You’ve identified that you need a website so now what do you do?  After making a list of what you want the website to do it is time to start building your site.  The following is a basic breakdown of terms you will encounter when building a website.

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2316 Delaware Ave #266
Buffalo, NY 14216-2687

Letter warning of impending domain expiration – renewal rates charged at $30 and up per year!

We manage a number of domains (roughly 300+) at last count for ourselves and clients and receive numerous letters a year from the above organization.  The gimmick with these letters is that the domains are held by another registrar (such as Network Solutions, Go Daddy, etc.).  The organization is attempting to get domain holders to sign a letter of agreement essentially transferring the domain to their services for management.  That is a problem all by itself but the pricing they are charging is usually far in excess of what the domain holder is currently paying as well.

We have had 2 clients who managed their own domains fall for this letter.   We were able to help both return the transfer of the domains to their original registrar  (Network Solutions in this case).  In both cases the affected parties were charged $50 for a 2 year registration and were currently only paying $15 per year.

If you receive any letter warning of an impending domain expiration and you are the registered holder of that domain please verify the company that manages the domain registration for you before submitting any money and/or signing any papers.

You can check out who owns and manages a domain by using any number of Whois services on the net.  A good place to start is at www.whois.net.  Just enter the domain name under the Whois Lookup box and hit go.  The company listed next to Registrar is the information you are looking for.

We hear this refrain quite a bit from potential clients.  which is one of the key reasons for the creation of this blog. The following information should make you rethink the above statement if it has ever crossed your mind.

We know it may sound somewhat disingenuous for a website company to tell you that you should have a website.  But whether you choose to hire us, another developer or build the site yourself we strongly feel every business should be on the web today.

Here is a basic list of items you may not have thought about.

• Contact information – The web is increasingly becoming the standard method to find phone numbers, addresses and directions for local businesses.  Even a simple one page website that costs you very little can provide this information.
• Find Services – The Yellow Pages are becoming an obscure point of reference to many potential customers. The web is replacing this resource (see above) rapidly. Many buyers are finding services, restaurants, shops and products online. By ignoring the web you are greatly decreasing your chances at finding new customers.
• Customer Feedback – Many times an unhappy customer is never heard from – the end result is lost business and bad word of mouth. Many customers will forego calling your business or seeking out the owner to inform them of unmet expectations. Websites and contact forms are the perfect solution to encourage feedback so you as a business owner can find out what you are doing wrong as well as what you are doing right.
• Current News, Work, Products – There is no more cost effective way nor timely method to sharing your latest product, news, or special.  Brochures and flyers have to be printed and mailed far exceeding the cost of a simple website update and email list.
• Online Sales – If you manufacture your own product or are a reseller an e-commerce solution can help facilitate finding buyers you may not have access to normally.

If you don’t have a website currently think about the above list.  We will detail DIY solutions as well as information that will be helpful in hiring a website developer in upcoming blog posts.  The population is quickly adapting to new technologies and the web is increasingly becoming a starting point for locating information, businesses and products.  By ignoring the web you are missing opportunities in many areas to interact and develop your customer relationships.