Here is a bit of info you might not know about web surfers, generally if they have not decided within the first 6-8 seconds of visiting your web site that it contains the information they need, they hit the back button and try the next one on the list. 

"You don't get a second chance to make a first impression" has never been more true.

I design from a marketing perspective. My background is 18 years in sales and marketing doing both inside and outside sales of both services and products. Since 1997 I have been using the internet to make my living, keep in mind, in 1997 there was virtually no E-commerce, Google was not on line yet and amazon.com was just out of the garage.

I took on the role of webmaster for a media distribution company because back then handling the web portion of a business was a "somebody has to do it"  job. No-one really wanted to do it since no-one knew what it was or how it all worked, but it was becoming apparent, you better do it.  So I learned to create websites, get them up and running, keep them secure, implement on line shopping, get into search engines, and market web business and brick and motor stores using the internet.  I learned how to make ads and animated banners and optimize images, use keywords and well, the list goes on and on. I designed my first web site while using a 28k modem and it was a godsend after that 14k, my speed doubled overnight, by comparison I am currently on a connection that it is literally 29,000 times faster!

I am not that guy that went to the local CC and got a certificate as "website guy" I am that guy that started doing this when there was no school and there literally was no-one for me to ask, I kept hammering away at it until I got it.  I spent years managing businesses and learning to sell, products & services before getting into web design, as a result I have a much greater understanding than "just out of school website guy" of what it takes to keep a business running and to make it grow.  I have strugeled to get people to walk in through the front door of my small business, I know how hard that is, and how alone it can feel. Im not trying to get all warm and fuzzy here but I really do get it, its not theory with me, been there, oh, wait I am there.

These days you hear "web 2.0" a lot, it is a way of saying that the internet has matured and is moving on to its next "whatever" when it comes to websites that is very true, the problem is many designers are so enamored with what they can do, that they lose perspective about what the website is trying to accomplish.  They are so busy making things bounce and spin, and trying to dazzle you with their abilities that the site simply becomes annoying, hard to navigate, and generally clunky (an official web design term :).

The thing I do not do is lose the perspective of why you are having a web site designed, my background makes me uniquely qualified to do this.  When I think about the layout of your website I'm not thinking, how can I make this spin, I'm thinking how can I make this convert to a sale, or an order, a reservation, phone call or get that customer to walk through your door.  I am thinking about ways to increase your exposure to your local community, I am thinking of ways to position your website to get you more business, period!

If you want a website that's a little square box in the middle of a great big page, using microscopic font because it never occurred that customers are over 30 and they might have difficulty reading microscopic text.  Or you want your website made out of flash because, "its awesome"....a search engine cant see it, but that shouldn't affect your business much, should it?  Then I am not the guy for you, if you want a site made to help grow your business, you might want to give me a call. I'm Bob my number is .

I am a big believer that you must have a website if you have a business, but I'm a bigger believer that first and foremost a website is sales and marketing tool for your business.  I have continued to learn new techniques and educate myself on the latest technology, but I also exercise a great deal of restraint in their use.

I have also designed a number of web businesses, and by that I mean a business that is a website and not a brick and mortar operation, designing a website for that type of business is very different from making a site for a company trying to get foot traffic.  If that is your need I have those skills too!

    Next: What Does It All Cost
 

Yellow Page books are going the way of the buggy whip!