Can You Really?

I often get phone calls from potential customers in Mission Beach who think that website design is an easy thing to do and should cost less than $1000 for an e-commerce website! Well, let me put this misconception in the garbage right here, right now. Yes, you can buy template websites online that you can set up yourselves and if you're happy with one of those then go ahead and do it and, I really mean this, good luck to you. But be aware that you're setting yourself up for a number of problems.

Firstly, you've got a website but it won't have any of your branding on it so customers won't be able to recognise you or your products.

Secondly, how on earth are people going to find your website? You've just implemented an e-commerce facility but unless your customers actually know what your website is called then they are never going to find your website using Google. Google is a complex and highly annoying animal. Your website needs to be optimised for it and then there are a whole host of techniques that need to be applied for link building to make your site seem popular in its eyes. All of this work requires careful attention to detail and constant monitoring of your website after it has gone live in order to tweak it to get it up the rankings.

So, before you decide that you really need a website, get used to the fact that to have it built professionally is going to require an initial outlay that will be more than the $500 most people think a website should cost. To put this $500 in perspective, for a Cairns company this is less than 5 hours work. I will say it now that it is impossible to build a website from conception to finish including getting it looking just the way the customer wants in this timeframe. Anybody who says that they can is leading you up a path that ends in a croc-infested creek and isn't very good at their job.

If you still want a website after reading this then you're a realist; your website will be built professionally to exacting standards and will perform well in the search engines. The ongoing benefits of the web will become more apparent as your site moves up the rankings and the initial outlay will turn into a profit-making machine.

Safari...so goody

Apple's surprise announcement of a Windows version of Safari has led to inevitable questions about its motives in reigniting the browser war.

For some, the move is simply an essential element to its forthcoming iPhone launch, while others see it as a more aggressive move for browser market share or even the launch-pad for a raft of upcoming Apple software.

The fact that Apple chief executive Steve Jobs chose to announce the move at an Apple Developer's conference indicates that the focus is on web development.

"The more Safari users there are, the better support for Safari there will be from web developers. As it gets more popular, so it becomes essential that any new web application supports for Safari from day one," commented John Gruber on his blog Daring Fireball.

But perhaps, with its iPhone due to be launched at the end of the month, the key motivation for a Windows-compatible Safari is to make it easier for Windows-based web developers to write applications for that device.

"Apple needs to make sure that websites work with Safari. It is at the heart of its iPhone and probably for Apple TV, so it's got to make sure that websites work with it," said Ian Fogg, an analyst with Jupiter Research.

Read more at the BBC website.