Frequently Asked QuestionsThe Benefits of an AltaStreet WebsiteThe financial services business is a relationship business. I am doubtful that the high net worth clients I am looking for spend much time browsing the web for investment expertise.
Your web site is not as much a sales mechanism as it is a sales facilitation tool. Many prospective clients will visit your site prior to establishing contact in order to "check you out." The design and content of your site must project your image as you would in a face-to-face meeting. AltaStreet excels in listening to you, the client, and creating a site design that projects precisely the image you desire. For existing clients, your site is a source of tools and information to provide value-added and a means of information fulfillment that reduces operational tasks for you and your staff. My past experience has been that whenever I allow "technical types" into my business, my business is disrupted for days. The benefit gained is questionable compared to the dislocation caused.
Web site design and Search Engine Optimization involves none of your hardware or software. We are never in your office physically. The creation and development of your site is invisible to you and your clients with zero interruption of existing operations. A lot of what I read about Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and interactive web sites strikes me as technology for technology sake. I don’t care about "cool technology." I am singularly interested in acquiring more qualified prospects to talk to.
SEO increases the size of your "Marketing Net" you cast to capture prospects by enabling more prospective clients to find your site via web searches. The impact of your messaging content and the image your site projects is what determines how many visitors take action to contact you. The web is here to stay and an increased percentage of our population does their initial information search via the web for EVERYTHING, including investment counsel. I don’t want increased operational complexity brought into my business. I carefully guard my time and my associate’s time to be focused on client service and client acquisition activities. I don’t want to be distracted with technology issues.
With SEO, you have zero additional operational complexity. In fact, a well designed web site minimizes existing operational demands including information fulfillment that currently take your time and your associate’s time. The only added complexity should be an influx of inbound solicitations from prospective customers! I already have an adequate web site that accurately communicates my message. I seldom receive unsolicited inquires from my site. I have always considered my site a convenient means of information fulfillment after I talk to prospects. I am unconvinced of the value of Search Engine Optimization.
Consider two direct mail campaigns. Both campaigns have the same message, target audience, and cost. Campaign A reaches 1,000 readers while Campaign B reaches 100 readers. Which campaign will most likely produce the greater number of prospects? SEO is the electronic equivalent of the example above. When your web site:
General Website QuestionsI want to order a website. How do I get started?
There are a few ways to get started. Listed in order of effectiveness:
How long will it take to design my website?
Once we receive your request, we will contact you to establish design preferences and website setup guidelines. From there, a "snapshot" image of your site will usually be ready to preview in 2-3 business days. Once your snapshot is approved, it takes about 3-5 business days to be converted to html/web format. All of our sites are then submitted to industry compliance for approval. Once approval is granted, the site will be taken "live." Because our clients are directly involved in creating a site that is custom built for them, the speed at which we can take the site live depends on the willingness of the client to provide feedback and content. What part of the process will I be involved in?
Once you have approved the look and feel of your website, you'll only need to provide any custom content that you wish to add to the site, i.e.- staff bios, addresses and phone numbers, page content, etc. We take care of everything else. What if I already have a website?
Because our sites are built upon a sophisticated framework, we will need to re-build your site to comply with our system. The process of rebuilding is significantly faster that creating an entirely new site because the design and the site content have already been created. Once transferred, the site will gain all of the capabilities of our system. Can I add/edit my own content?
Our system makes it easy to add and edit content whenever you'd like. Simply follow the procedures for adding new content (we will provide tutorial information), or contact us and we'll gladly add or edit it for you.. What does my monthly fee go towards?
Your monthly fee covers the costs of hosting and maintaining your site on our servers. It also funds development of framework and future software updates, which ensures that your site is always utilizing the latest technology. Depending on your selected hosting package, your fee may also include site maintenance and content management, advanced feature support, etc. I want my website ranked high on search engines. Do you offer optimization services?
We offer comprehensive Search Engine Optimization services. Visit our SEO page for more information. When I make changes to my website, how long will it take for them to appear?
Most submitted changes are instantaneous; however, some content must be submitted to compliance for approval before it is activated. |