Web Site Services and Solutions

Web Site Services

» Web Site Planning	» Web Site Hosting
» Web Site Development	» Web Site Transfer
» Web Site Makeovers	» Website Maintenance

Web Site Planning

Building a website without a plan makes as much sense as building a house or car without a plan. There are several stages in website planning, such as . . .

determine the objectives for the site: What do you want your site to do for your company? How can the site help make — or save — the company time, money and labor?
determine the content and functionality which best meets those objectives. What kinds of information will your visitors look for? Should aspects of the site be interactive? What tone will you use in the content and text ? What pictorial enhancements should you use to support your product/service presentation and enhance your credibility and image?
determine the site structure and page design which best delivers the content and functionality. How should the site be structured for easy navigation? What elements should be used to guide the eye, influence the mind, prompt a behavior?

With over twenty years of software development and project planning, we can help plan your site to meet your objectives. Whatever stage you're at in planning your website, we can help you carry the process forward to successful completion.

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Web Site Development

We offer all the aspects of website development — HTML, graphics, layout, Java enhancement, databases, shopping carts and more — which are collectively called design. However, we do not necessarily recommend that you load your site with every bell and whistle that's making noise these days. That can easily be a mistake.

Your site needs to create an experience for your visitors which serves their needs as well as your own. What kind of an experience is that?

For example, visitors to an informational website want to find what they are looking for fast. If you can offer them more than that, so much the better — but only if it does not obstruct their ability to accomplish their business and leave. E-Commerce sites need to quickly engage the visitor with what’s being sold. Marketing sites need splash. High-end, information-rich e-commerce sites must provide all of these.

Most web designers today do not understand this. They mix and match, tossing up elements that they personally like — or can ‘do’ well. They fail to understand and create the concept of a congruent look and feel appropriate for the industry and audience. They throw in doodads intended to make an impression without realizing a potentially bad impression is created.

We bring to our work an understanding of the business functions to be performed, as well as marketing and advertising principles, web culture, competitive strategy and technological trends. At eICEPower, our developers will synthesize all these into a coherent concept and coordinate the activities of a variety of creative individuals. The result is an integrated functional embodiment of that concept in the finished website.

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Web Site Makeovers

If you already have a website and know it could be improved — but you don't want to make the investment of redoing everything from scratch — ask us to do a makeover.

We'll evaluate the structure, content, functionality, appearance and style, suggesting changes (with your approval) so as to make your site as effective as possible. We can change a little or a lot depending on your needs. In the end you'll see dramatic improvements for a cost much lower than starting from scratch.

We've learned to be cautious, though. Some of the makeovers we've taken on should have been called "disaster recovery", so we'll need to give your site a thorough examination before we commit ourselves to a quote. It's been a revelation to see the damage some other developers have done!

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Web Site Hosting

Some enterprises run their own websites from their in-house servers, but most today use a web hosting service. As "virtual" as the Web may seem, your site has to sit on the hard drive of an actual physical computer somewhere. A web hosting service is simply a company that makes their computers available for this purpose.

Many people confuse web hosts with Internet Service Providers (ISPs). In fact, the two are entirely distinct even though ISPs often offer web-hosting service as well. It is important for your ISP to have a Point of Presence (POP) in your area — a local phone number — to avoid toll calls when you connect with the Internet. In reality your web hosting service provider can be anywhere. The planning and implementation of your web hosting requirements should include your site volumes, security and required 24/7 online commitments.

Although we host sites ourselves, we can offer through our partner BellSouth (the #1 ISP in the US) hosting packages that encompass even the most stringent requirements of any large commercial web site.

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Web Site Transfer

If you have an existing website, you may want it transferred to a web host better suited for your needs. Usually, this can be done smoothly at minimal cost. Occasionally, however, some function of the site — database connectivity, for example — is tied to the host system in a way that requires some programming or other adjustment in order to complete the transfer.

Before recommending any transfer, we'll study your current site to discover any potential problems. If we deem a transfer to be in order despite certain problems, we'll work to select a new host where these problems will be minimized.

We'll also make every effort to ensure that any adjustments are made in advance of the transfer or else immediately after. In fact, the old site can remain "up" until the new one is fully functional so that very little, if any, interruption of functionality occurs.

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Web Site Maintenance & Management

Once your website is on the Web, the work has not ended. As your company develops new products, services, promotions and strategies . . . as your competitors make moves to which you must respond . . . as Web technologies evolve . . . your website will need updating to reflect these changes.

Also, you may want to add more material on a regular basis simply to keep your site more interesting and valuable for your visitors to keep them coming back.

Beyond maintenance is management. We share the responsibility with you for deciding what your website needs on an ongoing basis. We remain alert to changes in your competitors' sites, as well as new developments in Web design and technology, and recommend changes to keep your site as competitive as possible..

Whatever your maintenance or management needs, we can handle them for you so that you can focus the energies of your company on the things that you know how to do best. After all, who could be better qualified to maintain your website than the professionals who created it in the first place?

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