As a college instructor, it is necessary for my industry knowledge to be current and accurate. As a business owner, it is my responsibility to know my industry and expand as it does in order to offer the best product and service.

Here are a few articles which I find informative. Some are written by myself for Omni and others are the works of other respected professionals.

Why 99% of Websites are obsolete!

If you want your site to work well in today’s browsers and user devices, and to continue to work on future devices, it’s a good idea to author new sites in XHTML.

The W3C has created a set of rules that bring consistency well-formed code syntax to web development allowing sites to view and respond without complication.

Unfortunately, most web developers, even many large firms, have not yet converted their development knowledge to this standards-based format and are still developing HTML pages which may prove to have errors and compatibility issues. See the article below on forward-compatible sites to understand all of the benefits of good code.

Forward-compatible sites save money

The Web Consortium has set standards for proper code structure that works in any situation.
It includes the use of XHTML for structure, CSS for presentation and ECMA Script for function. Although this may seem unimportant to you, it is extremely important for choosing a web developer — because it saves you time and money in the long run.
Here’s how forward-compatible code benefits your bottom line by saving development time and costs:

A site that ONLY works in Internet Explorer Windows separates you from 25% of your potential customers — that’s nearly 325 million people who can’t view your site properly.

• No need to create multiple versions to work on various browsers
• Site works in ALL browsers (Netscape, IE, Opera, Linx, Safari, Firefox, Mozilla, etc.)
• Accessible to visually impaired systems using Jaws screen reader
• Viewable on Palm Pilots, Pocket PCs, Handhelds, Cell phone browsers, Blackberries, etc.
• Site will work in future browsers and devices, including devices not built or even imagined.
• Less work to update and maintain.
• Create a new design without recreating content
• Alter content without affecting layout.
• Site can be incorporated into large-scale content or commerce site where pages are generated or linked to purchase or database systems.
• Better compatibility with search engines.
• Bandwidth reduction – for large sites this streamlined, code can mean the savings of a great deal of service provider charges.
• Eventually, all browsers will require XHTML coding – HTML won’t work at all.

Why do I need a website?

First, ask yourself, why do I need a business card? Your answer for having a website may be similar to the answer here.  The main difference is that a website distributes your information on a grand scale and the business card to the hand full of local people you come across. The other difference is that the business card contains a small hint of what you do. The website communicates much more using multiple media forms such as pictures, sound and video.
This is the fundamental advantage to a business website. Here are more:
Visibility - Future customers can find your company's products and services on the web. The number of people researching and shopping online is increasing exponentially every year.
Credibility - A website builds trust and gives customers the assurance that you have what it takes for them to do business with you.
Differentiate your offerings - Show potential customers that your products and services are different from your competitors' and easy to find on your website.
Impress - Share raving reviews from your customers. Use your website to showcase your expertise and experience.
Attract and retain - How? By knowing your customers. Understand their actions from buying your product or signing up for your service to joining your mailing list. Build customer loyalty through state-of-the-art customer relationship management tools.
Grow your sales - Open up an additional channel for growth. Use your website to aggressively market your products and services.
Redirect and minimize support calls - Your website can answer many common questions for your customers. Customers can locate your store, generate a map and driving directions to your store, look up your contact information and receive a free quote. Your customers will feel empowered by finding answers to their questions more quickly and efficiently. This also helps reduce your customer support expenditures, improving your bottom line.
Enlighten - Provide the educational materials that customers need to make purchase decisions and provide them with the ability to bookmark your site. You know what they need to know - make sure they can easily find this information on your website.

What will a website do for my business?

There is no one answer for what a website can do for your business. It’s usually a combination of many things. Ask yourself, what does a business card do for my business? What does a brochure do for my business? What does my storefront do for my business? These and other marketing tools can be combined and amplified using a website. Here are other benefits:

• Establish a professional online presence
• Promote your business or brand
• Sell products and services on the web
• Win new customers and retain existing ones
• Gather or provide information, or enable discussion
• Showcase your expertise through a catalog, gallery or portfolio
• Attract and recruit talent
• Promote an event
• Educate
• Interact with customers

What goes into the making of a professional website?

Research: We take time to really understand your product or service. A consultation with your company experts and online research into your business gives us a strong understanding of who you are. An extensive “Job Process Form” allows us to prompt for information that we can use — things that you many not have thought about yourself.
Project Management We build timelines to let you know what is happening each step of the way. Your own, personal Project Manager will work closely with you to gather content, answer questions and keep you informed.
Content Organization: We supply a template MSWord document that prompts you for information and helps you layout the content to support flow and navigation.
Copy Editing: We will assist you by editing your text using professional writers and editors that can make your content consistent with Canadian or international writing styles.We will also make suggestions on how to pop strong phrases, create readable articles and sidebars. Where text can be graphically represented for stronger impact, we will also advise.
Design: We research modern color schemes (just like in the fashion industry, trends change). Graphic design is a skill that is not easily picked up merely by learning software and accessing templates. Having a good eye gets you nowhere if you don’t have a solid foundation in fonts, gestalt principles, layout shapes and density balance. The design is core of your representation — your image is safe in our hands.
Interface Design: Everyone’s content is different and every story takes a different path. Clicking through the site relies on a solid navigation system. The location, look,  interaction and fit into the page requires substantial consideration.
Mockups: We supply, 3 mockup designs with variations on layout, color, navigation and imagery.
Inside Page Design: The look and feel of pages other than the home page must be considered. This often requires a different layout, but with similar elements and the same navigation from the home page.
Forward-compatible Code: 99% of websites are obsolete! These sites may look and work all right in mainstream, desktop browsers, but symptoms of decay will pop up more and more as browsers other than IE, handhelds, cell phones and other methods of viewing webpages cause them to fail. Unfortunately, most designers still work with this outdated HTML.We don’t!
Images: We will recreate logos using vector software so they display in the best resolution and in the truest colors. All images supplied must be corrected for color, density, composition and fit. These images are then optimized for speedy viewing on a website.We will search stock photo sites and supply thumbnail recommendations for
stock photo purchase. For a small fee, we can provided professional location or event photography. Often a design will require the manipulation of images such as merging, artistic impression, touchup, etc.
Search Engines: There are many elements that exist in the background of the code that make or break inclusion in Search Engines.We make sure your code meets the  requirements and allows quick rise through the Search Engine database.
Delivery: Once completed, your site is copied to your own web server and, if you require, a copy of your site can be supplied on CD for your records.