Web Hosting

Each website physically sits somewhere in the world on a special computer called a web server. The web server stores all of the website information and "serves" it to users wishing to view the site content. There are direct costs associated with operating a web server including Internet service, power, network maintenance, security, etc. These costs are generall charged to site owners on a monthly or annual basis.

All web sites hosted with Linn Logistics are housed on web servers located in the eastern United States through A2 Web Hosting. Web sites hosted with Linn Logistics are placed on servers with no more than 40 total web sites, much less than the average 1000+ websites hosted on budget web site packages - this is referred to as Semi-Dedicated Hosting, meaning that only a small, fixed number of sites are hosted on the same server. Hosting account clients are provided with all user and access information necessary to manage the web hosting through the CPanel administration interface. Through CPanel, clients can set up their own email addresses, ftp addresses, view web statistics and handle many advanced hosting features.

Linn Logistics websites are not required to be hosted with Linn Logistics, however it is recommended to ensure maximum reliability and responsiveness.

Domain Name Registration

A domain name is a textual "address" for a website such as linnlogistics.com, google.com, etc. Generally speaking, a domain name is required in order to view the contents of a website via the Internet. Domain names are assigned through domain registrars like GoDaddy, Network Solutions, and others.

Domain names purchased through Linn Logistics are registered with GoDaddy.com using Private Registration to reduce SPAM directed to our clients. Domains are purchased for each client separately and managed through a GoDaddy account in the client's name with Linn Logistics assigned as the technical contact. Domains purchased through Linn Logistics are configured for use with client's existing Linn Logistics web hosting at no additional charge.

Joomla! Installation and Configuration

The actual pages of any website are delivered in a text format called HTML (hyper text markup language) possibly with other technologies such as Javascript, Java Applets, Flash content, etc. The service known as "web design" loosely describes the process of graphically designing a series of web pages for a web site and scripting or coding the HTML necessary to deliver the client's content along with the graphic design.

In the beginning, web design was done via "static" web pages, meaning that each page of a web site was individually and manually crafted and maintained by a web designer. This approach necessitated clients to either be familiar with web programming or pay maintenance fees to web designers / web masters in order to keep their sites current. Linn Logistics sites are instead designed using a content management system (CMS) which allows clients to perform regular maintenance, add site content, add features and perform other site modifications without web programming knowledge and without the necessity of contacting a web master. The CMS used by Linn Logistics is Joomla!.

The Joomla! CMS is a rich and powerful system which is used for hundreds of thousands of websites world-wide with an active community. Joomla! is a free and open source software (FOSS) provided by Open Source Matters and is provided via the sweat and donations of many volunteers. Altough the CMS itself is provided at no cost, there is an investment of time required to install and configure the CMS to client's hosting. Additionally, Linn Logistics donates both time and money to the Joomla! project to keep it going.

Joomla! installation can be performed on web servers other than Linn Logistics' however the server must support the following technologies: FTP, PHP 5, MySQL 5.x, sendmail or SMTP.

Site / Phone Consultation

Are you new to the web and web sites? If you would like to schedule a consultation we are happy to sit down with you and discuss all of the options, provide insight and suggestions, and answer any questions. We will be glad to meet with you anywhere in the Kingman, Arizona area or discuss your project via phone.

Configured Email Accounts

If using Linn Logistics' hosting and domain name registration, unlimited custom email addresses at the client's domain name(s) may be added such as myname@mydomain.com. Email accounts may be set up directly by client using the CPanel web host manager at no cost or alternatively, we can set them up for a fee.

Pre-installed Joomla! Template

Each Joomla! installation comes pre-installed with three templates: "beez" (preview), "Purity" (preview), and "Milkyway" (preview). Because these templates are already installed, there is no charge for their installation or configuration.

Pre-designed Joomla! Template

There are a number of high quality Joomla! 1.5 templates already designed and offered for sale on the Internet. These templates can be purchased, downloaded and installed to a Joomla! web site at any time. We offer purchase and installation of Joomla! 1.5 templates from Shape5, JoomlaShack, Rocket Theme, and Template Monster due to their reliability and diverse selections.

Click here to browse the available templates from Shape5. Once at the Shape5 demo site, you may try out different templates by clicking the links at the left hand side of the screen.

Click here to browse the available templates from JoomlaShack.

Click here to browse the available templates from Rocket Theme. Once at the RocketTheme demo site, you can browse different templates by selecting them from the drop down list at the top center of the page.

