Hello. My name is Eric Sherwood, but you can think of me as Your Web Genius. I'd like to talk to you about your website...

Maybe you don't have one yet, or maybe you're trying to get by with a MySpace page. I'm sorry, but that's tacky. The Internet isn't a fad; it's a tool for getting your message out. Everyone from McDonald's to your kids' school to your local supermarket has a website because it makes them money! But you have to know how to utilize this incredible tool. That's where I come into the picture.

You should hire my company to handle your web presence. Why? I'm glad you asked. I'm a tech kinda guy and just as you know how to make money, I know what I'm doing, too. I've worked for large corporations as a System Administrator, and if there's two things I know, it's computers and the Internet. There are literally a hundred reasons to hire us, but here's the top ten:

The Top Ten Reasons You Need Us

1. Truth In Advertising.

We don't claim to have created every web package we use, but why should we? We're here to build you a better website with time-tested, stable software packages. Why go to someone, pay him thousands of dollars, and wait and wait while he builds the software from scratch, then spends weeks testing it and fixing bugs? While you're waiting for Picasso to paint you a masterpiece, your customers are going to your competitor.

We work with such software packages as Joomla, OpenRealty, Drupal, and Magento.  These programs are stable and reliable and have stood the test of time. Many of the software packages we use are free, so we pass that savings on to you.

Just remember that "free" doesn't mean "cheaply made". There are literally thousands of websites running on these packages because they get the job done. And if you want us to use a particular commercial package, we can do it without charging you the fiscal equivalent of your soul. Because we don't charge you an add-on for a commercial program. Just the cost of the software.

2. You've www.got-to-be-there.

Whether you like the Internet or not, we're all here. Chances are that even that little mom & pop restaurant down the street has a website, showing people how to get there, displaying their hours and their menu. You can grab the phone book (where did you leave it, by the way?) and maybe your local bookstore has a small ad in it, and maybe they don't. But more than likely, they have a website. Think of the web as the world's largest phone book, with all the information at your fingertips.  Considering the cost of web advertising versus paying for a phonebook ad, don't you think your business needs to have an online presence?

3. Don't re-invent the wheel.

Who do you think is smarter: the guy who invented the wheel, or the guy who keeps re-inventing it?

For our money, it's the guy who invented it in the first place. The guy who keeps re-inventing it will spend the rest of his life in research and development. If you're a smart entrepreneur, you're going to go to that first guy and say "I'll buy one of your wheels" instead of going to the second guy and telling him to "invent me a wheel". It would be the same as going to General Motors and telling GM to "build me a car" when you can just drive one off of the lot.

So why would you do it differently when you want to build a website? Don't go to some programmer who's going to build you a website from scratch. You'll pay him thousands of dollars and wait while he spends weeks building and testing. Sure, it'll look great, but most of the websites you go to use software that's used by thousands of other sites. They don't all look alike because they use templates. A template rearranges a site's layout. It takes the basic content and presents it in a different way. Most websites that use templates can change their layout in seconds. You can too, keeping your site looking fresh.

4. We didn't invent this.

Does this website look OK to you?

It's a software package called Joomla, and it's just one of the many scripts we use on a daily basis. It's fast and it's flexible and the basic site was up and running in thirty minutes, including the web domain name, webgenius.com. Content takes longer, of course, but if you need to be online in a hurry, we've got your back.

We'll work with you to find the online programs that will suit your needs.

One-size-fits-all programs don't exist and each client has different requirements. We'll ask you about your specific needs and make recommendations based on our knowledge of the software available. Your Web Genius knows what works and we know what will work for YOU.

5. Does Bill Gates make his own websites?

No, he doesn't. Mr. Gates has employees who do that for him. Walt Disney never drew a single image of Mickey Mouse after 1929.  He had employees who did that, and that's what we are to you: Your employee. Even if you're the most tech-saavy guy in the world, would you rather spend your time fiddling with your website or making money? And even if you don't know a mail server from a DNS, your IT Department (us) does! Concentrate on your business. We'll handle the website.

6. Whatever you say, boss.

There are literally thousands of places to go on the Internet and put up a website, but have you ever tried to contact Yahoo for support? Hope you have unlimited time on your hands! We're reachable and eager to help you get issues resolved quickly. Time is money to you while customer loyalty is money to us. If you're not happy, we're not happy.

7. Help for the technologically-impaired.

A lot of our software packages are freely available on the web, but if someone handed you a CD chock-full of them, would you know where to start? Do you know how to configure a database? Can you install a CMS?

The truth is that we can throw out anacronyms like DNS, MySQL, and DHCP with the best of them. But if your eyes are glazing over at the thought, relax. We'll talk to you without sounding like the chief engineer on the starship Enterprise. And if you don't understand what we say, just tell us. We'll find another way to say it. Everyone has their area of expertise. Maybe you don't know what Content Management Systems are, but that's ok; we can't describe a ROTH IRA!

8. Help for the techno-geek.

Ok, even if you do know what we're talking about when we say we're going to reverse the polarity of the neutron flow, you still need someone to handle the tech stuff. Or would you rather spend your time installing and running a website while your competitor spends his time making money? We didn't think so. Just let us do that. Afterwards, if you want to talk about the Apache webserver and Linux, we're all ears.

9. Work with me here.

If you're the head of a big, faceless corporation, you might just tell your administrative assistant "Have the I.T. guys build a company website." If you're not, you can work with us. And we mean work with us! We'll keep in contact during the design process. We'll ask you questions. We'll do our best to find out what you want and proceed from there. If you don't like the way we did something, say so and we'll find another way to do it. Whatever makes you happy.

And our rates are very reasonable. We charge by the job, NOT by the hour, so you know we're not padding the bill. Once we finish the job to your satisfaction, we're still responsive to your needs. If you hire us to manage your site and you need a change, it's done. Just say the word!

10. We're here for the entrepreneur.

We can build you a "here's a picture of my dog" kind of website, if that's what you want, but chances are you're online to make money. Whether it's advertising your restaurant or selling fine linens or building an online community, Your Web Genius is ready to help you realize that vision in your head. Once your website is built, we can manage it for you (leaving you free to make money) or we can back off and let you drive the car. Whatever works for you.

We host your site for a very low and reasonable $10.00 a month. Hosting means that your site resides on our reliable, powerful servers, with lots of space and excellent support for mail service, domain control, and server support.

If you want us to manage your site, we can do that too, leaving you free to make the money. When we manage it for you, we make content changes, add features, enter data, and work with you to make sure you like what you see. Your customers will too. 

Among the many types of websites that we can build and manage are:

• Realty or automotive sales sites
• Retail and online sales
• Online communities and dating websites
• Corporate tools that don't require costly Microsoft licenses
• Online magazine and news sites
• and many, many more!

Just let us handle the web. You handle your business!

Still with us? Good!

We're not the only people on the web offering this service, but we're not part of some conglomerate like most of them. Chances are that you started as a small business man, and that's where we are right now: small enough to bring you personal service and talented enough to see it all through. Check out some of our demo sites and see what appeals to you. Or contact us and let's work together toward your success.