Web Solutions for Texas Small Businesses - Web Design, Web Hosting, Search Engine Registration

These are questions from real people like you who want to know just how it all works at We Love Texas Web Solutions. If you have your own questions, please feel free to call us 254-629-3278 or toll free at 888-551-3638 and we’ll be happy to help! You can also reach us at howdy@welovetexas.com.

What makes you different from other web design companies?
We Love Texas Web Solutions is literally “Pioneering the Web for Small Businesses™” because we are an all-in-one website service provider. What does that mean for you? Well, most web designers bill separately for website design (average $850 to $5,000 including down payments), for maintenance (charged by the hour), and for search engine registration (often charged quarterly). After paying for all the above fees, you still have to shell out monthly for hosting ($20 - $45 per month). At We Love Texas Web Solutions you get all those services for an inexpensive monthly fee with no setup fees or down payments. But we’re different than template-based web design companies, because they give you a cookie cutter site and require you to do your own website management. We create your custom website design, and we handle all aspects of your website...leaving time for you to run your business.

How long does it take to get my website up and running?
Our goal is to have your website working 4 weeks from the date we receive your contract. Of course, we depend on you to get us the content, design ideas, and photos that will be on your site, so it is important that you get your information to us quickly (within 10 days of returning your contract). If you can’t get us your content right away, don’t worry... we will get your temporary website up and running with a webpage containing your business’ contact information. We need all of your content so that we can develop the site completely and to your satisfaction at the four week point.

How do I give you the information you will need in order to design my website?
Once you sign a contract with us, we e-mail, fax, or mail (depending on your preference) a booklet that asks the most pertinent questions we need answers to in order to develop your site. This booklet also has helpful tips for photography and other considerations that are important to your website. Once the booklet is complete, you may either e-mail, fax, or mail it back to us. All text and photos (JPG/JPEG format) need to be sent to us on disk or via e-mail. Note: If you don’t have a digital camera, you can easily get a photo CD made from a standard roll of film at most photo labs.

How would we work together on the website, seeing as we are in different cities?
Our clients are located throughout Texas, and we pride ourselves on developing strong on-line relationships with each of them, no matter where they live. We work with all our clients via phone and e-mail. Generally, you give us your ideas, or else we come up with an idea based on the colors and layout you select. We get an in-depth feel for your personality and business needs. Then, we mock up a layout and e-mail it to you for approval.

Can I have a shopping cart if I want one?
Absolutely. The True Texan and Big Tex Packages come with a shopping cart built in. With the True Texan Package you get to list 100 products, and with the Big Tex Package you get to list 500 products. Each product can have a total of four pictures associated with it. There is no additional charge for this. The Wrangler Package is an informational site used to promote your business and does not include a shopping cart. The Wrangler is most effective for businesses who need a professional web presence, but who do not have products to sell directly over the web.

What kind of website maintenance can I expect?
At your request, we will make up to 50 updates per month to your website with the True Texan and Big Tex Packages. The Wrangler Package comes with 25 website updates per month. These updates do not incur any additional charges and can be used to update your products and information on the site (but not to change the overall design). You also have access to update your website yourself if you choose to do so.

How many webpages and e-mail addresses will my site have?
With the True Texan and Big Tex Packages, you get unlimited webpages. With the Wrangler Package you receive 10 pages, with the option of purchasing more as needed. All packages include unlimited e-mail addresses.

How will I be billed for your services?
You will be billed when your website is completed or 90 days after you sign your contract, which ever comes first. We charge your credit card or draft your checking account on either the 5th, 15th, or the 25th day of each month, according to which day falls closest to the date of your first bill. You can also pay by check for the entire year, which includes a discount.

Do you take design suggestions from other sites that I might like?
Yes. That is a great way to help us get started on the right track. In fact, many creative sources can serve as inspiration for your website. Since we design your site from scratch with custom graphics, it is important to capture the look and feel that best represents you and your business. While we will not duplicate someone else’s work, guiding us in terms of color and “mood” helps us to achieve the site you need and want.

What do I get with my membership to We Love Texas?
There are many benefits to being a member of welovetexas.com. They include having your site developed, hosted, and maintained by We Love Texas Web Solutions, having your products available to the many visitors of welovetexas.com, having access to the We Love Texas opt-in e-mail list, having access to We Love Texas advertising, and having the ability to market to people interested in Texas… just to name a few.