Click here to browse the available templates from Template Monster. TemplateMonster templates up to $55 are acceptable for this option. If templates priced above $55 are desired, the amount over is added to the design contract. All Template Monster templates are purchased as "Regular Price" unless requested otherwise by our clients. In the event that a "Buyout Price" is desired, the amount in excess of $55 is added to the design contract.

1.0.x Joomla Template

If no Joomla! 1.5 template is quite right for the web site, but a good 1.0.x template is discovered, we can convert them to 1.5 templates for installation with our web sites. This service is for the conversion only, the template must be purchased and supplied by the client.

New Template from an Image

For clients that wish to provide a graphic design for their site, either that they have created or that they have contracted for, we offer new template creation from those designs. We accept JPG, PNG, GIF, BMP, PSD (Adobe Photoshop), and XCF (the Gimp) files and create the necessary template code. This can be a relatively inexpensive way to achieve a fully custom design without professional graphic design services.

For this option, the client supplies a complete graphic design exactly as it will be displayed on the final website. Additionally, a description of how the template should scale, and requests for any special module / content layouts are required.

New Template from a non-Joomla! 1.5 Template

Templates are available for many web site constructed with technologies other than Joomla! and are available for sale from online template stores such as TemplateMonster.com. If such a template is provided to us, we will convert it to a Joomla! 1.5 template using the same process as if we were provided with a graphic design / image only. In these instances, the client purchases the template and provides the template package to us and we take it from there - we do not purchase these templates on behalf of the client.

Premium Custom Template Design

For the most flexibility in design and the most professional look we offer premium custom template design to our client's specifications. In order to complete a premium Joomla! 1.5 template, we go through a design questionnaire with our clients and review all of the design characteristics such as preferences for colors, locations, corporate branding, fonts, etc. and produce a draft based off of that information. We accept one set of revisions to the produced draft and finalize the design into a fully W3C valid Joomla! 1.5 template.

Some examples of premium custom designs include Pat Carlin Design, Upton's Hidden Pines, and Starkydz Showcase.

Logo Integration

When either a pre-installed or pre-designed template is selected, many businesses still wish to display their company logo within the template. This option satisfies that need by obtaining an existing logo from the client and modifying the template to display the logo. If the client wishes to integrate a logo, but does not yet have one, we also offer logo design services as described further below.

Here is an example of integrating a client logo with the standard Joomla! milkyway pre-installed template as well as color modifications.

Modify Color Scheme

When either a pre-installed or pre-designed template is selected, many businesses still wish to perform some level of branding through modification of the template color scheme. The client provides us with the specific colors desired and we modify the template to use those colors instead of the default colors. This includes modification of any graphics which are a part of the template. This option does not include modifying any specific content items that may make use of certain colors outside of the template.

Here is an example of modifying colors for the standard Joomla! milkyway pre-installed template as well as logo integration.

Other Template Modifications

When either a pre-installed or pre-designed template is selected, any number of modifications beyond logo and color customization is possible. Modifications may include the addition or deletion of content areas, dynamic template behavior, addition of graphics, etc. Because of the wide range of possible changes this service is offered by quotation only.

Unformatted Text

Unformatted text content items require no special formatting. The text of these content items will appear in the default template font dictated by the location of the template in which the content is displated. There are no word limits to unformatted text content items.

Here is some example text that is considered unformatted. It is just plain text without images, tables, bolds, colors, etc. If those types of formattings are required, the Formatted Text options should be selected.

Formatted Text (1000 words or less)

Formatted text content items contain formatting such as bolding, italics, underlines, and varied font sizes. Formatted text may also contain images, tables, lists, and other features. Formatted text requires more effort to code than unformatted text and the amount of effort is also proportional to the amount of text present.

Here is some example text that is considered formatted. It contains text which is bolded, italicized, colored, etc. Additionally it can contain lists, tables, and images.

Formatted Text (1001 words or more)

Pages / Menu Items

Each menu item corresponds to a single page, which may contain one or more content items or "extensions" which are described in more detail below. More than one menu may be created, each having their own unique set of menu items. Here is an example of what a menu item looks like.

Stock Photography

Both unformatted and formatted text can benefit from the addition of professional, stock photography. Appropriately themed stock photos may be added to content individually. The price includes locating, purchasing, and adding the photography to a content item.

Banner Advertisements

Banner advertisements can be text or graphical locations on a web page which, when clicked, redirect the user's browser to another website. Banner ad clicks are tracked and statistics may be viewed on how many times a particular ad has been clicked. An example banner ad may be viewed on our web design demo site here - the banner ad is the portion of the screen on the right hand side labeled "Banner".

Site Search

A site search allows users of the web site to search for content items which contain certain text. An example of a site search tool is located on our Kingman web development demo at the upper right hand corner.

