Or perhaps you’ve been looking to redevelop or create a new website and can’t figure out why the quotes you have been receiving from website designers can vary so much?

These are just two of  the many issues that can face website owners in New Zealand.

Over on the NZS.com Facebook Page, we’ve just asked the question:

What do you find frustrating about owning a website in New Zealand?

You can vote for one of the existing answers or add your own answer to the results so that others can vote on it.

We’ll be asking some of New Zealand’s top website developers to help us address the top 3 answers once the voting is over.

Keep an eye on the Facebook Page and this blog for further updates.

Flickr image credit: sybrenstuvel

Your own website may not display correctly for visitors that are using Internet Explorer 6 (and our browser statistics show that there are still a fair few people on this out-dated browser).

As a website owner, you have an opportunity to give IE6 uses a nudge in the right direction by displaying a friendly message on your website to IE6 users only, letting them know they have an older browser and suggesting that they upgrade.

To do this, you can paste the following html code anywhere on a web page. This code will display a message to IE6 users only and provide them with a link to a page on NZS.com that provides info and links for downloading modern browsers:

<!–[if IE 6]>

<p>Hi! It looks like you’re using an out-dated browser. Please upgrade your browser. Check out some <a href=”http://www.nzs.com/website-resources/tips-and-tools/internet-browser-upgrades/”>Internet browser upgrades</a> here.</p>

<![endif]–>

The text itself can be customised to your liking by editing it before you save the changes to your website.

Alternatively, you can just provide a link to the Internet Browser Upgrades page.

Remember that potential employers are likely to throw your name into a search engine before making any contact to do a background check. You’ll often find your name and details coming up on University alumni websites, articles about conferences you may have been to and so on, but these are normally harmless and give away little personal information.

However, it is most important to be careful with the information on your social networking websites, such as Facebook and Bebo, as these can also been seen by potential employers. Embarassing photos, posts, even quiz results can be incriminating and can affect a potential employers impression of you – and could even cause them to leave you out of their candidates.

Make sure all of your pages are private and only viewable to friends. Remember that you never can be too careful online – your friends could potentially link to a photo of you on a wild night out from your page onto their page, which may not be private, and open to search engines. When job hunting and reviewing the content on your social network pages, if in doubt, take it out!

Image from Flickr.

We’re happy to announce that this promo has been running very well and so, with the spirit of the season, we’re going to extend the promotion period until the end of this week! So book your Enhanced Listing before 10th December and you can choose a free gift for every 12 month Enhanced Listing booked – either a 4GB USB stick, a full year’s domain registration or Seth Godin’s book, Permission Marketing.

Out of all the NZ directories, I always recommend my clients start with NZS.com before any other. They drive quality traffic to your site, are affordable and the NZS team are a real pleasure to deal with - Jan Dunlop, theclicklab.co.nz

To enhance your listing in a relevant category and choose your free gift, simply enter your website and follow the prompts, or read on for more information on how the Enhanced Listing package can get you more business.

How does an Enhanced Listing get me more visitors?

Here’s an example – the ‘playground equipment‘ category (under ‘shopping’) receives visitors who are specifically looking for somewhere to buy playground equipment and toys. Typically, we’ve found that visitors don’t scroll too far down the page before they’ve found someone that they want to to do business with.

In that category, you will see two Enhanced Listings – one for iQ Toys and one for Baby Universe. Those two listings used to be much further down the listings and so weren’t receiving much attention. Now they are far more prominent and so have set themselves up to maximise the number of targeted visitors that they receive from this category.

Flickr image credit: colouredinks

If you’re saving your holidays for the Christmas period, now could be a good time to take a look at your business strategy with 7degree. One method of improving your cash flow while doing some good is through implementing a well-thought-out Environmental Programme for your business. The guys at ecoPortal should be able to help you there.

For those looking for further information, you can find a large range of articles in our articles section. Latest additions for business-types include articles on small business help and environmental management systems. Families will benefit from our naming a baby boy article. Those planning their holidays on the South Island should read our Christchurch family accommodation guide and those planning holidays on the North Island should find out about Auckland Airport car rentals. Can’t decide which island is best? Maybe our New Zealand Island article will help!

If the holiday planning itself isn’t an issue but finding the time to take a holiday is, don’t forget about Labour Day which is coming up soon.

New Features for NZS.com Users

For those who have a Site Profile on NZS.com, make sure you take advantage of our new feature that allows you to add your Social Media feeds to your Site Profile page. Read more about Connecting Businesses’ Social Media or visit My Websites to get started.

Do you have a New Zealand website but don’t have a Site Profile? Find and update your Site Profile with business details and Social Media content right now. It’s all included with your free NZS.com user account.  Head to the Site Profile page for more information.

Proper business strategy determines your business’ road-map to success. Your business strategy should be clear and to the point so that it can be easily communicated to all relevant parties – your management team, employees and those with a financial interest in your business.

Finding the time and resources to properly establish your business strategy can be tough. Especially if this is the first time you’ve properly approached the future of your business, or you’re setting up a business for the first time.

To help you, there are a large number of consultants available that offer small business help. To find these, take a look at the Business Coaching category in the NZS.com directory. If you’re looking to meet with a consultant close to your own office, use the region tab to find a business consultant in your own area.

Flickr image credit: eflon

For any Christchurch trip following the recent earthquake, it’s a good idea to evaluate whether your trip is absolutely necessary while the state of emergency is in force. If it is unavoidable, contact your particular accommodation provider to check that they have been unaffected by the earthquake.

For those travelling with young children, you’ll find a wide range of Christchurch family accommodation on offer. These accommodation providers accommodate children well through supplying facilities and services particularly with young children in mind. Facilities can be everything from small playgrounds to supervised children’s entertainment and more. View the website of the accommodation venue that you have in mind to see which facilities they offer. If you can, ask a friend or relative to visit the venue first to give you a first-hand account of what’s on offer.

New Zealand is common for dense cities surrounded by large rural areas so if you’re looking to travel further afield when flying into cities like Queenstown, search for car rental Queenstown to find a local car rental provider.

A good rental car company can provide you with the key to make your own timetable and set your own agenda on your holidays. You may also be interested in hiring a 4WD to explore some of the trickier-to-access off the beaten track areas that New Zealand has to offer.

If you rent a car in Queenstown, you’ll also have easier access to ski fields that are further away from the city centre.

For many rural roads, the drive itself is an experience that you may not wish to miss.

Flickr image credit: aussiegall

Discount accommodation today is widely available through short rate websites. These independent websites provide a booking facility for hotels, motels and other forms of accommodation around New Zealand.

The special part is that they only feature bookings for last minute hotels offering rooms that are less than 4 weeks ahead of the date of booking.

Because they are booked at the last minute, these rooms are generally offered at highly discounted rates. Booking accommodation online saves time and hassle and you can usually receive confirmation of your booking instantly.

Flickr image credit: digiart2001

For car loans, there are a number of New Zealand based providers offering good packages. When looking for vehicle finance, it’s a good idea to find a provider with an established client base and a history of good working practices.

Take a good look at the vehicle finance provider’s website and keep an eye out for good testimonials from past clients.

It can also pay to choose a provider that has multiple outlets across the country rather than one single office.

Don’t be too worried about your past credit history or current financial situation. Contact the loan provider themselves and be honest about your situation and you may find they have a specific package to suit your own particular situation while offering affordable repayments to ensure you can meet your obligations under the contract of the loan.

For some helpful advice and tips, take a look at our Car Financing article.

Flickr image credit: henrikgadegaard