My skills
If you have an interest in hiring me to do some freelance work, here is a run-down of main skills, to give you some idea whether or not I can help you.
Web Design
I design objective orientated websites, landing pages and HTML emails using the latest techniques and coding. I design around the content and base my designs on the businesses web strategy, while always keeping in mind the overall business strategy.
Usability
In the context of web design, usability refers to the skill/art of producing websites or web pages that are intuitive, or easy to use. The main areas, features and content on a website should be navigated to by the user naturally, without confusion. This means the navigation should be simple and clear, the different areas on a web page should be clearly defined and the pages should not be cluttered or confusing. Usability is integral in my work from conception to completion.
Objective orientated
Every website, web page or email has an objective. The more clearly defined the objectives the better. Preferably objectives should be SMART. I will not start a project without having clearly defined objectives. If you do not have clearly defined objectives I can help you in defining them for your web strategy.
Simplicity
“Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.”
- Antoine de Saint-Exupery
This is a philosophy I appreciate and have learnt to apply in my work. Simplicity underlies usability and objective orientation because in order to achieve objectives the websites’ purpose must be clearly defined, obvious to the visitor and intuitive. A website must have a purpose and that purpose should not be blurry in the eyes of anyone who visits and uses the website. Clarity is essential in navigation, subject matter and the websites flow.
Compatibility
The world wide web is viewed by its millions of users through a multitude of different windows. Varieties in technology, screen resolution, monitor size, browser type and several other factors must all be taken into account. If any one user experience is ignored, one less user is able to fullfill the purpose of the website. I design websites to work as directed by the client on all browsers and in any technology required, whether it be mobile operating systems or screen readers (for the blind and partially sighted). This gives my client’s websites the maximum possible reach.
Search engine friendly
The first and most important user is the human being. However search engine optimization (marketing web pages to improve their rankings in search engine results) is arguably the most important area of internet marketing. I am lucky to have had a great deal of experience working in search engine optimization, both professionally and as an entrepreneur, since it’s very beginning. I understand exactly how to code and structure a website so that it is optimized for search engines. I adhere completely with Googles’ Webmaster Guidelines, meaning any web page or website I build will stand no risk of being penalized by Google or other search engines. Furthermore I can provide solid advice with regard to your businesses future search engine marketing endeavours.
Accessible
Creating websites that are accessible by people with disabilities is something that is becoming increasingly important. If a web designer tells you they don’t know how to code a website to conform to the
‘Future friendly’
If you surf the web, occasionally you might come across an old looking website, which has text overflowing onto images and all sorts of errors that make the page hard to understand or use properly. That may well be because the website was not built to adhere to ‘Web Standards‘. As a result, as web browsers (e.g. Internet Explorer) have changed over the years, the old website has gradually broken. Because I code all my websites in accordance with Web Standards my code is built to stand the test of time, meaning as browsers develop and change my websites stay the same.
Need a blog?
The answer to that question is probably “yes”. Blogs are hugely popular with businesses today. Every credible online business has a blog and more and more off-line businesses are realizing the benefits. This website is built on a ‘blogging platform’. That makes it very easy for me to add content to the site from any computer with an internet connection. I can build you a website on a blog platform without making it appear to be a blog. Your website can look and function exactly as you want it to, with the advantage that you can add content, pages and links from any computer with an internet connection and you need no experience with coding. I would highly advise anyone considering starting an on-line presence to consider having a blog as an addition to their normal website or even as the basis of their website.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
As I have already mentioned, I have a good understanding of the principles of SEO. I can provide you with strategic guidance and general consulting to help you avoid traps that could damage your websites rankings severely. I can also be of great help in helping you improve your website ranking with use of a wide variety of ‘white hat*’ techniques.
*White hat refers to SEO methods that are not construed as SPAM and could not result in a website being banned from search engines in the medium-long-term.
Pay Per Click Marketing
I have a good deal of experience advertising on Google Adwords. I have also spent a lot of time creating, experimenting with and developing ‘landing pages’ (the page linked to from an advert). There can be a huge difference between a good landing page and a bad landing page. You can literally throw thousands of pounds down the drain by sending traffic to a poorly converting landing page. Consider the difference between spending £1000 on a landing page with a 1% conversion rate** and a landing page with a 10% conversion rate, based on a £100 conversion value and a £1 cost per click advert. The former breaks even; the latter earns £9000 profit.
I work to optimize landing pages with split testing and multivariat experimentation. Experimentation is crucial to good pay per click advertising. However there are good practices and bad practices when it comes to landing pages. If you’re considering hiring someone who can’t tell you exactly what they are and how to implement them; think again. Consider your ROI, consider your bottom line. Don’t throw money at inexperience. Get it right from the outset.
**Conversion rate – describes the percentage of visitors to a page that turn into paying customers.
Email Marketing
I am skilled in the techniques involved in email marketing. I can produce HTML based emails (that look like web pages rather than just plain text). I have produced many email campaigns and email newsletters that have been received by thousands of customers. I am familiar with all of the popular email clients and how they render HTML emails – that means I am able to produce nice looking emails that don’t go wrong in some email programmes. Additionally I am experienced in avoiding factors that trigger spam filters, meaning the email campaigns I produce receive the maximum number of views.
Hire Me
If you’re interested in hiring me to work freelance on a project, please contact me.