I start with getting to know my clients and their goals because this means I can build sites that really reflect them.  It also means I can often make design decisions and write some of the initial copy for the site with less input from the clients, which saves all of us time.  I’m happy to change any of these things later if they don’t like my choices, but knowing about their businesses means my choices are more likely to line up with their needs to start with.

Instead of having one workflow for all sites I work to figure out how to work best with each client.  Sometime it’s best to spend more time planning a site so it’s perfect at launch time.  Other times the priority may be to launch a site as quickly as possible.  Some clients like to be very involved with the process and others are very busy with other parts of their businesses and would like someone to take as much of the work off of them as possible. 

I work to figure out what a client’s goals and needs are so that I can customize not only their site but also the way in which I work with them towards creating the site.

Websites should not be thought of as something that you design and it’s done. For a number of reasons this just does not work. We ALL know what it’s like to go on a site that is obviously 5 years out of date. Before I even start on a site I talk with my clients about what to expect about website maintenance – both from a hosting and software perspective (websites run software that needs updates) to a content perspective. It’s much easier to update a site every 3-6 months than to face a site that is so outdated the whole thing needs redone.

I truly believe that if I work to learn new things with each site I build, to improve my processes, to take EXTRA time rather than cutting corners that it will make my client’s sites more successful and my own business more successful and more profitable. This sort of success might not show up this month, but I’m in this for the long haul and I 100% believe that it will make me more successful over the next 10 years. Working with this sort of philosophy also makes me feel happy.

I’m obsessed with making every aspect of a site look and function perfectly.

Behind the scenes, I’m obsessed with security, performance, and all the other nerdy details that make websites really work. So that you don’t have to be.

I believe that security shouldn’t be left to a certain segment of the tech industry.  It is the responsibility of every web developer, software developer, manager, business, user, etc.

I understand the importance of driving traffic to websites with good SEO practices. However, your customers aren’t robots so your site should not be designed for robots. 

SEO is a big buzzword (buzz-acronym?) because people want traffic.  Which is legit.  Only a lot of web developers forget that websites are actually for people.

I believe it’s important to know and implement good SEO practices, but I design and build websites for people. 

I don’t use templates and stuff in text and images. I make custom designs for each client/site. Each client is unique and their website should be too.

We all know what it’s like to visit a website that is five (or ten!) years out of date.  It is just somehow obvious. 

The information is wrong, the copyright date is years old, the design is weird, links are broken and it doesn’t display right on a mobile device. 

This experience is not fun for a user. 

It’s also not fun for the owner of the site.  They know it needs updated.  It’s embarrassing.  It makes them feel guilty.  Then it becomes overwhelming.  The site becomes so outdated that it needs to be completely redone.  Which seems daunting.  So they do nothing.  And the site becomes more out-dated. 

Websites should not be viewed as a once and done type of project. 

Regular maintenance on a site keeps it up-to-date, useful and fresh. 

My monthly maintenance plans include time for site content and design updates for things both small and large (think new hours to a whole new page for a new offering).  Businesses evolve and successful websites reflect that.  Your site should be up-to-date with what your business or organization is doing today.

I also make it easy to schedule meetings to check-in about your site.  Have you been meaning to tell me about those new hours, but haven’t gotten around to it?  Are you looking for ideas to do more with your site?  Want to add an email sign-up?  We’ll make sure to meet so that we can review what needs updated and what we want to improve.

I believe that all websites should be mobile-friendly or mobile-first.  I make sure to test all sites on mobile and to continue testing updates and changes on mobile devices to ensure that they remain beautiful on all screen sizes.

It is my mission to provide great customer support to my clients.  My business is extremely important to me and that drives me to make sure my clients are happy.  I believe that strong technical skills are only half of the recipe for success – they need to be pared with good communication, reliability and a desire to serve the client.