More firms are designing, maintaining Web sites

Arkansas Business, Jan 20, 2003 by Martha Leonard

BY 2006, THE NUMBER OF small businesses hanging Out a shingle in cyberspace with their own Web sites is expected to grow by almost 90 percent, say industry experts. But most small businesses don't have the technical know-how to build and maintain their own Web sites round-the-clock.

Many Arkansas companies design, build and maintain unique Web sites. They range from the large, publicly traded Alltel Corp. in Little Rock to smaller businesses like Hyper Tech, located in the Harvest Foods Shopping Center in Clinton.

Some have won awards for their Web designs. Little Rock-based Aristotle was named Best Design Firm in the 2002 Best of Arkansas Web Awards. "Hands down, the best work in the field," judges said, after viewing the sample sites submitted by Aristotle.

Judges bestowed special praise for the company's creativity, consistent level of quality and ability to convey the essence of each client through its Web site.

Aristotle is one of the largest and most experienced Web design firms m the region. Among its best-known sites: www.elvis.com for Elvis Presley Enterprises and www.arkansas.com for the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism. (The firm also worked on Arkansasbusiness.com.)

"We are seeing a lot of growth in our Web design division" said Aristotle vice president Elizabeth Bowles. "A number of current clients are coming to us seeking redesigns and additions to sites."

Companies that understand the power of the Internet and use it well can enhance their sales, reach new markets and build brand awareness, she said. "It's a powerful tool -- a hybrid," she said. "It's not a TV ad or a store. It's a way to deliver on the company's brand promise, but if the site is bad it can also damage the company's name."

That's why Aristotle pays attention to details like ease of navigation and understanding who the clients' customers are. "Today, the Internet is very interactive. Bad navigation is a terrible thing because it can affect a person's opinion of the company," she said. "We spend a lot of time making sure navigation is clear on our sites."

Several of the firms on our Web design list are divisions of larger marketing or data information companies.

Alltel Corp. offers Web design to customers as part of its repertoire of digital and data services.

A few years ago, ad and marketing firms often referred clients to specialized, Internet design firms like Aristotle. Now many agencies are trying to keep those clients in-house for their Internet needs.

A few of those agencies claim expertise in Internet connectivity; Web design and programming; CD-ROM, DVD and Kiosk design; Web site hosting; Internet marketing; and Internet and network connectivity -- many of the products in which Aristotle also specializes.

Cranford Johnson Robinson Woods' imazing!CJRW, Stone & Ward's Fusebox and Forza Marketing Group's Forza Digital are part of larger marketing firms, which are evolving electronically as their customers' needs change.

Tim Martin, president of Forza Marketing Group of Little Rock, said his firm's Web design division represents another way the agency tries to manage a client's brand to reach its audience.

And customers often have sophisticated needs. Marketing agencies are recognizing that customers today want to go beyond "brochure ware," a style used by many businesses in the early days of Internet marketing, where only contact information and general news about products and services were posted. Now, businesses want more interactivity, both between the company and its audience and the company and its employees.

One big advantage to having a Web design division within the larger marketing agency is that it protects the design and branding concepts the firm has created for a client. Firms with Internet divisions can keep the messages consistent by remaining the sole source for the brand message.