There are 2 ways of getting to your web site:
a)    If someone knows your web site address (e.g. www.mysite.co.za) they can type that in, and go straight to your web site.
b)    Via a search engine like “Google” or “Yahoo!”, where the user types in keywords and search terms of what they are looking for. If your site contains those words or phrases and your site has been correctly designed, you should be listed as one of the options in reply to the user search. Test link

At Merit Computers, we specialise in optimised web site design and development, making it easy for search engines to find and list your site, allowing more people to visit your web pages. Have a look at the document “Design and develop your own web site with Kwikwap Overview.pdf” on our “Documents & Brochures” page.

There are several factors that can play a role in slow download times. (It takes very long for a web site to display on your screen.) The main factors are mentioned here.

1. Your internet connection. Your connection to the internet may have a poor connection, especially if you are using wireless technology like your cell phone or a USB modem. This can, amongst other things, also be influenced by weather conditions.
2. A slow server along the retrieval path. When you connect to a remote computer, there is no direct link which you are creating. Rather, you are connecting via a series of servers (computers) between you and the target, each connection is called a “hop”. Data flow in your connection to the target computer will only be as fast as the slowest hop.
3. Peak hour traffic. Just like our roads, the internet also suffers from congestion in “peak times” when a lot of internet users are active. The busiest times are normally in the afternoons.
4. Large graphic files. There may be too many and/or too large image files on the web page you are downloading. The site developer needs to optimise the graphics and pictures.
   
   When you get a Kwikwap web site through Merit Computers, we show you how to optimise the graphics on your web site, making the file sizes smaller without losing resolution or quality of the picture.
   
5. “Dirty” programming code. Some web development packages create a lot of unnecessary code, called “code bloat”, and web site developers do not always “clean up” their coding (remove unused or unnecessary code in programs). This may cause download times to be slower than normal.
   The Kwikwap web development package ensures that all the code on your web site is “clean” and streamlined.
   

These are automated “diggers” for information about and on web sites connected to the internet. This information is then available to search engine users, looking for specific information or businesses on the internet. Examples of search engines are “Google” and “Yahoo!”.

Wikipedia (an online encyclopaedia) defines a search engine as follows: (from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_search_engine) “A web search engine is designed to search for information on the World Wide Web. The search results are usually presented in a list of results and are commonly called hits. The information may consist of web pages, images, information and other types of files. Some search engines also mine data available in databases or open directories. Unlike Web directories, which are maintained by human editors, search engines operate algorithmically or are a mixture of algorithmic and human input.”

It is therefore imperative that your web designer or developer be well versed in the inner workings of search engines, allowing internet visitors to find your site easily.

As our service is our pride at Merit Computers, we will teach you exactly how to get the best rankings on search engines, and therefore maximum exposure to your potential clients. The better you can utilise your web site, the happier you will be with the Kwikwap web development tool. Therefore we offer comprehensive training and support to our clients.

The Kwikwap web creation tool has search engine optimisation as a built-in feature. If you also follow our guidelines (which we will supply you with) on basic web design and development, and what information to publish on your own web site, there is a very high probability that you will be listed on the first page of targeted search results. For more information, read the document "Design and develop your own web site with Kwikwap" on our "Documents & Brochures" page.

Wikipedia says: "Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the volume or quality of traffic to a web site or a web page (such as a blog) from search engines via "natural" or un-paid ("organic" or "algorithmic") search results as opposed to other forms of search engine marketing (SEM) which may deal with paid inclusion. The theory is that the earlier (or higher) a site appears in the search results list, the more visitors it will receive from the search engine."

If you use Kwikwap to develop your web site, the background, technical search engine optimisation has already been done for you. If you are a Merit Computers client, we will supply you with all the necessary information and knowledge to optimise your web site content. Most of our clients are very proud to achieve high rankings of their web sites within a very short space of time.

If you can type a document in a word processor like MS Word, and do some formatting (bold, underline, change text colour, insert a picture), and you can go to a web site on the internet, you have all the background experience required. Our training on the Kwikwap web design and development tool will have you creating your own web site within an hour! Please read the document “Design and develop your own web site with Kwikwap - Overview” on our “Documents & Brochures” page.

Your site can be up and running within an hour! If you contact Merit Computers (www.kwikwap.co.za/merit) in the morning, chances are that your web site will be published on the internet before that evening! If you want to prepare all the relevant information beforehand, have a look on the "Documents and Brochures" page of our web site, and read the document : "What info do I need to design and develop my Kwikwap web site?"

At absolute worst, it should not take longer than 6 weeks for the search engines to pick up and rank your site. Nowadays search engine are becoming much more efficient in finding and renking new sites. Some of our clients were listed on the first page of a Google search, only days after creating their site!

The courses we offer include :

• Kwikwap end-user training (all aspects of setting up, designing, developing and maintaining your own web site),
• Kwikwap agent training (a deeper understanding of the workings and advantages of Kwikwap, as well as marketing techniques),
• Search engine optimisation courses (for end-users and web developers)
• Web design courses, and
• Web development courses.

You are welcome to visit the “Web design & development Tools & Training” page our web site for more information on our courses.

Merit Computers has been offering IT training since 1987. As authorised Kwikwap Agents, our qualified consultants pride themselves on the highest levels of training and support. We also offer Kwikwap training courses in conjunction with the Kwikwap head office (see their official training site on www.kwikwaptraining.co.za), so you can be assured of the very best training with us. Our courses are hands-on, and printed manuals and reference materials are also supplied. To enquire about when we are presenting the next web design and development course, please Contact Us

Our condensed courses (featuring the Kwikwap web creation tool – www.kwikwap.co.za) will have you earning money within a week, and there is NO additional software to be purchased! All you need is a computer with internet access. Please feel free to look at the “Web design & development Tools & Training” page on the Merit Computers web site

We also offer ongoing support for web designers and developers that qualified through us.

