What do we really mean when we ask for something that is simple?

On more than one occasion, a vision for a simple web site was explained to me by a new client: it should have only a handful of pages, the design should be minimal, we will use only a few images. In one case, these details were assumed because the client did not have a large budget for the new website. In another, the client equated simplicity with minimal effort invested in design.

In reality, here is what I have found to be the traits of a simple web site:

• It can be created for an amount that is within your budget.
• You can independently make updates to crucial content.
• It has clear and meaningful language.
• It assists your business or organization in meeting it’s goals.
• Its visual design is in alignment with the core purpose and personality of your business.
• The purpose and ways to use the site are obvious.

Simplicity looks different depending on the context. Simplicity has no relation to expense. Simplicity is not equivalent to austerity. Simplicity is about ease.

Really, shouldn’t all websites be simple?

Non-profits, you rock! If anyone needs a web presence, it’s you, so don’t miss out on the free, quality website services that exist. Here are two of my favorites:

Web Hosting

A plethora of options are revealed when doing a web search for the terms “free hosting for non-profits”. I personally have worked with DreamHost.com to coordinate web hosting for a non-profit, and found the process quite easy. I am also impressed that the free hosting account has all the same features as their standard paid hosting plan, worth about $120/year. Visit the site for more information.

Google Apps

Accredited US 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations with under 3,000 users are eligible for Google Apps for Education. Google Apps for Education is almost identical to Google Apps for Business, which costs $50 per user account per year. Advantages of Google Apps for Education (as compared to the free version) include:

• ad-free email
• 24×7 phone and email support
• Google Video for hosted video content

Visit the Google Apps Administrative Help documents for a comprehensive comparison of Google Apps editions and a list of common questions and answers for Google Apps for Education.

Good news! Web technology has finally reached a point where the barriers of entry are so low and the quality of technology is so high that there is no reason for any person or organization not to have a web presence!

For individuals, and small organizations, the #1 priority when launching a web presence is creating a website that disseminates information. These groups are perfect candidates for tools like WordPress-driven sites and Google Apps. With these tools, you can launch a professional web presence quickly and inexpensively. For example:

• I recently helped a church get set up with free hosting, Google Apps at their domain and a WordPress-driven site. The project took only 20 hours, including two 1.5 hour training sessions with 4 church members.
• I’m on the committee of a local arts festival. I have recently set them up with a WordPress-driven site and also Google Apps at their domain including several email accounts where previously they had been using only a Gmail address.
• I set up a WordPress-driven site and Google Apps for my husband’s Rockabilly band. They now have their own branded email addresses (@fastclydes.com) and are coordinating their schedules and gig calendar with Google Calendar.

These tasks were not technically difficult, but access to these tools is immensely valuable to these groups. For each, a technological foundation is now in place making it possible for them to get information published on the web quickly and inexpensively.

Some people just need help connecting the dots.

Unfortunately, the web industry is doing a very poor job of telling individuals, and small organizations about these great tools. That’s likely because there’s not a lot of money to be made from such clients. The traditional lengthy, expensive full-scale web design and development process will do little to truly serve their needs, if they even have the budget for it.

To close this gap, I propose a new type of web professional. I call him/her the Local Websmith. Just like one would tap the expertise of local professionals to remodel their bathroom or prepare their taxes, there can be a local professional who offers web technology services for local people. The work of this Websmith would focus on:

• education: revealing what is possible on the web and cultivating a productive mindset
• best practices and progressive philosophies: using emerging technologies and ideas
• problem solving: discovering what is needed, and what practical solutions will serve them best

It is obvious that this kind of service is necessary. Perhaps there’s not much money to be made through the traditional, full-scale web design process, but there is lots of potential for helping this demographic get on the web by connecting the dots between quality web technology and progressive web philosophy.

I love design. It is a powerful thing—something that every human being is sensitive to. When it’s done well, people will clamor to get it (example, our obsession/love/desire for all things Mac). But, as I’ve written about in the past, good design addresses much more than how something looks. It’s also about how it works. As an example, let’s think about household appliances. Who hasn’t bought some appliance or accessory for their home based solely on how cool it looked, only to find the functionality is not quite up to par? Looking around my house, I see several: a beautiful molded wood desk chair that is horribly uncomfortable, or, our awesome retro-styled toaster that always burns the bottom half of the toast.

