The Web

[yoop24]

Dear forum members Hello
The question is addressed to Those of You that have websites on the Internet.
Do You find the website helpful in getting orders (as promotional tool) if Yes, What is the percentage of orders that come from (type of orders) Your website? cost of maintaining of Your site?
Please feel free to discuss this topic and express any New ideas..........
Happy Holidays

 

[BrianPowley]

My website generates 100% of my business!
I've had a website since the early 1990's and it steadily generated business up to the point where in 2002, I had enough customers and enough "part-time" income to quit my former job.
(I was a general foreman in a large steel mill with 25 years of service)
My website costs $30.00 a month----that includes hosting fees and ISP fees.
I use FrontPage 98 software and update it myself----it's easy to do.

Brian

 

[maryw]

Brian - did you create/make your own website?? I know that there are people who will create a website for a fee. I really would have no idea where to start, but would like to have my own site. Any suggestions for me or others? Is the FrontPage 98 software just for updating and maintenance?
Thanks.
Mary W

 

[finn]

adobe dream weaver cs3 is nice and not to hard to use
here is a easy instruction area for DW cs3
click the linkhttp://www.adobe.com/designcenter/video_workshop/

then ( uper left) pick the product (green box) dream weaver ..... then just pick a vidio to watch it or any of the other adobe products
but you would need to think up what you want on your page like what kind of art work and so on. i use adobe illustrator and photoshop to make my web design.

so if you can draw and watch some of thouse vidio's on that page you can learn how to do it.
i know you can also use Coreldraw its a nice program too for drawing.


p.s. Brian what is your web page ? post a link please

 

[Andrew Biggs]

In todays world web sites are a "must have" item for those people starting a business of any kind. There's a lot of variables in this of course. Some people don't need them as there reputation is their biggest advert. More and more people are becoming internet savvy and letting their "fingers do the walking"

Think of it as a 24/7 brochure of your work. It can be updated and changed as you please.

What software you use is not that important for what most of us want to acheive. That is a simple web site that shows off your work and explains a bit about yourself and your product. For simple web sites there is a free programme on the net called "coffeecup" that is pretty good. Frontpage etc are all good as well.

It starts with getting a web address like www.whatevernameyouwanttouse.com and goes on from there.

The biggest thing is that you learn the programme you use properley. That takes time and patience. You also need to start getting a real understanding of how photos and file sizes start effecting the download times of potential clients etc. Apart from that all you need is photos of your work and write a bit about it. One thing that you will definatley need is a high speed internet connection. 56k modems will drive you nuts when doing web work.

It all sounds complicated when you first start looking at it but by breaking it down to small chuncks is relativley easy. Buy a good, simple book on the subject that clearly explains the procedure and that will give you a good start.

Cheers
Andrew

 

[BrianPowley]

Mary--Originally, no---I was using/sharing some bandwidth on someone's website---I had one of those weird addresses like: http://www.users.clover.net/bgpowleyengraving.com/html--or something like that.
I later decided to have a domain and learn to do it myself.

The first thing I did was buy a book called HTML For Dummies. After reading it and understanding what I wanted to do, I registered my domain name,(Your ISP can do that on the phone) bought FrontPage 98,CUTE FTP software and went at it.
FTP means File Transfer Protocol----a cool sounding phrase that really means "This is the program you need to upload your files (webpages and pictures and text) to the Internet."

I used FrontPage 98 to design the website and CUTE FTP software to upload the images and pages to the internet. I edit pictures in Photoshop.
The only reason why I still use FrontPage 98 is because it's all I need right now.I use it for updating and maintenence of my website,my church's website and for the website I'm designing for our Steel Drum Band.
I'm sure there are programs that make web design even easier. I'm not familiar with them.
If I was in the market for web software, I'd probably get Dreamweaver or the latest version of FrontPage.
As far as suggestions: Do it yourself---It's fun, it's easy and you'll get what you want everytime.

My web site: http://www.powleyengraving.com
It's nothing "outside of the box" but it works!

