Web design, content management systems, on-line databases: The Web Factory, Vancouver, B.C.
The Web Factory
Web design
On-line databases
E-commerce
Hosting
Dynamic sites
 
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The Web Factory provides a wide array of web related service. From concept to reality we can help you understand and achive your e-business goals. Creating a site from scratch? Redesigning an existing site? or simply adding to your current site, we are dedicated to working closely with you to achieve the image you want to project. Our main goal at The Web Factory is to create “Functional E-Business Solutions”. Our client consultation process will cover all aspects of developing a website from scratch. After consulting with you and determining your specific needs, we will make recommendations that are aligned with your current and long term business goals and will compliment your broader marketing strategies. Very importantly we look for areas where you can reduce operating, distribution and other costs and realize a return on your e-business investment. New Web Site If you don't have an existing e-business strategy. We provide all services necessary to get your website up and running, including all your future needs. Our Client Consultation process will leave you with a number of questions to consider. And will open your eyes to the process of building a site. Click here to view sample questions from our client consultation process. We will research your industry sector to find out what your company is up against and come up with some innovative solutions. We want your site to be a leader in your industry. We use professional web development tools: The MacroMedia Suite: Dreamweaver, Flash, with custom graphics composed in Photoshop, FreeHand, Illustrator and many other programs depending on the project task. top Site Redesign Time for a new “look”? Have you been through this process already? Or have you been handed the task? Regardless, we can work with you on assessing your current situation, and create a "renovation" plan. Common changes include; graphics, site architecture, optimizing download times, easier navigation, search engine registration and making it more exciting. If you have a partially completed strategy, we can pick up the pieces and deliver a final product. top Site Additions Want to implement a product catalogue, customer database, e-commerce system, human resource tools or just more pages bragging about your company? We work together with you to see what logical additions can be made to your site. Common page options to consider:
top Domain Name Information Your domain name is your physical address on the internet. It should be easy to remember, easy to spell and have some association to your business. When chosing your domain name there are a few things to consider: The actual name part which is between the www. and .com or other extension. Keep it simple as this is the name that you will be promoting to all your customers and prospects The extension you want: .com, .net, .org, .ca, .info, .biz etc depends on what image you are trying to project, .com is an internationally recognized Top Level Domain (TLD) along with .net and .org. You may want to be recognized as a Canadian company using .ca. New domain extensions are being created regularly, recent additons are .tv, .info, .biz. Your first step should be to come up with a few options for your domain name, then chose the extension(s). From here you can do a search to see if they are available. Click here to search for domain name availabiltiy. We would be happy to register a domain on your behalf, click here to email a request. Multiple domain names can be registered ie: www.mydomain.com, www.mydomain.net and www.mydomain.ca and can all be pointed to the same website. Domain Name Pricing (all prices quoted in Cdn dollars and subject to change)
Transfer your domain from your existing registrar for $35.00 CDN for .com, .net and .org, and $49.00 CDN for .ca. Best of all, this includes a one year renewal of your domain from its existing renewal date. We register and manage all our domains through OpenSRS. OpenSRS, a domain name wholesaler provides: one of the best domain name management interfaces, enabling us or you the customer to manage domain information, excellent customer service and competitive pricing. top Content Management Systems (CMS) For those sections of your website that require regular updates ie: pricing, technical info, customer announcements, upcoming events even photos or graphics. We put the power to update these areas in you hands, not through FTP, Telnet or other technical access type using HTML code, but through a simple interface were you change content like you would in a simple word-processing document or submission form. Contact us for a demo. top Web Site Maintenance Have you ever visited a site that had blatantly dated information displayed? Why bother have a site if it's going to gather cyber dust? Well, as with most parts of your business, like sales and marketing, there is constant change. Your e-business strategy is no different and needs to be reviewed regularly. Additional products, new prices and promotions need to be revised to reflect reality, otherwise there's no reason for prospects or customers to return regularly. We provide site maintenance on a contract basis (monthly, bi-monthly) or on an "as needed" basis. top Web Site Traffic Reports This is a key indicator in the success of your e-business initiative. Tracking results in many parts of your business is important and your website is no different. With our site analysis options, you can choose the amount of detail you want in your reports, how often you receive them and how you wish to access and view them. You can log into a secure area on our site or we can email reports to you on a daily, weekly or agreed upon basis. Site statistics can tell you:
