I once heard a guy say that having a website
is like having a bomb; the best reason to
build a website for your business is that
"the other guy has one." It's the
21st century and the fastest and most cost effective way to
get your message to the greatest number of
people is the Internet. It's fast becoming the new "yellow
pages" for people looking for products
and services, like the ones that you provide.
As little as ten years ago, the Internet
would have been written off by most folks
as science fiction or perhaps the domain
of an obscure academia project, but today
the "web" is a part of the daily
lives of millions of people. And the number is growing each day like
a runaway snowball. With the arrival of high
speed connections and inexpensive broad-band
access, there soon will be a day will the Internet
will reach almost everybody, much as TV does today..
So, is that enough people for your message?
Are you going to be where people who are
looking for you can find you? Do you need
to keep up with the "other guy."
Are you ready to step though the door to
the future?
The Web is a very visual media, but it's
also a "pull" media. Visitors to
your site will have to "do" something
to get something. This is usually clicking
on a link to go forward to more information.
If you can't compel them to click to the
next part of the message,
your message, is lost and they will go to somebody else's
site.
(Television, by way of contrast is a "push"
media, which means that the message will
be displayed with no request or action from
the "user" (or in TVs case, the
viewer). If your message tunes them out,
however, they may just reach for the remote.)
In order to build a website that works for
you, you first need to remember the first
rule of communication, whether it be written,
spoken or web-based. That rule is "
know your audience." If you bore them or they think your
message is irrelevant to them, they
tune
you out faster than a couch potato
can change
a channel.
StarWeb can help you deliver your message
Unlike TV, where everybody has the same setup,
computer users can vary tremendously in the
scope of their equipment, the speed of their
connection and the length of time they are
willing to invest getting to your message.
For this reason, there are some things to
keep in mind when designing a website.
Web browsers, like Internet Explorer, Netscape's
Navigator, or America Online's internet screen
are not all created equal. They differ in
the way they display information and are
subject to the equipment they run on. A "power
user" may have a more powerful system
with a high screen resolution of 1600x1200,
while a user with laptop or an older machine
my only have a lower resolution of 1024x768.
The second machine has only 40% of the pixels
of the "power users." Your web
message needs to take this in to account
so that each user sees, and is compelled
by, the same message.
Also, the speed of the connection can also
greatly affect the delivery of the message.
Fast DSL or cable modems are great for moving
large volumes of data, like movie images
and sound, while users with slower dial up connections would
loose patience with a twenty minute download
just to find out about your product. The message must be tailored so that it's
relevant to any viewer no matter how they
are viewing it.
Is the Web for You
Creating the imagery and being able to optimize
it for the appropriate medium puts StarWeb
Corp.'s web design team in the special position
of doing it all - custom creating the images
that make your message compeling and presenting
them so they have the best chance to work
for you on the web.
If you're note sure if the web is something
that might be effective for your business,
think about your "message." Web
site need to grab the viewer and convey a
mood, a tone or create a strong desire. They
need also need a way to allow the viewer
to act on that, whether its to get more information,
contact a sales rep, find out where they
can get a product or actually order the product
on line.
Do you have a stong message that can motiveate
your potential customers?
If you do, you should be on the web!
StarWeb would welcome the opportunity to
disucss your website needs with you. Please
give us a call or send us an email about
your web site needs. (just click on the card
below to send us a message). We'll set up
an appointment for a convient time to discuss
you needs and wants for a website that reprresents
your business.