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We currently have 2 full-time website designers, myself, the owner of Premier Website Solutions, and a more graphical partner. We also have others we go to for tasks we can't do, so between the 2 of us and outside help, we can do pretty much anything. To see examples of our work, just check out our client sites page and look at the ones we designed.
 

About the owner:

I have been writing my own html code, from scratch, for 10 years now. I believe in writing clean, easy to read code that conforms to current standards. Most of my work is done with an advanced text editor because most visual page creators result in excess code and don't always make it easy to make changes later.

IE isn't the only browser in the world. When I design a site, I test it in all popular browsers and platforms. I prefer websites to work and look good to just about every visitor. I also have my own general rules in what makes a good website. (see below)

When it comes to programming languages, my favorite is perl. I started using it almost the same time I started using html, and when I need a perl script, I usually write my own rather than looking for what I want. That makes it much easier to modify later. We have a few clients with shopping carts and each one is using a shopping cart system I designed myself. A few also have custom website editing functions I designed myself.

A couple years ago I started using PHP and found it quite easy to use since it is very similar to perl with it's own advantages and special purposes. Javascript, I know how to use as well, but I don't write a lot of custom javascript functions because it is so easy to find almost anything already out there. Simple functions, I generally write from scratch, but more complex ones, I usually find something close to what I want and customize it.

For Flash work, I use a program called Kool Moves. It lets me do some pretty interesting flash work without needing to get too deep into flash programming. My partner uses SWISHmax. We used to get outside help with flash, but now we do all but the most complicated jobs ourselves.

I'm very good with doing graphic work, but graphic arts is one of my limitations. I can create, modify, or edit, just about anything, but when it comes to coming up with the original idea, I don't have much of an imagination. That part is handled by my partner. I'm more technically minded. Writing code and managing servers is more for me.

I also know how to get listed on search engines, and how to make a site that search engines like. Do a Google search for "website solutions". The last time I checked, we were #5 out of 100,000,000 results. That's not the top 1%, it's the top 0.00001%, and in spring 2007 we were #1 out of 558,000,000 results. see screen capture
We've been on page 1 for website solutions at Google for over 3 years now.

 

About the partner:

My partners specialties are PHP, MySql, and graphic arts. When working with sql databases or needing an imagination, he's the one for the job. For a lot of our website design jobs, he works on getting the initial site design, then I take over and put the pages and final site together. He started surfing the net and doing website design about a year before I did. He's also my brother. Between the two of us, we make a great team, and with a few outsiders we call when needed, there's almost nothing we can't do.

 


Here are a few notes about what we believe makes a good website.
 
Basics of a Good Website
 
A website should:
  • be easy to navigate
  • be laid out with a consistent style
  • have everything working right
  • work on all popular browsers
  • look good at various resolutions
  • have a fairly quick loading front page (there are still dialup connections)
  • have a front page that will catch the viewers attention
  • have a front page that clearly shows the purpose of the site
  • make sure text is readable (text vs background)
  • have an easy way to get answers to questions
  • be designed for search engines - include meta tags, etc


A website should not:
  • appear too complicated
  • look confusing or sloppy
  • be hard for people to find what they are looking for
  • concentrate on one aspect (design, content, or navigation)
  • have background music that can't be stopped
  • be designed focused on search engine optimization


A website should be careful with:
  • Flash front page* (not everyone wants to see or download it)
  • recent programming developments (not everyone buys a computer twice a year)
  • screen resolution (how much of the world do you want it to look good for)
  • animations (can be entertaining or irritating)
*Remember what I said a few lines back? When a new visitor comes to your site, the first few seconds are the most critical. Most people decide within 5 seconds if they want to browse the site.

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If you have any questions, feel free to contact us