Small Business Multimedia Web Sites

A Few Examples

• Best Flash Resource Sites
  
  
• WorldSite.ws
  
  
• BBVH Architecture, Rotterdam

Summary of Features

These websites have all of the features of an online business card and can also have all of the features of an small business ecommerce website. The difference is that these websites involve an animated, interactive and entertaining presentation similar to that of a modern television commercial or a short animated film sequence. In fact, the WYSIWYG software that is used to create these types of websites is the same software that is used by the televison advertising industry and the major hollywood production studios.

What is multimedia enhancement and why would you want to have it?

The following sites provide a sufficient overview of this issue:

Does Your Site Need Streaming Media?, 01/14/02
". . . Streaming media can help you to construct a compelling experience, and there are three main reasons to incorporate it into your site . . ."

Multimedia
Tutorials from WebMonkey.

Multimedia Animation
". . . From the early days of the web, when the only thing that moved on your screen was the mouse cursor - there's now a bewildering array of methods for animating pages. Here's a selection. . ."

Steaming Media World
". . . What is Streaming Media? The simultaneous transfer and display of the sound and images on the World Wide Web. . ."


The HOME page lists the seven (7) basic steps of creating websites and these apply to multimedia enhanced websites as well. Special attention must be given to the following concerns:

• Step 2 - Requirements Analysis

  Multimedia software will be required (see WYSIWYG editors fact sheet). And if you're hiring a web consultant to do your development then obviously they will need to be familiar with your software selection.
  
  

• Step 4 - Host Selection

  The host you select must be willing to accomodate the multimedia features you have opted for such as streaming audio/video.

Promotion Concerns Specific to Small Business Websites

Once the site is up you will want to:

• Index the website into the major search engines and directories (see Step 6) using one or more of two types of keyword phrases:
  
  
  • Geographical area, e.g. "Flagstaff"
    
    
  • Type of usiness, e.g. "plumber"
    
    
  Thus, someone who searches on "plumber" "Flagstaff" will see this site mentioned in the search results.
  
  
• List website in special directories.
  e.g. Jeanette's Bed & Breakfast in Flagstaff, AZ will want to be listed in these other specialized directories:
  
  
  • Arizona Association of Bed and Breakfast Inns
    
    
  • Flagstaff, AZ C of C Business Directory