Promotion Ends on April 22nd, 2009

One day last summer, Google’s search engine trundled quietly past a milestone. It added the one trillionth address to the list of Web pages it knows about. But as impossibly big as that number may seem, it represents only a fraction of the entire Web.

Beyond those trillion pages lies an even vaster Web of hidden data: financial information, shopping catalogs, flight schedules, medical research and all kinds of other material stored in databases that remain largely invisible to search engines.

The challenges that the major search engines face in penetrating this so-called Deep Web go a long way toward explaining why they still can’t provide satisfying answers to questions like “What’s the best fare from New York to London next Thursday?” The answers are readily available — if only the search engines knew how to find them.

Now a new breed of technologies is taking shape that will extend the reach of search engines into the Web’s hidden corners. When that happens, it will do more than just improve the quality of search results — it may ultimately reshape the way many companies do business online.

Say you’re a small business owner with a website with which you sell your goods and services, but you can’t afford the SSL encryption or merchant account necessary to do this. What are the options available to you?

Most web users are familiar with PayPal and the service it offers. What many small business website owners don’t realize is that PayPal can be used to accept payment for your goods and services online until you can spring for SSL security and a more sophisticated shopping cart system.

PayPal is extremely easy to set up, even for someone with low or no web savvy, and the average web user feels very comfortable using PayPal. It’s been around for quite awhile, and most people feel safe handing their money over that way.

The only real downside of using it is when the user hits “Buy Now” they don’t go to a shopping cart but to a PayPal login page, which can lead to confusion and potentially lower sales. Also, because of the way the Paypal log-in page is set up, many users mistakenly believe they must have a PayPal account to proceed, which isn’t the case. However I highly doubt PayPal will be correcting that any time soon, as it’s in their best interest to recruit as many new users as possible.

However, for a small business website owner, who needs to sell a few goods or services, and does not have the time or money to invest in the necessary technology to do so, PayPal is going to be your best solution.

Now, if you’re just starting your website, Paypal may very well be an absolute necessity. It’s very easy to set up, even for someone with little or no web design experience. You simply log in, create products, assign a price, and PayPal will give you a “Buy Now” button, which you can simply copy and paste onto your page. As time and your budget allows, you can invest in more sophisticated methods of accepting credit cards online.

Whatever you do, please don’t even consider using a standard web form to transmit credit card data to your e-mail address. Quite a few clients have come to me and asked why they cannot just do a simple form with a credit card field and have them form e-mailed to them. The answer is simple, standard Web forms have no security built-in, and for a relatively competent hacker it would be a fairly simple task to intercept this information in transit. This method of credit card data retrieval is so dangerous; no ethical web designer in his right mind would do so.

It’s certainly no secret at this point that if you own a business and that business sells ANYTHING - goods or services, then the ability to sell those goods or services on the web is an absolute must. Ignoring this simple fact can be devastating to any business - old or new.

If your business is not yet online, then it’s time to start scouting Raleigh Web Design firms. Here are some essential things to consider during your selection process.

Customer Service
We’ve all heard the old business adage - “The Customer Comes First”. This is especially true in web design. You aren’t just paying for a slick new business card. You are spending good money on a SALES TOOL. The purpose of a corporate website is simple and universal - to raise revenue. This is not a task to be left to web designers with no sense of customer service. Before signing on the dotted line, make sure your Raleigh web designer is someone you feel comfortable with in terms of answering your questions and helping you understand the process of designing a stellar web site.

There’s far more to it than graphics and a web address for most people. You are entering an exciting new frontier of sales and marketing that is more than likely completely foreign to you. Your web designer - whether in Raleigh, Los Angeles, or Spain - should be someone who listens and is willing to not only guide you through the process, but to help clear up any concerns or doubts that you may have. Your Raleigh web designer needs to be there for you.

Additionally - you need to keep your brand in mind. Be wary of designers who insist you go in directions you don’t feel are right for your company. YOU are in charge of your corporate identity, and are hiring a web designer to work within your vision - not the other way around.

Also - make sure your designer is knowledgeable in terms of keyword research and marketing. A beautiful website that has no traffic is a waste of money. Your Raleigh web designer should be able to not only design your new website, but to make it perform. Make sure the professional designer you choose can explain the ins and outs of search engine optimization in such a way that you can understand, and are comfortable with.

Competitive Rates
There will always be temptation, especially for a new business, to award the web design project to the lowest bidder. When bidding out the project - you’ll certainly want to choose a web designer with competitive rates, but heed this one warning. You get what you pay for. I have fixed MANY websites created on weekends and in dorm rooms and believe me. You are much better off making a solid investment up front than paying extra to have your site fixed after the fact.

Estimated Delivery Time
One other essential aspect of the web design process that you will need to consider very carefully is the estimated deadline. An experienced web designer should be able to bring the project in within the timeframe agreed upon - provided it’s realistic to begin with, but much like cost - you can not expect an effective website to be completed overnight. If a designer makes that promise, you can be sure that they are cutting quite a few corners. That said - an experienced web designer will be able to bring your website in on time - and exactly as you envisioned.
There are many Web Designers in Raleigh to choose from. When submitting your web design project for bid, keep in mind the advice above and it will make the entire web design process smoother from start to finish.

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The folks at Wiiibounce loved their new website so much they decided to apply the exact same style to another business site - Hall of Fame Academy.

Hall of Fame Academy is a Cary NC based baseball/softball center where kids of all ages can rent batting cages and pitching mounds. Not only that, players also have access to world-class instruction by former MLB players.