We feel it is important that you ask yourself, as well as your potential suppliers, the right questions about web design, production, programming, hosting and marketing.   Here are some basic questions you may find useful, as well as our answers.

What should I look for in a supplier?
We believe there are three important things to look for in a web presence provider:

First, technology.   Almost anyone can provide a basic web presence for you.   Choose a supplier who will be able to take you to the next level when you are ready.   Our computer technicians are Internet Experts.   We know what's real and what's hype, what's hot and what's not.

Second, graphics.   It is important to choose a web presence provider who makes you look like the kind of company people want to deal with.   Our webmasters give your site a warm, friendly look and feel, with organized, intuitive navigation.

Finally, marketing.   A site that works perfectly and looks great still needs one more thing... visitors!   Our technical expertise is backed by over 25 years of marketing experience.   We'll make sure your website is a dynamic, productive part of your marketing mix.   Inquiry fulfillment, job announcements, secure transactions…we build in time, tools and techniques that you accomplish your goals economically via the internet.

How do you identify marketing goals & design websites to achieve those goals?
We ask a lot of good questions.   Our marketing goals are defined by the client's answers.   We work in tandem with the client to achieve the results they desire.   websites are usually designed with existing print literature in mind, providing continuity by making the messages and images consistent.   We are also wholly capable of creating a unique Internet presence from scratch.

How often should websites be updated?
As often as is affordable.   Some search engines rank your listing based on how often your content changes.   At a minimum, new principals, capabilities, products or product lines should readily be added to your site.   Re-designs are also desirable from time to time.   websites should be completely overhauled once every few years on the "outside" (that's a long time in Internet years).

Some of the things that are needed to keep a site current don't show up on the page.   Instead they live behind the scenes - in the code.   That code is used by browsers, search engines, anti-pornography software and more.   Browsers change, search engines change, just about everything related to the Internet changes - and changes fast.   That's why we insist on devoting time each month to keeping our clients' websites current "behind the scenes."

What are the advantages of marketing on the Internet?
We believe that the best way to sell is to make it easy for people to buy from you.   The internet makes it possible for anyone, anywhere, to find your information - 24 hours a day / 365 days a year - at precisely the time their checkbook is open and they're looking for a supplier.

There is no downtime between the time that information is requested and that it is received.   Internet marketing cuts your costs by replacing the physical mass of catalogs, trade journals, direct mail and buying guides with the instant and weightless world of information.

Marketing on the web is intelligent.   Rather than trying to find the people who want and need your product or service at precisely the time they experience that need, you prepare for them to find you.   The world may not beat a path to your door for a better mousetrap, but they will take a fast trip on the information highway.

Your web presence is a global presence, without requiring a global budget.   Transaction costs are minimal.   Clicks and mortar cost a fraction of bricks and mortar.

Is it important for me to get my own domain name?
Yes! It is an important branding strategy to be known by your own name.   The better your product is positioned for the public, the lower your transaction costs become.   Registering and using your own domain name - www.SampleNameHere.com - is a cost-effective way to position your product and company, via email as well as advertising.

Can you tell me about the people visiting my site?
Of course!   We can tell you a lot about who is visiting your site, which of your pages are the most popular, the busiest times on your site and more.   We also teach you to access this information from any computer and browser connected to the Internet.   Our Access Logs & Stats tutorial tells more about this service.

Can your clients be found in search engines on the Internet?
Absolutely.   Search engine marketing has been a specialty of ours since the founding of OnYourMark, LLC in 1995.   www.RegisterSuccess.com gives the full scoop on our search engine marketing capabilities.

What marketing background does your staff have?
Keith Klein, President of OnYourMark, LLC, has been involved in sales and marketing for over 25 years.   His experience includes ten years as an independent representative of the Thomas Register of American Manufacturers here in Wisconsin.   Keith is currently a member of the Health Care Public Relations and Marketing Society of Southeastern Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Healthcare Public Relations and Marketing Society, and the American Marketing Association.

His physician recruitment and newspaper publishing experience serves OnYourMark, LLC clients well.   Klein was also a licensed real estate broker.   Hence, our firm's emphasis on manufacturing, health care and real estate, plus specialty retail and professional services.

Ellen Rohr, Operations Manager of OnYourMark, LLC was involved in retail sales and business management for over 10 years before coming to work with us.

Web Design, Production and Programming Questions

What applications do you use to develop your websites?
All of our sites are developed on a network of Windows, Linux and Mac workstations.   We use Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator to process graphics. Our production and programming staff hand-code with a variety of text editors, producing clean, compatible code.   We use Macromedia Flash to develop multimedia presentations.

Desktop software such as Microsoft's PowerPoint have also been used to put client presentations on the web.   We use a variety of image software compression programs to minimize the size of our images in order to decrease the loading time of the pages we produce.   Our staff constantly strives to stay current - so you don't have to.

Do members of your staff know high-end programming languages?
Our staff is very knowledgeable about many programming languages.   We are proficient in PHP, MySQL, Java and JavaScripting, Visual Basic, HTML and CSS.

What about audio and video on the web?
Not only can we host audio and video on the web, we can produce it.   See www.Videocracy.com to learn about our audio, video and photography capabilities.

We can add streaming video or Flash to your website.   We can convert your video to CD, add voice and music to your literature on disc or online.   We're your cost-effective choice, combining design, production and marketing expertise on your behalf.

Do you have experience with Adobe Acrobat PDF?
Adobe Acrobat's PDF format is one of the most widespread on the Internet.   We have the ability to convert your catalogs and brochures into this portable document format (PDF).

What does your portfolio look like?
Our team of programmers and designers have developed a couple of hundred websites.   You may visit our portfolio section to see a sampling of the sites we have produced.

What are the steps for developing a website?
We work with you to establish goals for your site.   Then we help you devise the strategies and tactics to achieve those goals.

We do at least three proof stages as your site is developed.   Our first proof provides you an image of your site's design to confirm look and feel. When the initial design is approved, we convert it into a working webpage.   At this stage, you can see how features like mouseovers or marquees will work.

Upon approval of these designs, we assemble your entire site.   As we prepare to make it "live" we set up your email, tutor you as required, test interactive pages and gather materials for search engine optimization.

Keith Klein's book, WebForging - A Practical Guide to the Art of Forging your Web Presence, presents a detailed checklist for website planning at www.WebForging.com/checklist.pdf.