Webnames offers a great web design program called Essentials that was introduced to give our customers a professional WordPress website built quickly and affordably. The program also includes training to teach you how to update your website on your own, ensuring it is always current and up to date.

Essentials has been a huge success this year, and a number of fantastic websites have been produced. We wanted to highlight some of the customers we've been working with and get an inside look at their experience and what having a new website has done for their business.

This month we're looking at www.gastowntattoo.com. We asked the Owner of Gastown Tattoo Parlour, Ed Miller, a few questions about his site and how things are going for him since completing his website with Webnames.

We are a custom tattoo and body piercing shop located in the Gastown neighborhood of Vancouver, B.C.

How important is your website to your business? What does it do for you?

Our website has been an essential part of our business from day one. It provides us with a platform to showcase our services and products and helps distinguish us from our competition. Most of our customers book appointments only after they have perused our website. Quite simply, it is our primary marketing tool.

Why did you decide to invest in a new website?

We needed a website that would help capture what we are all about and drive traffic to our shop.

When choosing a company to work on your site what factors came in to play?

We wanted to go with a company that could provide us with a customizable web site that we could then manage ourselves. We chose Webnames largely because of the value they offered in their package and the one on one training and support they provided.
 
Tell us a bit about your experience working with Webnames. How was the process? Did everything go as expected? Were there any surprises?

I cannot say enough positives about our experience working with Webnames. The team moved quickly through the project in order to accomplish our desired deadline but did not leave out any of the details we had discussed. During the initial consultation, the staff were very thorough in figuring out what exactly our goals of the website were. I had the opportunity to go through the consultation and tutorial process with Hannah who did an amazing job at teaching me how to make changes/additions to the website in addition to better familiarizing me with Google analytics so that I could effectively monitor my website's future performance. I was surprised at how much I learned during this time.
 
Did you learn anything new by going through this process? If yes, what was it?

I learned how to effectively manage my website on a regular basis. In the past I would spend a lot of money paying someone else to make changes. Because of this, I would often just not bother to update my site.

Has your new website had any effect on your business, either day to day or overall? If so, please explain.

Currently we get anywhere from 200-300 hits on our website per day. We get numerous emails every single day through our contact form on our website. We are constantly receiving compliments from our customers about our website saying that is one of the main reasons they decided to go with us.

Is social media integrated with your website? If yes, why do you think it's important to you and your business?

We have integrated social media with our website. Facebook and Twitter are linked to our site and both have been instrumental in helping our business grow.

How easy has it been for you to manage your site and keep it up to date?

Well let's just say we update parts of our site almost daily and it only takes minutes.

What would you tell someone who was considering working with Webnames on their new website?

I would say dooooooo it! I have worked with other web developers in the past and was never anywhere as pleased with the final product as what I got with Webnames. They offer a lot of bang for your buck. A lot of website developers promise a lot but these guys actually deliver on their promises.

Thinking about starting a website for your business or redoing your current site? Learn more about Essentials by visiting our website. Limited time pricing of $1895 for Essentials will end after May 31st, 2012, get started before that time to save over $500 on your website.

Webnames offers a great web design program called Essentials that was introduced to give our customers a professional WordPress website built quickly and affordably. The program also includes training to teach you how to update your website on your own, ensuring it is always current and up to date.

Essentials has been a huge success this year, and a number of fantastic websites have been produced. We wanted to highlight some of the customers we've been working with and get an inside look at their experience and what having a new website has done for their business.

This month we're looking at www.embraceyourdeath.com. We asked Stephen Garrett, speaker, trainer, author, coach and owner of embraceyourdeath.com, a few questions about his site and how things are going for him since completing his website with Webnames.ca.




Please describe your business in 25 words or less.

Embrace Your Death is setting out to support families and individuals dealing with death and loss, and to be a motivational influence in changing the approach to death from fear and denial to embrace and inspiration.

How important is your website to your business?

