Your website is the most important advertisement for you and your work, and you’re here because your site isn’t doing the job. It’s got a clunky Flash interface, it takes forever to load, it looks like everyone else’s website, and google can’t find it; it’s out of date, hard to update, and is difficult to add to; your contact information is hard to find, the pictures/stories/pages don’t have unique addresses so they can’t be bookmarked or emailed, and navigation is a pain. Don’t take my word for it. A web designer recently analyzed a small sample of portfolio sites on the web, and the results are astounding; 72% of the portfolios made it difficult to see an entire picture, 32% had confusing navigation, 32% did not include a phone number… And while Flash-designed websites look great, they leave a lot to be desired; here are 7 reasons to reconsider an all-Flash design. You need better.

You need a better website. You need a simple, fast-loading, unobtrusive way to display your photos. You need it to be easy to update and easy to manage. You need an integrated blog and contact sheets. You need a search-engine friendly design. You need to be able to change the order of your pictures and your stories. You need a way for editors to see your work. You need a way to be found online. You need a place to call home.

There’s no other way about it–websites should do two things: engage users and engage search engines. If your website doesn’t do both well, it limits the potential for your website to advertise you and your work. Your work should be central to the design, and the design should make clear what you do and how to contact you.

I create a website tailored to your needs. Most of my websites are for photographers and artists looking for a portfolio, but if you need a website for something else, I can do it. I use the Wordpress blog publishing platform as a Content Management System (CMS) to manage your portfolio from the backend. This means that publishing a picture or a story to your portfolio is as easy as writing a blog post or an email. I set up your webserver, your domain name, etc., if you need help with that, and do everything else needed to make your website run smoothly and efficiently. I work with you to create a visual design for your portfolio; we choose colors and collaborate on the placement of elements throughout the various pages of your site after I develop an initial prototype. All of this results in an easy-to-update website that’s appropriate for and complementary to your photography and personality.

Click on the pictures below to a view a demo design. Each uses the same backend data and software.

Every website is different, and the price for design should reflect that. Contact websites@mscottbrauer.com for an estimate. Most of my clients pay a single creative fee for the design, part of which is a deposit up front; any further updates, design tweaks, maintenance work after the initial design is approved and made live is billed at a reasonable hourly rate.