Not at all! With the Kwikwap web creation tool, you can update your web site as often as you like, without it costing you a cent extra! In actual fact, the more often you make changes to your web site, the higher your rankings will be on search engines, and the more frequently your clients will visit your site to see what’s new.

Yes, and not only can you build up a database of clients on your Kwikwap site, but you can send bulk e-mails for free! You can divide your contact list into several groups, and decide who you want to send each e-mail to.

Visitors to your site have the option of joining your e-mail list, automatically adding their details to your contact list. To see an example, look at our “Contact us” web page. Feel free to join our mailing list!

Kwikwap has various ways with which you can communicate with your clients to let them know about upcoming events or promotions. You may use one or all of these in combination for a very powerful message. There is a facility where you can make a scrolling announcement on your homepage. This draws attention and can display information about your specials. You can also use the bulk e-mail and sms features to send information directly to your contact database. You can publish an “events” calendar, telling everyone visiting your site about important upcoming events. You can publish details about your promotions and specials on the “Documents and Brochures” or "Newsletter" pages, and let everyone know to have a look at the newly publicised information on your site. As you can see, there are many effective communication tools built into the functionality of the Kwikwap system. All available to you at no extra cost.

Yes! And again we have several options from which you may choose as many as you wish. You can use the on line forms generator to compile questionnaires or surveys. (Tip: Offer a prize or give-away to entice people to volunteer the information.) You can allow people to leave comments on your products and services page. Kwikwap also has built in blog and discussion forum facilities, and you can invite people to type questions on the FAQ page, which you are reading now.

Merit Computers can assess your business and advise you how to plan and strategise your marketing campaign. Contact Us for more information.

There is no limit as to how often or big the changes that you choose to make to your web site. If you choose to re-write your whole web site twice a day, you may do so, at no extra expense to you.
The moment you are happy with your changes, and click on the “Publish” button, the changes you made to your web site are instantaneously live and available for anyone to see on the internet.

Currently we impose no limit on Kwikwap for either number of web pages or volume of traffic for our clients. You are allowed to have as many pages in the designed 3-tier menu system (which search engines prefer), spread out as you see fit across your pages. There are certain limitations on individual file sizes, but these are implemented due to practical reasons, like download times etc. You may have as many data, graphics or video files loaded as you wish.

A "mobi site" is a web site that has been optimised for viewing on a cellular phone (or mobile phone).
According to Wikipedia on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_Web, they state: "The Mobile Web refers to using a mobile phone handset device incorporating a web browser to access the World Wide Web. The total number of mobile web users grew past the total number of desktop computer-based web users for the first time in 2008 (source: International Telecommunications Union, Oct 2009)"
A regular web site can not be viewed properly on a mobile phone (cell phone). Kwikwap automatically publishes your web site in a mobi site format, without you having to do anything!

That can be very simple. You get a Kwikwap web site from Merit Computers. The Kwikwap web creation tool automatically translates your regular web site to a mobi site. We also throw in a bonus - your mobi site is also optimised for search engines!

For more information, read the "Kwikwap advantages and benefits - Summary" document on our  "Web design & Development Tools and Training" page.

According to statistics, the number of mobile internet users has already overtaken the PC based internet users world-wide in 2008. The drive for mobile computing, and specifically for business over a mobile phone, is growing exponentially every day.

Don't get caught with an outdated web site. Switch to Kwikwap now, as our system automatically converts your regular web site to a mobi site! Contact Merit Computers for a no-obligation demonstration, or access OUR Mobi-site from your cell phone.

The Kwikwap web creation tool allows you to load pictures, graphics (including gifs) scrolling photo albums and even videos onto your site. Again, there is no limitation on how many you load, apart from individual file size.

In the past these terms were very much interchangeable, but with growing specialisation in the information technology (IT) field, there is a strong tendency to draw a clear line between web design and web development.

According to Wikipedia (from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_design):
"Web design is a kind of graphic design intended for styling of objects of the Internet's information environment to provide them with high-end consumer features and aesthetic qualities.",
as opposed to :
"Among web professionals, 'web development' usually refers to the main non-design aspects of building web sites: writing markup and coding." (from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_development)

Our staff at Merit Computers come from a technical software development background, and have added ergonomic design and marketing knowledge to their pool of skills over the years. We therefore optimise the combination of the web design and web developer fields, backed by years of study, research and experience. To read more, the "About Us" page on our web site.

Please do not confuse the term "web designer" with "graphic designer". Although there are multitudes of very good graphic designers, most of them lack the IT background to be qualified as "web designers". At Merit Computers, we recommend using graphic designers to do for you what they were trained to do - design your graphics and your company image. A well designed logo or display banner will stand your business and web site in good stead for years to come.

The best results can be achieved by using a good web designer AND a reputable graphics designer. At Merit Computers we work closely with, and refer our clients to graphics designers for artwork design when needed.

"A webmaster, also called a web architect, web developer, site author, website administrator, is a person responsible for maintaining a website(s). The duties of the webmaster may include ensuring that the web servers, hardware and software are operating accurately, designing the website, generating and revising web pages, replying to user comments, and examining traffic through the site. Webmasters must also be well-versed in Web transaction software, payment-processing software, and security software."
"An alternative definition of webmaster is a businessperson who uses online media to sell products and/or services. This broader definition of webmaster covers not just the technical aspects of overseeing Web site construction and maintenance but also management of content, advertising, marketing and order fulfilment for the Web site." (Both the above from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Webmaster.)