A Web designer who offers true full service, front-end and back.

I design and build Web sites for corporate clients and small businesses, NPOs, local bodies and entrepreneurs.

I can polish up your existing site, making it user-friendly and search engine compatible. Or I can build out a new site from scratch, using that doodle you drew on a napkin.

Either way, your site gets intensive care.

 

Web Design

I work hard with clients to design pleasant, informative and usable Web interfaces.

My common sense design process makes developing new sites pretty painless; most sites are up and running in under six weeks.

I custom design each site for each audience, avoiding stock solutions, templates and design clichés. Clear navigation, consistent layout, and fast load-times.

Check out my portfolio to review a list of recent projects.

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Web Development

First, do no harm.

The coding behind your pages is just as important as how your site looks. Maybe even more so.

My solutions aren’t just skin deep. Under the hood, I make sure your site’s muscles and bones are the model of good health.

I code to modern Web standards, using XHTML/CSS and semantic techniques. Right from the start, your Web site will be search-engine friendly and accessible to all.

Valid XHTML

HTML is the language that formats the content of your Web site—the headings, paragraphs, tables and pictures—and XHTML is the successor to HTML: it’s a stricter, more precise standard.

Coding pages correctly in XHTML means your Web site is device-independent. That is, it remains accessible even in mobile devices like cell phones and PDAs, not just Web browsers on computers.

Cascading Style Sheets

CSS is the language Web developers use to code the visual presentation of Web sites.

Font size and colors, layout choices, how the clickable links look—these things are controlled by style sheets.

Separating content and presentation like this means that, behind the scenes, pages are leaner, more search engine friendly, and much easier (that is: much cheaper) to edit and maintain.

Semantic HTML

Semantic HTML is a mixture of XHTML, CSS, and strong, compliant document structure.

Modern Web Standards make your pages friendlier to search engines and humans because content is arranged in a structured way—headings and subheadings, points and subpoints—much as you would write a speech in an outliner, or a legal document.

If maximizing accessibility and findability is your goal, Semantic HTML is your friend.

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Content Management

For a growing number of clients, a high-functioning, scalable CMS has become a necessity.

We build WordPress, Drupal and Joomla sites, re-skinned for your pleasure and ready to rock the Web.

  • If you’re looking for basic content publishing and site management, WordPress is for you because its back-end is so user-friendly.
  • If you’re interested in an “online community” experience that integrates social networking-like functions, Drupal has the stronger toolset.
  • If you want to develop a portal-type site, Joomla will serve you best.

These best-of-breed content management systems are mature, stable products, fanatically supported by vibrant developer communities.

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Usability Testing

You can read the following gem in Steve Krug’s excellent introduction to Web site usability, “Don’t Make Me Think”:

If you want a great site, you’ve got to test. After you’ve worked on a site for even a few weeks, you can’t see it freshly any more. Testing reminds you that not everyone thinks the way you do, knows what you know, uses the Web the way you do.

In the usability tests I’ve conducted, this has proven to be absolutely correct. The designer/client relationship is so often a closed loop. Industry jargon and familiar terms are shot back and forth, and fundamentals are taken for granted even when they’re often the very things that should be examined most closely.

Sitting with someone outside this closed loop, watching him click around your home page and try to perform basic functions… it’s a real eye-opener. Things that seem downright obvious to designers and clients are often completely lost on end users.

Usability testing has radically changed the way I approach and execute design solutions. The Information Architecture I take such pains to develop with my clients is now only a first step.

Testing a handful of users generates all the critical data you need. While the most benefit is to be had at the Photoshop mock-up stage or after developing a clickable dummy site, basic user testing can be done at any stage.

The study deliverables include a written report with recommendations, and either MP3 audio files or optional video files with edited highlights.

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Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

I’ve had a lot of success with SEO. Ranking is increased by keeping your pages lean-and-clean and by following the guidelines laid down by Google, Yahoo!, etc.

  • No keyword spamming
  • No so-called doorway pages
  • No shadow domains
  • No short-term strategies
  • No snake oil

I code new Web sites to SEO best practices. And I re-write existing sites to make them more accessible and search engine friendly.

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Woo-Woo

I don’t talk the woo-woo.

I don’t do the woo-woo.

I don’t charge the woo-woo.

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E-Commerce

Shopping carts, product databases, credit card transaction processing, customer relationship management—I work hard to find the best solution for your site.

It might be an off-the-rack or a third-party solution (recommended for most small businesses) or it might be a custom-designed shopping experience built from scratch.

This is the most complex and intimidating part of developing a Web site. Luckily, the doctor is in.

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Flash

Flash is fantastic for certain kinds of projects: fashion-forward sites, portfolio sites, etc. But the majority of Web sites are designed to share information, reduce staff workload, increase sales, and be bookmarkable—tasks which Flash hinders.

And if search engine ranking is important to you, Flash-based sites are definitely not the way to go.

For these reasons, I use Flash as a spice rather than a main ingredient. I install galleries, add animation to liven up pages, and its video toolset is pretty nifty too.

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Web Hosting & Domains

This small but crucial element in your Web presence needs a lot of caution and care. I buy services from several ISPs to host your site on a stable, secure server with excellent support back-up.

I handle server set-up and the registration or transfer of your domain name. I upload your site but I don’t just stop there. I make sure its heart keeps beating.

My clients always have full access to their server: comprehensive visitor statistics, full control over e-mail functions, automatic back-ups, and top-notch support.

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