Local Area Link

Frequently Asked Questions

about the Local Area Link business opportunity

If you have any questions that are not answered here please Contact Us

Answers:

What's included:
What do I get from you for my £3,000?
We will install and set up a Local Area Link website exactly as you've seen at thecaterhamlink.com. This is a fully featured public website that has many features enabling your community to be involved in your website by submitting their own news, events, club information, useful tips etc. Included is a system that enables advertisers to create and upload their own advert and to pay for it online using a credit card.
You will also get a full back-end system called the site manager that enables you to control every aspect of the website's content through one simple interface that you can get to securely from anywhere you have access to the internet. From here you can manage all your advertisers and their adverts, plus all the news, events and clubs etc, as well as the home page text and images.
We'll set up a free PayPal account for you so you can take credit card payments for adverts. We will register a domain name for your new website and also set up an email account for you.
Your monthly fee covers the ongoing hosting of your website and its database, business hours support by email and telephone and all future development updates and enhancements to the website.

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Help & Support:
What kind of help and support do you provide?
Automated online support is available 24 hours per day, 7 days per week via an 'intelligent' knowledge-base website that you can access through a normal web browser.

Email and telephone support are both available during normal office hours

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Your area:
What size area can I run my website for?
This will be dependant on a number of factors including population, geographical size and business representation within the area.

In general you are free to choose the area in which you wish to work. However, you need to remember that your website is a local community site so the area covered should not be too large and it should cover an area you know well as you will need to keep the site up to date with local news and information.

We also need to ensure that your area does not encroach on another Local Area link website area.

We will agree a specific geographical area with you before you purchase a site and this will be recorded in your purchase contract.

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Age limits:
Is there a minimum age for running a Local Area Link website?
Yes, the minimum age is 18 Years.

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Computer skills:
Do I need to be computer literate?
Whilst the Site Manager interface for your Local Area Link website is very intuitive a basic level of computer competency is required. If you can send emails, surf the web and use a word processor such as MS Word you will be able to use Site Manager.

If you feel you need help with computer skills you might also like to consider the European Computer Driving License (ECDL) which is an internationally recognised qualification for computer users.

See Learn Direct

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What computer equipment do I need:
Do I need a scanner, fax, printer and digital camera?
Whilst not a necessity, these are tools that you may find useful for managing the various elements of your Local Area Link website such as for including an advertiser's logo etc.

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Design & Look:
How will my website look?
If you have your have an existing style or design (such as if you already run a local magazine etc) we will design a banner for you to match so that your existing customers see you website as familiar.

Alternatively we have a standard design you can use and we will simply incorporate the name of your business into it.

The design and layout of the main body of all Local Area Link websites is consistent. We have chosen a clear and easy to navigate structure, placing content in obvious and sensible positions according to type. The colours chosen are designed to clearly separate individual sections and to create a friendly, non-business look and feel.

Alternatively you may use our default banner design and just choose the name of your website. Our graphic designer will discuss this with you directly at the appropriate time.

A small Local Area Link Network logo will appear on the bottom right of the banner and also at the very foot of each page. These will be a link to the main Local area Link website.

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Search Engines:
What about search engines?
The underlying structure of Local Area Link websites incorporate a host of sophisticated search-engine optimisation features and, as such, is very search-engine friendly. In a nutshell: your website will be extremely visible to search engines on all levels.

To help the process of being found by search engines, each advert in your website has a 'meta tag' section (in the Site Manager) for you to enter keywords and phrases that are specific to your content or advertiser. This will help the information on your website to be found by search engines.

However, it's very easy to get caught up with the hype about search engines. They are marketed as the be-all and end-all of the internet. However, this is just not the case.

The larger search engines, such as Google, are global. Your website is local. Therefore it is better to concentrate on promoting and marketing the community aspect of your website locally. A high ranking in a major search-engine is not, therefore, necessary to make your website extremely effective.

What's really important is how many people know you're website exists and use it frequently - not where you appear in search engine rankings.

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Advertising rates:
Are the advertising rates fixed or can I charge whatever I like?
We recommend charging a minimum of £10 per advert plus £15 set up for new ads, but ultimately what you charge is entirely within your control depending upon the conditions within your local area.

Before establishing a price structure, you should research the rates charged by other media in your area.

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Franchise or not:
Is Local Area Link a Franchise
No, the website you buy is your own property to run as you see fit according to whatever business model best suits your situation (eg sole trader, partnership, Limited Company).

You do not have to pay a proportion of your income to us, or to sign an exclusivity deal to use products provided by us or reach specific targets. However, to maintain a degree of consistency and quality across all sites, we ask you to contract to provide services to a set standard (for example, keeping the site updated).

Your monthly fee covers the costs of providing the website on an on-going basis; it is not paid as commission or as part of a franchise arrangement.

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If you have any questions that are not answered here please Contact Us