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9. Does The Website Development And Design Company Outsource Any Project Components To Third Parties Or To Countries Like India? If So, Which Components?

While outsourcing may be a valid business decision to save costs and keep overheads lower, you'll want to be cautious with any web design company who takes your project and out-sources large components to another country. If you have concerns about low quality, cheap labour, and remote project management issues when jobs are outsourced to India, be sure to bring them up before your project begins.

10. Can The Web Development And Design Company Help With Website Content Copy Writing?

SEO copywriting can make or break your website. Your website design may draw the reader in and focus their attention where it needs to be - but the words themselves do the selling. And if the content is optimised correctly, your website can be showing up on the front pages of the search engines for your chosen search terms.

Be sure the web design firm you choose offers copywriting and ask to see samples -- particularly samples of sites within your same industry. This will give you a good foundation on which to base your decision.

11. What Programming Languages And Operating Systems Does The Website Development Company Work With?

Ideally, your web development company should offer both the open source PHP/MySQL and ASP.NET programming languages. They should make a technical recommendation on which
Platform would best meet your needs and budget.

12. Do The Web Design And Web Development Experts Build Websites To Web Standards?

Standards compliance, such as W3C and Web Standards Group are highly recommended industry practices. The main reason is consistency in how your visitors view your website on different platforms and future proofing.

13. What Is Covered In The Firm's Website Testing/Quality Checking Phase? Are You Able To See The Website While It Is Still In Development?

Basic testing requirements should be browser testing, checking for broken links and general usability tests to ensure the website is easy for website visitors to use and interact with.

By seeing a development staging version, you will be able to check the website before the launch date and make any necessary adjustments.

14. Does The Graphic Design Firm Allow Clients To Host Their Websites With Any Host?

Sometimes, for the sake of functionality or other good reasons, a web company may ask that you host your website with them, but this is not always the case. You may have existing commercial relationships with an ISP or web hosting company that you would prefer to use. It is important to know before hiring a web design firm if they will require you to move hosting to them.

15. Do They Provide Any Training Once The Website Is Launched?

If your website project includes customised systems or software, it can be extremely helpful if your web design company provides you with training documents for future reference. If your system is very detailed, it might even be optimal to arrange for a training program or ongoing customer support.

16. Is The Website Design And Development Firm Knowledgeable in SEO? Is This Included In Your Quote, Or Are There Extra Charges?

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is a science in itself; an experienced Internet marketing company should be able to offer you a variety of options including organic, PPC and social media marketing. Depending on your business requirements, you should consider hiring a web design company that can create a custom online campaign to help you achieve maximum results.

17. What Is The Charge For Website Updates After The Initial Website Is Completed?

Be aware of the charging structure for updates to your website. Consider how often you will require updates to your website and ask the web design firm how they handle future updates and maintenance.

If you have frequent or large updates to your website, you could consider a Content Management System. A CMS is only really useful in the event of regular changes and if a staff member has good training in it. If neither are the case, it may just be cheaper to have the supplier to manage small updates.

18. What If You Find A Problem Or Code Bug After The Site Is Finished? Does The Graphic Design Company Have Any Kind Of Code Warranty Or Guarantee?

Often web companies will make the change if it is small for no additional costs. However, be aware that if it is a change and not a bug fix, you may be required to pay extra. Typically, web design companies will give you several designs to approve initially and then involve you every step of the way. Each approved section of the project is considered finished. Going back and making changes -- even if they seem simple -- can be costly.

19. Is The Copyright For The Website Transferred To You When The Project Is Complete? What About Images In The Website? Logo Design?

Copyright law is a specialised lega

Google Owns a Search Engine Optimization Company.

If you own or work with a search engine optimization company, or even if you're just hoping to better your search engine placement, then you are probably aware of the recent acquisition frenzy that took hold among the major search engines. Google paid $3.1 billion for DoubleClick, Microsoft paid $6 billion for Aquantive, and Yahoo paid $680 million for the 80 percent of Right Media that it did not already own and another $300 million for BlueLithium. The companies purchased are all intended to help widen the advertising range of each of the engines in question, and to take advantage of increasingly sophisticated behavioral-based ad-serving technologies that the acquired companies owned.

