Designing and maintaining Web sites has become an important sideline for area companies, both for computer technology firms and those who previously earned their bread and butter in other areas.

While having a Web site was a novelty 10 years ago, today nearly every organization - both for-profit and nonprofit -- has a site of some sort. Some sites exist simply to provide basic information while others are a vital part of a company's sales and revenues. Designing, hosting and maintaining all those sites is keeping area firms quite busy.

Algonquin Studios, which tied for No. 2 on Business First's List of Web Design Firms with 125 sites developed in the past year, has found a niche developing more complicated Web sites for companies that need content management software. The Buffalo company recently merged with E-Merge Strategies to add a localization, or translation, component that will significantly enhance its site development capabilities.

"A content management software package allows our clients to control the maintenance of their Web site themselves without the need for using high-end technical people," said Stephen Kiernan, president.

Algonquin has developed sites for such organizations as Hodgson Russ LLP, Roswell Park Cancer Institute and the City of Buffalo. Now that the company's software has the ability to provide text in different languages, the city, for example, could very easily translate its emergency preparedness page for the city's Hispanic residents, while Roswell could provide information in multiple languages to cancer patients around the world.

"Some of our clients are going to need to deploy multiple languages for sites we're building for them," Kiernan said. "We will probably be the only content management provider with a built-in localization component, which will be a competitive advantage to us."

"We're getting a windfall of Web development based upon new Web sites, redesign of existing Web sites and maintenance of existing Web sites," said Chris Kremer, general manager at Wizard Communication Systems Inc. in Tonawanda, which was tied for No. 2.

Web site development is a small part of Wizard's business. The majority of revenues come from Internet connectivity through dial-up services. Other services include network cabling, networking design, computer sales, repairs and services.

Kremer said Wizard's Web design business has grown because of the company's project management methods.

"We'll go in and do an assessment and find out if you really need 400 pages," he said. "Through that whole process, we're mentoring them, educating them on the Internet. We become an extension of their business."

During the past year, the 27 Western New York companies on Business First's List of Web Design Firms have developed nearly 1,700 Web sites.