Do you use templates or pre-made sites to build my website?
No! All of our websites are custom built for each client. That means a real, live human being creates your web design based upon the the information you provide. (Nor do we outsource any of our graphic work overseas or out of state for that matter.) You'll receive a sample mockup to view and make changes to. After you approve your mockup your website is built.

We Love Texas operates on the principle that small businesses are what keep this country running, so that is why we limit our membership to small businesses.

Having the ability to take credit cards is almost a must to run a successful Internet business. Some 90% of on-line sales are paid by credit card, and the credit card sale is likely to be 4 times the amount of a sale made using alternate payment methods.

Credit cards help protect you, the owner, and your customer. They help the business owner by providing a reliable means to get the money from a sale. The transaction most often can be approved instantly online, so you know whether the customer has the money to pay for the purchase before you ship the order. Credit cards help the customer by providing a safe method to pay for a purchase online, since most customers never see the person behind the web site. Customers can feel safe that the credit card companies will protect them against fraud. That is also an advantage to business owners.

In addition, credit cards are easy to use for the customer, and in today's society where everything is done in an instant, you can bet that many customers are using them. Credit Cards may not be a requirement to run an e-commerce site, but you can be rest assured that if you don't take credit cards, some potential customers will leave your site to browse to a site that does.

In an effort to help you make your decision on whether or not to use credit cards, We Love Texas has provided some information for you to read. Please browse through it below and see what you would like to do.

E-mail intermediary transactions require the customer to visit another Web site for the purpose of supplying credit card information. They are usually asked to join a list. After the customer's credit card is successfully processed, the funds are credited to the merchant's account. The merchant receives an e-mail notice of the payment and must visit the service provider site to claim the money.

With this process, the customer's credit card statement will show the name of the service company as the billing party. This can cause customer confusion and result in charge back requests unless the order forms and order confirmations provided by the direct service company keep the customer well informed.

The viability of either of this service for taking credit cards at your store will depend on the policies of the service provider and your particular selling situation.

GATEWAY PROCESSING
Gateway processing is done over the Internet using a gateway connection. You will need an Internet merchant account from an acquiring bank and a payment gateway solution).

You almost never connect directly to financial networks, but process through the payment gateway. A payment gateway provider supplies instructions for connecting to their server which in turn is connected directly with the financial networks.

Capital Merchant Solutions and iTransact are examples of gateway processing. You must have a merchant account, and when someone places an order at your web site, the credit card is processed through the gateway. The customer is temporarily transferred from your web site while the credit card is processed by the gateway, and then he or she is returned after the process is over. It will appear to your customers that they are at your site the entire time.

There will be gateway and merchant account charges. The gateway charges may be billed directly to you or through your Merchant bank and will range from $20 to $80 per month.

Set-up Fees: Set-Up fees are fees paid to the merchant account provider upon applying for and setting up the account. This is a one-time fee generally ranging from $0 to $300.

Monthly Recurring Costs: Monthly recurring costs are flat fees that are paid each month regardless of account activity. These fees are similar to bank account fees. They generally range from $10 to $25 each month.

Transaction Fees: Each transaction that is processed with a merchant account is charged a small transaction fee. This fee is generally a flat amount regardless of transaction size; it can, however, vary depending on the type of card being processed. I.e., Transaction fees for American Express are usually higher than Mastercard or Visa. These fees generally range from $0.05 to $0.40 per transaction.

Discount Fees: Each transaction that is processed is also charged on a percentage basis. This is called the discount fee. The discount fee may vary depending on the type of card processed much like transaction fees. These fees generally range from 0.30% to 2.65%.

You should carefully consider all the costs involved when selecting a credit card processor. While some my offer a low to no set-up fee, they often charge higher fees in other areas. You should select the merchant account that best fits your particular needs. Are you willing to pay more in monthly recurring fees for a lower discount rate? Are you willing to pay a higher discount rate to have a low set-up fee?

We take our security and your information seriously. We've taken steps to ensure that our security is top of the line. We employ a wide range of methods from 128-bit SSL encryption to hardware firewalls. In fact we use the same security systems that you might find at many commercial banks.

We Love Texas does not store credit card numbers on any of our servers. All credit card processing is handled securely through 128-bit SSL encryption in conjunction with the credit card processor. Our credit card processors are chosen primarily because of their security and integrity.

