INTERNET ADDRESS
This is called your URL or Universal Resource
Locator
It is also popularly called your domain name.
It identifies your site on the Internet.
With the Essential Website
Package, it will initially read
or if
you acquire a URL
With the Inpedendent Packages,
it will initially read
or if you acquire a URL
Both are Internet addresses... in today's vernacular, both
are called Web addresses. Technically there's a difference, but it has no impact on surfing or functionality. The important
point is that while many good names have been taken... many others remain. And, while more "same" names are coming available
as new suffixes are created, as "bottom-line-thinkers"... the Herd says... "Get a name, today!" If your first choice is taken...
go for a second, or third choice. Usually, they are quite close to your desired one. There can be happiness living with
Plan B!
WEBSITE GOAL
Just as there is a purpose (well, there should be) for each
piece of literature in your business, there should be a purpose for your Website, and every page therein. Topics to consider...
History, Biographies, Accomplishments, Locations, Press Releases, Reports, FAQ's, Testimonals, Products/Services and Prices,
even if your e-commerce is not online, but designed to drive traffic to your location which is a legitmate strategy.
CUSTOM SELECT SITES
We call our basic sites "Custom Select Sites" as it properly
describes the flexibility that you have to customize a select number of sites which you can find in Site Styles... Custom. As you can see through the link on that page, one very basic
style can render a totally different look. For most business applications, The Herd recommends these sites over the others
for they provide the greatest flexibility in backgrounds, colors, type size, footnoting, graphic placements and more.
PAGES & PAGE SIZE
The number of Web pages commonly describes
a basic site's size. The problem is that pages, themselves, are without definition by either length or complexity.
In the Web world, a page is not determined by the size of the paper. (Compare this page with our last page.)
So... considering the value of our Custom Select Site, The Herd has defined a page as being... up to 250 words of text
/ titles (if data entry is required) or unlimited if we are dropping in a file (without editing)... unlimited internal links...
2 external links, one scanner ready logo or photo. Further, recognizing that one page may demand more of these
attributes while others less, The Herd "smooths" these page definitions over the entire site. So, if
you prefer all photos on one page... your Cool Moose will abide (and probably have to hold off Goose who may go ballistic
about the "artistic values" being out of balance).
TEXT, PHOTOS & GRAPHICS
We accept text, photos, and graphics in a variety of forms:
Text you can e-mail to us, save it on a disk in a standard "text" format and mail us the disk, or print it out and fax it.
However, if there is an excessive amount, we may charge for its date entry. Graphics, you can send eitherway.
If you only have pictures, we'll evaluate them for scanning.
LINKS, LINKS & MORE LINKS
There are three types of site links: Internal Links
move your visitors from one page to another. External Links move your visitors to another site outside of your control...
so, it's best to open these as new windows to your site. Then there are Cross Links... and as you may suspect, they
provide links into your site from a site to which your site externally links to. We have no control what others do with
their sites, so Crosslinking arrangements are your responsibility. The Herd can only install the link going to the other site.
The other party must program the link back to your site.
PROMOTION & SEARCH ENGINES
Promotion is as important off the Web as on
it. Off the Web means that you start placing your URL, or domain name, on your printed literature in which you
will see drop in you costs! On the Web, URLs are listed with search engines which act as resource locators.
These impersonal librarians look for "tags" that you attribute to your site, pages within the site, and links to the site.
SEO, which stands for Search Engine Optimization, is the attempt to obtain a high listing in the major search
engines, of which Google is the largest followed by Yahoo. Of course, it is impossible for everyone's site to be top
listed, so the search engines are now cleverly auctioning this prime space under a "cost-per-click" basis, or by selling ad
space along side the seach page result, or dropping one's ad into contextually similar sites. Today, traditional
indexing and cataloging systems are dead. Search engine Rule! That's why Google's IPO was the largest in
history.
DEVELOPMENT SOFTWARE & HOSTING SERVICE
We build Websites using the proven software,
Trellix, which we favor for its ease-of-use, especially for a Client's own maintenance. Trellix was originally designed
to by Dan Bricklin, who is also renowned as the developer of VisiCalc, the spreadsheet application that popularized Apple
Computers for small business computing. Bricklin wanted to do accomplish the the same for the over 20 million business
which still do not have Websites. Succeed he did. As testimony to Trellix's popularity visit our page
By The Company They Keep... We have your site hosted on Lycos using its
Tripod Service which The Herd has been using for over years. Your WebSite will be hosted on state-of-the-art
servers, in climate controlled, secured buildings . Fire protection, guards, backup generators... The Works!
OPTIONAL MAINTENANCE AGREEMENTS
Once online,under an Independent Website Package, The Herd
knows that with the software that it employs, you should be able to accomplish much of your maintence, especially as it pertains
to text content. We believe that you should be as independent as you desire. So, we do have Maintenance Agreements for clients
who would prefer to have The Herd "do their thing while you do yours."
EXPANSION & E-COMMERCE
The best time to consider your site's future expansion is
at the start, by considering design elements that will facilitate future growth with the least amount of cost. The Herd has
you covered in all ways... the overall structure of your site... the level of future technology that you may need... and the
e-commerce that you may wish to undertake. One size doesn't fit all, but with the power of the Web's linking ability, size
and special purposes are easily accommodated and seemless.
