Frequently Asked Questions
Web Design, SEO, E-Commerce & Online Marketing
We get a ton of common questions and figured to kill some time to list answers to a few of them here. Don't be afraid to ask questions (like your mother always said!) And as always, if you would like to obtain a list of references or make an appointment for a free consultation, please contact us.
Q: How much does a web site cost?
A: My usual answer is, well, it "depends." How much would you pay for a car? What type of car? A sedan, a Ford Focus or Mercedes Benz 500 series? You want the 18" chrome rims and extended warranty too? See our point? It all depends on what it is that we are doing for you. A good benchmark is that most projects start at around $3,000 and can go as high as $100,000.
Q: Do you host websites? Can you provide us "@company.com" emails? Do you know what to do that would allow us to accept credit cards on our website?
A: Yes, yes and....yes.
Q: What does TM actually do?
A: Trademark Productions, Inc., is a digital advertising agency. Our sister company, The SEO Marketing Group handles all the marketing. (go figure right?)
We offer:
- web design, development and support
- software design, development and support
- online search engine marketing (SEM)
- media planning and placement
- social networking
- search engine optimization (SEO)
- email marketing, e-newsletters and e-postcards
- ecommerce design, development, marketing and support
- integrated public relations
- consulting and training
So ya, we are an Ad Agency for the new media world. We do all of our work online. Heck, we don't even really print much in the office anymore. We build websites, fix websites, code websites, market websites and we consult your team on how to run your website and achieve real results. We build, manage and market a whole cornucopia of industries online, and even offer traditional and integrated public relations now too. Pretty nifty.
TM does not do traditional media advertising: radio, television or print. We integrate well with many traditional agencies and can refer you to one in your city if needed. If you are doing traditional media now then you should also be consolidating a % of your budget to online.
Q: I want to rank high in search engines. Can TM help?
A: Yes, we can help. However answer this question: will ranking #1 for a specific term really get you a ton of sales or leads? What is the goal of your business? What does your web site look like? How is traffic currently? Are you getting great conversions- or is that why you are asking? Fact of the matter is that ranking into he top 5 helps to bring business, but if your visitors cannot use your site like you would like them to then it's pointless. Search Engine Optimization (SEO, what we say in this industry that describes getting your website ranked) is not a simple task and certainly won't happen overnight. There is no "diet" pill that burns fat and allows you to eat chocolate cake 4 times a day. SEO is the same. Like weight loss it requires a clean path, established goals with dates and knowing that you will need to commit time, energy and money.
Think more about your goals and have them ready to discuss. Know your products and services and the internal team you have to help. Get your traffic stats ready and contact us for a consultation.
Q: Do you fix web sites? I have a site that was designed by: (enter in your answer:)
- a.) my husband's nephew who is an awesome graphic designer in community college
- b.) another company that is no longer in business
- c.) a offshore company that make me communicate with them over IM and at 2 AM
- d.) this person that I found on Craigslist
- e.) myself. I got a template that only cost $59
A: Yes, chances are we can help. (and yes, we get these situations and many more) #1 Don't be embarrassed or ashamed of your site or progress thus far. You are probably much further along than most others. #2 We are never too old to stop learning. You have reinforced the age old saying "You get what you pay for". #3 Get your domain information together, your hosting FTP info and write down a list of your goals. Please- write them down. Contact us and make an appointment for a consultation, we'll figure this all out and help you out.
Q: Does TM offer regular website maintenance or term contracts?
A: Yes. We have many customers that use anywhere from 4 to 40 hours a month with us doing various maintenance.
Q: Does TM offer training or can you consult and help me or my team?
A: Yes. We actually really enjoy teaching and always give way more then we charge for. Our team here is kinda like a group of guys at the fantasy football draft before preseason. We live internet - all aspects of it.
Q: Does TM only work with "large" companies?
A: Nooooo. We work with many kinds- Fortune 500 to Mom and Pop's. Get your ideas together and contact us for a consultation
Q: We have this cool idea and are looking for technology partners. Interested?
A: Please send all business plans to dwight {@} tmprod.com
Q: Does TM build, host, manage or do marketing for e-commerce shopping websites?
A: Yes. We utilize a modified, pimped-out version of OSCommerce. We know how to work this software and can make it work for your business. We understand how a business process should work online, tax laws, search engine optimization, submitting product feeds to shopping comparisons engines and order fulfillment. (and much, much more). Yep, we can help you sell online. Get your ideas together and contact us for a consultation.
Q: Do you have references that we can contact?
A: Yes. We can provide you references of happy clients and even clients that we either fired, or fired us. We don't have anything to hide. Please contact us for a list.
