Before: Without a web presence, a sizable portion of the Joneses’ busy 14-hour days were consumed by phone calls: customers asking about the menu, hours, or driving directions; catering prospects wanting information about facilities and pricing; and job seekers wanting to fax resumes. Meanwhile, when the Joneses found time to do an occasional marketing program, most often newspaper and radio, the results were difficult to measure. Despite the popularity of the restaurant, voted “Best of the Upstate” by readers of The Greenville News, business for the higher-margin catering division was slow.

After: After hearing about Web.com®, the Joneses purchased a Website + Marketing plan and used Site Builder to create an attractive and robust website that has since become their most important marketing tool. Not only has feedback about the new site been overwhelmingly positive, but the launch of a search marketing program has created a new and cost-effective source of qualified website traffic. Today, business for Mary’s Catering is up 30% over just two years ago, a fact the Joneses largely attribute to their new website. Best of all, they’re spending about half the time on the phone—the icing on the cake, indeed.

Before: The company’s first experience with a web site several years ago was not a very positive one, says Nail. The site was built without a strong strategic plan, and it did not have the professional look or functionality that Nail envisioned. Without eCommerce capabilities available on the site, customers could not make purchases online, which did not ease the time-consuming process of filling orders and servicing customers that Nail constantly struggled with. As a result, PURSEsnickety! was not able to fully capitalize on its growing popularity with new customers and translate it into sales.

After: Web.com provided a complete site overhaul, including professional design, eCommerce options, and search engine optimization strategies, which have streamlined nearly every function of the business. Among the additions: e-marketing options that have facilitated communication with distribution and retail customers, a password-protected members-only area featuring wholesale pricing and ordering, an eCommerce store with more than 400 items available online for retail and wholesale buyers, and “Buy Now” capabilities for featured products on the homepage. The results have been outstanding. Nail says that business has more than tripled since the new website launch. Plus, her products can now be found in 49 states and seven countries. PURSEsnickety!’s technology transformation, including the strategies from Web.com, was also featured in a series of stories in Entrepreneur magazine.

Before: DiBona had experimented with a website prior to signing on with Web.com, but with limited success. According to Ruskin, countless sales opportunities were lost because the web designer took too long to update the site when Ruskin needed changes or updates. In addition, the updated information—when it was finally published—often included errors. Finally, the business needed an affordable, comprehensive way to reach a wider audience as DiBona began to expand into new artistic avenues such as scrapbooking. Without an effective website, DiBona Designs wasn’t taking full advantage of the prestigious reputation DiBona had built in the art community for more than two decades.

After: DiBona and Ruskin selected a Web.com Custom Website plan, which Ruskin says has provided an ideal mix of personalized design, one-on-one guidance, and do-it-yourself maintenance options. The website features a large online store in which customers can purchase any of DiBona’s items as well as find updates about her workshops and speaking engagements. In addition, Ruskin appreciates the fact that he doesn’t have to go through a third party to publish that information, which has allowed his productivity and peace of mind to skyrocket. Customers seem to like the site, too: the average visitor now spends up to 30 minutes on it.