There are no stupid questions.

Do I need a web site?
Having a web site is more important for some businesses than others. Companies trying to reach customers in different locations (hotels or tourist attractions, for example) or who have products that can be shipped to customers far away (flowers, handmade dolls, telephones, etc.) obviously need to have an online presence.

However, even local businesses such as carpenters or dry cleaners can benefit from a web site that shows their location, lists their services or offers special promotions. And businesses that serve other businesses rather than retail consumers can benefit from a web site. Many businesses search for new suppliers online, and order online, too. If you want more customers, you really should be online.


Why should I pay for site development and hosting? Can’t I just do it myself?
Web site design done right is complex and requires a number of different skill sets that aren't commonly found in any one person, especially someone that doesn't do this for a living. Technically, you can build a site yourself. The real question becomes this: can you afford to take time away from your customers and your business to develop your site? Time is money, and it’s often a better use of your time and money to outsource web design projects.

I can get a free web site and e-mail addresses through my Internet provider (or Geocities, Angelfire, Tripod, Yahoo Mail, Hotmail, etc.) Can’t I just promote my business through these free web services?
Having your own web site with its own domain name provides several advantages. Your web address should be a reflection of your unique business and the products you sell, rather than an add-on to someone else’s web address. Your domain name should be easy to remember, and easy to type. Will customers find you at http://www.myinternetprovider.com/userpages/~hereismypage.html? Or would your site be easier to find at www.mywebsite.com? Owning a unique domain name for your business also gives you more flexibility in choosing your hosting providers and the features they offer, and allows a richer, more reliable interaction with your customers.

What is a domain name?
Domain names are the familiar, easy to remember names for computers on the Internet (such as www.clearvisionpartners.com). They correspond to a series of numbers (called Internet Protocol numbers) that serve as routing addresses on the Internet. Domain names are used generally as a convenient way of locating information and reaching others on the Internet.

I’ve seen web site templates for sale at prices as low as $50. Will I save money by buying a template instead of hiring a designer?
Although affordable site templates are available, your choice between buying a site template or building a unique site needs to be made with the understanding that other businesses, perhaps even your competitors, may also be using that template. Remember, too, that after buying a template, you will still need to add text and images, create links, and otherwise complete your site (not to mention register a domain name and find a hosting provider).

Once my site is built, how will people find my site?
Good question! Your designer could create the perfect web site for your business, but what good is that site if no one knows it’s there? All of our site proposals include optimization of your site’s code and content for search engines.

We also submit your site’s information to all of the major search engines upon completion, and re-submit on an on-going basis. We regularly track your progress and fine tune your site to achieve the best possible results in search engine ranking. And with Web Analytics included in every development plan you, too, can track your site visitors.


What can I do to drive additional traffic to my site?
Promote your site. Let other people know it’s there! Include your web address (URL) on your business cards and letterhead.

Mention it in your tv, radio, print, and outdoor advertising. Have your URL lettered on your business signs, door, and company vehicles. Put it in the signature line of outgoing e-mails, in letters, and in direct mail campaigns.

Show your URL on promotional merchandise (shirts, balloons, key rings, or other items). The more your site is out there the more traffic you will receive.


What will my on-going costs be after launching my site?
On-going costs will vary depending on your specific use for your site. These costs will likely include hosting fees, search engine positioning, site updates and maintenance, and domain name renewals.  However, since Clear Vision Partners includes all these services in our packages, your on-going costs should be quite minimal and depend primarily on site update frequency.

Do you offer packages?
We work primarily on a project basis, ascertaining our customers’ desired outcomes and tailoring solutions that fit individual requirements. Our packages reflect various needs of small businesses and include everything they need to have a fully functional and professional site.

What can a web site do for me?
  • Create an online brochure that will help potential clients, customers, and partners learn about your company and look at it in a favorable light.
  • Conduct e-commerce and sell to a national or international market through an ordering system for one or more products, or perhaps an extensive online catalog.
  • Provide product information to drive local sales of your products and services at dealer locations.
  • Provide customer service and support.
  • Websites are a greatplace for troubleshooting guides, FAQs, and technical information.
  • Provide multiple ways for your customers to contact you.
  • Use the Internet to take orders with real-time credit card authorization to save call center operation costs and cut entry errors.
  • Save on paper, printing, and distribution costs.
  • Use online FAQs and knowledge base articles to cut the number of customer service personnel you need.
  • Earn affiliate commissions for sales and leads generated through links on your website. Perhaps a form on your site generates leads or subscriptions for another company.

A web site can do a lot of things. Knowing what you want to accomplish through your web site should be first and foremost on your mind when you contact Clear Vision Partners. Determining your goal and the possible routes to reaching your goal is important. Consider how others have used the Internet. Examine other sites, including your competitors’ sites. Which sites do you like or dislike? Print out pages and make notes for your discussion with our team.

How long will it take for Clear Vision Partners to build my web site?
There are several factors that will affect your project’s timeline. Obviously, your own target date is our first concern. How soon do you want to be online? Once we understand your goals, we also consider the complexity of the site you need, our current workload and outstanding commitments, your availability to provide the information, images, and other resources we need to create the site, and other considerations. In the end our goal is to deliver your website the way you want it, when you want it. And we put it in writing.

What if I don’t need a whole web site?
We help many of our customers develop specific pages and enhancements to existing sites. For example, it may be time for you to add a shopping cart to your site for online sales, or perhaps you simply need to add pages to promote new products or services. We can help you by designing new features that complement your existing site.

What if I already have a web site?
In addition to adding new features to your site, Clear Vision Partners can also help you with marketing your site, improving your search engine position, updating content, training your staff to maintain your site, enhancing your site’s features, and a variety of other web-related goals. Contact us to learn how we can fulfill your specific needs.

Can we work together effectively across long distances?
Absolutely! We regularly work with customers throughout the U.S., exchanging information and files via e-mail, FTP and fax, and we stay connected through telephone, fax and e-mail.

Do you offer discounts for non-profits and service organizations?
We are happy to support the ongoing efforts of charitable organizations through reduced fees for our services. Contact Clear Vision Partners for detailed information about how we can help your organization.

Will you host my site?
Clear Vision Partners has partnered with various web hosting providers as a reseller in order to deliver the right hosting solution for your specific needs and budget. We realize that designing a site is only one part of the solution and have included hosting plans with all design packages.

Who will maintain and update my site?
Internet-savvy businesses keep the content on their Web sites fresh, and redesign their sites at regular intervals. Why? It takes only a sentence or two of dated information for users to think they've come to a dead or an orphaned site. Contact Clear Vision Partners to learn more about our hourly and contract rates for site maintenance and updates.

Who visits my website?
Savvy traditional store owners analyze customer traffic to learn ways they can improve the buying experience for their shoppers. You can do the same thing on your Web site.

We recommend examining the following statistics: the number of visitors, the length of time visitors spend on your site and on each specific page, the most popular pages, the least popular pages, the number of e-mail and phone inquiries driven by your web site (along with the nature of those inquiries), and the referring web site or link which brought customers to your site.

If your current site design and hosting provider do not give you these kinds of statistics, talk to Clear Vision Partners about creating a more effective web presence.


Why are your prices so low?
Clear Vision Partners was founded on the principle that all small businesses deserve and need a web presence. As a small business we truly understand the importance of stretching your dollar as far as it will reach. We are not a huge shop with high overhead, fancy logos on our cars, corporate sponsorships, franchise fees or office space expenses. We are taking those savings and passing them onto you.