Ask me a question. ⇧

I think I might need/want a website. What now? ⇧

The next step is to schedule a consultation with me. The goal of this first meeting is to capture the essence of your project. Talking with you and learning about what it is that you do is by far the most important thing for me.

So, how much is this gonna cost me? ⇧

Possibly the most common yet most dreaded question ever asked. I quote by the project, so to get a more accurate estimate we need to schedule a consultation. There are simply too many factors involved to give you a cost estimate without first understanding your needs.

Here is an excerpt taken from a good article about cost with some things that you should keep in mind:

• Details. Professional designers pay particular attention to the details that will make or break your site.
• Time. Most people who end up using a professional designer understand that their time is worth something, and that spending your time on your core business is one of the best places you can invest your time. Working with web professionals allows you to tap into our experience and knowledge and save hundreds of hours.
• Experience. A professional designer isn't just selling you hours on a project; we're selling you years of experience in the sometimes-overwhelming world of the Internet.
• Knowledge. When you hire a professional designer, you are also getting access to a wealth of information that we've gathered and are happy to share.

How long will all this take? ⇧

Building a good website is not an instant process, nor should it be. That doesn't mean it can't be; when creativity is involved anything is possible. Some projects take a week, others can take months. I am never working on just one project at a time, so I spend a few hours a day per project.

You built me an awesome website! What do I do with it now? ⇧

It is time to get that website online! You need to find a hosting service that will meet your needs. I will gladly give you suggestions on what to look for in a web host based on your website's requirements. I also offer hosting for all of my clients.

I know exactly what I want, can you just build it? ⇧

Absolutely, yes I can; however, your money will be better spent if you involve me from the beginning of your project. You might be thinking, "Of course he would want to be involved from the beginning because then he will make more money," but in reality I might end up saving you money and time. It is a known fact that it takes more resources to make a change later in a project than at the beginning. By utilizing my expertise from the beginning I can guide you around the pitfalls that result in more time and money later.

What do all of those buzz words mean? ⇧

Aesthetic Design

This is just a fancy way of saying that your website will look good. Many designers equate good looks with taking more time, which as you know time is money. So why don't I charge more money for a better looking website? There are two main reasons. The first is simply that I don't enjoy producing ugly websites. The second reason is that I enlist the services of top notch designers that design for a living. This means they have the experience and reputation to produce great designs efficiently.

Information Design

Probably the most thankless and underestimated category of design. Information design is most useful when you don't know it's there. It is the artistic science of delivering information in a way that is effective and efficient. In many ways information design is the content backbone of usability.

SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

SEO is the basic concept that if you build a properly structured and meaningful website then search engines will rank your website higher in their search results. Right now an SEO expert just dropped dead because of my gross over simplification of SEO. It is true that there are techniques that work better than others and in specific situations depending on what search engine you are targeting, your marketing goals, &c. The end result is still the same. If you build the site properly from the beginning then it should already be optimized. So what about sites that weren't built right to begin with, can't they still be optimized? The short answer is no. If your car is running badly and you install a new air filter is your car optimized? Of course not, in the same way adding SEO to a badly structured site isn't going to optimize it. This doesn't mean that it won't help your website be better the same way a car will always run better with a new air filter than with a dirty one.

Usability

On the surface usability seems self explanatory - how easy the website is to use. The reason many designers charge extra for a more usable website is because it takes more time and work to develop a website that is both easy to use and still looks good. Like me, you may be wondering why a website developer can't instinctively build an easy to use website. The answer is because they are from a different planet. I have solved this problem by deploying super top secret methods (I ask normal people to use the site and give me feedback) that lesser web companies are still trying to figure out.

Why are website validations important? ⇧

In order for website developers to build websites that look and function predictably in all current and future browsers there has to be a standard guideline that specifies how website code should work. Although we are not yet at a point where all browsers follow the same rules for how code should work we are getting very close. The W3C ↑ is the international consortium responsible for the specifications we have today. When a website validates ↑ you know that the developer has taken the time to ensure the website code is used properly and is without errors.