Customer Information Center

Customer Information Center

This Customer Information Center that will guide you through the process of setting up your site on the web. If there is a question you have or a topic that is not addressed or you are ready to order your site, please contact us.
All inquiries are confidential and you are not obligated to sign up for services!!

Why Do I Need A Web Site?
How To Get Started
Who Will Do The Work
Choosing And Registering Your Domain Name
Where Will Your Site Be Hosted
How To Promote Your Site
How Do I Pay For Your Services?
Miscellaneous Information

For additional information download the FREE New Site Information Packet (DOC).

Why Do I Need A Web Site?

A web site is a cost effective way to make your business accessible to your customers 24 hours a day, seven days a week! A visit to your site can give all of the information you want your customers to have, whenever they want it! A very convenient way to advertise...your information is always available and can be updated in an instant. Customers will know they are getting exactly what they want by doing business with you just by visiting your site. You can free up some of your time by including frequently asked questions about your business.

How To Get Started

It can be confusing trying to figure out how to get this web site "thing" started. First, take a look at your business and decide what purpose your web site will serve. Take a look at other sites in the same industry. How are they using their web space? What services do you offer that they do not? What kind of information do they have? What is your target audience? Do you want to sell things from your site?

Gather information you already have for your business like brochures, yellowpage ads, newspaper ads, price and product lists, photos of your building, you and your staff, logos, trade certification information etc...

Back40 Internet Innovators will look at sites in your industry right along with you so if you would like to recommend sites for review just send the URL, (web address).

Get a notepad and start jotting down ideas. Eventually you can start organizing your ideas into what you visualize your web site to be. After you order your site, we will go over it together to get the results you desire.

First and foremost is the development of your content. What and how much information do you want to include? What do you want your site to say? Having the content ready first helps with the search engine optimization which should be part of the development process from the very beginning.

What Should My Site Look Like?
Your site should reflect you and your business' personality and be clean, clear and easy to navigate. While you visit other sites in your industry, take note of the types of sites that you like and those you do not like. Back40 Internet Innovators will provide guidance as the look of your site takes shape.

Can I use pictures of my products/service on the site?
Absolutely! Graphics should be used to supplement your textual content. The use of a lot of images can slow the loading time (the time it takes for customers to see everything) of a page. Some visitors may not wait for the page to appear completely. They usually move on. If you have ever been to a site that has taken a long time to appear and become impatient, you know what this means.

You can include pictures of your storefront, your staff, your products, YOU! We will work with you and help you decide how to best use the images you have.

Who Will Do The Work

Once you have determined the goal of your site and have some idea of what you want it to look like, if you haven't already found a designer/developer, now is the time.

Be sure whomever you choose can provide exactly what you need. Do you want custom graphics or a pre-made template? Do you need an on-line store with a secure order form? How will your site be marketed (search engine submission)? Are there hidden fees? How much does maintenance cost? Will anyone from the company be available to answer questions?

If Back40 Internet Innovators cannot meet your needs, we will be more than happy to help you find someone who can.

Choosing And Registering Your Domain Name

What is a Domain Name?
A domain name is essentially a unique, easy to remember name used to identify your web server (computer your site is stored on). Your domain name (virtual URL) is assigned a number associated with the computer your site is stored on but rather than trying to remember a string of numbers, it's much easier to use a name you recognize!

So used along with "http://www.(yournamehere)", this now becomes your URL (Uniform Resource Locator) or web site address. The domain name for Back40 Internet Innovators is back40internetinnovators.com. The complete URL for this site is http://back40internetinnovators.com. Putting it in the location line of your web browser brought you here! All domain names are registered with ICANN (The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers-see below). Think of ICANN as the DMV of domain names!

Do I have to have a domain name to have a web site?
Not necessarily but is a good idea to have one.

What should my domain name be?
Choosing your domain name can be a simple as the name of your business. For example, if the name of your business is XYZ Auto Repair, you may want http://www.xyzautorepair.com to be your web site address. That means, xyzautorepair.com is your domain name. Use only letters, numbers and/or hyphens. (Although the name cannot begin or end with a hyphen). Domain names are not case sensitive. XYZAutoRepair.com is the same as xyzautorepair.com.