My current and potential clients come from all over the world, particularly from across Canada and the United States.  It is important for them to have immediate access to all the information my website has to offer.  It's also important that my e-books be easily available to all potential buyers.  The website also gathers email addresses for my upcoming monthly newsletter.

Why did you decide to invest in a new website?

My earlier websites were designed from stock templates with the help of friends, and it looked like that was the case.  I wanted this site to look and behave in a highly professional and reliable way.  I intend for this site to go nationwide later this year so design, navigation, visuals and functionality all need to be top drawer.  I needed to hire a team that would provide a high level of design and support to achieve these goals of mine.

When choosing a company to work on your site what factors came in to play?

Testimonials and reputation were important, as was looking at sites designed by various companies. Competitive price was also a consideration.  Most important for me though, was my ability to work with the company's design team to co-create a beautiful website.  This working relationship for me was the biggest factor in determining who I wanted to design my website.  I wanted the team to really listen to what it was I intended to create, and what was important for me. I needed a team that would pay attention to how I wanted potential visitors to feel when using my site.

Tell us a bit about your experience working with Webnames. How was the process?

My experience with Webnames was outstanding.  I felt heard by the team, they really listened to what was important for me, they got my unique approach and delivered on it.  They were always on time and provided me with professional and well researched advice.  I had a great deal of fun working with Hannah and her team, and between Webnames and me, we created a wonderful site.

Did you learn anything new by going through this process? If yes, what was it?

What I learned was how important design experience and attention to detail really are.  That getting clear on exactly what I want the site to do for me was another lesson well learned.

Has your new website had any effect on your business, either day to day or overall? If so, please explain.

I have yet to formally launch the site and I am completing a book that will accompany the launch.  However having a site to send people to has been immensely helpful.  I have urged potential clients to visit the site to experience me and my message directly.  The quality of the website plus the quality of the content is very professional and inspires confidence in my abilities.

How has social media been been integrated in to your site and business plan?

I have linked the website to social media and will continue to increase my efforts. I am convinced social media is a powerful way to get my message out, attract people to my web store and earn some passive income.

How easy has it been for you to manage your site and keep it up to date?

Easy!

What would you tell someone who was considering working with Webnames on their new website?

Webnames treated me like their only client. I felt extremely well taken care of from beginning to end.  I also had a great time working with the team, it was a wonderful and enjoyable experience.  Don't delay, simply say yes and get on with them!


Thinking about starting a website for your business or redoing your current site? Learn more about Essentials by visiting our website

Renewal calls.  Love them or hate them, you're going to get them (unless you unchecked the little box in the notifications section of your account), and it's most likely going to be my voice you hear on the other end of that line.  Every morning at 9:30am I put on my Madonna head set, settle in with my cup of coffee and get to work making calls that often end up making my day.

Some days I make calls for what feels like hours, while other days I get through my call list quickly.  I think I might be one of the first people in our office to truly enjoy making these calls. In case you have never done it before, calling folks you don't know - even if they are your customers - can be awkward sometimes. There is the odd time I get hung up on (or worse), but more often I get thanked (sometimes profusely) and told how great our company is (which I personalize). Every day I get off the phones with some great story that I'm able to share with the staff, and when it comes time, with you.

One of my favorite things to do while making these calls is actually go to the website that has the expiring domain.  Sometimes I end up with a great story from our customers, other times I just end up finding something interesting that I like to share, so here's this month's list with why I chose them.

Enjoy!

Wonderwalls.ca: Did you go check out what they do? Need I say more? It's a brilliant concept for a children's room; the quirkiness of the art is fantastic, and it's the least I can do to endorse their website.  Every time I look at the rooms, I feel a pang of envy that I missed out on having a room with Wonder Walls (although glow in the dark stars left over from my older brother come in as a close second).

