New Look for Falmouth Design
June 7, 2007
Taking advantage of the flexibility of using pure CSS for layout and design, I'm going to be rolling out some additional style sheets for Falmouth Design. First up is a spring-like scheme using a flower from the garden as the color scheme's inspiration. Soon to come is a beach-inspired design and a few surprises as we get further into summer. Hope you enjoy looking at it as much as I enjoyed creating it!
Freelance web designers best bet
April 1, 2007
An article in Sunday's Boston Globe outlines some ways a freelance web designer can be your best bet for getting your business noticed online. Without the high cost of a large design firm, freelancers (such as Falmouth Design!) give you individual attention and a full range of services from initial consultation, design, database development, to search engine optimization and user testing. How do you go about finding a freelance web designer? Start local. If there are small businesses in your town with a website that you like, ask them who created the site for them and how their experience was. Try the local Small Business Development Center - ask if they know of any web designers. Or your Chamber of Commerce may have some web designers as members. Find the designers' sites online and look through their portfolio. Does the work they've done resemble what you envision for your site? If you are looking for a clean and simple, fast-loading site and the portfolio is full of Flash and cutting-edge graphics, you might want to keep looking. Contact a few and inquire about available services and price ranges. Don't expect a hard-and-fast price right off the bat. Each site is unique and the price will depend on a variety of factors. Don't be afraid to ask questions - don't be intimidated by terminology that you don't understand, just ask the designer to explain in plain English what is involved in the process. If you don't feel comfortable talking to the designer, keep looking. Always make sure you get the details in writing - a well-written contract keeps everyone on track and makes sure both parties understand what is required of them, what the costs are, and exactly what services are being provided. Some questions to ask:
- Who is responsible for registering the domain name and acquiring hosting services? (Note: prices for hosting vary quite a bit so if it sounds like you're paying too much for hosting, shop around a bit and ask for other prices to compare.)
- Will the site be standards compliant? (Making sure the site complies with current web standards makes the site more accessible to those with disabilities, and makes it easier to maintain and update in the future.)
- What type of maintenance plans are available? (Depending on your needs, an hourly rate or a monthly plan may be more cost-effective.)
- What is the anticipated timeline for the site? (Remember, you are most likely responsible for providing the content - text and images - so if you lag behind, it will set back the launch date for the site.)
Customers prefer simple websites
March 29, 2007
The Cape Cod SCORE article (published in the Cape Cod Times on March 29, 2007) reinforces what we at Falmouth Design already know: customers want good, clean websites that work. Not flashy, hard to navigate, complicated sites that are built to impress the business owner. Visitors on a web site are looking for something - whether it's information or a product - and the faster (and easier) they can find what they are looking for, the happier they are (and the more likely they'll return). Don't try to trick them into signing up for a newsletter that they don't want or into purchasing additional items that they don't need. Be straightforward, be professional, and be respectful of your customers. After all, they are the reason your business exists. From the Cape Cod Times
