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News Article: On the Web
Businesses need to have a presence on the Internet
By Brook Stockberger
If you own a business, you should have a Web page.
"I have clients who don't even have a business card, but have a Web page," said Las Crucen Art Schobey, who has designed and built Web pages since 1995.
"Any more it's to the point where if you don't have a Web page, it's bad for your business from a perception point of view," said David Cecil, who along with Jason Crowson co-owns the Las Cruces company Digital Solutions. "They're an investment. They might cost you money, but they'll make you money."
Las Crucen Steven Chavira runs Success Incorporated, which offers personal life coach services.
"Probably 90-percent of calls I get are from people who've seen my Web site and have called me up," he said. "When I first started out, I made a good effort to reference my Web site. Your Web site is an extension of you."
Linda Ramirez, owner of J. Eric Chocolatier in Mesilla, said the she feels it is essential for those in the business community - whether large or small - to have a Web presence.
"A lot of people have done a lot of business on the Internet," she said. "It does a lot for you. You can do orders on the Web site and people can find out about you."
Tom Heilpern with SCORE - an organization that provides free advice and assistance for business owners and those who wish to start a business - said that, especially with the younger generations, the Web is a way of life.
"In this day and age it is almost imperative to have one," he said. "(Many people) don't do anything without checking out Web pages."
Getting Started
Crowson and Cecil said it is important to develop somewhat of an understanding of the Internet. He said that people who are not familiar with Web sites can begin by browsing the Internet.
"Go out there and find three or four Web sites you like," Cecil said.
"Do you like the color?" Crowson said. "The style? The sound? Remember what you like."
Cecil said one of the first things he asks a potential customer is, "Are you familiar with Web sites and how they work?"
"If they say 'No,' then we try to educate them as much as we can."
If you are a business owner who wants a Web page, think about what information you want to put online.
Schobey said he has two questions he asks at the beginning.
"The first question I ask, 'Is search engine positions important to you?'" he said.
"The second question I ask is, 'Do you want to maintain the site yourself?'"
Search engine position deals with where your Web site appears when a person conducts a search on Google, or Yahoo! Or any other search engine. There are a variety of ways to better the position of a Web site, but some are against the search engine site rules and can cause a Web page to be banned.
Cecil said there are entire books written solely on the subject of search engine positioning.
Price
The cost to develop and maintain a Web site can range from about $200 to $10,000 and beyond.
"It's like building a house - it depends on how much you want," Cecil said.
The price depends on what you want your Web site to accomplish.
"It depends on the quality and the size and your budget," Crowson said. "We get a lot of beginners who want to just get their Web site up. But in six months you can add to it."
Schobey said that it is good for people to learn how to update and run their own sites.
"Nobody is going to care about your Web site as much as you do," he said.
Web Designers
Be careful who designs and maintains your Web site.
"In the 10 years I have been in business, I have probably replaced 40 Web masters," Schobey said. "They disappeared, or they've gone out of business or something has happened."
When you lose your Web master, the switch to another one can be bumpy.
"So many people come in and say, 'My cousin built me a Web site,'" said Crowson.
"A lot of people have family members or college students," Cecil said.
"Then they leave or whatever and the people are stuck. Sometimes we basically have to build a new Web site."
Schobey said, " It can be a very painful process. They stand at risk of losing their domain names. There are certain controls that are very difficult to pass from one (site) to another."
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