Thomas Barillier Designs has been in the business of building websites for over a dozen years, offering the highest quality websites for corporations, professionals, small businesses, artisans and individuals with an emphasis on direct design. Our success can be found in our fundamental directive that although it’s important to hear “Your site looks fantastic,” it’s more important to hear “I found what I was looking for.”
So, what is direct design? Many website designers use tricks and gimmicks that are fun to watch as they pass across the page, but they can also be a distraction from your message. It’s been said a picture is worth a thousand words, but if that picture has nothing to do with what you do, it can be worthless. Ask yourself, when you visit a website, did that photo slideshow, on the landing page, make or break your interest in the product or service offered? Was it a deal maker or breaker or did it really have nothing to do with your decision? Although it can be pleasing to the eye, isn’t the most important part of decision making still the skills or product offered? Having said that, it does serve in one way. It serves the developer, who can charge for these useless gimmicks.
The Nielsen Norman Group, one of the leading web consulting firms, said in a report: “If the web page survives this first — extremely harsh — 10-second judgment, users will look around a bit. However, they’re still highly likely to leave during the subsequent 20 seconds of their visit. Only after people have stayed on a page for about 30 seconds does the curve become relatively flat.”
And, here lies your goal. How do you keep the visitor there for 30 seconds?
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Thomas Barillier Design has a philosophy that content is king. If you do only have 30 seconds to capture the interests of a visitor, isn’t it better to take that most valuable time presenting strong content rather than clever slideshows and bus bench type phrases that bounce in and out of the screen? Strong content will give the visitor the ability to quickly determine whether it is in their best interest to continue on.
One of the hardest points to get across to my clients is that the purpose of your website should never be to close the deal. Instead it should be as an enticement to get that visitor to go to the next step. That being to contact you. There is where the deal is made. My goal is, capture that visitor and keep them there until they weighed out whether they have further interests in what you offer. The rest is up to you to “Seal the deal.” Within my budget is the addition of a powerful plugin tool called “Yoast.” It is considered by most experts as the best SEO (Search Engine Optimization) tool available, but it also serves as a primer to help you write the highest web friendly content. And, although you may decide to employ the services of a content creator or an SEO expert, it will allow you to better judge the quality of their work.
I use the WordPress platform for all the websites I build. WordPress is the most popular platform used on the web, used by such notables as The New Yorker, BBC America, Bloomberg, Variety, Sony Music, The Walt Disney Company, and even Microsoft News Center. This platform allows the administrator of the site to compose and edit at real time, and through the years, outside vendors have created plugins (apps for the laymen) that provide thousands of high quality actions from special popups to contact forms. Along with the plugins, there are also thousands of themes, that like skins, can be place over the platform that help you to get the best look for your site.
Finally, one of the most important parts of the success of your website is the hosting service. Hosting presents your site to the public, they protect you from intrusions, and serve as the heart of every website. I use Bluehost Hosting for all my sites. Bluehost has been consistently ranked in the top 5 for years and it’s costs are competitive. And, although their basic service speed is equal or better than other services, they also offer special services for WordPress at a premium fee that enhances the performance and download speed of your site. This option can be discussed at a later time.
In conclusion, I hope I have not only presented my talents as a web designer, but more important, my philosophy of what makes a great site. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact me and I will be happy to answer them. I look forward to working, not just for you, but with you, because the most important part of a successful site, is collaboration. My goal is not just to build you the best website for your needs, but to educate you on how to get the most out of that website.
Tom Barillier