Blistersbliss.ca: I hiked the West Coast Trail last summer; I used this book on my adventure, and was lucky enough to catch Mr. Foster on the phone after his latest hike.  Not only do I recommend the hike, but the book is a fantastic resource and you can check for the latest addition in the next year.  Hope you're knees are starting to feel a bit better Mr. Foster!

Grrb.nt.ca: I'm a fan of conservation and renewable resources. I've never had a bad time in the Northwest Territories, and figured the Gwich'in Renewable Resources Board would be a great site to share for those interested in the communities up north and what initiatives they're working on to improve and maintain their community.

Fulllifepotential.net: Dave Albano is a Bucket List King.  He sets goals for himself, accomplishes them and both helps and encourages others to do the same.  Last year? He finished the Calgary Ironman.  This year Dave is working on climbing the 7 highest peaks on all 7 continents.  He just got back from Mt. Kilimanjaro and is off to hike Aconcagua next. Thank you for inspiring me on a very grey Monday morning Dave. 

Degradable.ca: Educate yourself on plastics. It's the least we can do as a wise consumer, and if this site doesn't convince you of how big the impact of plastic is on our environment, then maybe this will or this. (oceangybe.com/plastic island)

Sapromo.com: They explain this site best as a "1. A magazine for South Africans Abroad 2. Everything a South African Abroad needs to be dynamic in all their endeavors wherever they are. 3. Positively South African for South African Expats." There is a lot to look at on this site, if you need a site with some interesting reads that is also visually appealing, I'd recommend you check this one out.  I could spend hours on this site, if only work would allow it...

Fuelcatering.com: Since 2006 this company has been making a difference in school lunches across Surrey.  The list of schools they've worked with is extensive, and as someone who's previously worked in the health and wellness industry, I can't tell you the importance of not only educating your children early on making smart choices, but also having healthier choices available to them. 

Stonehavenbb.com: Stone Haven Bed and Breakfast is nestled in Half Moon Bay on the Sunshine Coast. If you are looking for a new holiday spot, or weekend getaway, this place needs to be considered. The photos are amazing, the amenities seem to be endless (hot rocks massages while at an exclusive B&B- yes please!) and I can tell you if the hosts are anything like their lovely mother who answered the phone when I called, you will not be disappointed.  Check it out and see for yourself.  

Hopefully you've enjoyed this month's collection; I'll be back next month, keeping with this new tradition, another great list of sites for you to look forward to.

Do you know that I have missed parties because I am not on Facebook?!  I don't get the invite and nobody thinks to email me or, heaven forbid, pick up the phone and call me to tell me about it.

If people are spending their time working and connecting within Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn etc.,  is the expectation that they want to be contacted via those mediums as well?

Do I want Air Canada to have my Twitter name and they can DM about my point status?  I view Twitter on my mobile phone and I am on the road a lot. This could be very handy.

What happens when I use an aggregator like Flock for all my social media?  Could I give Air Canada my Flock account and they can update me and it passes into any number of application streams that I am watching?

I feel that all of these are very real possibilities, but I bet your "Create an Account" process is not up to the task.  Sure it can take a first name, last name, email address, phone number and that old dinosaur, a fax number, but does it take anything new?

Here at Webnames.ca, one of the problems we have is that people don't update their phone numbers or addresses when they move. Not only do we get a lot of returned snail mail, we also get bounce backs on email addresses that no longer work.

We are in the process of redoing our shopping cart and account creation and have the opportunity to create new fields to capture social media account names as well as people's .TEL names. 

We won't be ready to contact you by Twitter/FaceBook/Insert Brand New Social Media Site Name Here this year, but we want to let you tell us what your preference is on how to be contacted in the future.

For those who think Web 2.0 is just a bandwagon that people jump on and off, that may be true.  Today's Twitter might be tomorrows'  Friendster but I guarantee you that something new will take its place and you better be ready to capture that information.

A company can risk alienating a target market or demographic by refusing to engage with them in their preferred way.  I know I am always outraged when sites won't take a credit card and only take PayPal.  They just lost a customer.  Don't you lose one too.

