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The Web's big flaws: not enough clarity, too few facts--and too much glitz
Look at the top of this page. Notice how you can instantly find your way to a word- searcher or the site index? And down below you get fact after fact, not just buzzwords and pretty pictures. David Rothman will design for you and your customers, not the Web elite.
The dirty little secret of the medium is that many Web companies are designing for other Web companies. That's a wonderful way to jack up fees at your expense. The labor-intensive graphics and multimedia frills you see on many corporate Web sites are not cheap.
By contrast, David keeps up with the teachings of Jakob Nielsen--whom the New York Times, the Washington Post and BusinessWeek have hailed for an emphasis on the functional. David does not agree with Nielsen on everything but sees him as a welcome relief from the artsy-craftsy set.
Hard-to-navigate sites for e-commerce are just part of the usability crisis that Nielsen has found on the Web. Recently he studied the PR-related pages of ten Rolls-priced Web sites. According to Nielsen, reporters often could not even locate companies' phone numbers easily. That's what happens when image-fixated folks rather than editors set the look and feel of a Web site.
Of course, graphics are important, and David cherishes good work. The very best artists and designers can combine elegance and practicality. It's just a question of giving them proper guidance rather than letting the art tail wag the business dog.
Furthermore, multimedia has its place if used for legitimate purposes such as building rapport with clients. David himself found that RealAudio and RealVideo worked well during his efforts to help an investment company grow its accounts.
But he'll work to keep down the costs of multimedia. And never, never will he deploy technology for technology's sake. When he is considering multimedia for you, the first question he'll ask is, "Will your visitors use it and appreciate it?" If you don't know, he'll find out on his own.
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Too many small businesses let graphics experts and computer programmers rather than editors set the direction on the Web. You can hire a whole Web team, yes, maybe even including a writer. But you may find yourself saddled with complex forms to fill out--and with an expensive Webocracy that designs your site by committee. David Rothman is the ultimate nonWebocracy, a combination of an editor, writer, designer and business consultant with a $150-million case history to his credit.
Besides, David can help blend your online and offline efforts. He can use your Web site to reinforce themes in your brochures, radio spots, newspaper ads and press releases--or he can create the offline content in the first place. Needless to say, David can pick up logos and other images from your offline activities, augmenting them with clip art such as the images you see to the left. For many and perhaps most small businesses, David can provide one-stop shopping. No one else has worked on DavidRothman.com.
At same time, yes, if you're suitably budgeted, David can find an artist to achieve the very best aesthetics, or he can work with one you select. Similarly he can team up with programmers and artist-programmers to add elaborate animation and other technologies to your site. You can start out with a sturdy site with informative and lively text from David, then add bells and whistles from others as you go along.
Meanwhile, in the order David will customarily work, here is a summary of typical Web-related services that he can offer through 1Ksites.com:
- First the naming of your site and the registration of the Web address with an appropriate service. The sooner, the better. Otherwise, maybe even just by hours, someone in London or Sydney may beat you to your favorite name. Remember, it is the World Wide Web.
- Locating an Internet Service Provider if you lack one. Since some ISPs offer registration services, David may combine these first two steps.
- Site planning, including an assessment of your business needs and a review of your present sales and marketing. David will ask to see newspaper clips, PR releases, brochures, radio copy, annual reports, whatever you've done up to now. He'll inquire about your strengths and weaknesses compared to your competitors. Too, he'll find out what your customers and prospects want to know. He'll even ask about the kind of equipment they'll typically use to view your site. Especially, he'll determine how your new Web site can support your sales efforts, including perhaps those of individuals.
- Creation and digitizing of text and photos for the site. If you're a small businessperson who hates to write, you'll find that David is a particularly good choice. He can capture your spoken remarks. Of course, the more material you can provide David in computer-readable format, the lower your costs might be--just so it's useful material, not just filler. In some cases David may suggest farming out photos and other graphics to artists for retouching. This is optional, depending on your willingness to pay for these extras.
- Addition of RealAudio and RealVideo if appropriate--or perhaps technologies that work with Windows Media Player. RealMedia is the most popular choice on the Web right now. David can process video tape or set you up with a video camera. Videocams cost next to nothing these days.
- Creation of a draft site. If this is a makeover of an existing site, David will work within an area that your visitors cannot see. Along the way, he'll consult with you and, if this is appropriate, perhaps even with your customers.
- Posting of the final site.
- Registration of your site with the appropriate search engines and directories such as Yahoo. David will use special software to work toward optimal placement. For larger sites, he can call in a service that specializes in placement--one run by a former Oracle marketer
- Maintenance of the site to include new information.
- Analysis of Web logs--when available--to determine the number of visitors and discern patterns that can be used to fine-tune the site for maximum effectiveness in selling your goods or services. That is not the same as maximum popularity.
Keep in mind that the above is just a typical scenario, not the only one. David will customize his set of services. You know what he can offer--just tell him what you need.
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