Great question! I have spent a LOT of time refining my skills and developing a process.
I like to think I provide a service which combines talent, expertise, project management, quality control and ongoing support for my clients.
Some of the things that you might like to know:
- I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science and an Associate’s of Art in Web and Graphic Design. I have worked as a computer programmer for 20+ years and have been working as a website designer tutor and a web and graphic designer consultant since 2011.
- I am serious about my business. I play by the book and have good systems in place. I pay for premium services to ensure I am providing my clients with quality solutions.
- I have a rule of not over-committing to work to avoid client frustration.
- I won’t just build your site, I’ll train you how to use it and can maintain it on an ongoing basis if you chose.
- I have great references and past experience in design for media communications, creative arts and small businesses.
- I participate regularly in WordPress meet-ups to continue to keep my finger on the pulse of all things WordPress.
- I attend industry conferences, webinars and workshops, and regularly listen to podcasts in order to stay on the pulse.
- I am enrolled in business mentoring programs, and I invest in my own education. The technology and solutions I provide are changing at a rapid pace and I like to stay in the game.
I’m a digital designer and WordPress consultant.
This means that I have the skills to take a site from initial design concept to online completion in-house. For those instances where custom development is required, I will identify such requirements at the beginning of a project and discuss the incorporation of a development phase with you. I also have a reliable network of contractors whom I call on when a project requires more resources.
Of course, I have an office located in Greer, South Carolina.
Once you’ve filled out my website questionnaire, I will happily meet with you to discuss how we can fine-tune your website and design needs.
Message me and I’ll give you a buzz back to discuss. Alternatively, I am happy to chat with you via skype.
This page explains the process a little better.
Yes, of course. Would you like business cards, letterheads, a facebook profile page and twitter icon with that too?
I am a specialist at creating identities for small business, and helping them manage the application of their design across all their online and offline branding and marketing materials.
Click here to brief me on your logo and branding concepts.
The usual time frame for my client sites is 4-8 weeks. It depends on the workflow, how quickly feedback and approvals can be given and how much of the content/imagery/documents are ready to go before the project starts. I may ask you to join me in an Asana project workspace to facilitate this so you can see the progress of the project. Want to know what’s involved? Check out our Web Design & Production Process for more info.
For small or ad hoc jobs, yes, however I prefer to give fixed estimates for websites. If you require additional deliverables or time spent beyond the scope listed in your proposal, I may negotiate with you to charge additional services at an hourly rate. I have fee schedule that I disclose my clients when they are making genuine inquiries.
I have recently introduced a daily and weekly fee which allows me to block out dedicated time for certain projects. This is subject to my current schedules and availability. But it means, if you want me to work on your site for a predictable cost, this might be an option.
CMS stands for Content Management System. The one I use is WordPress which requires no offline software. It gets installed on to your host server and you access it via the internet. WordPress CMS is an open-source, free to use CMS which is used to create hundreds of thousands of websites around the world. It’s highly supported, easily extendable and very robust. It is also pretty easy to add, edit and delete content. If you can use Microsoft Word, then you can edit your WordPress site.
No. My preference is to build websites on WordPress where I can create designs for any industry.
That depends. (Don’t roll your eyes like that!)
I like to offer a service where I can be of most value to my clients and provide them a return on investment. This usually means going beyond what you can see, and includes feeding back valuable reporting, analytics and incorporating an ongoing support and training package. I give fixed price estimates based on your unique requirements.
I always ask prospective clients about budget up front as this will allow me to guide you in what you can expect for your investment. As a guide, I can get you up and running with a professional-looking website starting at around $3400.
Alternatively, you can hire me by the day or week to work on your projects, depending on my availability.
If you would like me to put a website proposal together for your business, start here.
Like any business, or rather, every person, I need to pay for things. The deposit contributes to the upfront fees required for immediate outlays such as purchasing images, themes, plugins and other 3rd party items. Your site may take 6 weeks to get live, without a deposit, that’s 7 weeks before I receive any payment. So the deposit is necessary for me to be able to give you my full attention while I’m working on your website. You can read more about this in my Project Terms & Conditions.
Nope. Unfortunately no.
But I’d be happy to get you started on a self hosted WordPress site.
Call me old fashioned, but I think stealing is wrong.
Copyright infringement is a serious issue in my industry and, for the same reason that I will insist you buy the license to the theme you’ve chosen rather than camp on your mates subscription, I’m also going to insist that you know where your imagery came from. That is, you took it yourself, someone else took it and you’re allowed to use it, you bought it from a stock supplier or know for a fact that you are entitled to use it.
Using images lifted straight from Google on commercial sites is not ok. I’ve been fighting this battle for years. There are many awesome suppliers of creative images out there, and many more talented photographers.
Updating your WordPress software and plugins is important for security and to limit business risk, you should be all over this.
After backing up your site, you can hit update (be prepared to restore it) and see what happens. Mostly nothing goes wrong, but sometimes plugins fall out of whack.
If you aren’t a DIY kinda person, or you’ve got better things to do, I’ve got you covered! Please check out my Client Confidence Plans. For a very reasonable monthly cost, you can sit back and let me do all the work for you.
Yes, of course. Training and video manuals are incorporated into all my proposals and Client Confidence Plans.
If you are out of my travel zone, I can offer you assistance via skype, google hangouts or similar. I will also provide you with some handy resources on how to maximise your time and play nice with your shiny new website. Additionally, I offer basic WordPress training in and around the South Carolina Upstate area or via skype.
Probably. I love training people to use WordPress, it is one of my favourite parts this my job. Check out my WordPress website training page.
Additionally, if you’re an agency or in another state from your clients, I can train them for you. Hit my up on my contact form for more info.
Short answer: Yes, if you don’t have hosting I’ll help you sort it out.
If you have hosting, I’m happy to work with whomever you have, provided they can facilitate the minimum requirements for running WordPress.
Nice of you to ask. You can find our project terms and conditions here.
Oh, you are too kind.
A Facebook plug/review usually hits the spot. Filling out my client feedback form and leaving a testimonial is also a nice way of letting my potential clients know they’ve come to the right place.