Image: e-clips marketing blog

 

We started ‘Customers Rule’ last fall, and then took a bit of a hiatus. We’re back with a contribution from reah solutions inc. Our ‘Customers Rule’ feature is where you tell us about your business and favourite online resource or tools.

Are you a customer of Webnames.ca and want your business profiled? Answer our six easy questions and email blog@webnames.ca and you may be chosen for next month’s customer profile.

1.Who are you?
Anne Carabine, President of reah solutions inc. (www.reahsolutions.com)

2. What do you do? Tell us a bit about you and your business. reah solutions is an IT consulting company that specializes in finding solutions and services that help our clients achieve the maximum benefit from their information technology and systems. Our goal is to implement the most effective business solutions following best practices.

reah solutions has two decades of experience working with small to large organizations in both the private and public sector. We have held pivotal roles in the development of software solutions ranging from commercial application systems for software development companies to in-house systems for vertical niche business needs. We have also managed the selection and implementation of commercial solutions for large scale enterprise level use as well as small department-specific use.

Our services areas include:

Web Application Development  
- Business System Development  
- Business Intelligence and Reporting

Consulting Services
- Identify Technology Requirements
- System Selection and Implementation
- Business Analysis

Project Management

3. What Webnames.ca services do you use and why did you choose Webnames.ca?
Reah solutions uses Webnames.ca Web Builder for our website. We chose Webnames because they provided the following:

Great value for our money
Rapid deployment of our website
Excellent service

4. What is exceptional about your business?
We are committed to using technology that is up-to-date, robust and effective in terms of the overall business. We see technology as a tool that must support the business, not as an end unto itself. Our goal is to combine our technology and systems expertise with our understanding of solid business management principles; bridging the gap between the tools and the business through clear communication, proven methodologies and best practices.

5. What do you love about what you do?
Our passion is helping our clients succeed in business by providing them with solutions and tools that work for them so they can:

- Access meaningful information easily and in an understandable format
- Improve and streamline their business processes, making them more efficient

For example, we can provide our clients with a free Business Intelligence tool that is robust and vendor supported and then using a rapid development environment quickly produce meaningful information from their database based on relevant and dynamic selection criteria that can be presented over the web, in print or exported to a variety of formats such as Excel and PDF using an intuitive and user friendly interface.

We love to work with people, understand their concerns and help them find solutions that and appropriate technology solutions. We believe that people are the cornerstone of any business but that without the appropriate tools success in their endeavors will be a struggle. When businesses use inefficient, time consuming and ineffective tools to process and access the information they need to do business it diverts their valuable energies making it difficult for them to achieve their full potential. Technology tools and solutions should support their information needs seamlessly so they can focus on moving their business ahead.

6. What website(s) can’t you live without? Wikipedia (www.wikipedia.org) and Webnames.ca Inc. (www.webnames.ca)  

Welcome to the first blogpost of a new monthly feature ‘Customers Rule’ where you tell us about your business and favourite online resource or tools. Are you a customer of Webnames.ca and want your business profiled? Answer our six easy questions and email blog@webnames.ca and you may be chosen for next month’s customer profile.

1. Who are you?
Michelle Kelsey from Nannies on Call (www.nanniesoncall.com).
 
2. What do you do? Tell us a little bit about your business.
Nannies on Call is Vancouver’s premier childcare agency. We have been offering exceptional on call, temporary, part-time and full-time nanny services since 2001. You can put your mind at ease knowing that all of our nannies have been carefully screened – we ensure that our nannies are highly experienced, educated women with a passion for childcare.

Whether you require last minute or long-term help, or simply childcare for a night on the town, Nannies on Call can help you find the perfect solution for your family’s needs. We currently provide nannies twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, for many of Vancouver’s prestigious downtown hotels, as well as for celebrities and athletes. Simply contact us with your needs and we can find a solution that fits your family and lifestyle.

