Web sites affordable for small businesses

Dave Beasley of Buffalo Grove, a Web designer and owner of DB Consulting Group Inc. (www.dbcginfo.com), believes small businesses should take advantage of the Internet, despite the so-so results of a recent survey.

He was referring to last week's column about Northfield-based Small Business Research Board, which had surveyed about 550 small businesses, including some in the Chicago suburbs, and revealed 43 percent of them didn't have Web sites.

You would think with millions of Web sites on the Internet that nearly everyone would have one, he said.

"I have to say, however, the survey results were not surprising to me as I am one who specializes in providing Web sites to small businesses," Beasley said.

Small businesses often don't have those tech-doctors on board to develop Web sites, among other reasons.

"I have had discussions with small business owners and while they may not have a Web site, most will state they would like to have a one," he said. "It is true that quite often they don't recognize the value a good Web site provides in enhancing their creditability and how customers today want a preliminary look on the Internet before they decide to buy from a merchant."

Beasley has helped some area businesses launch their own Internet presence, including Buffalo Grove-based Dorfler's Meat Market (www.dorflersmeats.com), Morton Grove-based Alan's Draperies Inc. (www.alansdraperies.com) and even Buffalo Grove entertainer Gina Nunez (www.gina-sings.com).

Designing a Web site costs about $2,000 to $4,500 and the maintenance fee could run about $150 a year.

"The small business community may like to know how 'the guy next door' got a top notch Web site and how painless it was to get there," Beasley said.

Surfing: The number of reported wireless call quality problems has declined for a third consecutive reporting period, reaching the lowest levels in the history of the study, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2007 Wireless Call Quality Performance Study (www.jdpower.com). The number of customer-reported call quality problems was 15 per 100 calls, down 29 percent from 21 in 2006.

Verizon Wireless ranked highest in satisfaction in four of the six U.S. regions examined, including ranking highest in a tie with Alltel in the Southeast region. U.S. Cellular also ranked highest in the North Central region, while AT&T ranked highest for the first time in the Southwest area.

• The rapid expansion of the Internet Protocol market can be seen in Motorola Inc.'s (www.motorola.com) set-top boxes. The Schaumburg-based communications company said it has shipped its 2 millionth IP set-top box. The milestone was reached just five months after the shipment of its 1 millionth IP set-top box.