I have been designing and building websites in significant numbers since the mid' 1990s, and my philosophy is based on the principles of the creative but disciplined use of graphics and typography allied to accessibility and intuitive navigation.
I believe that websites should make their point quickly and concisely. They should also conform to the proven marketing strategies we apply to other media. Content should be easy to find via carefully planned links, and neither fashion nor 'the state of the art' should ever discourage or disadvantage visitors - particularly those with visual disabilities or those who may not have access to the very latest technology.
Accessibility and conformity standards
All my websites are designed to conform to W3C Priority 2 (Level AA) guidelines, and to fulfill the requirements of the UK's Disability Discrimination Act. HTML and CSS markup is validated using tests provided by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), and sites are tested for consistent performance in at least four different Web Browsers.
See 'Links' for more about the W3C, 'accessibility' and 'conformity'
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
All my websites are configured, as standard, to ensure their content is fully available to major search engines using guidelines published by Google. I am also happy to recommend further strategies which can legitimately be applied to enhance search engine ranking and visibility.
Domain names and website hosting
I offer domain management, hosting and technical support in association with Aspects Internet Access of Colchester and have been doing so successfully for over ten years. Whilst I'm happy to consider working with other Internet Presence Providers (IPPs) I am unable to offer any warranties in respect of their services or performance.*
E-commerce
My preferred 'shopping cart' suppliers are currently: RomanCart and 1Shopping Cart. Clients must contract their own payment (card processing) agreements.
Content management (CMS) and database functionality
My preference for Content Management (CMS) and database funtionality is to use the JOOMLA system which has an excellent track record and a wide range of attractive features.
Site examples