What many people failed to realize was that when Google purchased DoubleClick, it now was also the owner of a very large search engine optimization company called Performics, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of DoubleClick.

This fact is of course raising some eyebrows in the industry. Google has consistently maintained that there is no way that people can pay for better search engine placement in the organic index, a stance that the company still claims applies despite this recent purchase. In fact, a portion of Google's published guidelines about SEO says, "While Google doesn't have relationships with any SEOs and doesn't offer recommendations..." In another portion, Google says "While Google never sells better ranking in our search results..." However, anyone who hires search engine optimization company Performics is of course now paying Google for better search engine placement. It seems like a pretty black and white issue, but Google would obviously prefer that it was kept delightfully blurry.

A Serious Conflict of Interest

One would think that Google, aware of the controversy that would come from the fact that it now owned a search engine optimization company, would be eager to spin Performics off quickly in order to avoid the appearance of impropriety and of selling search engine placement. Not so, says the official Google/Doubleclick acquisition FAQ:

Q. What will Google do with Performics?
A. Performics is part of DoubleClick, and we are acquiring it as part of the transaction. We have no plans to dispose of it at this time (1).

All right, so Google owns a search engine optimization company and seems prepared to hold onto it for a little while at least. Yes, there seems to be a huge conflict of interest. Yes, there appears to be a large double standard. Yes, Google appears to have abandoned its long-standing principles regarding organic search engine placement in the interests of profit. But surely, the search engine optimization company that it bought will quickly be forced to follow the guidelines that Google has published for companies that are looking for a search engine optimization company. Right? Well, no.

Here is a verbatim quote from the guidelines that Google provides to people thinking about hiring a search engine optimization company:

--Make sure you're protected legally. For your own safety, you should insist on a full and unconditional money-back guarantee. Don't be afraid to request a refund if you're unsatisfied for any reason (2)...

On the surface, this advice seems solid enough, but as an owner of a search engine optimization company, I can tell you how impractical it is. What would prevent a company that achieved fantastic search engine placement using my service from asking for its money back, claiming that it is unsatisfied? "For any reason" is a very slippery slope, and apparently Google agrees - Performics does not offer a guarantee of any kind. How do I know? Simple -- one of my employees called and asked. We also have it in writing from an email we received from one of their sales reps.

What Are Google's Options?

Let's be charitable and assume that in the heat of the acquisition Google has forgotten to update the page of advice that it has created for website owners. This leaves only four things that can happen:

1. Status Quo: Google keeps this advice up on the page and Performics continues to offer no guarantee regarding search engine placement. We'll call this the "hypocritical" scenario.

2. Performics gets in line: Google leaves the advice up as is and forces Performics to offer an unconditional money-back guarantee. We'll call this the "free SEO from Performics" scenario.

3. Guidelines change: Performics maintains zero guarantees for search engine placement but Google modifies the advice to remove the inconsistencies pointed out in this article from its advice section. We'll call this the "shareholder's delight moneygrubber special" scenario.

4. Google spins off Performics and removes itself from the search engine optimization industry. We'll call this the "sanity over dollars" scenario.

I'm not betting on which of these scenarios is most likely. Some time ba

Outsourcing Webdesigning projects to India.

Businesses from developed countries like U.K., U.S.A., Australia, New Zealand, etc. are turning towards other countries for web design outsourcing. These web design & development companies outsource an entire range of services including SEO, content writing, eCommerce solutions, website development, Internet marketing, website designing, and more. The primary reason for the growing trend of web design outsourcing is the large savings that can be achieved in capital and labor costs. Outsourcing gives businesses the opportunity to utilize the same high quality of web services, but at a fraction of the cost they would pay if the development was done in-house. Basically, website development outsourcing reduces overhead costs, and thereby yields higher returns.

In western countries, typically every business, whether small or large, owns a website dedicated to their company. This has fueled web design & development outsourcing around the world. India has emerged as a prime destination for web design outsourcing, where businesses can hire web designers and get their work done at very nominal rates without sacrificing on the quality aspect. There are a multitude of such outsourcing companies. The decision as to which to work with has to be made after thorough research has been done. The outsourcing company should have prior experience handling web design projects similar to that of your company.