Here's a link to demonstrate what my Steel Drum Band's website will look like when I get it done:
http://www.powleyengraving.com/heavenlymetaltest.htm
(BTW---The links on the Steel Drum website do not work and it took me about 20 minutes to compose and upload the page to the internet)
Brian

 

[monk]

long days ago had a site put together by my son. it was online for about 1.5 years. it was a free site. no frills. only 3 hits. some how it vaporized and never returned. the 3 hits generated no actual jobs. i no longer have a site. not sad, not glad !

 

[Andrew Biggs]

Hi Monk

With web sites there's a lot of work goes into what you can't see. What you do see on the screen in front of you is only 50% of the work involved.

Things like "keywords" etc all help with your placing on the search engines. That's why it's important to get a good book that goes into the detail and you fully understand what it's all about.

It's also important that your site looks professional and has good information on it. The competition can be feirce in cyberspace!!!

Cheers
Andrew

 

[Sam]

My site generates nearly 100% of my work, and has since the early 90's.

Ditto on Dreamweaver! It's the best website authoring tool you can get. You should also become familiar with Photoshop or similar editing software so you can create logos, buttons, etc. The Cafe graphics and all the graphics on MasterEngraver.com and iGraver.com were done with Adobe Photoshop and all pages built with Dreamweaver. / ~Sam

p.s. I strongly encourage you to get a professionaly designed site. It's easy to take the cheap or free way and end up with something that looks cheap or free. Like a printed brochure, your webpage is a reflection on you and your business. Present yourself as professionally as possible. First impressions on the web are extremely important, and your customer is just a mouse click away from leaving and taking his or her business elsewhere.

 

[russ]

I just recently got my page up and running. I made one for my father years ago and turned it over to him to maintain. He has done a lot since then and took it far beyond my capabilities. I thought I could throw this one together within a week but it turned out to be longer. But now that it’s up, I’m glad I went through it. I learned a lot and it’s nice to make your own changes at will – however small they may be.

For those that had their page created professionally, do they turn the site over to you to maintain and make changes, or do you have to contact them every time you want a change?

As far as business – I’m still waiting – but it’s early yet.

 

[Gargoyle]

My site generates nearly 100% of my work, and has since the early 90's.

I'm in a different field, only about 80% for mine, but it's also been at that level since about '97. I launched it in '94. It also has led to "meeting" some real oddballs, like Sam.

btw, even the 20% that finds me through other routes, look at the site after first finding me and before contracting, to learn more about the possibilities.

 

[Andrew Biggs]

For those that had their page created professionally, do they turn the site over to you to maintain and make changes, or do you have to contact them every time you want a change?
russ

Be careful with this one. Make sure if you get the site done professionally (read: pay someone) that you understand fully the terms and conditions of who you are dealing with. Make sure in advance that the web developer knows that you want to maintain the web site once it's been built. Some developers will do this for you and others want to maintain control. It's better that you know all this in advance.

This also leads into another consideration. The software being used. If the professional uses a certain type of software then you will probabley have to buy and learn how to use the same software because of compatibility issues.

When dealing with a professional you still have to provide good quality photos and the text. They can't make a silk purse out of a sows ear They can tidy it up for you, but, you still provide the raw ingrediants.

In saying all that don't be put off by it. You will be quite surprised at what a professional can do for a very reasonable price.

Cheers
Andrew

 

[Joe Mason]

There is a lot of good information in these post. I followed the same route as Brian did learning to develop my web site. When I thought my work was good enough to show, I got a book and started learning html. I learn just enough to store some photos of my work to post on the Knife Network Forum. This forum got me started. Clients would see my work on the forum and go to the web site for information on how to contact me.

Today I work mostly for existing clients and they visit the web site. I try to change out the older photo as I complete jobs. As others have said, It is so important to have good photos of your work. I am still a part time engraver with a backlog and don’t have a lot of time to do really nice photos. I send knives to Jim Cooper for photos. Jim knows I want to photo the knife, but put an emphasis on the engraving. He also send copy’s the all the publication which has gotten me some business.

There are lot of tools available through the internet. I recommend new engravers to develop a business plan . Where do you want to be 3 years for now? Then figure out how to get there.

