Questions and Answers
QUESTIONS CLIENTS OFTEN ASK
Do I have to come to your office to get a website?
NO. I have several clients I have never met but they still get personal service and have the websites they wanted. When we are designing a website we upload it to our staging server so the client can check the progress online. Distance is NOT a problem. We have clients in NSW, QLD, Vic, NZ and one in Japan.
Which is the best type of moving image for the Internet?
Animations which produce moving pictures on the Internet generally come as Video, Animated Gifs or Flash files. The main use for animations is to attract attention or demonstrate how an item operates.
- Video files are large. A poorly optimised one minute video clip could take up to 5 minutes to load on a slow connection. The image has to be compressed and this causes image quality to suffer. Most Internet users don't have fast enough internet access to make video viable.
- You Tube allows fast loading video files and is a convenient, free way to have videos on your website.
- Flash animations allow very small files to fill a screen with movement. The download speed can be very fast if the animation isn't too complicated. It's claimed that 98% of browsers in use can play Flash movies without needing to download plug-ins. See www.gloryhunter.com.au
- If you need a spectacular, highly interactive corporate website unrestrained by normal Internet boundaries and a have a large budget, then Flash is the way to go. Call us to discuss your needs.
How can I sell my products or services on the Internet and take payment and orders online?
- Add On Shopping Carts - These are relatively new and allow the image of a product on any website to become a 'Buying' button that takes the customer to a secure server with a shopping cart that totals the order, accepts secure payment and sends a confirmation email to the customer and an order to the merchant. We can set up systems with no operating fees for our clients. See an existing shop.
- Custom Shopping Carts are free-form. They can take on any format and can also be used to take orders or bookings and receive payment. They are individually built and can be very expensive depending on specific requirements. Custom sites generally need to be managed by the developer.
- Self Managed Shopping Carts can be built inexpensively using commercial software. Although it is possible for an experienced computer user to set up a site using this software, there is some technical knowledge required and considerable time involved in optimising graphic images. The cost effective way is to let a web developer like Live Link Websites set up the site and make the updates yourself.
Sign up for a PayPal account and accept online CC payments
How can I sell my products or services on the Internet and take orders online?
Feedback Forms are your communication link with visitors. They can be used to initiate enquiries, guide a visitor through a series of questions, gather visitor information or take orders. A Secure Payment System is required to take payments on line. Never use email to gather Payment Details. It is open to abuse and you could be liable for any losses.
- Email forms are the most common type of response form and can be tailored for any purpose.
- Fax forms are sometimes preferred by some visitors as it gives them a sense of security and a printed copy of their correspondence. Fax forms are also useful for businesses who don't have a computer but want to take part in the Internet.
Can visitors to my website secretly access information on my computer or give me a virus?
If your website is stored online with a web hosting company or an ISP's server then your website has no connection with your computer and files on your computer can't be stolen but your computer MUST have effective security to prevent access to your files through your Internet connection.
However, viruses can now be transmitted by just visiting another website so make sure you have good virus protection and keep it up to date.
Can I Build My Own Website?
Yes, we have a low cost Template website package that you can update yourself: See Example
Or you can purchase a Website Building Application like CoffeeCup: HTML Editor & Web Design Software
[ Get CoffeeCup - HTML Editor & Web Design Software ]
Is Spam Driving You Crazy?
I've been using MailWasher for several years and find it identifies close to 100% of junk & dangerous emails BEFORE you download them. MailWasher can list the offending emails so you can double check their status or have them deleted automatically. Junk & dangerous emails are checked against a constantly updating worldwide database so you never get caught out. Go to the MailWasher site for more details.
WHAT IS THE TRUTH ABOUT BROADBAND (HIGH SPEED) INTERNET ACCESS?
All the promotion for Broadband access seems to centre around ADSL with outrageous claims by Telstra that most of Australia can get access however this is improving rapidly.
In regional areas or outer suburban areas that have experienced fast growth, Telstra appear to have taken the easy (cheaper) option to get telephone customers connected. In my own area (regional Queensland) we had three barriers to prevent ADSL access. These have now been overcome.
- Distance from the exchange (we are 5 kms away)
- RIMS - ADSL requires copper lines to function and RIMS are used to convert analog telephone signals on copper lines into digital signals that can be transmitted through fibre optic cables and thus prevent ADSL from functioning.
- Pair Gain - where multiple phones or faxes share a single line. This is commonly used for faxstream connections.
A good but more expensive option to ADSL is Wireless. However, Wireless becomes much more attractive if you can do without a fixed phone line and aren't a heavy user.
Check out SKYPE if you want to make free, unlimited time phone calls to friends or clients who have Internet access... anywhere in the world.
If you want up to the minute information on every type of Broadband option visit the Whirlpool Discussion Site they don't pull any punches.
HOW CAN I GET TO THE TOP GOOGLE POSITION?
That's a good question and worth millions of dollars for the answer.
SEO (Search engine optimisation) companies will claim they can get your business to first position.
However, this doesn't stack up in reality. If the SEO had 10 clients with the same type of business, only one could be on top for a specific keyword!
It is possible to increase your position with website optimisation where the code that drives your website is fine tuned to favour a specific search engine, especially Google. Plus having a large number of links from popular websites pointing TO your website. These are long term options and very important.
The only guaranteed way to quickly get on top (depending on your budget) with Google is to use Google AdWords 'sponsored links'.
The system works by having a 'bidding system' where you agree to pay a certain amount of money for each visit to your website from the sponsored link. Amounts paid can be from a few cents to hundreds of dollars. The highest bidder gets the top position. You can put a cap on the amount you want to spend.
AdWords are rarely exploited to maximum effect.
In practice your Ad can be changed as often as you like, it has great potential for promoting time related offers. e.g. Today's Special etc.
Getting On Top With Google
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) doesn't have to use sneaky tricks and it's not rocket science as some would have you believe.
Just good planning and content implementation using the correct 'key phrases'.
E.G.
Do a search for almost any brand of Motorcycle Accessory and Aussiebiker will come up on top... above the actual manufacturer.
doesn't use any tricks just good content and is positioned #1 on Google with 14.3 million pages competing for 'business training manuals'.
NOTE:
There are some exceptions such as businesses in locations like Noosa where amoust every business name starts with 'Noosa'.