It is the same way with websites. Looking great is only half the equation—websites must function well too. At a bare minimum, a website should have the following functional features:

• Efficient, semantic code so the site will load quickly and be useful to search engines
• a back-end interface that makes it possible for anyone with an account to log in and edit the content of the site (commonly called a Content Management System)
• clear, meaningful content, that is written with the site visitor in mind (no search engine mumble-jumble!)
• Clear visual presentation of the information (in other words, a design that doesn’t get in the way of the content)

These things are the basic foundation of a web site and are all that is needed to start promoting your business on the web. But where does visual design fit in? If we imagine a pyramid that expresses website features in order of importance and dependency, the traits above comprise the bottom two thirds of that pyramid. Custom, branded design (that is, one that expresses the ethos of the business) is the very top of the pyramid because it is useless without all the other pieces in place. So, when I am working with a client to build a website, I encourage them to think of visual design as the last step, a feature that can only be applied once the proper foundation of good technology and good content has been laid. Eventually, when time and budget allows, we may add a branded design on top of the properly coded, CMS-driven website. While the website may not be “perfect” until then, it is certainly better than no website at all!

In the web industry, we can take advantage of this iterative, pragmatic approach because, unlike that uncomfortable chair or low-performance toaster, websites are not concrete objects. When built on a solid foundation, they can easily change and evolve over time. With patience and diligence, the basic, just-get-it-up website you start with today will one day bloom into a beautiful, slick experience that fully and accurately represents how great your business is.

Other advantages of the design-last approach include lower up front cost,  more time to gather understanding of your users and more time to craft your messaging before crucial design decisions are made (in other words, less guessing).

Like what your hearing? You may also enjoy this post: Building your web presence from the ground up: low cost, high quality options for small businesses

For the owner of a small service or retail business, the the best first step to building your online presence is probably far from obvious. Whenever I come across a website that claims to provide cheap, easy websites, I love to check them out and see what they are all about. It is always interesting to see what kind of great solutions (or complete crap) these services are selling to the often unsuspecting entrepreneur.

I’d like to share two groupings of services that I would feel confident recommending to a small business owner. They include everything you need to get started, from email addresses to web site statistics. Additionally, each package meets my standards for:

• affordability
• portability of your content (it’s important to have the option to move your site if needed)
• quality html code that is, by nature, search engine friendly
• easy integration of social media and analytics tracking
• quality design, offering templates to get you started along with the capacity to completely customize the design down the road

So, here are my recommendations:

Plan 1:

• Website design/hosting/CMS and site statistics at Squarespace: starts at $12/month ($144/year)
• Domain registration from Godaddy: about $12/year
• Email through Google Apps: Free
• One time fee for set up (paid to a tech-savvy friend or web designer if you are not  comfortable doing it yourself): about $100-$200

Plan 2:

• Website design/hosting/cms at Page.ly: starts at $14.98/month and includes one free domain registration (179.96/year)
• Email and site statistics through Google Apps: Free
• One time fee for set up (paid to a tech-savvy friend or web designer if you are not  comfortable doing it yourself): about $100-$200

Bottom line: for less than $300, you can get your business online and feel confident that your investment of time and money is going into a flexible, high quality product that will allow your website to grow along with your business!

Interestingly, a Google search for the terms “small business web site builder” turns up some options that I personally feel are not very good solutions for a small business seeking to build a simple web presence. Some are very e-commerce focused, which I suppose would be good for a business with a unique product they wish to sell online, but for the hair salon or coffee shop just wishing to advertise specials and build awareness, these are not appropriate. Google Sites is completely free, but the experience is mediocre both in terms of design and flexibility. Intuit offers a small business-focused website builder as well, starting at $4.99/month, but I am not impressed with the template designs and the customization options appear limited. They are also quite ambiguous about their pricing plans and I think it’s safe to assume there is no easy way to get your data out of their system if you become unhappy with their service.

Have you used any of the sites mentioned above? Are there any gems that I have overlooked? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

It’s going to be OK, really. We know you have messes from the web folks of your past, half-started projects with no manual, features that used to work that no longer do, sites that you have lost due to a lapse in domain registration.

Read full story: Intimidated by web professionals? – Susan Finch – Web Solutions Provider

It’s an ugly truth that no one wants to talk about: a serious portion of our clients are being under-served by our industry. Think of all the small businesses and organizations in your community, the people that stand to benefit so much from competent web consulting, but lack the knowledge or budget to get any web agency to take them seriously. How many of them choose the first web design company that is listed in the phone book, or their friends’ nephew who is going to school for web design, only to be left in the end with a static website with broken features and no idea how to take ownership of their domain?

Sure, compared to big corporate projects, it’s not glamorous and the pay may not come in such large sums, but working  with small business owners to help them understand their needs/challenges/opportunities on the web can be incredibly fulfilling. And I think that a sign that we are doing our job well would be that these small businesses would grow, and come back to us with bigger budgets for more help in growing and fine-tuning their web presence.

After all, if you really are a good web designer/consultant, shouldn’t your clients be coming back to you again and again to expand their web presence, rather than engaging you once and moving on?