The easiest way to get consumers is to go where they hang out… social networking websites.  We feel it is a great way not only to find consumers, but also to find and connect with other people in our field.  Keeping up to date with new new things is great for your business and your consumers.  That being said, sometimes it is easy to forget that it is a business and should be done as such.  Remember that your consumers do read what you write and what you post in your photo galleries so keep them professional.  Also, some people are tempted to add themselves to their business friends list.  We do not recommend it.  It is a great marketing and promotional tool, but only if you keep your personal life separate from your business.  Your consumers and colleagues do not need to read about a party you went out to or what you and your family did over the weekend.

We just signed up for our second myspace account and our first twitter account.  Feel free to add us!

~Goober Productions

What is…?

Domain Names

In layman’s terms, a domain name or url, is like your building address of your business where you work. It is where you go to work and where your customers go to get your business. Your business in the real world needs a building and a street so consumers can find your business and check out what you have to offer them. Like your business, your website needs a name and address so people all over the internet can find your website. We recommend you try to keep it as short as possible so it is easy to remember.  Do not include special characters, underscores or dashes as they are hard to remember.  If you are having problems, we can help get you started.

Hosting

Keeping with the business analogy, a hosting service is like the building that holds your business. The hosting service holds your server which holds all your webpages and makes it possible for people to find your website on the internet. You can have a website created without a domain name or hosting, but your problem will be that no one will be able to find it on the internet (because it will only be on your computer).  There are many services out there with many different hosting packages.  Just keep in mind that you are a new company and the smaller packages are normally the best choice.  We do have companies that we have worked with in the past that we can recommend to you if you are unsure which will help you narrow it down.

There are three ways you can get your domain name and url:

1) You can do your own research and find one that fits your company

2) You can go with our recommended companies and we can help walk you through the process over a phone (or online) conference or in person if needed *recommended

3) You can let us take care of it.  We do not charge a processing fee.

Goals are important, but how does that affect your website design?  When we design a website we like to think about what are the top three things that we know the person viewing the site will want to go and what are the top three things that the website’s company wants to accomplish.  These are normally very different things.  Having more than three main areas to look at can be confusing and the browser will not know where they are suppose to look first.  People getting lost is not good for business.  They need to be able to find what they need in an efficient way.  This will ensure they come back time and time again.

Company Goals can include:

• Making revenue
• Promotion of the company
• Getting information to the customer about products or services

Consumer Goals can include:

• Finding a product or service
• Killing time and browsing anything
  
• Finding information about a product or service

Obviously there are many other goals out there and it is up to you to decide what they are for your company and your consumers.  Make sure that when you create your website that the eye goes to the three most important areas of the website.

What are the three most important areas?

• Your logo with your company name
• Your navigation
• A place where they buy the product or service

~Goober Productions

There are companies out there whose sole job is to figure out target markets for companies like yours.  We are not against it at all!  It can be pretty expensive, but it is worth the cost if you are looking to expand or to change your website to a specific target market instead of a broad one.  They generally do surveys of all sizes to find out who is the best market for the product or services you provide.  After they get your information, they put it in graphs and such so it is easy for you to see the data.

Do it yourself!

If you cannot afford it, you can do it yourself and get important information just the same.  A basic understanding is all you need if you are starting a brand new company.  So where do you start?  You start by asking questions.  The best people to ask is actually your family and friends.  Ask them if they are interested in a website like your and why or why not!  You can also get online and ask people on social networking websites (ie websites like myspace, twitter and such)  Afterward, you will need to ask your self some questions.

Answer these questions about your company:

• What service do you provide?
• Who do you provide it for?

Answer these questions about who you provide services for:

-How old are they?

-Are they male or female

-Do they generally use faster internet? (ie younger generation does, older generation does not)

-What region if any do they come from?

Not sure what questions to ask?  That is okay.

Start with basic questions like;

• How old are you?
• What state do you live in?
• Do you like my product or service? Why? or Why not?

~Goober Productions

Welcome to Goober Production’s official blog.  This is a place were you can find out more information that is not available in our FAQ on our web design website, www.gpwebpages.com.  Feel free to comment and ask questions.  We are dedicated to customer satisfaction and that starts before you even order a website design or graphic!  Take a peek around!

Some of things we talk about in this blog is:

• Website Design (basic html, javascript, php and wordpress blogs)
  
• Graphics (jpeg, gif and flash)
• Media (types and when to use it)
  
• Domain Names (URLs)
  
• Hosting Companies (servers)
  

We will also be answering your questions as well as showing you samples that are not found on our main website.  Make sure you book mark this blog and come back often as we try to update weekly!

~Goober Productions

Professional Web Design Made Easy