In the past, websites were created by writing cryptic "html" programs. Today, however, almost all websites are created using tools, such as Dreamweaver®, Flash® or Joomla®. StevesIdeas web pages are created using a very unique proprietary tool, one that requires no 'programming' skill. This logical extension of conventional web programming means that you don't have to know a thing about the underlying html code, or any other technology for that matter, in order to create and maintain web pages on your StevesIdeas website. Virtually all my clients maintain their own websites -- from a 15-year-old girl to a 77-year-old woman, my clients find it simple and easy to become their own webmaster!
Probably not, and here's why:
I used to design, program and maintain websites 'from scratch' in html. I used some tools, but never found one that did the entire job, so I mostly just used html. I tried overhauling some existing websites, but quickly found that because every programmer has his own preferences about which tools to use, I'd have to learn a new tool every time I took a job. And just like a doctor, lawyer or auto mechanic, I needed to be paid for my time, even if that time was spent learning the particular technology being used, and how the previous webmaster had implemented the technology he was using. The result was that my clients paid a lot of money for something that looked as if it should be rather inexpensive.
So, I don't do makeovers, I don't 'write web pages' and I don't 'spruce up' websites. The fact is that I can probably sell you a brand new website, one that you can be the webmaster of, for less than programming a major change to an existing site. Most programmers are somewhat interested in the elegance of the technology they use - I'm interested in the functionality. That is, if the website doesn't do the job, it just doesn't make any difference how clever the programming is!
I've priced "setup" services so that they will cover most clients' needs. The services will, of course, vary, but you'll know right up-front if there'll be any extra charge for something you want done. 99.9% of my customers do not need any additional setup services, however.
Setup services include such things as:
*Please note that these services are intended to get your site up and running, not to completely upload all data you may have. For example, setting up a product catalog might include uploading 4-5 products to the catalog so that you'll see how it's done.
Absolutely! Although domain registration is included in our prices, you can certainly use a domain that you've already registered. You can retain the registration yourself, or you can transfer the domain to our Godaddy account. Transferring the domain to our account means that you won't have to remember to renew the domain when it expires.
In order to transfer your domain, or to simply point your domain to our servers, you'll need your domain account's username and password. We can make the changes for you, or we can give you easy-to-understand instructions for this procedcure.
"Duplicate" is the operative word here. While it's highly unlikely that any technology can be used to duplicate the results of another technology, we can most likely duplicate the functionality of your old site. The new site will probably look a bit different from your old one, but unless you're doing something very unique, it's not likely that we'll have any problem duplicating the functionality.
All StevesIdeas websites include the capability of specifying metatags for each web page. These tags are used by search engines to "index" your site when they crawl the web. By specifying keyword metatags, for example, you can specify which keywords will cause your website to be included in a search with search engines.
Search engine optimization, on the other hand, is a highly specialized (and often very expensive) process where a firm will submit your site to search engines, using the keywords they believe will result in the most 'hits' on your site. We feel that these services are quite frequently ineffective, and do not recommend using them. Metatags, on the other hand, are free, and they will get your site listed on the search engines.
Yes, most page-types allow the insertion of html script. Our clients use this feature to include such things as Twitter® gadgets. In addition, the "source" feature can be used to insert script in the footer of each web page, such as script used for tracking site activity using Google Analytics®, for example. This is a simple copy-and-paste process.
Yes and no. You can't take video directly from a DVD and place it on a website. Well, actually, you could, but your visitors wouldn't be able to view it, because DVD isn't a 'web-friendly' format. What you'd need to do is to first 'rip' the DVD and save it as a high-quality video file (DVD-AVI, for example) and then convert that video to a web-friendly format. Video formats that are 'web-friendly' include wmv (Windows Media Video®), mov/qt (Apple Quicktime Video®), and swf/flv (Flash Video®). Other formats, such as MPEG and AVI are supported, but their large file size usually prevents their use on websites.
I can give you the name of some free video editing and format conversion programs. Write and ask me.
Yes, we have excellent facilities for embedding Youtube, Photobucket®, and other video sharing sites' video. You don't have to understand the script used to accomplish this because it's a simple cut-and-paste process.
Standard online storage is 1Gb (1000Mb), and this should serve the needs of virtually anyone. However, if more storage is needed, we can provide custom storage packages for an additional fee. Contact us about pricing.
StevesIdeas websites are light-years ahead of what are referred to as "template" systems (sometimes called "sitebuilder" systems), although we do use templates throughout the software. Think about it this way: both spaghetti and French pastry are primarily flour and water, but the results are staggeringly different.
The thing that makes StevesIdeas websites so different is that we supply "functionality modules" for specific market segments, and some for all segments. Modules like the photo album/slide show, event calendar and RSS feed are special modules that might be used for quite different purposes by different market segments. But the 'directory of properties" pages and "most recent listings" module are specifically designed for the real estate market. And the "entertainer's resume" module is a godsend for actors who hate updating their resume.
Click the "Compare Products" tab at the top of the page to learn which modules are included with each website type.