Web Hosting

For this project, I will create a webpage for my Dad's bakery - Meringue Bakery. They have an existing webpage that is very outdated. I would like to completely revamp this page to bring it to life. I researched other local bakeries in DFW to get an idea for what type of information I want to provide. 

I want this website to provide an overview of services (wedding cakes, cupcakes, specialty orders), basic information (location, hours, phone #), and a gallery of completed cakes. I want prospective consumers to visit this page and feel WOW-ed by the cakes they see. The images should inspire them to visit the bakery. For this project, I think visuals are key - more so than text - since the product is a cake. 

Below is my general outline

Homepage

• Large static image of wedding cake + text with brief information about the bakery and the services provided
• Links to other pages
• About Us - background on the bakery 
• Wedding Cakes - will have a gallery within page
• Specialty Cakes - will have a gallery within page
• Cupcakes - will have a gallery within page
• Contact Us - hours, phone number, map/address, email
• Order Form 
• Links to social media pages (Instagram, FB, Twitter) 
• Link to schedule a free consultation

Sites I visited for research: 

• http://www.elizabethscakesplano.com/
• http://www.sweetarleens.com/
• http://www.paninicakes.com/
• http://dallasaffairescakeco.com/
• http://www.soonjasbakery.com/
• http://anniesculinarycreations.com/
• http://societybakery.com/

Web Hosting:

In all honesty, I was not impressed with any free host site I found. I felt like they were all gimmicky and I wouldn't trust them. If this is for a proper business, I would prefer to spend $10/month to ensure it is done correctly. I liked some sites that had great templates, but in turn you had to use their name in your URL OR you couldn't edit the code itself. I felt like this was a big limitation because there are certain parts of my website I would like to customize. 

I read a lot of articles about best free and premium web hosting sites. After reviewing these articles below is my feedback -

Wix - I really liked the templates and user flow of Wix. I found it really easy to design a webpage. It flowed very easily and had a lot of room to customize. I did not like Wix because I couldn't edit the code. I could add code, but not alter the entire page. 

50Webs - I  felt OK with this website because it didn't look like a gimmick. I liked that there are no ads and that I can use WordPress. I am struggling to understand the portal and how to use it. The user flow feels very outdated and confusing. 

GoDaddy - With all the marketing they do, this is the first company that came to mind for me. They do not have any free options, but apparently offer great customer service. They also offered a lot of benefits like email accounts (since I would want the brand to have an @meringuebakery.com email account), and 24/7 support. 

Web Authoring Tools

When I first learned to code, I had to use notepad. This assignment opened my eyes to the benefits of using a more advanced web authoring tool. The three tools I looked at were DreamWeaver, Kompozer, and Aptana.

I was unaware of these applications and the amazing benefits they provide. Before I looked at the tools, I wanted to make a list of assets that were most important to me Debugging/validity, cost, time, and template abilities were all important to me.

I found debugging to be the most important because I have wasted so much time looked for quotation mark that was left opened or a carrot that did not close. This feature will save me a lot of time and stress on my eyes.

I have an old version of DreamWeaver on my Mac from college. I've tried to use a few times, but it confused me. There are so many features and it made me really overwhelmed. I love Adobe programs, but they definitely take a while to master. After reading numerous blogs, it seems that this is definitely one of the best programs to use. After this course, I plan on digging deeper into this application.

After watching a video on Aptana, it really interested me. As I did my research, it offered a lot of the benefits I was looking for. However, once I downloaded the software I was really confused. It seemed like a lot to learn and I need to learn the basics first before jumping into a more complicated web authoring tool.

For this course, I decided to stay with Kompozer. Once I learn the basics, I will be better equipped to jump into different applications (like DreamWeaver and Aptana). Kompozer offered a lot of benefits like validity, free, and it is fairly easy to navigate. One thing that is hard for me - I am a design person and the functionality of this application feels outdated and I don't feel like I have a lot of control. I can draw my dream design on paper, but it was hard to bring the paper to life in Kompozer. This could be from my lack of experience with it, but I struggled a bit in the beginning.

