Spring has sprung! Well maybe not just yet, but it's just around the corner. Naturally, the actual timing depends upon where in the world you reside, but soon the leaves will return to the trees, the flowers will be in bloom and everything in the garden will be rosy. Or will it?

Spring is traditionally a time of rebirth, but also renewal. Even if your website is doing a great job for you, it never hurts to see where you might make improvements. Last month's newsletter pointed out the advantages of using a professional designer to ensure that your site is performing the way you want it to. Check out the Globi announcement section for this month, where we are pleased to inform you about another new addition to the Globi team.

E Commerce - Here to stay

Billion of dollars are being spent online each year around the globe, as more and more companies take the plunge into the web. Consumers are becoming more trusting when considering online purchases and are using credit cards in ever-increasing numbers. With today's encryption technology, online transactions are in fact far more secure than using a credit card over the telephone. Any company putting off trading online is placing their business in serious jeopardy as sales via the web continue to skyrocket.

If you decide to utilize e commerce, you could be seeing hundreds or even thousands of visitors in your online store each week. Your sales figures could double or even triple within just a few months. The Internet is an exciting and thriving place to do business, for both retailers and consumers alike. E commerce is now considered both easy and secure. If your competition is already doing it, why aren't you?

Michelle Atkinson is the newest member of the Globi team. Michelle has an impressive portfolio in the fields of acrylic painting, digital and lab photography, freelance artistry and print design. Globi is proud to mention that Michelle graduated as one of the top students in her class at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, and has been a working artist for many years.

Michelle has a firm understanding of both the print and web mediums, and utilizes her considerable skills in brilliant web design and flash animation. Completing every project with her client's dreams foremost in her mind, you can rest assured the result is always what her customers envisaged and more.

Surprisingly, it's not all about you

Sure, you have a website you are very proud of. It provides your hard built business with a window on the world. Details of what you are all about, including your products and services, are accessible from all corners of the globe. However, don't be tempted to put too much on your website. As proud as you are of everything that you've achieved, it's not really all about you. The visitor to your site really doesn't care about your spouse, your kids, your four summer homes, your new boat or your dog. Your visitor only wants to know, "what's in it for me?"

Replace all that wasted space about your personal life with compelling information describing the benefits of your products to your prospective buyers. Your family may be wonderful, but that's not what the client is hoping to buy into. Keep your message focused on what's really important.

Banking on It

Once you've determined that you want to enter the world of e commerce, be sure to offer your customer a variety of payment methods. If you don't currently take credit cards, start immediately. You can either set up a merchant account or use one of the many credit card clearing houses. Investigate ways to take cheques on line too, and make sure you provide a mailing address for those clients who prefer to pay by cash, check or money order.

The payment process should be clear, simple to access and easy to use. Eliminate as many steps as possible and don't ask for any more information than is absolutely necessary to complete an online purchase. If a client believes their privacy is being invaded, they are less likely to complete their transaction and will probably steer well clear of your company in the future.

Keeping Busy

Animation can liven up a website in so many ways and even make it exciting. It may help grab the attention of those who arrive at your page purely by accident, so that they stay for a while and investigate what you have to offer. However, while an occasional animation is great and can even transform a somewhat humdrum web page into an award winner, don't go overboard.

It's best to avoid employing lots of moving objects, as they will invariably be too distracting or even downright irritating. Obviously, it will depend on what you are selling, your market and the intended target audience, but as a rule of thumb, more than one piece of animation per page is excessive and pushes the line of good taste.

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7. Feedback

The site looks great and I finally have some time to spend tweaking it. It really looks stylish and warm.
You do a great job for us. Well done
- Dianne Brown, GoWestSales.com

Have a question or comment? Email us: feedback@globi.ca
We're always happy to hear from you!

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8. Globi's Very Special Special

Introducing Globi's Newest Product: KlikSafe On the Internet, we spend most of our time in Medium Security Mode, however, with the amount of spyware, scumware, and hackers out there, this is just not acceptable anymore. It is for this reason that it is much safer to surf in high security mode, but most people do not do this because of the hassle involved in switching their computer settings back and forth. Globi's Klik Safe now allows this switching to occur very easily.

Hey - share the Wealth!

People you care about could be benefiting from the wealth of information on new and solutions on the Web. So help them by forwarding this issue of Globi Web Solutions Newsletter!

Privacy

As our subscribers, we respect your privacy and will never make our mailing list publicly accessible.

Until next month, we remain your humble messenger to the internet.

Globi Web Solutions
1023 - 12th Ave SW
Calgary, Alberta, T2R 0J5
Phone: (403) 229-3800
E-mail: admin@globi.ca
Web Site: http://www.globi.ca

Copyright © 2010 Globi Web Solutions. All Rights Reserved. No part of this newsletter may be reproduced in whole or in part without the inclusion of Globi Web Solutions' Reprint Permission below.

Reprint Permission

Although this material is subject to copyright, please feel free to reprint this publication, in whole or in part, in your company publication, in training, presentations, or wherever you feel this would be of benefit. This also holds true for members of the media. All we ask (actually, we insist) is that you use the following credit line:

Reprinted with permission from Globi Web Solutions, a leading Website Design and Development Company based in Calgary. For further resources and information, go to globi.ca. Copyright © 2010 Globi Web Solutions.