But, what if someone already has my name?
It is possible that the name you choose is already taken. In that case the registrar (companies that process domain name registrations) you use may suggest others. Try using xyz-autorepair.com or xyzauto-repair.com or x-y-zautorepair.com. Chances are that one of the variations you come up with will work. You can also try .net, .biz, .info and so on.

How do I register my name?
You can register your domain name through an accredited registrar. Some companies sell domain names only while others will offer the domain name as a part of a hosting package. Back40 Internet Innovators can even provide you with domain name registration.

If you are not sure where your site will be hosted, it may be a good idea to "reserve" your name before someone else gets it!

How much does it cost to register a domain name?
The cost of a domain name can run anywhere from free with a hosting account to $35.00 per year, depending where you register. Many registrars offer sales and promotions and some hosting companies will include your domain name registration in with their hosting packages.

Where Will Your Site Be Hosted

What is a hosting company?
A hosting company provides a place on their computers (servers) for your site files to be stored and ready to be 'served'whenever any calls up your URL.

How much does it cost?
That completely depends on the hosting company that you choose and how many options you need. The cost of hosting will depend on how much storage space and bandwith (data transfer) you need, how many e-mail addresses you need, cgi-bin access, additional software you would like installed and so on. Some require a set-up fee.

The more features you are looking for, the more you will pay. For example, an on-line store with a shopping cart and a secure server order form will most likely cost more than a storefront site. Billing from your hosting company is seperate from your domain name registration and web site developer, unless your hosting company builds your site for you.

Your Internet Service Provider (ISP) may offer free space to it's customers. Check out how much space they allow and if commercial, business or for-profit pages are allowed. This may be the ideal set up if you only require a page or two.

How do I find a hosting company?
By doing a search on Google or your favorite search engine or directory will turn up many options. Take a look at what they offer and be sure they can meet your needs. Back40 Internet Innovators will assist in this process and we also offer hosting.

How Your Site Is Promoted

Submission to search engines
After your site is up and running you will want your site to be submitted to search engines (a program that searches for documents based on keywords) so people can find you. This can be done in a number of ways. Your hosting company may offer search engine submission. Your site designer/developer may offer. There are companies that, for a fee, will submit your site. Or you can also do it yourself.

Industry Directories
With the Internet growing every day, there seems to be a directory for every possible business industry! Directories work a little differently that search engines. If you searched for auto repair shops in your search engine, you may find directories listed. Click on the directory for a list of auto repair shops. When your site is submitted to a directory, an actual person takes your information, visits your site for review and places it in the listing along with a description.

Banner exchange
A banner exchange program offers you a chance to promote your site simply by putting a banner on your page and submitting your banner to the exchange. Your banner will be rotated on the sites of all the members in the exchange.

Local Business Directory or Chamber of Commerce
Find out if your community has a web site and add your link (or RMH will do it for you).

Put A Link In Your E-Mail Signature
Most e-mail programs have the option of putting a "signature" line at the bottom of your e-mail. That means that you can put a link to your business site in your signature and EVERYONE you send e-mail to will get it!!

Business cards, letterhead, invoices, print ads, yellow page ad, business checks...
Be sure to include your URL (web site address) on all your marketing tools!

Your Answering Machine
If you turn your answering machine on after hours, add the URL to your message. That way customers can go to your site and find the information they were looking for!

Link From RMH
A link to your site will be placed in our portfolio and may even be displayed on our web site..

Word of Mouth
Definitely one of the most cost effective ways to promote your site!

Social Networking
Yes, starting a blog and getting on sites like Facebook, LinkedIN, Twitter and so are are great ways to promote your site.

How Do I Pay For Your Services?

Back40 Internet Innovators accepts MasterCard, VISA, Discover, American Express, checks, and PayPal. Payment instructions are given with your invoice.

Miscellaneous Information

Why do sites look different on different computers?
Every attempt is made to be sure your site displays as intended on as many computer configurations as possible. However, the same site can look very different from one computer to the next. A different monitor size, screen resolution, operating system and browser can all contribute to the differences in the way a site displays.

Back40 Internet Innovators primarily on the Macintosh platform but each site created is tested using Windows. Each site is also previewed in the major browsers such as Internet Explorer, Safari and FireFox.