HTML Intro

When I was in high school, I took Web Authoring. Despite HTML being very meticulous, it was something I really enjoyed. I tend to be a little all over the place, so something like HTML was something I never thought I would like. In college, I got a second chance at taking a similar course in HTML. I really, really loved it. When I was bored at home, I would open notepad and start creating very basic sites. It was fun to create a webpage and have so much control over it. 

It has been a few years since I played around with HTML, so this exercise was very helpful. As mentioned in the assignment, there is definitely something helpful about writing the code our yourself. I forgot how easy it is to make mistakes. Finding one carrot to close or a quotation mark you missed can make you go insane. When I first learned to code we only used notepad. The new text editors that are out really help with missing a close carrot or quotation. My eyes definitely appreciate the help. 

This exercise also helped me discover a lot of new tags and codes. I found myself Googling different topics and how to put them in HTML. I think it may be good to invest in a book with codes because there are so many to remember. It is like learning a foreign language.

A few months ago, I purchased an "Adobe Know-How" course here. I started watching the videos during my lunch break and after work. It has helped me learn a lot. Several things have changed since I was in high school ten years ago, so these videos were a good refresher. The series goes through HTML 4.01, XML, and HTML5. I didn't realize a lot of tags such as <b> had changed to <strong> (although I think both can be used?). If you are ever interested in purchasing the videos, they do a lot of holiday specials and it is very cheap. I definitely recommend these tutorials. 

Although it is the easiest site to find on Google, I really like the W3Schools page. It has all the codes in the world that you could need: http://www.w3schools.com/ 

Joe's Arcade

Situation: Your friend's brother just bought an arcade.  He filled it with retro video games and wants to attract a younger crowd.  He asks you to help him get the word out, but he doesn't have much money or time to invest in a full-blown Web site.  How do you help him?

I think the first thing we need to identify is the budget. Once we have an idea of what we can spend - then we can strategize more effectively. We know the budget is small and we are on a short time line. Being that the audience is very young, we need to determine what tools/apps this audience is using and target those. There are a few things we set up immediately before even identifying the budget. 

• Facebook page
• Twitter page - https://twitter.com/joesarcadedfw 
• Instagram page
• Snapchat feed 
• FourSquare

Next:

• YouTube page 
• Get registered on Google/Apple maps

All of the above are not only free, but they target a young audience. On Facebook, you can boost posts for a few dollars and get decent reach (locally). This may be a good way to get the word out in the beginning before you have a steady stream of money coming in. Also, you can do offers such as "like and comment on this post to win X". On Twitter, you can do real time updates to connect with your audience. You can also update the audience if you are opening/closing early or have a change of schedule. 

Instagram is a great tool to showcase the inside of the store and what it offers. Snapchat is a fun way to show things to your followers. Maybe you want to give them a sneak peek of a new video game. FourSquare continues to gain users, so this is another free way to get yourself set up on a social media network. There are a lot of free apps. that help you manage and update all your social media accounts at once. This might be something to get since you have a lot of feeds running. 

I don't think YouTube is as important for this business, but it does allow you to showcase things going on inside the store. Maybe you are hosting a famous video game developer and you want to do a teaser video. Getting registered on Google and Apple maps will help future consumers find you since most people use their phone GPS now. 

The Website:

Being that the audience is young, I think having a website is required. Depending on the budget, you could design a very stripped down page with basic info and pictures. You could include the phone number, address, hours, games, and activities inside. 

Once you are more established, you could add an eCommerce tool for people to purchase gift cards. You could also make a new page about birthday parties and special events. 

If you are really tight on a budget, you could use a site like Weebly to start. I've made a couple pages on Weebly and they got the job done. This may be something you do short term before you can afford to get a fully functioning website up and running. 

If the budget is basically non-existent, I think developing a state-of-the-art webpage is out of the question. You are short on time and money, plus you may want to see how the business does before investing a lot of money. Since the audience is so young, you luck out with being able to use free social media networks. 

I don't think Flickr is really useful in this case. Younger kids use Instagram. Amazon, blogs, Wikis, Google docs also aren't really worth the time in this case. A Facebook page allows people to interact with your brand similar to a Wiki. They can post updates, suggestions, etc. Facebook is also more tailored to a younger demo. There isn't much data capture - yet - so GoogleDocs may not make sense. Eventually you can set up an email database so you can blast consumers with offers. You could use Exact Target for this once you are ready.

