Well, today I maintained my spot in the 11th result under the search phrase the “best web designer in Canada”. Although I didn't advance, the fact that I remained the same makes me very happy.
Yesterday I started a hub on HubPages, to add to my blogs on Blogger, Wordpress, Blog.ca and TheSignWorx. This should add another set of links to help build my ranking.
To continue yesterday's blog, let's look at what I do to build a Joomla CMS based website.
Depending on the client, and the level of involvement that they want to have during their website construction, I will send them to my favorite commercial template companies or I will search for one for them. I try and find out as much about their business, and what they want to use the website for, so I can determine a template design I think goes with their plans. Once I have a design in mind, I may get them to review it before I proceed. This can be tricky, just like sending the client to the template sites, because they can spend an awful lot of time picking the perfect one, when it is not as crucial a decision as most people make it.
Whatever template is chosen for the site, will become the look that site visitors associate with the site. As long as the company's logo blends well with the site look and feel, then basically that is all that matters. The rest is just personal taste of the person selecting the template, and not the end user. I am amazed at how much time and money are spent on template selection and customization. My feeling is, as long as it looks good (opinion, I know), is easy to navigate and is customizable, then get the site up and running. If people are attracted to the content of the site, then they will tolerate tweaks to the site to improve or even dramatically change it.
I remember my daughter hating the new Facebook after their last major change, yet I haven't heard a bad word in months now. (She has obviously gotten used to the new version, as she still spends a lot of time on it!)
The look and operation of a site aren't written in stone. Everything is fluid on the web, so don't spend a bunch of time on picking a template because you like the buttons, get your website up and active, then tweak it. With Joomla, you can change the template in about 30 seconds, without any down time. Only when you change from one design company to another will you need to reposition modules, in most cases.
Don't get me wrong. Template selection is important, with regard to look, feel and operation, but it can be changed, so find the first one you like and get your site going. This to me is more important than delaying it to tweak the template. Your site visitors will not see your site through your eyes, each be looking at it with an open mind.
My favorite commercial template companies:
This is one of my secrets to being the “best web designer in Canada”, although it's not a secret anymore.
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