This is the tip of the traffic reporting iceberg, historic reports can be archived and the information produced will enable you to pinpoint promotional efforts and aid in other important business decisions. top Database and Custom Application Development The Web Factory develops powerful applications to automate many business tasks and functions. We provide the technology, development and training for your company to excel and gain substantial competitive advantages. Positive benefits for your company include increased productivity, lower production and administrative costs, and improved business management capabilities. There are a number of business processes that can be automated via custom programs built specifically for your use:
How we work with you on database/software development: Initial consultation to determine your needs and introduce our company to you. Next step, schedule a fee for service planning session. Information gathered at this point will determine: what and how information is to be managed, field characteristics, technology to be used, reports to be generated, project constraints, timelines and other variables. This information will be organized into a proposal including: schematic diagram visually representing information flow and relationship, project summary, costs, timelines for completion and other relevant info. This proposal is a portable document and will form the basis from which your project will start-regardless of who does the programming! In today’s competitive environment, no consulting company will provide you with a meaningful project proposal without being compensated for the effort as this information is portable. One of the best strategies for your selection process, particularly on projects involving significant investment, is to pay for initial consultation to help develop, specify and determine project requirements and implementation strategies. Investing and paying for initial research, consultation, schematic diagrams and a summary of the project from several pre-screened solutions providers is worthwhile and will be very revealing and give you a better indication of the level of results you may expect at the completion of your project. Regardless of your choice, in the end the proposals and supporting materials will be the starting point for creation of your technology. Below are a few of the programming languages we use depending on the project at hand: PHP mySQL Java in Linux Java Script CGI Perl HTML, Flash 5 Programming languages are used to power all web based applications including: web based surveys, quote sheets, order forms, comprehensive product catalogues, customer database, online scheduling systems, direct e-mail marketing. top E-Commerce An extremely useful tool, whether for procurement of raw materials or the sale of final products to customers or distributors. Our end to end e-commerce tools will allow your business to process Visa, Master Card, American Express and Discover in Canadian and American currencies and conduct transactions around the clock. Depending on the number of and average dollar value of transactions you process an e-commerce system can dramatically reducing your cost per transaction. Secure Socket Layer (SSL) and the newest encryption technologies are used. We have a number of solutions that will work for any size company from those who do only a few transactions per month to those who do hundreds of transactions per hour or day. Detailed reports are accessible 24/7 to help you track sales and results of marketing initiatives. Internet Secure, PSI Gate and Pay Pal are a few of the e-commerce packages we use. Montlhly rates start at $24.95CDN. Through our parnternship with Internet Secure who have been processing online transactions since May of 1995, we are able to offer you the convenience of a very simple set up process, we need a limited amount of information from you to start the application process. Click here to view E-commerce packages. top Interactivity Enhancements In its simplest form "email" provides interactivity for your customers, other interactive components include: chat systems, bulletin boards, order forms, online scheduler, Q & A forum, online surveys, requests for quotes, opinion polls, guest books or contests to name a few. Permission marketing or “Confirmed Opt In” email offers your target customers/prospects the option to receive regular updates like technical updates, corporate news releases, newsletters, specials, and tips to name a few. Interactivity conveys that your organization is interested in the knowledge and opinions of its viewers, while providing a reason for prospects, customers and others to return to your site. top Search Engine Optimization A high ranking on a major search engine will often generate more targeted traffic than costly banner or print media advertising campaigns. This