Initial Discussions The initial discussion will generally revolve around NON SPECIFIC ideas. Questions that arise will define your total strategy and the way in which it is implemented (if at all). It will be a discussion about who you are and where you want to go from there. The discussion should generate a list of questions rather than answers at this point. It is a chance for two groups of experts to get together, one group being us, the other group being you and your staff. We will be there to learn as much as possible about your business to be able to present it in the best possible light using technologies available on the internet. This does not have to be a face to face exercise either. If your current media (stationary, printed adds etc) are doing the job then we will be able to gain most of what we need from them.

   Think about the questions raised After initial discussions a lot of question will usually need thinking about. You do not have to loose sleep over them but just need to have a think about how they may be answered in order of priority. The whole point of this exercise is to streamline the presentation of information on your site and it's adoption into printed media and downloadable information.

   Registering your domain name A Domain name is an English (usually) translation of a very un meaningful address. www.yourcompany.com.au is a lot easier to remember than 127.127.7.2. A Domain name is registered in two year time span's and must be renewed. It is much like registering a business name. (Which is a necessity for some domain names). We can register your domain name at any time. You do not have to register a domain name however the perception of a business and the ease at which it can be found is greatly enhanced if you do. The number of domain names available is shrinking by the day, so it is important to get in early. A domain name ending with .com is easier to obtain without restrictions however Australian domain names are more plentiful but have more restrictions placed on their use. We can advise of the pro's and con's of this and can suggest alternate AVAILABLE domain names if your first choice fails. New domain name structures have been proposed and we can advise when these become available.

   Web site design Your web site should be a reflection of the best points of you or your business. As with any medium it should present the image in it's best light while avoiding being a "me too" look alike. You should avoid trying to make your site look just like X or Y. You are trying to be a business with a specific message not a copy of another organization. We will look after the technical implementation. You should look after your image. If it is not unique it will dilute your message considerably. If you do not think this is important ask yourself why amateur desktop publishing looks like amateur desktop publishing. (It has a lot to do with standard templates and clip art libraries). The same is true of Web sites. Those built on standard templates will generally fade into the background noise of "me too" sites. Second and equally important is the information on your site. A compact well thought out site will do a lot better than a giant mess of dancing icons and irrelevant information. Keep it simple, well targeted and unique. You do not need to drain your finances on fluff. If on the other hand, you have a lot of useful information that you have not printed because of the sheer cost of distribution then your web site may be the place to put it AS LONG AS IT IS RELEVANT AND USEFUL.

   Printed Media If you already have a range of printed matter available you may not want to spend you hard earned money re-creating it. If your current print professionals have artwork you are best to re-use it if possible. The same works the other way. If you are a new business and the Web site is the first major publishing exercise we can pass on the graphics for use on printed matter. We can talk to your publishing people in their language to enable this to occur smoothly. If you do not yet have a publishing professional we can put you in touch.

   Getting Noticed We only deal with the top 500 search sites. To promote yourself successfully you must deal with at least the top 10. While some search engines will eventually find your site some are based on a submission/review procedure. There are tricks you can use to enhance your ranking on sites BUT the exact procedure changes with each site as the spammers and search engine Guru's fight it out. What worked this week may just as well be totally thrown out next week. Search engines want to give relevant information to their clients and will eventually wise up to any tricks that cause a site to be listed inappropriately. So you will have a choice as to which path to tread. We watch developments month to month and can advise on the results you should expect and the cost of submission. For some sites the best exposure is via traditional media. We can advise how this may be streamlined once you have a web presence. Remember You are promoting your business not just a web site. The web is only one avenue you can pursue. You have a range of options whether they are electronic or not. Do not get blinkered into only one promotional avenue.

   Web Hosting & email Once your web site is ready we can recommend a hosting service. Your web site can be hosted separately from any ISP you currently use. The ISP you log into does not have to host your site. You have a range of options as to where to host your site from your own personal ISP to a WEB hosting specialist. Specialists will generally concentrate on WEB hosting and will devote their resources and expertise to that area only. They will generally not be concerned with dial up facilities. We keep an eye on the technical performance and quality if ISP's and can advise on who would best suit your needs. Your email accounts can be managed to direct different email to members of your organization based on whatever criteria you need. We can advise on the best course of action.

   Staff training We can provide training to make sure your staff understand the issues involved and give them pointers to how best resolve problems that may arise that have nothing to do with your company or you site. The depth of this training will depend on the current level of expertise of staff and how your site is set up.