Sample Website Package

A sampling of the websites that I have created &/or maintain are listed on my Links page. Some of my favorite projects have been collaborations with my dad (like The Public Press). I recently set up a website that is designed so that its owner will be able to take over its maintenance (Heartsong Farm).

For my ever-evolving philosophy of web design, click here.

How much have you got in your pocket?

Seriously, I will work with you to help you get what you need in a website within the limits of your budget. For more on website budget, click here.

I can scan pictures or use electronic copies if you have them. I can make them into the right size here. For more on images, click here.

Well... one of the infuriating/fun things about the web is that every body has a more or less unique set up when they're looking at them. So we can use a font like curlz or papyrus but since I don't happen to have that font installed on my computer I won't see it like you will. I'm no font queen, but I'd guess that your average visitor won't have it either. I'm not saying we can't use it & anybody else who has the font will see it as you do but I have about 200 fonts & that's not one of them. In general I try to use only the most common fonts.

What we can do is make images with the font you like (if I can find it) & use those for titles & buttons (the logo above is an image).

There are many ways to do this (& people who make a job of it). I like to spend my time effectively by using the simple & lasting methods like keyword optimization & careful reciprocal linking with other websites in your niche. For more on search engine optimization, click here.

Putting out a newsletter with my dad & good friend Stephen Morris was one of my favorite tasks at Chelsea Green. We went all out, making a colorful (especially that halloween one!) online edition as well as the plain text one we emailed out to our list. Both editions were very popular, but the online one got traffic throughout the month -- I highly recommend doing both editions.

StirringTheCauldron.com, a collection of Jessica Prentice's new moon newsletters, is a fantastic example of what can be done with newsletters.

I can do the mailing & create the page -- you just need to supply the content. Note: this is a project of its own & is not included in the basic website package. For the Sample Website's own online newsletter, click here.

One of my most recent (& most exciting) projects was a make-over for one of my favorite authors, Julia Alvarez. She had a website but it wasn't "all hers" so I helped her get her domain name (that's another story: JuliaAlvarez.com) & reworked the pages (without changing the look much at all) so that they work better on different browsers & also for search engines. Most parts of the site are now delightfully easy to change, making the inevitable updates a breeze (I hope I haven't jinxed myself!). To top it all off, I learned a few new tricks from the work of the Middlebury webster, Alex Chapin (not to mention receiving a sweetly signed copy of In the Name of Salome, sigh).

It is worth pointing out that not all computers & programs are compatible so I can't answer this question completely without seeing your site. I would be happy to take a look & let you know what I think. Sometimes it is best (or at least more fun!) to take the content & start over with a new design.

The thing that I see most frequently is a website with pages so wide that I have to scroll left & right to see them all. I hate that. True, I could resize my browser to see most of it, but my eyes don't read as well when the lines are too long (& many people don't have the space to widen their window -- they're forced to scroll, or worse: leave). I don't even usually link to sites like that, no matter how wonderful the people are (I have a big screen & this one makes me scroll).

Search engine optimization is another important thing that's worth some work even if you do nothing else to your site. Of course it's important to have an easy to use, attractive site if you're trying to get people to come to it, but once you've got it, you need to call attention to it.

The next sentence is almost always "I have FrontPage^®" & I'll tell you right now I'm too much of a snob to work with that program & its sloppy code. I like clean, simple html & most of the programs that allow you to make a webpage without understanding anything about the code don't make it that way. But never fear! If you can copy/cut & paste then you can "learn" html, & better too. We can do this in a way that will work well for you, me & those never-to-be-forgotten search engines.

For a good html editor (that will help you out without messing with the code, try this one: chami.com/html-kit/.

The simple answer is yes. This is a complicated question & I would be happy to discuss it with you further if you are interested. To process orders online does require a significant investment, but there are many options.

At Boistfort Valley Farm there is a simple printable order form which must be printed & sent in with a check. The Public Press uses PayPal buttons to sell its books. Heartsong Farm is about to get a shopping cart system using PayPal for now with an option to expand if they choose to add credit card capability later.

I would be happy to work with you to register your domain name. Even if you're not quite ready to set up your website, if you've got the best idea for a domain name, go get it! I get great service from dotearth.com.

It is important to have a host who is easy to work with, so if you do not already have a host, I would love to include a hosting package to go with the design. I am very happy with my host & I am pleased to be able to offer hosting in addition to the web design package.

I'll let a good friend of mine answer this one: Y-U Need a Website, by Stephen Morris, publisher extraordinaire.