We realize that many users have reservations about e-commerce transactions, and we've worked hard to ensure the highest security possible for both our members and your customers. Please feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns you might have.

We have partnered with Capital Merchant Solutions, one of the Internet's premier credit card processors. Capital Merchant Solutions is a great option for members new to credit cards, or those who prefer the convenience of instant online processing. If you use Capital Merchant Solutions your customer's credit cards will be processed instantly and securely online. The money will be deposited into your account within 3 business days, and you'll be notified of your pending and paid for orders. There are additional fees including set-up charges for Capital Merchant Solutions. To apply for a Capital Merchant Solutions merchant account simply click on the link below to sign up. The application takes approximately 10 minutes to fill out, and your account will be up and running within 15 minutes.

Capital Merchant Solutions, Inc. has been in the credit card processing business since 1997. They specialize in setting up accounts for both the Internet Merchant and the small home-based business entrepreneurs.

They always strive to offer customers the latest products and services at the very best available price! The Instant Merchant Account that they offer through their website is definitely just that.... huge value at a discounted price!

They now offer instant credit card processing setup for nearly any US Internet Merchant. They have partnered with one of the fastest growing, tech savvy processors in the country... Online Data Corporation. With the use of Online Data Corporation's secure Online App™ they can virtually have any business up and processing credit cards in under 5 minutes!

Capital Merchant Solutions pricing structure is extremely competitive, and it is some of the lowest pricing found anywhere on the internet!

iTransact is a leading developer of total internet payment solutions. iTransact's RediCheck service has been in use since 1994 and was the first check payment system to be introduced on the Internet.

iTransact processes millions of dollars in transactions monthly and has demonstrated that its systems are stable and secure. iTransact's proprietary technology base and its ability to continually introduce innovative payment solutions keep the company on the cutting edge of transaction services.

If you already have your own Internet Merchant Account, iTransact can support the following processors:

REAL-TIME CREDIT CARD AUTHORIZATION
RediCharge is the most advanced, secure, and reliable method for authorizing credit card transactions online in real-time. This service enables you to accept all of the major credit cards (and most debit cards) without the need to purchase or lease costly hardware or install any software.

EASE OF USE
iTransact's advanced technologies enable you to easily accept credit cards and checks with or without a web site, using a new or existing merchant account (required for credit cards only). Your web site can be hosted without compromising the security of your customers' data.

Through iTransact's Transaction Control Panel, you will have access to many useful interfaces, such as a transaction listing, online credits to customer accounts, real-time voiding of transactions, and point-and-click recurring billing.

FEATURES AND BENEFITS
Since the iTransact gateway is compatible with nearly all credit card processors, no special arrangements need to be made with your financial institution. Since your customers are not required to download software (e.g., wallets) or subscribe to an online payment service, their transactions can be processed immediately. Credit card authorizations are returned to you and your customer in as little as ten seconds.

PayPal lets any business or consumer with an email address to securely, conveniently, and cost-effectively send and receive payments online. Our network builds on the existing financial infrastructure of bank accounts and credit cards to create a global, real-time payment solution. PayPal delivers a product ideally suited for small businesses, online merchants, individuals and others currently underserved by traditional payment mechanisms, and is one of the most reliable payment solutions.

PayPal offers services to users in 190 countries including the United States. PayPal has over 75.4 million registered users, and according to one estimate, more than 9 million business accounts. PayPal's account base is growing by an amazing percentage each day, with virtually no traditional sales or marketing.

The size of the PayPal network and widening acceptance of its product has helped PayPal become the leading payment network for online auction websites, including eBay. PayPal is also being increasingly used at other e-commerce sites, for the sale of goods such as electronics and household items, the sale of services such as web design and travel, and the sale of digital content. Offline businesses, including lawyers, contractors and physicians, have increasingly begun to receive payments online through PayPal. PayPal's service, which lets users send payments for free, can be used from PCs or Web-enabled mobile phones.

PayPal was recently acquired by eBay, and is located in Mountain View, California. PayPal was the 2002 SIIA Codie Awards winner for "Best eCommerce Solution", is recognized by PC Magazine as one of "The Top 100 Web Sites", and has continued to win numerous awards over the years since.

Through the PayPal Developer Network (PDN) your website can harness the e-commerce power of PayPal. We Love Texas is already a PDN member.

