About Rainbo Design 

I'm an independent professional website designer and programmer in Minneapolis who has created websites for clients across the United States and in other countries. I've been working with computers since 1969. I've written many articles for computer magazines, published a computer users' newsletter in the 1980's, and I ran two Special Interest Group bulletin boards (the original online forums) on CompuServe from 1981 to 1988. In the early 1980's, I was also sales representative for Ohio Scientific Computers, and later I published my own software for Macintosh computers. With my partner, Maggie Ramirez, I've been publishing Rainbo Electronic Reviews, an online book and software review column, since 1982 - first on CompuServe, then on Genie, and its been on the Internet for over 13 years now. That's how I got started on the whole "Rainbo" theme. You can see more about me on my Google+ Profile.

Since 1987, we have also been selling animation art and collectibles. Rainbo Animation Art, sells animation-related collectibles and we have been selling online since the day we opened. We started in 1987 by using direct mail, EMail and online forums for marketing, and we created our website in 1996.

These two side businesses thrived when I was living in the San Francisco area, with its proximity to the Hollywood and Los Angeles markets. I used to joke about them with friends, "The hours are good, there's no heavy lifting, and the trips to Disneyland are tax-deductible." Now that I'm back in Minneapolis, these other businesses are no longer a major focus, although I still enjoy them both. I've also started a handful of small informational websites.

Between the popularity of high-speed Internet access and the explosion in smart cell phones, your customers will be more likely to check the Internet for information than ever before. This is especially true for people searching for local information, like a particular product or service here in the Minneapolis/St.Paul area, or in whatever city they happen to be.

A website can be a useful tool for any business - even companies that don't sell by mail order. Well over 80% of all households in the United States now have at least one personal computer. The numbers are bound to increase as prices fall and online services expand. And it's not just students and young males that are online. A recent survey showed that women use the Internet in roughly equal numbers to men now, and nearly 30% of Internet users are over 50 years old. Consumers are flocking to the Internet for many reasons. They're often turning to the Internet now for answers that they used to look for in the local newspaper or Yellow Pages because it's faster, easier, and more convenient. By visiting a website they avoid being put on hold or having to wade through Voice Mail Hell when all they want is a quick answer to a simple question. Think of a website as a multi-purpose marketing tool.

A single click on your listing on Google or other search engine will let your customers easily find answers to those questions that a simple listing in a telephone directory or newspaper ad don't provide. And with a website, you can compliment that information with an attractive display of your company's products and services using full-color photographs. Think of how much more likely they are to actually visit your store or make an appointment for your services if they find that you offer the exact product or service they've been looking for, and that you're a neighbor as well.

For about the price of a single display ad in a local weekly, having a website for your business means you can essentially publish a multi-page full-color brochure for your business delivered at no charge to every Internet-connected household that wants a copy. For most service-oriented businesses, a simple two or three-page site can tell your whole story and provide all of the information and incentives your customers need to get them to make that critical first phone call or visit. And if you do sell merchandise, an e-Commerce website is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, selling for you to customers literally around the world. Our collectibles business routinely ships orders to customers all over Europe, Asia, Canada, Mexico, and South America as well as all 50 states.

A website can answer your customers' questions like:

Where are you located?
What about parking and driving directions?
What are your business hours?
Does your business accept the credit card I prefer to use?
Do you deliver to or service my part of the city?
How soon can you deliver your product or service?
Are you properly licensed and fully bonded?
What is the owner's background and relation to the community?
What industry accreditations, awards, and certifications does your business have?
Does your business participate in local events?
Is your business currently offering sales, brochures, or discount coupons?

And speaking of doing business on a personal basis, a web site is also a wonderful way to showcase your personal credentials, your business and your merchandise. Its a powerful way to let customers learn something about you, your special skills and areas of expertise, and what lines of merchandise you carry - all while letting them browse through your best items in full-color photographs.

A web site is like sending a full-color multi-page catalog to people all over the world with no postage costs and practically no printing costs.

There are several ways to let people know you have a website. Being listed in an online directory focusing on your state, city or neighborhood will certainly be a good first step to let local customers find you if that's appropriate. Directories that include your business sector are good for reaching broader markets. Another vital part of promoting your website is to include your website address (the "www.something.com", etc.) in all of your advertising materials and on your business cards. This takes advantage of your knowledge of the best ways of reaching your customers. And once people become aware that you have a website, your site can be found in the search engines like Google, Yahoo!, and Bing.

Search engines are the way that most people use to find websites that offer products and services. So it's vital for your website's long-term performance to have a prominent presence in the major search engines. To help improve your website's performance in the search engines, I offer a separate service called "Search Engine Optimization."

For more information about search engines, see my Search Engine Optimization Services page.

There are many companies that will let you create a simple website free of charge on their service, often in exchange for allowing them to include small advertisements on your website.

But having your own domain name with standard hosting has many advantages, not the least of which is elminating the advertising. It also presents a more professional appearance and enables you to have your own Email addresses, and to expand your website to add more services like a blog. These services do come with ongoing costs of less than $100.00 per year.

A website with E-commerce online ordering capabilities requires using a full-service hosting company that has monthly or annual fees. But many small businesses will never want or need to be able to take orders online. All they need is a simple website that lets customers know who they are, their address and telephone number, hours of service, and what goods or services they offer. For these businesses my Basic and Advanced Website Design Packages are perfectly sensible choices.

The time may well come that you need to update or expand your web site. A change of business hours, address or telephone number are common reasons. I naturally hope that the site I design for you is so successful that you are inspired to expand and enhance it over time. You can update the site yourself or hire someone to do it for you. After I've designed your web site, I give you all of the account names and passwords required to control and update your site. In other words, you get the keys to all of the locks. Everything will be registered in your name. You own it all and nothing will be held back.

I charge $50.00 per hour for Website Design services, with a half-hour minimum. Mailing address or telephone number changes can be handled easily within the minimum charge. Additional fees may apply if you expand your site to add eCommerce services or other capabilities that require an upgrade of the hosting service.

To order my web design services, call me at 612-408-4057 from 9AM to 5PM Central time. You can also contact me by Email. Then I'll send you a list of information I need from you about your company, and we'll get started building a web site for you right away!