Like most of our clients, you may have some questions about the Web development process.  We hope the following “Frequently Asked Questions” (FAQ) provide the answers you are looking for.  Please visit our Glossary for word definitions and feel free to contact us with specific questions or concerns.

Why do I need a Web site?
I’m confused and overwhelmed.  Where do I start?
What is a domain name and how do I get one?
What is the domain alias?
How will people find my site?
How quickly can I get my site up?
What is hosting?  Do you offer hosting?  Do I need to buy/install a server?
What are the benefits of a monthly and annual service?
Can I see my site while it is under development?
How much do you charge?
What do all these little components do?
How do you manage your content?
What about training sessions?
How can my Web site improve my bottom line?
Can you provide online shopping for my site?
I only sell wholesale or to businesses.  What can a Web site do for me?
What can a Web site do for my local business?
e-Commerce
Web ASP

Why do I need a Web site?

Approximately 750 million people worldwide have access to the World Wide Web (WWW).  No matter what your business is, you can’t ignore 750 million people.  To be a part of that community and show that you are interested in serving them, you need to be on the WWW.  You know your competitors will.  Plus, imagine passing out your business card to thousands, maybe millions of potential clients and partners, 24 hours a day, inexpensively and simply? The Web is one of the least expensive and yet most targeted, flexible, and effective forms of advertising available. Plus, many companies discover that a Web site is a more economical, faster, and efficient way to make information available to clients, customers, distributors and employees. Instead of spending large amounts of money producing newsletters, brochures, memos, product booklets, catalogues, etc., businesses are pointing people to their Web site where they can quickly add and change information at any moment, night or day.

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I’m confused and overwhelmed.  Where do I start?

We will guide you through the entire process from beginning to end. TrueSource provides an all-encompassing service that addresses all your Web needs. For now, you can start exploring what you want to accomplish with your site. Do you want to reach new customers, service existing customers or service internal users?  Think about the Who, What, Where, How and Why for your organization.  What information is most frequently requested from your organization?  What content do you want to provide in a cost-effective manner e.g. specials, news/events, new products, etc?  Gather all the materials you think might be relevant: logos, pictures, graphics, text, brochures, and your scribbles/doodles.  More is better! 

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What is a domain name and how do I get one?

The first thing to do when you decide you are going to put your business online is to register a domain name.  Our domain name is www.truesourceweb.com.  It is our unique Internet address that identifies us on the Internet.  TrueSource can help you find and register the best domain name for your business with the appropriate registrars.  TrueSource will also act as your domain administrator and manage the renewal of your domain when it comes due.  Renewal fees will vary depending on the registrar’s rates and the term length at the time of renewal.
 

  Consider these suggestions when developing your own domain ideas:

1. Is your domain name also the name of your company or Web site?  If your company is already well-known and branded, it would be wise to have a matching domain name to keep a consistent image.
2. Is your domain name easy to remember? 67 characters is the maximum and probably more than most people can remember anyway.
3. Is it easy to spell?
4. Does it include key words that describe your business or the benefits customers will receive after buying your product or service?  Utilizing keywords in your domain name will help improve your ranking in the search engines when prospects search for those words.
5. Does your domain name contain only letters, numbers and hyphens?  Keep in mind that special characters such as exclamation marks (!), question marks (?) underscores (_) and spaces are not allowed in a domain name. As well, domain names cannot begin or end with a hyphen.  
6. Domain names are not case sensitive.  Thus, there is no difference between truesourceweb.com and TrueSourceWeb.com.
7. Are you using several names without hyphens?  Ensure that there is no confusion in the way the words merge together.
8. Are you being too creative?  Intentional misspellings like curlz.com may be difficult for your prospects to remember and they may end up at your competitor’s site – curls.com.
9. Finally, spend some time brainstorming ideas with employees, friends and family.

 

What is the domain alias?

The domain alias allows additional domain names to point to a common Web site. This feature is useful when you want users to be able to access the same Web site through a number of different addresses. An example: TrueSource Corporation registers two domain names, A and B. It places its Web site at A, and makes B a domain alias of A. Whenever someone types in the address of domain B, they are automatically redirected to domain A.

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How will people find my site?

Internet surfers will generally find your site in three ways:

• Via a search engine like Google or search directory service such as Yahoo.
• Through hypertext links or banner ads from other sites.
• Seeing your Web address in conventional marketing/advertising materials developed by you - your Web address should be included in every piece of paper that leaves your organization and every conventional advertising campaign you launch.

We will help you with all three approaches, as our goal is not just to design your site but also to make it successful. Through experience, we know what works and what doesn't work.

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How quickly can I get my site up?

Depending on the size and complexity of your content, graphics and custom development, your site will be up anywhere between a few days to a few weeks.

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What is hosting?  Do you offer hosting?  Do I need to buy/install a server?

The host is the computer or server that "houses" your Web site. Physical location is not as important as the reliability, capabilities and support of the hosting company. For the vast majority of sites, bandwidth and storage are less important than features, support and reliability. You want your site to be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and you want a host that will meet your current and growing needs. Our dedicated IT/IS staff are capable of handling the demands of hosting and server maintenance.  TrueSource can help you choose the best package and guide you through the setup process that best meets your needs.

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What are the benefits of a monthly and annual service?

You only pay for what you need, when you need it!  A monthly and annual payment schedule offers you the flexibility to change your Web site package on an as-need basis.  Plus, you receive a low start-up cost and a lowered total cost of ownership.   
Why pay a license fee?

Your license fee covers all the base components of TrueWeb and ensures that your Web site will be hosted on TrueWeb.  The license fee also includes content management basic user training.