is part of a good site promotion campaign that will harvest leads, increase sales, enhance your image and increase traffic within four to six weeks. It's amazing to see the results!! It all starts with building your site to be search engine friendly. Search engine registration is as much an art as building web sites and the rules change just as rapidly. Did you know; it now costs to register with many major search engines and if you don't do it correctly you will be dropped or filtered out very quickly. If you are considering appealing to a broader audience, perhaps even world-wide, you should consider this service. top Site Optimization Packages Delux Optimize Campaign – 3 month campaign This comprehensive campaign is designed to make your site search engine friendly and bring more traffic to your site, includes: Complete web site and keyword analysis Optimize up to 5 key pages Manual submission to top search engines. Track and report keyword ranking monthly FOR 3 MONTHS! Your site will reach 7 top 30 placements (subject to site review) Link Building and Promotion Campaign This service includes adding your site to other important search engines and industry and regionally specific sites. You will also receive notices for link exchange or affiliate leads and industry related directories that request fees for placement. The number of links depends on industry type and availability. Link popularity increases ranking on search engines. Submissions to sites/search engines that charge fees *search engine/directory fee not included Some search engines and directories charge fees that can range from $20 US to $199 US. The benefit to paying this fee is to get listed quicker than submitting for free and stronger online visibility. Fees are non-refundable and site acceptance cannot be guaranteed. Monthly Maintenance and Reporting The benefit to tracking monthly is to ensure that your site’s visibility remains constant. Reports include search engine/directory ranking for each targeted keyword plus you’ll receive important leads for link exchanges. **Site is reviewed before being accepted for promotion. Directory fees are paid in advance prior to submissions. Monthly maintenance billed quarterly in advance. All prices and services are subject to change. We strive to achieve the campaign goal in three months or we continue working on the promotion campaign until we get the results at no charge. top Sample Consultation Questions Following are some of the “BIG PICTURE” questions taken out of our Customer Consultation. They may be difficult to answer without some help, but will provide insight into what’s necessary in starting the web development process. First and foremost, start with a PURPOSE in mind! Ask yourself; How will my company/organization benefit from having an internet presence? Once you’ve thought about this, you can start to determine what the purpose of your site is and move on to some easier questions; Who do you want to reach with your web site? customers, prospects, suppliers… What functionality do your want your web site to have? brochure, e-commerce, catalogue, interactive, provide quotes… How will your site compliment your current and future business strategies? How will a web site create revenue opportunities and conversely save you money? Have you allocated a budget for this project? Other important questions and considerations are; Do you have existing content for the site? (text/photos/logo) Do you have color considerations? Do you have any time constraints? (rush job) The sky is the limit in terms of what e-business solutions can do for you. If you can dream it, we've probably done it or will help you do it. top Business Tools Our Business Tools consist of pre built or customized web based systems that save businesses time and money by streamlining operational, promotional and information management tasks. Following are some examples, call for more information and to view our Business Tools in action! Our Business Tools are grouped into the following areas: Content Management Systems (CMS) - manage parts of your website internally using easy submission forms, NO HTML or programming expereince necessary - this is especially beneficial if you have ever changing part of your site: specials, constantly changing inventory, pricing etc. - dramatically reduces website maintenance costs and keeps your site FRESH Inter-company communications for specific processes - creating and moving PO's through internal systems - HR functions: timesheets, policies and procedures, vacation, insurance info, RRSP contribution, etc - central depository of electronic forms - always up to date, fill out online & print what you need - central location of approved vendors Communications with external groups ie: customers, prospects, salesforce, suppliers, distributors, vendors etc - sending and/or receiving PO's electronically - place, receive and manage orders electronically - view inventory levels through secure log in areas - keep catalogue up to date Promoting your business more efficiently using a customized and interactive website - customer updateable pages ie: change info yourself on a daily, hourly or weekly basis - reduce or eliminate printing of promotional materials - expose your business to new and larger markets - provide value added services to existing customers with a website - join your competition online top |