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Website Builds
Every website I create and client I work with is unique. That’s why I offer a variety of options available in your initial website design and build. Please contact me if you have any questions or need further consultation on what you may or may not need.
Domain Purchasing and Consultation
First and foremost, you need a domain name. This is your .com. This can be tricky to navigate and figure out where to purchase and what you need. We can set up a time to chat and I will guide you through it, as well as give some useful insight or creative input, if needed.
Storefront / Online Merchandise Sales*
Are you looking for an intuitive way to display and sell your product or merchandise? I can set you up with a beautiful, easy to use online store right on your website. You’ll be able to manage inventory and orders, receive new order alerts via email, as well as view and track sales statistics from an easy to navigate dashboard. You can also accept payment via PayPal, Square, credit card, or cash on delivery/pickup.
Food Service Online Ordering
Many small businesses have found themselves needing to implement online ordering during the last couple years, and the convenience of that is something that is not going away. I can be sure your customers have access to order online from whichever online ordering platform(s) you are using.
Untappd Feed
I LOVE working with breweries and taprooms (not just because I can write off a visit as a business expense), and I know the importance of being able to easily view a taplist from a customer’s perspective. We can easily integrate your Untapped feed on your website to make sure your visitors have up-to-date information on what’s on tap.
Social Media Feed
Everyone is on Instagram! Instead of posting pictures to your social media AND your website, we can just embed your IG feed directly on the website where it will update automatically as you post.
Logo
You need a unique, professionally designed logo to establish your branding and make yourself identifiable to your customers or audience. If you do not already have one, I work with a few professional graphic designers who can make it happen for you and put a face to your brand.
Copywriting
You need content for your website. About/biography, item descriptions, this stuff you’re looking at right now. I can take care of this for you. And if it’s beyond me, I also work with professional copywriters who will be able to.
Photography
Lastly, another service that I offer through talented people I know. You’ll need pictures of your products, your food items, the inside of your store/restaurant/brewery/bar, or even yourself or your team. No matter what you need, I can hook you up with a professional photographer that will capture beautiful images for your beautiful website.
Website Hosting & Care
Once you get your website built and running – then what? Glad you asked! I offer ALL of the following for one flat monthly fee.
I do what I do so you can focus on running your business and have peace of mind that this investment in your business is in good hands, forever. ♥
Hosting
In short: I have a VPS (virtual private server), which for me, is essentially an apartment complex I own and rent out units within for a monthly fee. This is where your website “lives”, and allows me to easily host, access, monitor, and maintain my clients’ sites.
In detail: A server is a big, powerful computer that stores and “serves” information when asked to. I rent out a chunk of one for my “apartment complex” – but that chunk of mine has its own dedicated resources that are shared with no one but me and my clients. This is superior to the cheap hosting that many big hosting companies offer. Shared hosting means shared resources. So, if one website is experiencing high-volume traffic and overloading the server, your website’s performance suffers. Think of it as having a roommate that eats your food and plays loud music that pisses off your neighbors. That guy goofin’ is causing you problems you don’t need and didn’t ask for. MY VPS solution ensures your site will always have adequate resources, and no problematic roommates.
Software and Security Updates
Since your website is essentially a piece of software, much like the software on your computer or apps on your phone, it needs regular updates. Without these updates, your website becomes vulnerable to security and performance issues. I check every day to make sure your website is up-to-date and running smoothly.
Firewall, Malware Protection, and Security Scans
Again, like the software on your computer, your website can become compromised and destroyed by bad guys. I utilize tools to protect your website from automated attacks and hackers, and regularly scan your site to ensure it is secure and clean.
SSL Installation & Configuration
This is what shows that little padlock in the address bar of websites you visit. An SSL (secure sockets layer) protects website visitors by ensuring that the website they are looking at is legitimate, and information being transferred between the user’s machine and the website’s server is protected via encryption. Other companies charge some ridiculous amount for this authentication, but I offer it for free as part of my hosting package. You can read more about SSL here.
Backups
A failsafe in case anything were to go wrong, or if we need to reference an older version of your site for any reason. I keep multiple backups on a regular basis, in multiple storage points to ensure we have a plan if any disaster were to come along.
Optimization and CDN
What good is a cool website if it takes too long to load and is hard to get around? I have a tried-and-true process in which I run tests and experiments on your site to minimize load time and get your site running at lightning-speed. The most important tool I use in this process is a CDN (content delivery network). According to CloudFlare, a CDN is “a geographically distributed group of servers which work together to provide fast delivery of Internet content.”
This means that no matter where in the world someone is trying to access your site, they will be able to access it from the closest available server to them, reducing load time, thanks to CloudFlare’s distribution service. The CDN also has a few added security benefits, which you can read more about in the link above.
Uptime Monitoring
Any time a website on my server is detected as down or unreachable, I will get an email and a text message right away notifying me so I can take action immediately and get the site back up and running and investigate the cause.
Content Updates
Need to add a new item to your store? Update or add copy or images? Add an event date to your calendar? Just shoot me an email and I’ll take care of it ASAP!
Monthly Report Card
Each month on the 1st, you will receive a report that details work that has been done on your website, updates performed, backups saved, as well as your website’s security scans and health.
