Website Design and Programming
Many web design companies are one-person operations. These companies either specialize in web design (sites that look good) or programming (site functionality and features). A few try to do both; most are unsuccessful. It takes years to develop graphic and/or programming skills and techniques. Some of these companies may do a good job on the surface, but we urge you to look a little deeper. There is a lot more to web design than just the way a site looks.
We are not a one-person shop. What does this mean for you? Well, first a web design is more than just a pretty web page. Creating an effective website is a complex process and requires several skills; no one person can master them all. At CWS we believe everyone has a specialty and that they should focus on these skills.
There are three main parts to effective web design: the look, the code, and the visibility to search engines.
The Look
Let face it, in the web world it is love at first sight. If a customer does not find your website appealing, organized, and easy to navigate they will not stick around to get to know it. Additionally, a site must be region appropriate and have a finished look. There are many websites that do not meet these requirements. The look is one of the most important factors in web design (although there are others).
We employ a full time graphic artist to ensure that each of our sites has a unique, professional, and finished look.
In addition to our full time staff, we regularly employ the services of select contract artists and photographers to ensure we have the right skill sets to design your site.
The Code
Why is the code so important? Would you want to go to a restaurant where the dining room was clean but the kitchen was a mess? Neither would we.
Let's say you want to make a change to your site; the 'cleaner' the code is, the easier and faster it is for the programmer to make those changes. Also, the cleaner the code is, the easier it is for search engines to find your information. What if you needed someone else to add to or change your website? The cleaner the code is, the easier it is for someone new to figure it out, if the need ever arose. Check your site, your designer's site, or any visually appealing site out there. Go to their web page and either Right Click and click View Source or go into the View menu at the top of your screen and click View Source. The code should have structure and look organized.
Our dedicated programmer eats, sleeps with, and breathes code. Having received his Associate's Degree in Web Analysis/Programming, he is a fully trained programmer who spends many hours a week learning the latest and best web programming techniques.
In addition to our programmer, we employ a database specialist with over 7 years experience in the corporate financial world. He builds the back end of our dynamic sits and has created the structure for our own content management system.
The Visibility
SEO, Search Engine Optimization is an art form of its own. Both our programmer and our database specialist spend countless hours researching the latest techniques to ensure your website is at the top of the list. Because many companies try to falsely raise their position on search engines, the search engine companies (like Google and Yahoo) must alter and refine their techniques and policies for ranking websites. We constantly make adjustments to our client's websites to ensure they are at the top of the search engine lists.