Small businesses and companies that are starting up may be short on cash, but affordable web design can help get their names seen on the web. If you know where to look, web design can be both cheap and effective for promoting your business, providing a cost-effective way to advertise your business on the World Wide Web. The Internet is also where the majority of people in the world go to search for stores and businesses, as it turns out.

Going cheap with affordable web design can cost you in more ways than one, however. Just because some web design firms are cheap does not mean they will give you a quality website; this makes knowing what to look out for in web design services very important. Knowing what makes a good yet affordable web design service can both help you save valuable income, as well as getting your company name out on the Internet.

Affordable, Yet Good Quality

Affordable can easily equate to bad or unacceptable quality, and for good reason; a cheap product can end up costing you more than money. That does not mean there aren't any cheap and affordable deals on web design out there; after all, it can depend on where and how you look. Affordable web design firms do not search for themselves.

Looking for these affordable, yet good quality web design firms can be a challenge within itself, however. Certain criteria may need to be met if you work for a business, and when you are the one tasked to search for affordable web design firms. If you are searching for web design services for a business you run, keeping a lookout of the few aspects below will guarantee that you only obtain good yet affordable web design:

• Web Hosting and Domains – Getting your website hosted in a reliable place with minimal downtime should be the first thing on your list. Some web hosting services can even offer prsonalized domain names for customers, should they desire such. If you prefer to minimize expenses for affordable web design, then blog sites like WordPress and Blogspot may suit your needs better.
• Web Designing – With a hosting service in play, designing the web site proper should be next on your agenda. This is where much of the cost of affordable web design goes into; you can either hire a skilled web designer to create your website from scratch, or use preset templates, if they are available. These preset templates are especially common for blog-based sites, and may be offered by web hosting services with web page maintenance tool kits.
• Arrangement of Content – The design process does not simply entail constructing a pretty-looking website, but also the conceptualization of the content that will be uploaded into it. Arranging all of the content on a web page properly will make for a streamlined and intuitive browsing experience for visitors, enticing them to visit more often.
• Website Accessories – Affordable web design can sometimes allow for useful gadgets and plug-ins to be available. Some packages may include support for Flash, Java, Joomla, and other interactive forms of website interaction. This might be a deal-breaker for some online entrepreneurs looking to create an e-commerce site, as being able to interface directly with a product can entice customers easily.
• Search Engine Optimization – Sometimes, affordable web design package deals may even include SEO options. Search engine optimization can help your site get indexed on popular search engines like Google and Bing, but be aware that cheap packages may include a half-baked SEO feature.
• Integration with Social Media – Social networking websites such as Facebook and Twitter are tools that even large multinational corporations use. A small business seeking affordable web design may benefit from packages that include integration with social networking sites.

The Price Is Right

It is very easy to find affordable web design firms on the web, but picking among many of them can be a rather troublesome task. The first thing you should do is get a list of reputable web design firms that are affordable, and make inquiries about their offered packages. Then, you can compare the final prices to each other based on a few aspects.

• Many of the aspects mentioned in the previous section can be compared from one company to another; some may offer cheaper prices than others. Web design firms may include a total package that is cheaper than having the features added on later.
• The fees charged to customers can also work in different ways. Whether hourly, daily, weekly, monthly or annually, this information should also be ciphered from your prospective web design firms. Web hosting typically works on an interval basis, though.
• Features alone do not make for a quality yet affordable web design job; the people who work to make your web site may either be very good at what they do, or extremely incompetent.
• If you are able to find reliable user feedback about a particular web design company, then factor that into your decision.
• Word-of-mouth can be a valuable tool to help you decide on an affordable web design company. If you know somebody else who utilized the services of a web design company you are looking at, then get his or her detailed feedback about their experience.

When all is said and done, you will have to decide on an affordable web design company or method that works best for your needs.

Here is the short presentation I gave on the Widget Logic plugin at Wordcamp Richmond(Nov 12, 2011). Great event, was a pleasure to be a part.

Google Places can help small businesses or individuals get found and discovered through the use of their Local Search feature. Good search engine results do not only get your business seen on the web, but also in person. As people are able to find out exactly where your business is located with a quick Local Search with Google Places, more visitors and customers may patronize your enterprise. This is only one of the benefits of Google Places' Local Search tool.

