Nolee-O Web Design & Hosting; Serving the Adirondack, Lake George, Glens Falls Area


		Site Map

In The Press

Web Site Design Becomes A Vital Component As Companies See The Value Of The Internet

Nathan Olson of Nolee-0 Web Design says a big part of his
work is creating a recognizable image for his clients.

As businesses search for new ways to attract customers, many traditional marketing theories have been modified or even discarded, as new methods are explored and developed.

The impact of the Internet has redefined how businesses go to market, and especially how they attract clients to traditional brick-and-mortar storefronts. The era of a business existing solely on the Internet, or solely on Main Street, has changed, as business owners begin to understand the dynamic relationship between the two entities.

When traditional businesses seek the expanded capabilities of the Internet, Web developers and online marketing firms stand ready to assist.

"A lot of what I do is creating a business image," said Nathan Olson, owner of Nolee-O Web Design. "From designing the overall Web site, through its content and how its going to look, feel, and navigate. Small businesses are our core market, and especially in the tourism industry, they understand that you have to be on the Internet to survive."

Many companies that have historically felt that the Internet would not aid their business, have rethought the view as Web development and marketing has changed over time.

"Building contractors are a growing market," said Olson. "Anybody who has a portfolio is an excellent candidate for a Web site. It's a great way to get your company out there, while adding to your traditional sales tools. The more work you have in your online portfolio, the more people will browse through it and hopefully give you a call."

According to Olson, businesses should not discriminate when deciding what information to post online.

In fact, he advised Internet newcomers to develop as much content as possible for the purpose.

"The bulk of my business is simply getting information to the prospective customer," said Olson. "In general, most businesses should try to put as much online as they can. I always tell companies to post everything they can, that your Web site wants to be a hub of information, it needs to have absolutely everything related to your business."

As Web developers cater to a growing demand for innovations, and Web users respond through their online activity, the perception of a particular business has changed in relation to its Web presence.

"New business owners are understanding they need a Web presence right away to get their name out there," said Olson. "Its almost to the point, from a business perspective, that if you don't have a Web site then you're not a real business. I always tell people to not think of their Web site as selling for them. It has to be a sales tool, to help them sell."

One of the unique aspects of Web development is a trend that has defied traditional Internet logic. The concept of "local search" has grown to become a driving force behind how a brick-and-mortar storefront develops its business, finds customers, and markets itself.

"I can remember several years ago when people said that nobody would ever search for a plumber or a hair stylist on the Web," said Sara Mannix, owner of Mannix Marketing Inc. "Its the new generation, and nobody bothers with the yellow pages anymore."

"Local search is really about finding things that are local to a community or local to a region," added Mannix. "When looking for a specific product, people often want to know who's local to them. Its outpacing all other facets of where people are getting their information and businesses are really picking up on this trend.

"When you look at the traffic that a Web site generates, business promotion through the Internet is a very inexpensive brochure that tells people all about you."

"A lot of time, you don't want something shipped, you want to find out who has it locally, so you can see it first," said Mannix. "That is what local search is about and they say it's the fastest growing sector of the Internet. Especially for retailers, people want to know that they can come back after they have visited a storefront to see more online, or show a friend something they found that was exciting.

"A Web site makes an impression, its much like your reputation, and you want your Web site to be as good as you are."

By: Brett Hagadorn
Glens Falls Business Journal
October, 2007

Twenty Under Thirty
North Country portraits of young success
Nathan Olson:
Sign maker - Web site creator

Nathan Olson picked the right time to be born.

A generation ago, the term "geek" was an insult. Today, geeks rule, and a young person who combines strong knowledge of new technology with drive and creativity can carve out a good life.

Olson has combined an established family sign business with the modern craft of Web site construction to form Nolee-0 Signs and Web Design, a booming business he conducts in an office that includes a pool table, an aquarium with a large turtle, and a collection of X-wing and TIE fighters.

"I like my toys," he chuckles, but there are other toys in the office, too, and they belong to his 18-month old and five-month old sons, Aidan and Gavin.

His wife, Sarah, a librarian, is taking a year off to be with the boys, and they're often off doing things with her. But they also spend a lot of time in the office, and it is clearly a closeness he relishes.

The ability to spend time with his boys is a fringe benefit of the Web-design part of his business. "With kids, it's a whole lot easier to work on the Web sites (than signs), because I can work whenever I want to a certain degree," he says.

Signs, however, are how he got started. Olson grew up in Lake George, where his parents had a motel, a sign company and a clock repair business. He had worked on signs with his father for years, and so it was an easy move for him to take over that part of the family business five years ago.

The other half of Nolee-0 also began in childhood.

"I started with computers when the Apple II-E came out," he says. "Dad bought us one. I've always loved computers; I grew up with them."

His first Web site was designed for the family motel when he was still in high school, and he gleefully dips into some archived files to show off some of the sites he then designed for his own amusement, loaded with comical special effects or convoluted trivia.

These pages may be hilariously self-indulgent, but what was play back then gave him an ease with the medium that is clear in the clean, readily navigable sites he now maintains for some 50 clients.

Olson is largely self-taught in Web design. A top student in high school, he already had some ideas of what he wanted and they didn't require, or include, a four-year degree.

"I got my associates degree in business at ACC and that was enough for me," he says. "Growing up with my father in the sign shop, I was always into hands-on learning. I got good grades in school only because I could memorize the stuff and then forget it after the test. Unless I did it in a hands-on way, I didn't retain any of it."

He took a few years to travel and work out the specifics of what he wanted to do, and where, and he and Sarah circled around a bit, living in Saratoga and Rutland before settling down in Queensbury.

During that period, he was beginning to build web sites for businesses, but admits that he hadn't quite worked out the marketing side of things. Taking over the family sign business and getting settled in his home territory helped him over that hurdle.

There is, he notes, a direct, logical connection between the sign at the curb and the Web site, on the Internet. Often, customers who come to him for a new sign will see what else he does and decide to establish a web site or have him re-do their existing site.

"Signs are about two-thirds of my business and Web sites are one-third," he says. "I'd kind of like to flip-flop that, but they work well together."

The sign business and word-of-mouth have combined to bring him a solid number of Web design clients (visible at http://www.noleeo.com), but such connections don't happen by themselves. Olson is very active with the Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerces business networking group, which has helped him make contacts in the area.

And, if it seems odd for someone with Olson's geek skills to be active in such a traditional group as the Chamber, there is much in his approach to work that defies the stereotype of the young computer expert. In the global medium of the Internet, Olson retains strong elements of the local sign-painter.

"I don't think I would ever work just with e-mail or phone calls," he says. "I want to meet clients at least once, just to meet them and sit down with them and talk to them. It's a lot easier to have an initial meeting so I can feel out what they're looking for and get a sense of what kind of design they want."

Not only does he refuse the role of the global recluse, available only in cyberspace, but he isn't interested in playing the role of the temperamental artiste, either.

"I always make sure to tell them that whatever I come back with the first time is the first draft. It's not final. Some people kind of like to say, 'You tell me what you want, I'll do it, and thats it.' I don't think it's realty fair to work that way with people."

At 26, Nathan Olson has found a successful combination of exciting new technology and old, well-tested business truths.

By: Mike Peterson

The Post-Star

Tuesday, February 8, 2005 - E1

The Best Ways to Market Your Business!
On the street, on the web, and in their hand.