Experts advise on checking the outsourcing company’s portfolio and its team of web developers. How experienced is the team, and what are their specialties? Also, these web developers often post reviews and testimonials form their past clients on their sites, which can be quite insightful.

Web designers from India have a strong hold on the English language, which is the main language that business is conducted worldwide. Communication is the key factor for any business; communicating the right message to right audience is the key element of importance. So here lies the second point of significance of outsourcing: Excellent communication skills.

The websites that are easy to use, attractive, and interesting score higher results in search engines. Website Design Outsourcing will ensure that your site is on top of the latest trends and a step ahead of your competitors. You will witness your new website increase its number of visitors, and slowly your business dreams will turn into realities.

Any good business puts great stress on saving time and money. Professional web designers understand your exact needs and design a customized design that works towards your business goal, while allowing you to save money and concentrate your resources on core business initiatives.

Before outsourcing website design, you should be clear in your goals and expectations regarding what you want your website to achieve. The entire website theme, design and layout have to be in connection with your business purpose. The service provider should be a reliable and trusted one that can effectively handle projects similar to yours.

Nitin.

Web branding-

Building a strong brand takes commitment, time and hard work, but the result is one of the most valuable assets a company can own. That said, not all assets are static, and your brand image is no exception.

In building your brand, you are creating a new definition with the aim of making it a household name. When people think of tissue, they instantly think of Kleenex. That’s the sort of association you want. Instant identification in the mind of the customer is not enough though… you also need that identification to represent competence, quality, authenticity and credibility. At the same time, your brand needs to remain dynamic, relevant, and at the top of mind while retaining its established heritage and identity.

In the end, the message your brand puts forward must ring true to your business, in its current state, its history, and in what you hope for the future. When your brand image doesn’t represent the message you want to convey, it’s time to consider making a change.

Many CMOs feel that brands follow a distinct and irrevocable stage pattern:

* inception

* maturation
* plateau
* decline
* death

Brands in decline are thus generally (and literally) allowed to starve to death. Dollars are reallocated to growth brands instead, leaving the declining brand without any market support, and leading to its imminent demise. By the same token, new brands and products require a very heavy investment. More companies are seeing the benefit in the revitalization of diminishing brands… reinventing the wheel is a cripplingly arduous (and redundant) option, when all you may need to do is refill the tires.

Get to know your business from the outside in:

* How do your customers view you, your heritage, your values, and your ability to meet their needs?
* What do they see as the points of differentiation, or unique selling proposition of the brand?
* How many pleasant associations and experiences have consumers had with the brand?
* What are the negatives, if any, associated with the brand?
* What is the perceived value of the brand?
* Is the perceived value of the brand active or dormant? How does it stack up against other brands?
* How relevant is the brand?
* What do customers believe the brand can do for them, to add value or more desirable attributes?
* How much loyalty is there to the brand?

There are more options in revitalizing your brand than simply changing your business name and mission statement. In general, you have three main areas to consider:

1. Rebranding the company from the inside out
2. Updating the brand’s products and product attributes with better, demanded features
3. Redesigning materials for a more contemporary brand image to appeal to new generations of consumers

Redesigning brand image materials is the most logical place to start; while it has the potential to produce sweeping improvements and revitalization across your brand, it also requires the least amount of investment and represents the smallest risk of consumer alienation. It is important that your business remain current, while retaining the reputation and recognition you have worked hard to achieve (and ultimately, to improve them as well).

Product packaging becomes outdated at an increasingly high rate… it is important to keep ahead of the curve, or get lost in the dust thrown up by your competitors. Your website must be current (you absolutely need to have a website), and it must infer the highest levels of credibility and authenticity on your business. Your materials should blow the audience away - the method of course depending on your key demographic and business model.

In all brand revitalization endeavours, it is important to keep your brand image relevant and attractive to existing core customers, while also attracting new ones. You need to ensure that your brand retains continuity, has relevance to today’s market, and has sustainability for the future. The best balance can be summarized in three segments:

1. Acknowledge your heritage (10%)
2. Address the needs of today (80%)
3. Look forward to the future (10%)

The bottom line is that periodic and well considered brand revitalization is an essential component of brand management. Revitalization, as inferred by the name, gives new relevance to what could have been perceived as an outdated, tired or just plain amateur business image.

Shiney

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