Building a truly great, bespoke website that will visibly enhance the online profile of my client is always (and has to be) a well thought out process that requires due diligence. 

Quite frankly a web developer who starts coding on day one and has a site ready a few days later cannot have taken the time to fully understand their client’s needs and the result will be a generic website that will not help and could even harm a company’s online reputation.

A good web developer will take the time to fully understand what a client wants from a website, what features the website needs to have and how best to achieve the required results.  A good web developer will be able to explain precisely all options available and the pros and cons of each choice. A good web developer will focus on the client first and then builds a website. In that order.

DP Web Development is an example of good web developer, even if I do say so myself. Why not contact me to find out?

But this is only the start of the story.

There is so much more that needs to be considered:

·         SEO: A Good web developer will tell you about Search Engine Optimisation and how the content can help its position on search engines (like Google). A good web developer will be able to focus every aspect of a website with SEO in mind.  At DP Web Development all coding of the website will be done with SEO in mind. I can also write the copy if needed.

·         Analytics: A good web developer will allow the client to see exactly how well their website is performing by being able to see how many visitors the website is receiving, what pages are popular and what are not as well as being able to compare activity week on week, month on month or even year on year. DP Web Development includes analytics on all websites free of charge.

·         Social Media:  A good web developer will know the pros and cons of having a presence on sites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube and what will work best for each particular organisation. DP Web Development can create a link to all social media sites free of charge and for a small cost help maintain these site with regular updates on Facebook along with daily “tweets” on Twitter.

·         Essential pages: A good web developer will be able to advise to a client the webpages that should be included on every website such as contact information and an “about us” page. DP Web Development has over thirteen years of experience in this area.

·         Navigation: A good web developer will know how important clear navigation is to a website. Bad navigation can kill a website. DP Web Development will work out a clear map before starting any coding with enough scope to add new content when needed.

·         Cross Browser compatibility: A good web developer will know that browsers (Firefox, Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, etc) can display web pages differently and will need to code correctly so that there is consistency across all browsers. DP Web Development guarantees that all websites will work across all the latest versions of the main browsers.

·         Maintenance:  A good web developer will know the importance of maintaining a website once it is built. Continuing to put fresh content up. removing obsolete data. Building in new features as technology continually improves. DP Web Development offers a maintenance service that will look after all areas of the website. Adding content when needed, removing old content. Adding in enhanced features and sorting out any downtime.

Other things to consider are making sure all code is up to industry standard (you’ll be amazed how many aren’t).  Even the naming of a new website needs a little thought. It is important to remember that every webpage as each should serve a single clear purpose.  Images are also important and should be used correctly.

DP Web Development is on hand at every step of the process and will answer any questions or concerns immediately. There is close contact throughout the building of the website with regular updates on progress as often as you want.  As the website gets built you will be able to view it in a secure area before it goes live.

Contact me today for a bright new future in the digital world. I’ll even buy you a coffee, or a tea, or a hot chocolate. I’m fairly flexible.

I could write a book about selling. Cause I’ve done it, in one way or another, all my life.

Some notable experiences:

I have been a door to door salesperson:  Tough. With a capital T. If you can do this you can do anything. Trust me. A door will slam shut in your face. A lot.  Suck it in. You gotta smile and be enthusiastic on each and every door. Make a sell and you will love that person forever.  Proudest moment. Selling someone a photo of their house…which wasn’t there. It hadn’t been built yet.  

I’ve been an estate agent.  I learnt from this how to tell, very quickly, what people want and to best achieve their desires. I also learnt I had too much moral integrity to stay too long.

I’ve sold books. In fact I held the store record for most books sold to a single customer : )

I run my own business. This is selling a service.  And a damn good one at that!

In truth every single occupation is about making money for yourself or someone else.  Universities sell an education, shops sell products, millions of people sell some kind of service be it websites, cleaning, dog walking. It is all a sale.

That’s how the world works. The successful ones are those who can sell well.

There are a few universal truths about successful selling no matter what business you are in.

·         SMILE. It is the most simple and most powerful sales weapon you will ever have. FACT. Smile when you meet someone not just for the first time, but every time. Smile when you answer the phone. Honestly people can hear your smile. Do it when you’re charging you customer and they will leave with a positive feeling even if the rest of the sale was nothing out of the ordinary. Smile when you’re on your own doing shit you hate. Trust me, it rubs off and you will be doing a better job. Go on try it NOW!

·         People don’t buy your product. They buy you. Or the experience you provide. It could be the atmosphere you provide, the aesthetics, the genuinely better service you give (is everyone smiling?).  It could be anything. It is that one thing you can give that no one else does. That’s why people buy from you and not (let’s face it) the same product further down the road. It is up to you to work out what this experience is. Try to define it exactly so that you know what you are aiming for.

·         The customer is not always right. But hey, they don’t have to be. I guarantee that you will meet a total moron who has  absolutely no idea what they are talking about. The most natural thing in the world is to give them a piece of your mind. But don’t. Try to build good will. It will pay off later. People often know when they’re being an asshole but don’t want to lose face. They will remember the person who rose above it all and continued to be professional. 

·         Customers will tolerate complications if they genuinely believe you are doing your best. You know that grumpy acne faced teen who talks on their mobile while scowling at anyone who wants to be served? That’s the same as the business owner thinking that they are doing their customers a favour by serving them. WRONG! They are doing you a favour  by spending their hard earned cash at your establishment. Remember that. Smile and say thank you! And mean it.

·         Trial and error. If you learn nothing else remember this. Some things will work.  Some won’t.  You need to spot what works and drop what doesn’t. Stagnancy is suicide. Keep innovating keep trying new things. You will learn so much and you confidence will sky rocket, I guarantee it.

Selling one thing is easy. Selling again and again and again is hard. It takes some skill and a lot of attitude, the good kind.  How do you know if you have what it takes? GO AND DO IT.

“Don’t end your life thinking what if, I wish I’d tried, I wonder what would have happened if I.. GO out and ******* do it!” – Doug Pitchers, DP Web Development