Google Places and Maps has been around for a while, but only recently has it seen widespread use in not just computers, but other devices like smart phones and tablets. More and more people who have access to this service can turn them into customers for your business, if that is your intention. Using Google Places to boost your business income through smart and accurate information may just be the chance you are looking for.

Google Maps and Google Places

Formerly known as Google Local, Google Maps is a mapping application that includes many map-based services spanning the entire globe. Some of these services include the Google Transit, Google Ride Finder and other, more flexible features. These features can even be utilized to plan routes for small trips around town, cross-country traveling, international trips, or even just finding a local business near you.

Finding local businesses is where Google Places comes in. Google Places was initially part of a plan called Google Local Search, but did not gain much popularity and was eventually curbed. Google Places is a revitalization of this function aimed at businesses to large corporations, and is currently in its developer preview stages.

Advantages of Google Places

Google lists many advantages to the Google Places' Local Search system on their website:

• Using Google Places is free of charge.
• Businesses without physical storefronts can use it, since businesses only need mailing addresses to operate.
• Multiple business locations can be listed.
• Support for photos, videos and even special offers can be listed on your Google Places site.
• Businesses can also gather data to learn more about customers' keyword preferences on search engines and personal backgrounds.

The Google Places website states that about 97% of people search for businesses and storefronts online. It is true that many people now rely on the Internet, particularly search engines, to find stores and businesses that relate to their needs and interests. For this reason, Google Places and their local search tool may be what your business has been looking for in terms of the perfect online advertising venue.

Another statement from Google states that one out of every five searches made on the Google search engine is related to a business' location. Customers will typically search for businesses near them for the most convenience. Sometimes, convenience wins over the prices they have to pay for goods and services at their chosen store, too.

In addition to Google Places, local searches can benefit from the optional integration with Google AdWords, an easy-to-use SEO advertising tool also offered by Google. AdWords can easily be integrated into Google Places to make local searches even more relevant to your business, no matter how vague search engine terms seem when typed.

If you own a business, then it just may benefit from being integrated into Google Places regardless of how big or small it is. Small businesses can benefit especially from its free, easy-to-use nature, giving you a cost-effective way to advertise on the largest billboard available to anybody in the world today: the Internet.

How to Use Google Places

Using Google Places for customers to see your name in a local search is very easy, even for not so computer savvy business owners. How a not so tech-savvy individual with little computer technology is able to put up whole businesses still remains a mystery, but using Google Places is not.

In fact, it can be done in three easy steps:

1. Submitting your contact information
2. Verifying your listing through post or phone
3. Waiting for your listing to pop up on Google

When you do decide to go through these steps, keep a few things in mind in order to get the maximum advertising effect with Google Places:Be accurate and consistent with your business' information, like the address and phone number.

• Use a local number as the primary phone number, with a toll-free or fax number as a secondary.
• Make sure you are consistent with how you write and list your own company name. Include any suffixes that go along with it, so if your company name includes GmbH or LLC, then write it with the name so your company does not get mixed up with another.
• When your listing is up, avoid keyword stuffing. In addition to being bad practice, it will actually hurt your business listing rather than boost it.
• Google Places can benefit from the use of SEO techniques. In fact, Google also offers AdWords, an SEO advertising tool that can be fully integrated with Google Places.
• Post videos, photos, and reviews, as this may serve a better interface between potential customers and businesses. Customers generally would like to know what they will be getting into when searching for a business.

With these tips in mind, utilizing this free, intuitive advertising tool can put your business on the fast track to success. Local searches made with Google Places may include your business, and the more clicks you get, the closer you get to the top of the heap.

Norman Wyatt Jr. is a well known artist based right here in Central Virginia. You can find Norman's art displayed on home furnishings across the country at popular retailers. Norman had the need for a web presence to both offer a contact platform, as well as a place to display his original art. We built a media rich site for Noman including an original art gallery and snapped all of the photography for his art pieces. Add Norman to the list of our awesome clients. It was a wonderful experience working with him.

Click here to visit the new website of Artist Norman Wyatt Jr.