77 million households in America have an Internet connection, that number grows daily.
  Are you reaching that client base? Does your competition have a website already?

In today's technologically advanced world, utilizing the web for your business or organization is not just important, it's necessary. Establishing your presence on the web is an important step in reaching a new customer base while reinforcing your overall identity.

We provide website services to handle your project from start to finish and will work with you to create an professional, eye-catching design. We believe your site is a creative project and should be individually tailored to portray the character of your business while providing the most user-friendly and organized design.

Our goal is to make quality design services available to everyone, bridging the technology gap for individuals, small businesses and non-profit organizations who may have a limited budget. We are proud to offer reasonably-priced web design, making excellence a standard everyone can afford. Request A Free Design Quote and we'll work with you and help get your name or business seen on the web.

Your web site can be a wonderful marketing tool and when used correctly, it can help grow your business or organization. Your site will be available 24/7 to your audience on their time, within the comfort of their own home and during their free time. The Internet is an excellent opportunity to give your customers a convenient way to meet you and to do business with you. Your web site is like your own giant public billboard where people can get information on how to find you, where you are located, what you have to offer, why your service is unique, and what's new with your company or organization. It is also easily updated and changed frequently, and is a communication forum through which your customers can communicate back to you with questions, concerns and feedback on their needs.

We commonly hear "but my customers don't use the Internet." Sure, it's possible that your current customers may not use the computer much. However, a worthy concern should be about potential customers that are using the Internet and they CAN'T FIND YOU. Statistics prove that 65% of the population in rural areas uses a computer at least once per week, and 85% of people in metropolitan areas use a computer. These percentages have never decreased and it is likely that they will only continue to increase. A website keeps you in sync with this trend and it's a smart way to reach a new client base.

Only 75 years ago the American population felt that the telephone was an expensive luxury and not crucial to business growth. That sentiment continued for 30 years. Since then, social communication trends have changed and expenses decreased. We can expect use of the Internet will only increase in the next ten years.


Many people just don’t know where to start when it comes to creating an online presence. To those who are not familiar with the World Wide Web, computers and the Internet – it can be very overwhelming. Designs On Fire strives to make your web site project a comfortable experience for you. Tutoring sessions are available to those who need assistance with choosing a domain (yourname.com), using e-mail and much more. Website maintenance and management services are also available. If you would like to learn more about the basic ingredients of a web site, view our Web Recipe article.


Planning your web site is the most important stage of your web site development and unfortunately, its often the most overlooked. Here are a few questions you should ask yourself to get started.

• Have you chosen a domain name (www.yourname.com) and is it available?
• How many pages will you need?
• Do you have a logo for your business or organization that you would like to use on the website?
• Have you thought about color schemes or have a particular design idea that you like?
• Is there content for the site, or will you need help writing it?
• Will there be any special features required i.e. shopping cart, bulletin board, image gallery, guest book or portfolio?

As you begin to formulate some ideas and plans for your site, it always helps to research competition on the Internet. If you haven’t already, I would suggest searching Google.com for your local business market or organization. For example, a photographer could search “Photography Springfield Illinois” to see what others in your area have done on the net. This can help you think of design ideas and also brainstorm for the kinds of services you would like to offer on your website, such as a image gallery or portfolio. As you research, refer to the questions above to get a better picture of what your website will look like.

We have created a Client Worksheet for you to use in these beginning stages of your web site planning. You may also read our article, Plan Your Website For Success to help you get organized. We believe those who fail to plan are planning to fail.


If at any time you need help deciding on certain elements of your website design please feel free to contact us. We believe that designing a website can and should be a stress-free project. It is our goal to make website services available to all business owners and organizations, we are more than willing to take the time and help explain all the details of your web site project.





Written by: Kaiti Lenhart
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No part of this work may be reprinted or used without the permission of the copyright holder.