Simple Email / Contact Form

An email form allows a user to send an email directly to a web site contact directly from a web page with no need for an email client. You can see a simple contact form on our web site feature demo site here.

Blog

A blog allows users to post blog entries to a web site. A blog can be set to use a WYSIWYG editor or HTML, whichever is more convenient for each user. An example blog can be viewed on our web site feature demo site here.

Polls

A poll provides a question and up to 12 different possible responses for site users to select from. Polls track answers and display rseults to users. A sample poll may be viewed on our Joomla! demo site right here - the poll is the lower right hand section that reads "What is your favorite web browser?".

Slide Show

An image slide show displays multiple images in a single location by switching from one image to the next automatically. A sample slide show may be viewed on our Joomla! demo site right here.

Forum

A forum provides a way for site users and visitors to interact by posting messages by forum and topic. Forums can be set to private or public and can be moderated to prevent abuse. The price includes configuring up to 5 forums. A sample forum may be viewed on our Joomla! demo site right here.

Google Calendar

Calendars are a great way to keep site visitors apprised of schedules and upcoming events. Of all of the calendar applications available, Google offers a very simple, and free calendar which can be displayed within a Joomla! site. A sample google calendar may be viewed on our Joomla! demo site right here.

Joomla! Event Calendar

Although the Google calendar is a great and simple approach to displaying schedules and events, some web sites may need more flexibility and features. The JEvents calendar offers additional features such as user submitted events, categorization, and description formatting as well as some others.

Forms

Forms can be a great way to gather information from users. A user can submit a form and the web site will automatically email the results to a site administrator and / or database the results. Because every form is different, forms are created by quotation only.

Modules

A module is a bit of text, images, or view of an extension that can be added to a web page. Some examples include polls, side bars, menus, and special notifications. The Banners and polls are examples of modules for specific components, but regular formatted text can also be used in module positions. Such a text module may be viewed here on our demo web site on the left hand side reading "Module Position".

Other Extensions

All other Joomla! extensions may be added by quotation.

Custom Extensions

Occasionally no existing extension directly satisfies all of a site's requirements. In such cases, custom extension development may be the way to go. We can develop custom components, plugins, and modules to further extend the functionality of any site. Custom component development is done based on client supplied specifications and guided by our years of experience developing custom Joomla! components.

W3C Validation

Web pages are constructed using various formatting and scripting languages such as HTML, CSS and Javascript. There are certain standards in place to ensure that web sites are accessible to many types of web clients such as browsers, phones, etc. W3C validation ensures that pages are formed properly according to these standards.

It has been argued that validation plays a role in search engine optimizatio as well by ensuring that search engines are able to read all of the site content as intended without experiencing any errors. W3C validation is included on all pages of the web sites at no charge.

Non-duplication redirects

Search engines do not like to find the exact same content on two different web sites or web pages. They thrive on unique and fresh content. Web sites often make use of the "www" prefix to display web site content as well as no prefix as in "www.123.com" and "123.com". Because they both point to the same information this can cause search engines to demote the value of the site. Non-duplication redirects cause any attempt to load something like "google.com" to load "www.google.com" instead and pass along a message that indicates that they are the same site. This lets search engines know that it is not duplicate content.

META Tag Optimization

Although at one point in time META tag optimization was one of the greatest keys to search engine placement, it is now largely believed to be ignored by search engines for purposes of ranking. Descriptive meta tags can, however play an important role in acheiving click throughs from search engine results since search engines like Google use the meta "description" tag to decide what text to include below a web site's link in it's search results.

Meta tag optimization consists of reviewing each web page's content and constructing a concise and appropriate description for the page.

Dynamic Site Map

One way to help search engines locate content on a web site is to provide them with a "site map". A site map is a listing of all important pages in a site that a search engine can use as an index. It also tells the search engines which pages are more and less important and gives them hints on how often they should check back for updated information.

Configure Google Webmaster Tools

Keeping a website functionally correct after the initial creation is important. It is not uncommon that a pristine site can be muddled over time with many updates, deleted content, added content, and menu changes. As this occurs, search engines may be encountering errors looking for old or moved content and demote the ranking of a site. Google Webmaster tools is a convenient on-line application which displays technical information about a website so that these types of problems can be caught and corrected. Additionally, Google Webmaster tools provides other information such as inbound and outbound links, keyword distribution, common searches, etc.

Manual Submission to Top 5 Free Search Engines

Once a web site is ready for prime time, it's time to let the search engines know that it's there. This service manually submits the website to the top five free search engines / directories.

Grand Total