Web Site Design | Web Design & Internet Marketing

Drupal CMS Web Site with Forums

April 17, 2011 By Liz Gallagher

Schaefer Power is a leading power supply manufacturer, specializing in custom power solutions. They wanted their new web site to have content management abilities to allow them to keep their own web site content up-to-date in an ever-changing industry. In addition to content management, another major requirement for this site was to have interactive discussion forums. They wanted their customers to be able to create an account and post questions to be answered by other customers or by Schaefer’s engineers.

This second requirement was the reason why Drupal was chosen as the Content Management Platform for the job. Drupal has a Forum module integrated with the core code and strong user-management features for customer account management.
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Filed Under: Portfolio Tagged With: cms, Content Management, Drupal, web site design

Nine WordPress Web Sites in One!

April 17, 2011 By Liz Gallagher

The Quabbin Regional School District’s web site is one-of-a-kind and a prime example of how WordPress development is only limited by one’s imagination. At first I was unsure that it could be done — nine web sites, nine blogs and nine different calendars — all under “one roof.” But with a little ingenuity, we made it work.

QRSD wanted a web site for the overall district, one for the High School, one for the Middle School and one for each of the six elementary schools. Each one would be maintained by their respective staff. Each one required different pages with different content, their own news blog and their own activity calendar.
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Filed Under: Portfolio Tagged With: blog, cms, Content Management, web site design, WordPress

Custom WordPress Web Site

April 17, 2011 By Liz Gallagher

WordPress was the perfect solution for the new Hudson Public Library web site. They wanted a new look & feel for their web site as well as the ability to update the web site content themselves. The web site needed to be interactive and engaging as well as informative, so that their patrons would find it useful and would want to frequent the web site.

The library staff also researched a number of special features that they wanted to include on the web site. After a careful review of their specifications, we determined that WordPress not only met all of their criteria but would also give them many options for future growth and enhancement.
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Filed Under: Portfolio Tagged With: cms, Content Management, web site design, WordPress

Design Matters

August 10, 2010 By Liz Gallagher

I recently came across a blog post on ugly websites which claimed that design is not all that important and some of the most successful websites on the Internet are in face quite ugly. The four websites that were looked at are: Google, Craigslist, eBay & PlentyOfFish.

I don’t disagree that these web sites are both unattractive and successful, but I do disagree that all businesses can achieve that level of success with a poorly designed web site.
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Filed Under: Web Design Tagged With: web site design

Custom Designed WordPress Websites

June 15, 2010 By Liz Gallagher

I saw a tweet this week asking if anyone knew of a WordPress website that didn’t look “bloggy.” I thought that was a strange question, especially since custom designed WordPress sites are what we do best! So I tweeted back with a link to my portfolio but that question has been on my mind ever since.

Most CMS software is ugly right out of the box. Simple. Boring. And just plain ugly. Do people really think that they are stuck with the look & feel of their CMS software right out of the box?
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Filed Under: Web Design Tagged With: cms, web site design, WordPress

Make Your Web Site POP! With Color

June 2, 2010 By Liz Gallagher

I’ve been told that my web site colors are a little bold (rhyme not intended!) Some people feel this much color is too risky and other say it works for me. I guess I don’t see the risk – will people choose not to do business with me because my web site is blue and yellow? Is that how you would choose a web developer?

Don’t get me wrong. Web site colors are very important to me. I think the bold colors of my web site scream creativity – isn’t that a good trait for a web designer?

If you are afraid to over do it, try adding just a splash Read More

Filed Under: Web Design Tagged With: color, web site design

Website Copy: Stay Focused & Well Organized

March 10, 2010 By Liz Gallagher

Your website copy needs to be focused on your potential client’s needs. NOT on who you are and what you do. This requires a subtle shift in your thought process as you write your web page content. As you think about your client’s needs, try to answer the question, “What problem does our service solve or what need does our product fulfill?”

Your web site copy needs to be concise and to the point right from the home page. People don’t have the time to scroll through pages of information about your company history and the lives of its founders. This may be important to you (and could be put in the About Us section of your website) but you only have 3 seconds to grab the visitor to your home page – and they want to know “what’s in it for me?” How you are going to help them?
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Filed Under: Web Site Copywriting Tagged With: web site copy, Web Site Copywriting, web site design, web site usability, web site writing tips

A Beautiful Web Site Design Usually Starts with a Great Logo

February 17, 2010 By Liz Gallagher

People often underestimate the power of a great logo. Think of the Nike Swoosh. That logo has so much power & recognition that Nike often leaves its name off of its products. The swoosh says it all & we all recognize it.

What does the swoosh say to you? Speed. Agility. Grace. Strength. So simple, yet so strong.
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Filed Under: Web Design Tagged With: branding, logo, web site design

The Web Design Process

December 17, 2009 By Liz Gallagher

Once a client has made the decision to move forward with their web site project, they usually want it done yesterday and are surprised when I tell them that the web design process takes 2-3 months on average.

I understand the desire to have a beautiful, professionally designed web site up and running as soon as possible, but you want it done right – don’t you?

Filed Under: Web Design Tagged With: branding, cms, Content Management, Internet Marketing, logo, Web Site Copywriting, web site design

Get Happy with Web Site Photography

October 12, 2009 By Liz Gallagher

Choosing the right photo(s) for your web site is a more difficult task than most people realize. It helps if you have a general idea of what you are looking for but still most of my clients become overwhelmed with the choices as we sort through hundreds of stock photos.

The photos you choose can set the “mood” of your web site. You want them to represent your business but I think it should also reflect the personality of the business owner (for a small company) or the business culture (for a larger company.)
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Filed Under: Web Design Tagged With: stock photography, stock photos, web site design

Drupal CMS Web Site with Forums

Nine WordPress Web Sites in One!

Custom WordPress Web Site

Design Matters

Custom Designed WordPress Websites

Make Your Web Site POP! With Color

Website Copy: Stay Focused & Well Organized

A Beautiful Web Site Design Usually Starts with a Great Logo

The Web Design Process

Get Happy with Web Site Photography

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