My Approach

I began my web development career in 2000, just as the tech bubble was bursting.

It took that event for people to realize that building effective websites and Internet strategies wasn’t about having the flashiest graphics. New web technologies were being used for their own sake — which resulted in websites that were hard to use and largely unrelated to business objectives.

Because I was trained against that backdrop, my relentless focus has always been on building websites that are easy to use, and that deliver real value to you and your customers. In other words, I’ll build you a site that’s a tool to advance your business strategy and achieve your business goals.

To this day, many web developers are entranced by the technology they use. They don’t understand that ultimately, they are creating a business, marketing and branding piece. So they’ll build your site not as a tool for your business, but as a showcase for their favourite technological bells and whistles.

In contrast, because I have a great deal of experience working for ad agencies, I see web building from both a technological and business perspective. I know that your website must powerfully communicate your value proposition to the target audience.

I know that your website is a first impression medium: before your customers touch your brand in any other way, they will usually experience your brand through your website. The experience your customers have with your site will make, or break, your brand.

To demonstrate my commitment to building sites that create value for business, I’m going to use a couple of geek terms here. BUT, these are the only two I’ll use on this site, AND I’m going to explain how they add value for you and your customers.

Here they are: my twin obsessions, “standards compliance” and “usability.”

Standards compliance:

Makes your site search engine friendly , giving you a competitive advantage
Makes it easy to modify or upgrade your site in the future — it won’t need a complete overhaul as you grow

Usability:

Makes surfing your website fast
Makes navigating your website simple
Ensures your site has a clear purpose, and executes on it
Makes your site search engine friendly

Believe it or not, a number of website builders make sites that are not easy for search engines to find.

Then there’s me. I’m basically a fanatic about building your site in a way that makes it easier for search engines to scan and index your site's written content. That means your site gets higher search engine rankings, gets more traffic — and gets you more business.

Makes it easy to modify or upgrade your site in the future
Unfortunately, many organizations have their website built by a developer who doesn’t believe in complying with web standards. So when it comes time to modify or upgrade the site, the web developer faces a nightmare trying to figure out how to build upon the shaky foundation of the first guy.

How does that affect you? It means you’ll pay more for the upgrade, or more likely, you’ll completely junk the site and start over from scratch.

That won’t happen when I build your site. My fixation with standards compliance guarantees a simple, cost-effective upgrade or modification as your business grows.

Portrays your business exactly the way you want it to be portrayed, to all visitors.
Your website represents your business to the world. So naturally you want precise control over how your website portrays your organization.

However, visitors to your site use many different types of computer platforms and browsers — each affecting not only what they see on the screen, but how they can navigate and interact with it.

My obsession with standards compliance means that all of your visitors, including the disabled, enjoy the same experience with your site — an experience that portrays your organization and brand exactly the way you want.

Makes surfing your website fast
Your site must respond immediately to users. Too many companies are trapped into commissioning sites that are bloated, graphics-heavy monsters that take away from your message.
Makes navigating your website simple
Site navigation must be simple, organized, and not inundate the user with endless lists of links. Visitors to your site must easily find the information they’re looking for.
Ensures your site has a clear purpose, and executes on it
A clear purpose for the site must be defined and then executed. If you’re in the business of selling widgets, just sell widgets! Make sure that your site is about funneling customers into buying widgets, period.

web programmer • strategist • consultant

My Approach

Standards compliance:

Usability: