This is what I do / Great ideas, great design, great code
First and foremost, I build craft websites
I work one-on-one with small businesses to build custom websites that get results. I don't build cookie-cutter, for-the-masses template websites on the cheap. My sites are of the highest quality. And they get results.
People need a reason to visit your site!
You could have the prettiest website on the planet, but it wouldn't matter if no one visits your site. Search engine optimization (SEO) is achieved by a combination of clean, well-structured HTML code and choosing copy (your site's content) that matches up with the terms web users search for on sites like Google. Social media sites like Facebook and Twitter bring together large numbers of people and serve as networks in which to broadcast your message and connect with others.
You cannot underestimate the power of having an electronic newsletter. Giving people the opportunity to subscribe for updates to your site is an example of permission marketing, and you can build relationships with complete strangers who become your clients over time. By keeping in contact with people who have visited your site in the past, you stay fresh in their minds and encourage them to come back. Returning visitors are much more likely to end up contributing to your bottom line.
Keyword advertising programs like Google Adwords can be another affordable way to bring visitors to your site with one of the best returns on investment in the advertising world.
Web design and development
If I have to put a tag upon myself, I say am a web developer. Of the dozen or so web design job titles that describe the same position, it's the one that seems the most accurate, attracts the least eye-rolling when you introduce yourself ("Oh, my 12-year-old nephew is a web designer") and has just enough ambiguity so people can't always pin down exactly what fraction of the web design/development world I occupy.
But tags are limiting, and I'd rather just describe what I do, so here goes.
XHTML, CSS, jQuery, PHP, CodeIgniter, ExpressionEngine, Blogs, PhotoShop, Illustrator
XHTML/CSS/jQuery | PHP/CodeIgniter | Great Ideas | Blogs/ExpressionEngine | Graphic Design
- XHMTL, CSS and JavaScript / Above all, if I had to choose one aspect of web development, I would focus on front-end design/development, a.k.a. user-interface development. I work both with clients to design their sites from scratch and with graphic designers to work their designs onto the web. Writing XHTML, CSS and JavaScript (via jQuery as much as possible) is what I've been doing the longest and what I'm best at. And I enjoy doing it well.
- PHP / Server-side programming enables the functional web. It allows websites to be "smart." Without server-side logic and database functionality, the Internet would be completely static and very boring. PHP is the most used open-source server-side programming language. Lately, I have been working with the CodeIgniter open-source PHP framework which speeds up the web development process but still allows a great deal of flexibility.
- Ideas / Creating well-designed, entertaining and useful products is the most exciting part of web development. Fostering fresh ideas make the hours of writing markup and code worthwhile. Watching the spark of an idea turn into a plan and into a website is what keeps me coming back every day.
- Blogs/ExpressionEngine / Some sites require regular updating, and content management systems (CMS) make keeping a fresh website easy. I've worked with several CMS and blog systems, and I recently decided to use ExpressionEngine exclusively after previously using Joomla, WordPress and others in the past. ExpressionEngine is incredibly flexible. It's more of a "designer's CMS." Its flexibility allows the code to adapt to the design, rather than the design adapting to the code, which is the feel of less flexible content management systems. The best part is how quickly ExpressionEngine sites turn around. From a Photoshop mockup of a site, a complete ExpressionEngine installation can be turned around in a week.
- Graphic design / While I am not a print designer, I enjoy working with Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator to design for the screen. I do most of my own web graphic design. When working with graphic designers, I have the Photoshop skills to take apart a design and adapt it to the web. Creating a strong brand is one of the most important and exciting parts of starting a company. I can help you with that. Or I can help you find an all-star graphic designer to develop an entire print identity.
Don't hesitate to call
If you have a little question or a big question, I'm happy to help. Call (843) 696-7237 or email me at sean@seanmccambridge.com.
Contact Me
(843) 696-7237
Twitter: @mccambridge
A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE ASKED about the background photo on this site. It was taken on the beach by Fort Moultrie on the harbor side of Sullivan's Island, SC. The old, wooden sea wall has been there as long as I've lived in Charleston. The beach is a great place to watch the ships and shrimpers come in and has one of the best views of downtown Charleston.