Joe

 

[DanM]

Many community adult education classes at local high schools offer basic web design at low cost.I have used Dreamweaver 3 for years now and really don't need the bells and whistles of the newer version.Good photos are a must have,Photoshop Elements can handle most things for a website without the cost and learning curve of a full version of Photoshop.

Learning the terminology can help also,the number of hits on your traffic report is meaningless.You need to know the number of visitors and more important is the number of unique visitors per week or month.Being in the top 5 sites on search engines does not always equal more sales.Most of my sales come from events and shows with the website availible for custom work and information.

 

[Gargoyle]

Also, some caveats if you hire someone to set up your site. Make sure the domain name registration is in your name, so you have control over it. Make sure you have all passwords and access info; I've heard of sites being held hostage, and of cases where the person who knows where the keys are kept dying or disappearing (people in on-line businesses do "disappear" rather often), so that no one else can open the door.

 

[jmcutting]

Andrew Biggs:
Be careful with this one. Make sure if you get the site done professionally (read: pay someone) that you understand fully the terms and conditions of who you are dealing with. Make sure in advance that the web developer knows that you want to maintain the web site once it's been built. Some developers will do this for you and others want to maintain control. It's better that you know all this in advance.

Andrew stated it well you do need to be careful with having a site developed. I myself work full time during the day managing a marketing and web development department. I also have a business with my wife where we do marketing for the horse industry.

A web site is very important these days but it can make sure break you in many ways. A web site should be a continuation of your current marketing. Your site should reflect who you are and what you do. Depending on the industry this is done differently. For example if you are a business consultant your site needs to describe who you are and what makes you different from every other consultant out there. You want your site to be professional looking yet not bore your audience. Now as an artist your site needs to also tell who you are and what is unique about you. The big thing will be displaying the artistic ability you have in a way that shows them the quality you produce.

This is where a professional can help because they do it daily and understand what goes into it. As an engraver the design of your site will be important. You want your site to show off your work just as you would if they came through the door and you were showing it to them. A good example is the way that Andrew puts together his pictures. I love the way that the original design is laid behind the picture.

When looking for a developer you want to start with someone that can understand what it is that you do and isn't going to just template you site like all the others out there. You want someone who will take a genuine interest in what you do and what to produce a quality product for you.

As for managing a site there are a lot of options. You can have a site developed that you can manage with a program yourself. This isn't bad but not only do you have the cost of developing the site but you have the cost of the software as well. Another option is to have the site developed with a database back-end with a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) Administrative Section. With an administrative section you can have a secure login where you can update and maintain the content of each of your pages. You can upload new pictures to keep things fresh.

For an example of what a database driven feel free to check out http://newstoneranch.nsdnn.com/ this is a demo site I use to show potential clients what we provided.

I would be happy to help answer any questions anyone would have in developing a site and point you in the right direction.

-justin martin
http://www.digitalhorseservices.com

 

[Sam]

Something that's not been mentioned are Flash sites. This is strictly a matter of personal preference, but I'm getting to the point where I dispise all-Flash websites. I don't mind a Flash logo or banner, but when all pages are Flash it just bugs me. Yesterday Abigail and I were looking at a bicycle site which was all Flash, and we were both having problems navigating it. It was buggy, awkward, and was a pain to use. I'll admit that Flash sites win when it comes to being high tech and cool, but I don't want or need entertainment with flashy video entrances, music, etc. Just give me the info I'm looking for in a fast and easy-to-navigate site. Maybe I'll change my mind someday, but the way it stands now, I prefer the ease, speed, and simplicity of a clean HTML site.

 

[noud peters]

Congratulations Lee and family,
both look pritty, grantdaughter and gun.
All the best for the new Year

Noud Peters

 

[jmcutting]

Sam,

I agree that some flash sites are over done. Though I think you will start to see more Flash development in the future now with the new FLEX platform. It provides a flash interface but with the programability of ASP or PHP. Everyone wants to be unique and Flash is an easy way for that. I rarely use Flash anymore for development but like the fact that users can not download images from Flash. You can script a page to block image downloads in HTML but it is buggy from one browser to the next.

-justin
http://www.digitalhorseservices.com

 

[yoop24]

Many Thanks to all forum members for your honest replays
Happy New Year 2008!!!