3. What Webnames.ca services do you use and why did you choose Webnames.ca? I chose Webnames.ca for your Web Builder product. I am building another website (for a new company) and wanted to have more control over changes and layout. As someone lacking computer skills, it is great to be successful at something I thought was too difficult for me to tackle on my own. I would recommend this service to anyone looking to build their own website. It’s quick, easy and cost effective.

4. What is exceptional about your business? We pride ourselves on going above and beyond for our clients.

5. What do you love about what you do? I enjoy all the people I work with, from the nannies through to our clients and office personnel.

6. What website or online tool can’t you live without? Webnames.ca, of course ;)

Subscribers to our former newsletter will recognize our latest addition: The Best of Web Builder. Once a month we will be featuring a great small business website built and maintained with Webnames.ca's Web Builder.

July's Web Builder site of the month is www.pawsitivemassage.ca

Pawsitive Massage is based in Victoria, B.C. and provides mobile massage therapy for domestic pets. First time you've heard of rehabilitative massage for Fido and Fluffy? As with humans, alternative/holistic medicine for man's best friend is burgeoning industry, with certified programs for canine and equine massage therapy offered throughout North America. A registered massage therapist for the past 16 years, Carol McCullough is also a certified Small Animal Massage Practitioner (S.A.M.P.), having studied animal anatomy, physiology, kinesiology, behaviour and handling.   

 

Here's a excerpt from Carol's website explaining the benefits of massage for your four-legged friend -

 

Dogs are like their people: they can experience similar injuries, accidents and traumas or they may also be recovering from illness or surgery and experience periods of inactivity.  Injuries need not be obvious - dogs tend to hide their pain in order not to appear weak to the rest of the "pack".  In their enthusiasm to please their owner, dogs may continue to maintain their activity level albeit in pain.

 

Check out her great website for more information, including an FAQ about her services, biography detailing her training, links to more information and articles on holistic animal care.

Have a great Web Builder site of your own? Let us know by emailing blog@webnames.ca.

Web Builder starts at $6.25 CAD/month including your domain name, email accounts, website building tool with templates and hosting.

Want help getting started? Apply for 'Kickstart,' Webnames.ca's free Web Builder design service.

Through Google Alerts, I receive a daily mishmash of domain news specific to Canada. The news briefs mostly relate to domain disputes, sales of .CA domains and portfolios, news releases from other registrars, etc. Every once in a while I get an alert about something noteworthy. This was one of those mornings.

Webnames.ca customer n49 recently launched a Web 2.0 business directory that calls on Canadians to rate, review, and share experiences about all manners of service providers, from healthcare to catering. n49's president Rick Silver describes it as "uniquely Canadian site where anyone north of the 49th parallel can create and share their own local business directory for free,"

The directory seeks to leverage consumer word-of-mouth through a social networking service and features a user interface reminiscent of Facebook. Every member gets a unique URL - e.g., julianna.n49.ca - which links to a personal profile and directory, favourite listings, reviews and the profiles of friends. The directory uses a wiki-esque format for contributing and editing listings of businesses and service providers. Listings come in "featured" (paid) or "basic" (free), but their order is determined by user popularity.

What's the connection to domain names? As a backbone, n49's directory utlises thousands of top-notch, generic .CA domain names such as dining.ca, clubs.ca, childcare.ca, plumbers.ca, salons.ca and caterers.ca (just to name a few) to organize the business listings. Enter any of the above domains into your browser and you'll get the directory's landing page (below). To view business listings (each category has its own generic domain name) you must first create an account with n49.    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Whether or not Canadians take to the newly launched directory is yet to be seen. By now, we've witnessed enough online social networking hits and misses to have learned some lessons - the biggest one being that online communities are not created per se, rather, they flourish when a pre-existing offline community is provided a fun and intuitive information and communication utility. For example, Flickr was first passionately embraced by digital photographers, now it's used by anyone and everyone with access to a digital camera. Facebook similarly exploded on university campuses with students looking for better ways to share class schedules and social calendars with friends and acquaintances; today, most of our moms and bosses are using it too.