If you have a merchant account, such as Elavon through Costco, and already have a system for taking credit cards over the Internet, We Love Texas can still develop your web site and integrate it with our shopping cart system.

Please understand that the set up time will be longer than our normal time due to the learning curve involved in the system. Please also understand that not all processing systems will necessarily work with our shopping cart. If you have a system which is not listed, we will need to examine the operation first.

Processing credit cards is almost a must to run a successful Internet business. Some 90% of on-line sales are paid by credit card, and the credit card sale is likely to be 4 times the amount of a sale made using alternate payment methods.

If you would not like to credit cards on your site, either because of cost (See PayPal for a cost effective means of taking credit cards) or because you don't like taking credit cards, We Love Texas can still develop your web site and set up an e-commerce system for you.

After customers have decided on their final purchase, they will checkout by clicking the "Checkout" button. The ordered is then e-mailed to you with all the information about the order minus the credit card information. This is all transparent to the customer. After you receive the order, you then call the customers for their credit card information.

REMEMBER: Never e-mail credit card information. This is an extremely unsecure method. Any number of people could intercept the e-mail and read it.

After customers have decided on their final purchase, they will checkout by clicking the "Print" button. The ordered is then printed with all the information about the order minus the credit card information. The customers then add their credit card information or enclose a check and then either fax or mail the order to you. After you receive the order, you then contact the customers to confirm that you received the order.

REMEMBER: Never e-mail credit card information. This is an extremely unsecure method. Any number of people could intercept the e-mail and read it.

You decide your method of shipping. Here is a list of the many shipping methods that a member might offer:

Please let us know if you ship by a method not listed below so that we can add it to our list.

Free Shipping
In this approach, the cost of shipping may be included in the cost of the product. This is a very popular method with customers who are shopping online.

Shipping Cost by Product
With this method, shipping costs are set for individual product.

Example
Product 1 has a shipping cost of $5.00
Product 2 has a shipping cost of $4.50
Product 3 has a shipping cost of $2.00.

If a customer orders all three products, the total shipping cost would be $11.50.

Shipping Cost Determined by Total Price
In this shipping method, which is popular among businesses, the shipping cost is set by the total price of the products ordered. So depending on the final cost of an order, the shipping costs would vary.

Shipping Cost Determined by Total Weight
In this final method, the shipping cost is set by the total weight of the products ordered. It is important to remember that in this method, you must provide to us a weight for every product available. The shopping cart will total the weight of each product and then match that total against a chart of weights to determine the final shipping cost.

Member businesses will also have the ability to choose additional shipping options like Express, Overnight, 2nd day, etc.

This is an important section for you to read. We Love Texas has developed a system to display and handle size and other options for products and services.

Size Option
Many products will have a size option. The system allows you to add various sizes, along with additional costs factors, weights, and shipping costs for each option.

Example
If you sell a t-shirt for $10.00, you would be able to set the various size options S, M, L, XL, and XXL, and if you wanted to sell the XXL for $12.00, you could set an extra cost factor of $2.00.

Other Product Options
You can set up to three additional product options for each product, and just like the size option, you can set additional cost factors, weights, and shipping costs for each option.

Example
If you wanted to offer different colors for the t-shirt that you sell for $10.00. You could set up the options for blue, red, white, and green, and if for some reason, the green color cost an additional $1.00, you could set an extra cost factor of $1.00.

There are many ways that you can expand on your products; please give us a call at 254-629-3278 or email us using the contact form on this website if you have any questions or if you would like to discuss your options even further.

We have developed an on-line shopping cart software called TornadoCart which greatly enhances the ease with which on-line transactions are created and processed. This technology is exclusive to We Love Texas.

TornadoCart technology will allow a member business to get up and running in as little as five to ten days. This technology will revolutionize the web site buying experience by making it a quick, painless process for members.

With TornadoCart technology, members will be able to keep track of customers and product inventory, while site maintenance is made easier.TornadoCart technology is made possible through a combination of Macromedia's ColdFusion and an SQL Server database.

Since welovetexas.com is a pioneering approach to the set up of the members' web sites, there will also be an advantage in terms of the cutting edge technology involved. Finally, members with e-commerce web sites on welovetexas.com will find that due to TornadoCart technology, setup time for their shopping cart systems will be a fraction of that required by other companies. Users of the site will find that the TornadoCart will allow easy checkout when purchasing products from a We Love Texas member.