Question You've done the first Web pages for many companies. What was it like when you started your business nine years ago?
Answer The first few meetings I had I was actually explaining what the Internet was, what a Web site was going to be and what it could do for them, from a marketing standpoint. Fortunately, I had enough people who trusted me. I'd have a printout of Yahoo as a search engine. I'd take it with me and say, "This is a search engine. In this little box, you're going to type in your search term, hit search, and up will come a bunch of listings."
Question You had to tell people that?
Answer Yes. They had no idea. A lot of them looked at me and said, "Yeah, OK, right, Tammy." Google didn't exist. None of that was out there. Most of the people I talked to didn't even have Internet access.
Question Who are your clients now?
Answer
Insta Print Plus on Wisconsin Avenue, Riverside Florist, Arcways in Neenah, Ralph's Hardwood Floors in Black Creek. If you go out to the Web site virtual tech.com, our portfolio is out there. We have a lot of clients who are important in their niche market, but the general public doesn't know about them. Like Waupaca Elevator. In the realm of high-end elevators, they're very well known.
Question What kind of work are you doing for companies now?
Answer We still do brand new Web sites for people. A lot of our clients will be people who have a Web site, and they're coming to us to update it and do the Internet marketing. That's our forte. They have a Web site, but nobody goes there. They want to be found on the search engines. When someone's looking for their products or services, they can be found, and not their competitors.
Question Are people pretty Internet savvy now?
Answer We've evolved a lot. Business owners know they have to have a Web site in 95 percent of the cases. A gas station might not need to have a Web site. Others have found they want Web sites to support the sales staff. They've said they don't care about the search engines. When their sales force is on the phone, instead of saying they'll mail a packet, they can say, "Let's go onto our Web site." Others use it as a marketing tool.
Question How do you get a site on a search engine?
Answer There are two ways. There's a free listing that's called a natural listing. You submit the site to the search engines. Make sure your Web site is designed for the search engines. Google right now is taking six months to a year to list any new Web sites. There's a kind of probationary period. They want to make sure you're a legitimate company. There's also a pay-per-click program. The main ones are with Yahoo and Google. They share that with all the other search engines. Yahoo, Google and MSN account for about 85 percent to 90 percent of all Internet searches. Netscape doesn't allow you to submit to them anymore. AOL doesn't accept submissions because they use Google.
Question You give a lot of talks and seminars. In your most recent speech at the Milwaukee Chamber of Commerce's business expo, what did you say were key elements of a good site?
Answer You need an effective domain name, something that people can remember. Something that people can spell. Next you need to design the Web site that is user friendly, easy to navigate and has good useful information, not just a sales pitch. Not only will the visitor appreciate it, but search engines love it. Tell people what it is. If it's product, say product. If it's services, say services. Don't be so cute. The worst thing is to have somebody go to your site and not know where to click. They're gone. You need to host your Web site. Find a company that will provide you with enough space. Somebody reliable and attentive to problems right away. You don't want your site to be down. Then market your Web site.
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