Michigan Data Systems P.O. Box 930804 Wixom, MI 48393 | 866-734-2623 (Toll Free)

Web Sites, Web Development, Applications, Database Integration and Networking.

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Web Site FAQ

Does it matter what web technology is used to build our web site?

At MDS we are basically "technology neutral." Each platform has advantages and disadvantages. If you need a quick solution that is mostly static in nature than either ASP .Net™ or PHP™ is a good choice. Sun Java™ technologies provide more capability for complex scenarios. We pride ourselves on the fact that we do not "push" a certain technology because that is all we know how to do. More important than the technology used is the ability of the developers using it and how responsive a firm is to your needs.

I have seen complete web sites advertised for $100 or less, why shouldn't I do that and save money?

If you have a very simple message and are not overly concerned about standing out amongst all of the other millions of sites out there, then a solution like that could be acceptable. Most of these solutions utilize templates or wizards and do not provide original content tailored to your needs, however. In addition, there is usually little or no support for these sites included.

Most web-savvy people can spot these cookie cutter sites and they may not project the proper image of your company. There is more to a web site than the web pages, you will need search engine submission, possibly dynamic content utilizing a back end database, client scripting, graphics, or any number of other services these solutions do not provide. The equation is simple. Will a professional web site project a better image of my company and pay for itself in the long run allowing me to attain additional business? The answer is almost always yes.

I had another firm do a site for me and they set up the hosting and domain name. I don't know who they used for these services and do not have the password. What should I do??

This is a common problem that can cause you a fair amount of grief if you ever need to take control of your web site. That is why we put both the domain name and hosting account in YOUR company name and provide you with the passwords to administer them. They belong to you and your company, not the web developer who may have done your site.

Unfortunately, some firms try and control this information because it forces their clients to come back to them whether they want to or not. If you are in this situation, we can help you straighten it out. We will do the research as to who the current registrar of the domain name is and who is hosting the site. If the domain is your company name, then a letter to the issuing domain name agency is usually all that is required to gain control of it. Once that is done we can contact the existing web host to get access to the web server.

I have a web site but it doesn't seem to come up when I do a web search. Is there some way of improving this?

Search engine ranking is a fairly complex issue as there are many factors that affect it. It also varies depending on the search engine itself. For example, Google™, the leading search engine, will "spider" your site and rank you based on several factors including your meta tags, (tags in your web page that describe your content) and other factors, including but not limited to the titles of the pages and the image names. A "spider" is a usually proprietary program that is designed to gather information on all of the millions of pages of content on the Internet. Yahoo™, another big one, is basically a large directory whereby you submit your information to it or you are not listed at all.

Most search engines sell ads and higher rankings based on certain categories and subjects as well. We can certainly help you get submitted and maximize your chances for a good ranking as we have the knowledge as to how the different search engines establish their rankings. No one can "guarantee" a high rating, at least not within a reasonable price range. Another factor is the uniqueness of your product or service. If you are selling suits of armor, then there will fewer sites related to that out there and your ranking should be pretty decent if your site is coded correctly.

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