Social networking websites are most successful when an online utility gives the pre-existing social behaviors of offline communities a home. Are Canadians passionate enough about their favourite take-out joints, hair salons, mechanics, dentists and realtors to make n49 a hit? Only time will tell ...  On a final note, it's also good to see n49 attempting to develop some useful content around their extensive domain portfolio rather than simply parking and monetizing each domain with advertising links. We hope their new site is a success and recommend that you check it out!

More Information

N49 gives Canadians a voice in local search with their new open business directory

Visit n49 to take a tour or create an account

Simple websites between one and a dozen pages, commonly referred to as “brochure” websites, are widely used by small businesses and organizations to accomplish two things on the Internet: get found on search engines and provide information about products/services to potential customers 24/7. The term “brochure website” is actually something of a misnomer. One of the worst mistakes a small business can make is duplicating their marketing material online.

A good brochure website should contain the following key elements:

1. Introduction (eg. the "Homepage")
2. Explanation of the business or organization’s purpose, mission and goals (eg. the “About Us” page)
3. Description of the products or services (eg. "Products and Services" page)
4. Contact Information (eg. a “Contact Us” page)

Here are a few examples of brochure websites built with Webnames.ca’s Web Builder that get it right:

• Triple T Charters, fishing and whale watching excursions
• Westminister Floors, custom hardwood flooring installations
• Bridal Blossom, European floral designs for weddings

While this type of Internet presence is sufficient for many small businesses, here are some additional things to consider if you have a wider scope in mind for your first website: 

1. Keep your message simple. Keep your copy and sentences short, especially on your homepage.

The old saying "you never get a second chance to make a first impression," is especially true of business websites. It's important that your homepage convey what you do, as well as what you are about, quickly and unambiguously. Use clear, simple copy to say: "This is who we are, this is what we do, and these are our values," then link to informational page for those need more detail.

Remember, the worst thing you can do to a potential customer is make them feel confused. Try your message focused and simple and avoid providing excess supplementary information.

2. Make your copy easy to read…

The attention span of surfers is short, so one surefire way to lose them is present a dense wall of copy. It's intimidating, visually off-putting and extremely challenging to read. Simplify your visitor's experience by creating easily scannable pages. This can be achieved by using visual cues like bullets, highlighting keywords and messages, as well as using subtitles, short paragraphs and single columns when laying out informational pages. Think print-friendly.

And here’s some great advice from professional copywriter Sheena Daniels on writing winning web copy.

3. Keep navigation consistent: menus, links and sitemap.

One of your website goals should be driving visitors to the information they are looking for. New visitors need to find things quickly. Returning visitors desire a predictable experience. Simple drop-down or tabbed menus are likely sufficient for most small business websites. It may not be cutting edge, but if you maintain the same navigation throughout your pages starting with your homepage your visitors will find what they need.

If your website copy contains hyperlinks, try to keep them consistent throughout your entire website. Choose one colour, make sure they are underlined and always let the visitor know what to expect after clicking through. And don't forget the sitemap, it will benefit both your visitors and search engine ranking.

4. When it comes to graphics and images, less is more

Choose graphics and images carefully, all you really need is one or two to support your message. If you sell product, accurate, attractive, professionally photographed images of your merchandise are crucial (see Bridal Blossoms above).

Keep animation, banners, buttons and colours to a minimum whenever possible. If you can't forgo your Flash intro or product spotlight, provide visitors the option to "Skip" the Flash and receive the content in a less stylized format. Remember, the more you have going on, the longer it takes your pages to load.

Plan your website to be simple, then add to it strategically. Good online experiences are created by clear communication and meeting expectations. If you get these core things right, you’ll have a website poised to grow with your business.