Name of your website?Island Paradise Balloon Art - Storytelling - Walking Tours
Your name?
Eric Lavender
Your Location (city, etc)
Charleston, SC
Please give us a short summary of your website?
Showcases the services that we provide: party & event entertainment, storytelling, Charleston, SC Ghost and Pirate Walking Tours by licensed tour guide, local, living history programs for schools. The site also contains numerous photos of our appearances at events, which visitors can download free of charge. We also have a page about our "star," Bob the blue & gold macaw and the rescue organization from which we adopted him. Site also contains links to numerous history and animal rescue groups.
What inspired you to launch your own website?
We launched to the site as a way to provide people with information about our very small business.
When did you launch your first website, and what was it?
www.islandparadiseballoonart.com is our very first website. launched it about 2 years ago.
How did you decide on a name for your website?
It's the same name as the business name, which is long... too long...
What makes your website different from other, similar offerings?
We try to include information and links to other websites about the types of history in which we specialize. We also include information about animal rescue, which really has nothing to do with the actual business, but is something about which we are very passionate. We also invite visitors to download photos or email us requests for photos at no charge. At events, people always want a picture with Bob, the macaw!
What is your eventual goal? (To sell it, keep it for income, secure a book or other mainstream media deal?)
Keep it to continue to promote the business.
How does your investment of time and money balance against your success?
The website has proven to be a useful tool for getting information about our services to people. Because it is a free website hosted by Microsoft Office Live, there is no financial investment. There is, however, a substantial amount of time invested in creating and maintaining the site. Since we enjoy working on the site, even with the limitations that go along with a free site, it's well worth the effort.
If you had an unlimited development budget for development, how would you change your site?
Because it's a free template, we are limited on colors, fonts, and other design elements. If we had an unlimited budget, it would look completely different! We would also add videos.
If your site got really big, really quickly, would you be able to keep up with the demand?
I believe that we could keep up with any demand, as we work with several other entertainers and tour guides in the Charleston area.
What unexpected costs and headaches have you had to deal with?
No unexepected costs, but many headaches, as sometimes weird stuff happens with the site for no apparent reason. For example, out of the blue, I can't upload documents to the site. Despite all of the fixes suggested by the support people, I still can't upload documents.
What has been your biggest challenge?
SEO, but that's getting easier, as we learn more.
What method has been most successful for promoting your website?
SEO, SEO, SEO. Also, grassroots marketing through the use of flyers, business cards, reciprocal links, etc.
What is your website address?
Island Paradise Balloon Art - Storytelling - Walking Tours
