1. Well designed – Poor design will bring you poor results
2. Award winning home page – Make an excellent first impression
3. Effectively laid out – The path to least resistence should be the path to your cash register
4. Customer service plan – If you fail to plan, you fail to plan
5. Web glue – Content that gets people clicking and coming back
6. Perfect code – So people can print and search engines can get through.
7. Easy navigation – The path to least resistence should be the path to your cash register.
8. Revenue streams – Make your website an asset.
9. Web hooks – Entice people to give you their contact information
10. Spam Proof – Don’t leave yourself open to spammers
11. Well managed - Plan to update your website as frequently as possible.

10 Affirmations
9 Durham portals
8 Google gadgets
7 Money makers
6 business bibles
5 Website tests
4 Website links
3 Search sites
2 Podcasts, and
a chance to win a cool prize pack!

These are two of the topics David Cohen and I will be discussing on the Small Business Big Ideas Radio Show on Sunday, December 7th, 2008 between 9 and 10 a.m. Why not listen in via the web by going to www.ckdo.ca (press the ‘listen live’ button). You can also call in 905-723-1580 with your questions if you’d like? If you can’t listen to the show in real time, make a note to listen to the podcast afterwards at Small Business Big Ideas Radio Show. Wish me luck!

For those people with lots of content, a link called ‘most popular pages’ is a great link for people who don’t initially know what they want to see.

• Domain Name Registration
• Hosting
• Website Development
• Website Promotion
• Website Management

• domain names
• hosting
• website development
• website management
• website promotion
• & more…

With budgets as tight as they are, it is only natural for you to want to save on expenses where ever you can. If you are thinking of using an in-house person to create your company’s web page it is important to choose someone with a flair for design, who will have the aptitude to learn HTML (the language behind web pages), as well as a multitude of other software applications. They must also be able to devote time on an ongoing basis to keep information current, search for new places to market your site, and educate themselves about ongoing technical developments that can help you.


Companies without the time or inhouse expertise should consider selecting a professional web page designer. Understanding what constitutes a good design is important! Here are a few tips to help you make the right decision.


LOOK at other web sites they’ve developed:

• Do their pages load quickly?

• Are their sites easy to navigate?
• Can you navigate the site without graphics?
• Is it clear what the company being represented offers?
• Is it clear what the pages contain for the viewer?
• Is the contact information clearly displayed.

ASK these key questions:

• Which web browsers do you test pages on?
• How much do changes cost?
• How do they advertise your pages?
• Do they test the pages on other platforms, ie IBM, Mac?
• Will they custom design your page or do they work with templates?
• How do they plan on reflecting your business’ image?

LISTEN for their questions:

• What Key words / Key phrases you would like programmed into your pages?
• What market(s) you are targeting?
• Which ways are you marketing your product traditionally?
• How you would design your pages if price were not an issue?

We all know that first impressions are important, so make yours a lasting one by exploring all of your options. Take the time to find the ‘right’ Web Page Designer or alternatively how you can best meet the needs described above inhouse. Either way you will be happier with the results and so will the visitors to your site.