice if you plan to have a blog. With Wordpress, your blog and your website can be completely integrated at minimal expense. Wordpress is very popular, has good documentation and lots of community support.
Numerous other CMSs are also available. If you have specific software needs contact us to learn more about the options.
Blogs
A blog is a good way to stay in contact with your community while also increasing your website's search engine optimization. Compared with email newsletters, blogs have the advantage that your visitors can post comments and, in the process, build a dialogue and a community around your organization.
Our preferred blogging platform is Wordpress, described in the Content Management System section above but we can also install and configure other blogging software.
Email Newsletters
Email newsletters (or e-zines) are another good way to stay in contact with your customers and prospects. While blogs can be interactive an email newsletter represents one-way communication from you to your subscribers. Email newsletters have the advantage that it's a "push" medium as opposed to the "pull" medium of a blog. In other words, your newsletter subscribers don't have to go anywhere to see your email newsletter. After you send it, it automatically shows up in their inbox. But with a blog people have to take the extra step of visiting your blog site from time to time.
An email newsletter can be a powerful marketing tool but there are some rules you need to follow in order to have a successful and legal newsletter. One problem is that HTML-formatted emails often appear looking garbled in some email programs and websites. However, by creating an email template according to certain rules you can avoid those problems.
Another problem is that you shouldn't send your email newsletter directly from your own email program. As soon as you try to send email to more than 20 or 30 people you can run into problems with your internet service provider. You also need to have an unsubscribe option to comply with the CAN-SPAM act.
We can help you with all these requirements. Contact us or read more about marketing with an email newsletter in the September 2009, October 2009, and November 2009 issues of our Effective Websites newsletter.
Ecommerce Sites
Do you want to sell products online? We can help you with solutions ranging from a simple PayPal or Google payment button to a full ecommerce website with shopping cart and credit card payment gateway. Contact us for details.
Podcasts
Today, organizations have more ways than ever before to connect with their communities. In addition to blogs and email newsletters, your website can feature a podcast. We can set up you up with the software you'll need and add the RSS feed to your web site.
Mailing Lists
In addition to email newsletters, some people have need for a mailing list which allows any of the subscribers to post a message to the group. To post a message, a member just sends an email to the list and the message is automatically relayed to all the members. Any number of members can be accommodated. We can set up free, open source software so you can have one or more mailing lists.
Autoresponders
Do you need to have a message sent automatically when someone takes an action at your website? We can set up an autoresponder for you. One example of how this works is on the Free Info page of this website. When you request a free white paper, our autoresponder automatically sends you the PDF immediately. You can use an autoresponder to send files in this way or to send a welcome message, etc.
Spam-Proof Your Forms
Are you annoyed by spam you get from the contact form on your web site? Unfortunately, automated spambots cruise the web searching for forms to fill out. When they find a form, they fill it out with their spam message and electronically click "Submit."
You can screen out the spambots with the use of a CAPTCHA. A CAPTCHA is a challenge that is presented to someone trying to fill out a form, typically implemented with distorted letters on a busy background. A human can read the letters and type them in but a spambot can't. We can set up a CAPTCHA and customize its appearance to blend in with your website. Once your CAPTCHA is in place you can say goodbye to spam coming from your form(s).
Another approach to screen out spam from web forms is to use Flash or Flex to create the form. That's the approach used on this website. As with a CAPTCHA, only humans can access a Flash/Flex form. The Flash/Flex form is slightly more expensive to create but has the advantage that it doesn't impose any extra requirements on your website visitors. They just type in their info as usual. Spambots never even see your form.