Question: How much will it cost to build a web site for my equestrian business?

Answer: Of course, this is your most pressing question. There is no easy answer, but once we know your business and needs, we can give you an estimate of your costs. It may be helpful for you to know what to expect from us or any other web design firm.

There are four costs that you will have to pay.

1. A small monthly fee for your domain name - this goes to a hosting company, not us. (More on this below)

2. Leslie's photography costs.

3. Janet's cost to build your web pages plus 5% GST and 8% PST for the photographs.

4. A mileage fee determined by the distances we travel to get to your business.

and... after the site is build, if you need updates or changes, we will charge you an hourly fee for this service. For example, if you sell a horse and want it removed from the site, or need to add a horse, we will edit the page and bill you.

HERE ARE THE STEPS INVOLVED IN BUILDING YOUR SITE.

You need to decide on your web or domain name if you don't already have one. You can visit netfirms.ca or Internic.ca , or we can do if for you, and check to see if it is available.

Question: How do I purchase the domain name?

Answer: This is done online, but we will come to your farm and walk you through the process if you wish. You will need your credit card and your email address. You need to have a company that will "host" your web site or give you space on their computers (called servers) to store all the files and web pages associated with it. We can recommend some.

Depending on your needs, it should cost around $10.00 to $20.00 a month, and will be taken off your credit card automatically. This fee is independent of our services and the money goes to whatever firm you choose (the hosting company bills you directly) and will continue to cost you as long as your site is live and functioning. Our job is to create the graphics and files that make up your site. We then pass our files to this service provider and deal with the technical details after you have bought your domain.

Question: Why don't you buy the domain for us and then bill us?

Answer: We could, but then we would own and have total control of your domain name, and that is not in your best interest.

Question: What do the different extensions on web names mean?

Answer: If your site has a .com name at the end, it represents the name "commercial". If it has a .ca extension at the end, it means the country code (every country has one). The .ca extension is for "Canada", the .org extension stands for "Organization" and .net means "Network". If your desired domain name is not available, you can choose a different extension, or you could approach the current owner of the web site and offer them loads of money to sell you the domain. This wouldn't be my first choice! The choice of extension is yours, there are no rules - as long as the name is available. The most desirable name is .com, but many of these are taken.

The next step is to meet with you to determine your needs and the contents of the web site. What pages can you envision? Do you need the standard "About Us", "Contact", horse biographies and pedigrees? Would you like to incorporate videos? Would you like a page for each horse? Do you think you would like to add pages in future to your site as you sell and acquire new horses, or perhaps as news events occur? We will take your vision and turn it into a functioning and efficient web site.

Question: What about the photography?

Answer: Leslie's photography is a core component of our services. She will arrange one or more photography sessions at your farm. This is best done on brighter days, so will be partly dependent on the weather. We can work with 4 to 5 horses in a visit - it is more work for the owners who have to make sure the horses are bathed and groomed!

We will, in exceptional circumstances, accept other photographer's work for inclusion in your site. For example, a past event such as a horse show that you need portrayed, or a horse that is no longer with you. We require consent from the other photographer to protect you from copyright infringements, and we reserve the right to be selective in the quality of photos that go on your web site.

Question: Can I have video on my site?

Answer: Yes, we have the equipment and expertise to add video clips to your site. Video is often the best way to showcase your horses, and is critical for customers who live at any distance from your business.

Question: What next ?

Answer: We will work on the design of your home page, which will influence the look of your entire site. With your approval, we will plan the layout of your site and continue to build the interior pages. During this process, components of the site will be online, but hidden from public view. This means you can watch the progress of your site and view sample pages, but other people cannot. When the site is complete, it will be linked to your address and made visible to the world!

Question: Will the search engines find my site?

Answer: Yes they will, - eventually. We can rush the process by doing Search Engine Optimization for you. SEO is an ongoing process, as the pages may need to be tweaked over time to get the best search results.

There are billions of pages on the Internet now (a rough estimate is 5 billion), and the chances of your site being listed as number one in a generic search (such as the words "horse" or "Thoroughbred") are small. There are many ways to ensure that your site is found if someone types in specific information - such as your farm name or relevant terms. The search engine companies can be manipulated but not controlled! You can pay for Google Ads if you wish.

You should not expect the search engines to deliver all your customers to your doorstep. Many people will see your site online, but your web site is best used as an extension of your business card and advertising - a way for people to gather current information about your farm, business or horses from anywhere in the world. You will ultimately be surprised at the contacts you will make.

You can get a start on your own site by making a list of the top 20 words that you would like to represent your business. These words will be what the search engines respond to to find their way to your site. Think in reverse terms, what would someone type if they were to find your business?

Here is a sample list.

(your business name), horse, hunter, jumper, warmblood, stallion, gelding, broodmare, Ontario, sale, farm, mare, equestrian, Canada, dressage, breeder, training, filly, foal, colt, sport, Dutch, German

or

horse, gaited, paso, fino, farm, stallion, mare, farm, stable, lessons, training, board, breed, gelding, trail, riding, bay, palomino, Niagara, mane, corto, largo
Search engine optimization is sometimes trial and error. If you don't like what the search engines have picked up as your keywords, then we have to go back and tweak the pages to try to get it right. SEO is best done on a continuing basis. Remember, we can't control the Google robots, and anyone who says they can, well, - they should be billionares by now!

You can choose to pay the search engines to list your business according to search terms you specify, (Google Ads is one example), and we can arrange this for you.

Question: Can you tell who visits my site?

Answer: To a certain degree, we can gather lots of information about who is visiting by reviewing your site statistics. We can see who visits (by computer number only, every machine has one - it is not always possible to see who the person is behind the number or IP address), we can see when they visit, what country they are from, the pages they view and how long they stay on each one. If you would like to track your own site statistics, we can show you how to access this information.

I hope this gives you a head start on your own web site and demystifies the process. We are always open for consultations for a small fee and perhaps someday you will ask us to build your site!

regards, Janet Grant