Web Development, Design, and Promotion

Web Design:
You supply the content and tell us your vision for the site; we'll take care of everything else. The following features and services are included with each new web design account:

• Two-Hour Web site Structure, Design, and Content Consultation | more>>
  

  Q: Does it really take two hours? A: Our experience has been that it usually takes about an hour and a half of discussion and brainstorming with a new client to fully gather the expectations and possibilities for the new site. We've added an extra half-hour for those projects that may involve a little more attention. Q: What happens if we go over two hours? A: No big deal. The initial consultation is always free. The time expressed here is an estimate so that you know how much time to set aside in your schedule. ˆHide This Explanationˆ

• Custom-Designed Header Graphic | more>>

  Q: What does this include? A: The "custom-designed header graphic" can consist of some or all of the following: your logo, company name, slogan, other short phrase, photos, or even interactive buttons. Q: What does this NOT include? A: If you need MNS to design the logo for your company, this falls under the Graphic Design Department and is not included in the price of the web site. Likewise, if photos are included, any necessary enhancements are not included in this feature. ˆHide This Explanationˆ

• Custom-Designed Navigation Buttons | more>>

  Q: What does this include? A: We can custom-design simple roll-over buttons that match the color scheme and theme of your site. For an example, run your cursor over the blue navigation buttons on the left-hand side of this page. See how they change based on where your mouse is hovering? Q: Do we have to use graphics for buttons? A: No. While a graphical navigation interface like this is more appealing to the eye, it may not be what you're looking for. We will be happy to design your navigation with text. Q: Can the navigation buttons be made with more advanced animation in Adobe® Flash? A: Yes. However, this requires more advanced programming and design, so Flash buttons are not included in this feature. We'll gladly design a panel of animated flash buttons for you. ˆHide This Explanationˆ

• As Many Pages as you Need - price breaks come with each allotment of 5 pages | more>>

  Q: Can I have just one page with all my information on it? A: Michigan Network Solutions has certain quality standards for sites we develop. One such standard is that we try to minimize "scrolling." That means the more you can fit in a browser window without scrolling, the better. Consider this site, for instance. The only information on each page is the information necessary. Additional items (like this Q&A section) are hidden until accessed. Putting your entire site on one page is hard to navigate and thus frustrating to your potential customers, investors, donors, clients, etc. It is also confusing to search engines, like Google.com. MNS only makes web sites that are user friendly, well-designed, and optimal for search engines. Q: How far do the price breaks go? A: If all you want is to post a single page to the internet with contact information and a map to your location, we have a "Simple Web Page Package" that runs $299 and includes several features (which we can discuss with you). For more detailed sites, there is a $349 base rate plus a set amount for each page. We also charge a nominal $0.15 per line of CSS code based on the clean layout techniques taught by the most well-respected CSS books (this web site has about 300 lines of code in the external CSS sheet, which would run about $45 total). Please contact Art Thomas for a free estimate today. Q: Are there any price breaks for web sites larger than 20 pages? A: That depends on what you're doing with the extra pages. For instance, suppose you have a gallery of artwork or products. We can make one page of "thumbnail" graphics at normal price, and then link each small graphic to a page with a matching high-resolution image for visitors to view. These simple pages (that typically contain the image and a caption) can be made for as low as $4 a piece. Q: I want an e-Commerce site with many products. How expensive is that? A: Prices for e-commerce pages vary based on the complexity and advanced scripting needed to generate the page. Price breaks still apply to bulk orders, but they function differently than the increments for "non" e-commerce pages. They can also become as affordable as $15 per page. Remember, you'll likely earn that money back with your first few sales from your online store! ˆHide This Explanationˆ

• One Fully-Enhanced Graphic per Page - you supply the graphic; we'll edit for free | more>>

  Q: Why can't I have two graphics on a page? A: You can actually have as many pictures or graphics as you like. It's just that only one of those pictures is covered in the price of the page. Input of additional graphics is free, but they almost always require some form of editing, enhancement, or optimization to make them download quickly and appear correctly on the page Q: What format should I use to send you pictures and graphics? A: You can submit graphics in any file format recognizable by Adobe® Photoshop. Typically, graphics you send will be in .jpg, .bmp. or .gif formats. All these are acceptable. Note: for best use on the internet, photographs work best in .jpg format. Q: Can I use any graphic at all? A: Copyright laws do not permit the use of graphics from other sites without official permission from the owner of the photograph. Therefore, do not try searching for graphics on a Google.com "Image Search." Rather, you may use any photo that you own the electronic rites to. For instance, you might want to check out istockphoto.com to purchase high-quality images, or you can buy a CD-ROM of photos from a store like Staples or Best Buy. It should also be mentioned that MNS abides by morality standards as well, and thus we will not allow use of graphics that exploit women or suggest sexual themes. MNS reserves the right to refuse use of any photo that is deemed inappropriate or offensive. ˆHide This Explanationˆ

• 100% Validated Web Programming - XHTML and CSS with some Javascript integration | more>>

  Q: Can you explain XHTML and CSS? A: XHTML is used to establish the structure and hierarchy of text, graphics, and tables in your web page. CSS is used to layout and style the site so it looks professional and interesting. For more detailed information, check out the "Quick F.A.Qs" box at the top of this page. Q: What do you mean by "some" Javascript integration? A: The Javascript functions included in the price of your web page are the scripts needed to run "rollover" graphics (such as those used as navigation buttons). Additional features are very affordable (some are $0.50), but they are not included in the cost of the page. Q: What do you mean by "100% Validated"? A: As mentioned in the introduction to this page, the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) has established various rules for modern web site design. "Safe colors," "Table Layouts," and the "<embed> element" are things of the past. Modern web browsers are designed to be compliant with the web standards outlined by the W3C, and so web sites designed according to these standards are guaranteed to work with the most wide range of browsers being used by your potential customers, investors, donors, or clients. 100% of the XHTML and CSS used to develop your site will be run through the W3C's Validation Service as many times as necessary until it officially achieves the status of "Valid." ˆHide This Explanationˆ

• Search Engine Optimization and Placement | more>>

  Q: How do you "Optimize" a web site for a search engine? A: First of all, we'll ask you for a list of 10 "keywords" that you would want to associate with your web site. We'll also ask for a short, one or two sentence description of your business that will appear in the description field of the search engine. Then we'll check spelling and make sure all the right words are in place before including it in the XHTML code for your site. These keywords and description will not be visible to a visitor, but they will be visible to a search engine like Google.com Q: What is involved in Search Engine Placement? A: Without boring you with too many details, a "site map" is generated with some special scripting and then submitted to four search engines of your choosing. Q: What search engines do you recommend? A: The most popular search engines on the net are: Google.com, Yahoo.com, AltaVista.com, and Ask.com. Submitting your site to these four search engines is the default procedure unless you specify otherwise. ˆHide This Explanationˆ

Feature Integration:
We can provide professional design and integration of the following features for your site:

Adobe® Flash - Custom animation, interface design, and more | more>>
Adobe® Fireworks - Custom graphics, rollover buttons, photo enhancements, and more | more>>
Advanced Web Programming - HTML, XHTML, CSS, Javascript, Actionscript, and Ajax | more>>
Database Integration - Store mailing lists, customer profiles, and more | more>>
E-Commerce - Sell products and services online from your web site | more>>
Free Customized E-mail Accounts - for each person and/or department in your company | more>>
Interactivity - Message boards, discussion groups, forms, data submission, etc. | more>>

Contact Art Thomas at MNS for a free consultation and estimate today.