We've got some pretty exciting new features to tell our newsletter
readers about this issue. But more about that later. This
newsletter contains what I think is the most important of the four
steps in the Web Design Process - Maintenance. Let's get started.
------------------------

The Website Process (cont.)
Part Three - Maintenance
Website maintenance is probably the most overlooked and important
step in your business website. In addition to keeping your
customers, it also directly affects your search engine ranking
(including Google!)

So just what is maintenance? Dictionary.com says: The work of
keeping something in proper condition; upkeep.

Upkeep. I couldn't begin to tell you how many clients I've built
websites for that don't consider the maintenance factor. They
contact me, want a site built, and once its built, they are
satisfied with it for the next ten years. Ouch. That's gonna hurt
their business in the long run, assuming their business grows.

As businesses evolve, things change. Phone numbers, mailing
addresses, products, and most importantly - pricing. That customer
who may have put out a spectacular website two years ago could today
be losing money from potential clients because they can't find him.
Or the products he lists simply don't exist any more. His new,
faster-better products aren't even listed.

Maintenance pertains to all websites, of course, not just business
sites. How many times have you gone to a site, looking for a
particular bit of information, only to see that the site hadn't been
updated since 1998? I have, and I hate it. It wastes my time.

And maintenance on a website isn't all that time consuming. An hour
a month could keep your site fresh and current. Search engines,
such as Google, actually take site update information into
consideration when determining the ranking for your site. If your
site hasn't been updated in a year, other sites with less
information (which have been updated recently) may actually score
higher in the ranking. That means users will click on their site
before yours. Not good if you're selling a product.

Lighthouse Technologies offers several very reasonable packages for
website maintenance. While a once-a-month fix may become expensive
after a while, buying a yearly maintenance package can save you big
money for those little tweaks to the site - and your search engine
ranking will benefit. To see more about our maintenance packages,
see http://techlh.com/maintenance.htm

Don't neglect your website. It's your 'face' to the world. Regular
visitors will see no changes after a while, and stop coming. Sites
that are current and mention recent events keep users' attentions
much better. Good luck with your website!
---------------------

Sponsor
Sponsor
Townlink Software v1.0 is now available to the public. The
revolutionary software and website package is a total turn-key
product. When you purchase, you receive a website, hosting, domain
registration and even FREE maintenance for a year. Start your own
TownLink site in your town and turn those business relationships
into even more revenue for your business.

See www.YourTownLink.com for all the information.
----------------------

FREE DOMAIN NAMES through April 30
Register for any business hosting package and receive one FREE
domain name registration. See www.techlh.com/specials.htm
----------------------

New Features
We've been really busy behind the scenes, working hard to make sure
that our valued customers get their moneys-worth and then some.
We've implemented several new features since April first, and expect
a few more exciting announcements later.

Forum - http://www.techlh.com/forum
We took the forum offline for a while for lack of participation, but
now it's back! We will do our best to keep it up-to-date with any
new announcements and other information.

Helpdesk - http://www.techlh.com/helpdesk
This is our newest feature, a full-fledged helpdesk. After looking
at a dozen different helpdesk programs, we found one that we think
all of our customers will be happy with. It is very easy to
navigate and ticket submission is a great way to document your
problems and keep track of solutions. All current users can access
the helpdesk with their normal userID and password.

Hosting - http://www.techlh.com/hosting
We've added new features to all of the hosting packages, including
several forum options, helpdesk software, even a real-estate
listings program. There are more coming, too!

At the request of a customer, we are now offering a monthly payment
option for hosting. Now you can stretch that budget and you don't
have to come up with all that money at once!

Web Designer Services - http://www.techlh.com/wd_services.htm
Are you a web designer that wants to offer more options to your
clients? Now you can offer hosting, custom scripting and other
solutions to your clients. We'll do the work, you get a price
break, and you take the credit!

Products - coming soon
Lighthouse Technologies has taken part in some really fun projects -
projects that have been so successful that we've decided to start
offering them to other businesses. We already offer TownLink
(yourtownlink.com) and are in the process of finishing up a great
product for Process Service/Private Investigation professionals.
Stay tuned!

Don't see something that you'd like Lighthouse Technologies to
offer? Contact us anytime, we'll be glad to help you.
-------------------

Thanks for reading.
Will Hanke
Lighthouse Technologies
www.techlh.com