Overall, I would take advantage of the free tools first and then build from there. As your business develops, so will your digital presence. 

Digital Presence - Is It Necessary?

As we read in the Wiki, there are several steps to take before jumping into website development. In this situation, I think the first thing to do is identify your goals for your business, so your website helps you achieve them. Also, by identifying your goals you can strategize the time it will take to build out a web page and what information will be needed -  

·         What is our demographic (to help design look/feel of webpage)?

·         What information do we want to convey on the webpage?

o   Hours

o   Menu/Food/Specials – depending on the type of bar you may want to include a wine, beer, and spirits menu. Also, if they serve bar food – what is available and between what hours

o   Location

o   Contact Info (phone #, email)

o   Photos of the inside to show look and feel (this sometimes help people decide how to dress)

o   Do you offer private events? Do we need a separate tab for that?

I am a firm believer that every business should have a webpage. According to an article in The Chronicle,  “the information age of the late 20th and early 21st century means that people not only have access to significant levels of information but they expect that it is readily available”. Having said that, most consumers are not hoping that your business has a webpage – they expect it. If you see a restaurant that looks interesting, but can’t find anything about it online, you may be skeptical to visit.

In addition, having a webpage gives you an equal opportunity to compete against bigger stores/chain restaurants. According to the article on Entrepreneur, ” when it comes to benefiting from a website, size does not matter”. This is especially important for small businesses. You need to be able to compete and get your brand/name out there.

• Brochure
• If you wanted the bar to have a generic page with basic information about the bar (hours, location, phone #, etc). This would be a good way to go. This presence could also be used to showcase the vibe of the bar – is it a nightclub, is it a dive, etc.

• Informational
• Maybe this bar hosts a lot of events. McKinney Avenue Tavern in Dallas has a page that has a more informational presence. They host shows, comedians, etc. By using an information presence you get the best of the brochure, but can push out new information to you audience. With information like this, I also think Facebook is a great interactive way to engage with your audience.

• Media
• If the bar can be converted into a private event space you may want to show case weddings, parties, and other events that have taken place here. This is a good way to do it, since these types of events need good visuals/videos to entice the consumer to book.

• Data Gathering
• The first brand I think of when I hear this presence is TopGolf. They collect data and blast promotions, coupons, and other offers to consumers. If your bar is running specials or you wanted to get the word out about an event. Over time, you can incentivize consumers to sign up for your database to receive exclusive offers.

• Interaction
• For this category, I think it is where Twitter and Facebook come into play. A lot of businesses are very engaged with their consumers on social media. This provides the consumer with an area to ask questions (Example: Hey – are you serving the special pizza tonight at the White Rock store) and an area for the brand to develop a relationship. Maybe a consumer reaches out about a great experience. You can reply and tell them thank you – even offer them a coupon for next time. I don’t think live chats really make sense for a bar (nor would they have the manpower to do so), but for an airline company it is a GREAT idea.

• eCommerce
• Perhaps you want to sell branded mugs, cups, and shirts for your bar. Maybe you offer certain food items at the bar that can be ordered to go? I don’t think eCommerce is the best route for a bar because you want to drive in-store traffic so you sell more and help your staff make money. If everything was sold online there would be no point of paying rent for an establishment. 

• Promotional
• I think promotional tools are a great for all businesses. Not only are you rewarding the consumer and encouraging them to visit again, but you are establishing relationships. Consumers want to feel special to the brand. An article on Forbes talks about how making a consumer feel special can drive long-term business. “ When you find practical, workable solutions,  you will  be well on your way to gaining customers’ trust and long-term business.” Offers promotions and other incentives to your consumer can make them want to come back more and more.  For a bar, maybe these means running weekly specials, sending offers to repeat customers, or even a loyalty club (buy X receive Y)

Overall, I believe all businesses should have a website. The content businesses put on their pages may vary, but if you want to develop a brand and compete against similar brands, you need to have a strong digital presence since it is the first thing people will see before stepping foot inside.

Chronicle: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/local-businesses-need-website-39570.html

Entrepreneur: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/65204

Forbes: http://www.forbes.com/sites/kauffman/2012/06/26/win-their-loyalty-ensure-your-customers-feel-special/