Web Support

There are a couple of factors to consider and decisions to be made before you begin the process of developing and launching your web presence.

Choosing a domain name

• Choose a domain name that is short, concise and either reflects your business name or the product or service you provide.
• Try to stick with the .com extension, as the public is more likely to use that extension out of habit - you don't want visitors to end up at your competitors site by mistake.
• Avoid double letters, hyphens and intentional misspellings that make the name hard for the public to commit to memory.
• Imagine giving out your web address on the telephone - would you have to spell it out every time?

Transferring domain registrars

Are you still paying $35 every year to renew your existing domain name? The long-standing monopoly on domain registrations ended some time ago and more and more reputable and reliable competitors are offering less expensive domain name registration and renewals all the time.

And it's not too late. Before you pay too much for yet another year, consider transferring your domain to a less-expensive registrar. There is no disruption to your site, and the transfer is typically included in their annual renewal fee.

Yes, ITS can help here too. Just give us call or email our web development staff at web@itsak.com.

Search Engines and Keywords

To get visitors to come to your web site they have to know where it is and what's in it. How do people find your web? Unless they are referred to you or see the address in your print advertising, they will probably use a search engine such as Google or Alta Vista. Your webmaster will typically submit your site description and address to various search engines. The engines then review your web pages and add them to their list based on your keywords and also the words contained in your pages. When a user types in search keywords it checks its index to find pages which contain those words and displays a link to those sites.

When creating your keyword list, remember to include:

• Variations of your business name for those who are searching specifically for your company, and variations of your individual name if it is essential to your business (such as an artist).
• Common misspellings of names, products, services and locations. For example, if your name is 'Jon Smyth' you should also include 'John Smith' in your keywords.
• If you have an eCommerce site, include terms such as 'buy online,' 'secure shopping' and 'online sales of.'
• If you are targeting new clients or customers in a certain geographic area be sure to include that city and/or county, and the state name both in full and the abbreviation.
• Ask individuals not in your industry what keywords they might use to search for a website promoting your services or products - you'll probably get at least one surprising response.

And remember that no matter how great your keywords may be you'll still have to market your website in other ways to maximize its visibility. More on this subject soon.