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Can I see my site while it is under development?

Yes, we create a special private section on our test server just for your site. At various steps in the process, we will show you the current version of your site (at a special Web address) and ask for your comments and feedback. For example, most projects start with the front or home page design. We will design test layouts for your review and feedback. Once you have approved this stage of the project, we will proceed to develop the "inside" of your site. We collaborate with you during every stage. There will be no surprises since your site does not "go live" until you have approved it.

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How much do you charge?

There is a $500 set-up fee and $1000 initial license fee plus any consulting fees you require to get your site going.  After that, monthly fees range from as little as $40 and up depending on the components of your package.  Please call us for a free estimate of your personal start-up and monthly costs.

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What do all these little components do?

TrueWeb offers a variety of dynamic Web site features you can add to your site  for your various building, promoting, interacting and e-commerce needs.  Please see our TrueWeb Toolset descriptions for a full explanation of each Web site feature.

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How do you manage your content?

Our easy-to-use “What You See Is What You Get” (WYSIWYG) editor is built right into your Web site.  With an Internet connection and secure password, you can manage your Web site content anytime and anywhere! 

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What about training sessions?

Anyone can manage their Web site content.  We offer free training and information sessions for our clients who have little-to-no technical experience.  We also offer advanced sessions for our clients who simply want to learn more about various Internet topics.  Feel free to contact us with your specific questions or sign up for one of our training classes.

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How can my Web site improve my bottom line?

This all depends on how you measure your bottom line and how hard you “work” your Web site.  If you are selling products online, it is easy to see how your site can add to the bottom line.  Your Web site can also improve communication, distribution, customer support and marketing.  E-Business is often more about reducing costs (e.g. reducing mailings of catalogues) or improving productivity (e.g. applications and content aimed at sales force support) rather than direct sales.  And for many organizations, a Web site is part of their competitive image and marketing. Do your competitors have Web sites? We believe that a Web site is now a necessity, not a luxury.

It is also important to "work" the Web. If you do not update your site, add new content or give visitors a reason to return, you will not be using your site to its full potential. Take advantage of marketing your site through conventional means by including your Web address on letterhead, advertisements, etc. Do not depend solely on search engine traffic to bring visitors to your site.

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Can you provide online shopping for my site?

Yes, we will guide you through the process of developing online shopping/storefronts. If, like the majority of businesses, you want to accept online credit card orders, there are a few other things you should know:

1. You need a merchant account through a bank or financial institution (if you already accept credit cards just contact your financial institution and tell them you intend to accept online orders as well).
2. Decide whether you want offline order processing (swipe, phone or computer entry of credit card orders at your place of business) or real-time order processing (all automatic - you are sent confirmation to fill the order - no order entry on your part). Both methods involve per transaction fees but real time order processing is more expensive.
3. Decide on shipping and return policies up front.
4. Determine whether you want order integration with a back-end database or accounting package.
   A few businesses want to "sell" products through their Web site but do not want to accept online credit card orders. If that is your preference, we will help you develop alternatives to conventional online shopping.

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I only sell wholesale or to businesses.  What can a Web site do for me?

E-commerce or e-business is more than selling books, toys or CD's online. E-business encompasses all the ways that a Web site can improve communication, distribution, customer support, marketing, etc. Often e-business is more about reducing costs (e.g. reducing mailings of catalogues) or improving productivity (e.g. applications and content aimed at sales force support) than direct sales. For example, do you have product catalogues, product specs, brochures, technical manuals, procedure manuals, etc. that are expensive to print and distribute? Put that information on a Web site for your customers, distributors, and sales force.

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What can a Web site do for my local business?

Internet usage has become so pervasive that even businesses that serve strictly local markets are finding advantages from doing business on the Web. Let locals and future visitors get to know you. How much money would it cost to effectively advertise all the wonders of your business using traditional advertising e.g. radio/TV spots, newspaper ads, etc? Buy a fraction of the ad space, include your Web address and tell the whole story on your Web site. 
Graphics

How long does it take for your site to fully load? Do visitors click off your site without viewing the content because they are tired of waiting for the graphics to load? For all the talk about broadband connections like DSL or cable modems, the majority of users still connect at 28K (many still connect at 14K). A few years ago, when the Internet was in its infancy, users were so wowed by the possibilities that they were also wowed by flashy graphics. Now, most users surf for content. They know what they want and they want it ten minutes ago. Tastes differ and many clients like expressive graphics. (We work for you ... so you get to choose.) But we recommend that graphics be used to project the company's image, aid navigation, and accent your site. They should not be a deterrent to your site and its content nor should they be the focus, unless of course graphics and art are your business!

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e-Commerce

A few years ago, most Web sites were simply online "brochures". Now, the Web is a critical marketing tool - an integral part of the marketing mix - for some companies the top marketing consideration. E-commerce also encompasses all the ways that a Web site can improve communication, distribution, customer support, marketing, etc.  We can help you improve or redesign your site. We can help you develop applications and online solutions to reduce costs and improve productivity. Contact us to learn more about options for your company or organization.

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Web ASP

What is an ASP(Application Service Provider)? Basically in using an ASP you outsource your software applications over the Internet.  You lease software you use instead of buying it. The ASP manages the software and technology supporting the software, automatically making updates when they come available. There is no visible difference in what you see or how the software works.  The differences are all behind the scenes. The server that runs the software, which used to be down the hall, is now located in a secure ASP data center. The data flows securely back and forth from you to the ASP over the Internet.  You access the software the same way you always have - by clicking on an icon on your desktop. All you need is any PC or machintosh that connects to the Internet for access to all your ASP applications.

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