Web Design

Just like that kid down the street, your local supermarket bag-boy, and some geek you know at work, we also do web sites.  Anyone can put up a website as there are plenty of tools that make it as easy as putting in a CD and answering a few simple questions.  No real computer skills are needed at all, which explains the overabundance of willing “web-designers” that have day jobs.  In fact, you could do your own site quite easily.  However, the question you should ask yourself, is just because you can do it, should you do it?  You can paint your own car if you wanted to, as the local hardware store sells everything you need.  However, the result you get will not be the same as that which comes from a professional.  Maelstrom is a web application software development shop based right here in Milwaukee.  We not only do web sites but we can take the web and make tools that replace those other desktop applications.  See our solutions page for many examples of software we have written for businesses right here in America’s heartland and beyond.

So, now that we have that settled, why would you use Maelstrom to do your website?  Well, here are a few factors:

• Our rates are very reasonable
• Dedicated artists that have a clue and know how to listen
• All of the artwork for your site will be original and created by us (and you own it)
• We know how to make a site that can easily be read by search engines
• We can enhance your site to talk to your accounting, CRM, or other servers securely
• We are software developers, not designers.  This means we can do things designers cannot.
• Our marketing strategy can show you how to make money with your site right away.

A Static Site or Web Brochure

If you really think about it, every company only gets one website that the world will see and use to judge you.  It is akin to a full color brochure in the hands of every man, woman, and child on the face of the earth.  So, why would you leave this awesomely important task to some kid, or some local computer guy?  The web has much more in common with art than with computers.  So, don’t fall into that trap of thinking that because someone can slap in a hard drive that they are somehow qualified to do your website as well.  In fact, ask yourself if you would also trust this person to do your business cards, color brochures, and other marketing collateral.  If you say “No way, are you new?”, then you have the wrong person lined up to do your site.  We do a ton of marketing material, logo designs, and even brochures.  However, we are also geeks, so you get the best of all possible worlds in your Maelstrom Solution.

Here is what you receive if you use Maelstrom for your entry into the World Wide Web:

• All original artwork – approved by you before we move forward
• The first 3 pages created by us are included (remaining ones at time & materials, or you can do them yourself)
• Optimized for the search terms of your choice so you can be found by your potential customers
• Email services included for 10 mailboxes (each additional $1 a month)
• Unlimited Email aliases (meaning sales@yourcompany.com = mary@yourcompany.com)
• Outlook, Web, Pocket PC, and Cell Phone enabled email services so you are always in touch
• Our statistical tracking package free for 1 month, so you can see how your site is doing
• A short Flash animation to add a little “va-voom” to the site.  This is also free with the site.
• Bulk email marketing engine to reach out to your existing clients with a professional looking email

Content Management Engine

We have also created a great solution for companies that want to keep their web sites up to date themselves, offer catalog and eCommerce solutions, blogs, and much more.

See our Content Management Solution page for more details.

You can also get a shopping component to do eCommerce.  Note that there is a additional charge to get all the security merchant hook-ups completed.  The return on this investment for this is system has been under one month for 100% of the clients that use it today!  This is our #1 selling solution because it is a successful system that answers most of the issues people have with the web today.  Things like:

• No need to wait for a web-designer to make your changes
• No restrictions on number of pages or bandwidth usage
• All solutions come with email so even small companies can avoid AOL email addresses
• Easy to learn and use (if you can send an email, you have all the skills you need).

A quick feature list:

• Everything from the static site package above (including artwork)
• Automatically optimizes pages and content for easy search engine scanning and indexing
• You can add pages at any time and have as many as you need (no limit)
• Document Management containers for document delivery
• Advertising engine for banner or column ads
• Catalog system for showing your products
• Shopping Cart Add-on for catalog is additional (security certificates and so on)
• You can set security for each page, or each area within a page (employee only, or customer only pages)
• Let as many people as you desire edit portions of your site (helps a site to grow and keeps content fresh)
• Discussion groups and forum topic system (huge boost for you in the search engines)
• Multi-author Blog system and rolling content containers
• RSS feed publisher and subscriber containers (let others sites carry your news and vice-versa)
• On-site training and unlimited support
• New modules are added often, and most are free to you
• A lot more…

If this sounds interesting, contact us today and see a demo.  It doesn’t cost anything to see, and we promise not to pester you.