I have worked with clients of all expertise levels, some who knew exactly what they wanted and others who had no idea. I have seen and heard it all, and each time my client is absolutely thrilled at the outcome. I work hard to get inside the client's head, to listen to their wants, needs, hopes & goals for their website.

I want to hear about their design likes and dislikes, whether they include their color choices, layouts for the page, navigation preferences, other sites they love the look of, style preferences (antique, contemporary, shabby chic, modern, clean, etc). I use all of these discussions with my client to weave their preferences into a style that is complementary to the theme of their business.

Do I need Database & Content Management on my website?? If you are looking to add database & content management to your site, look over these questions as well:

1. Would your website be more beneficial to visitors if you had the ability to post frequent updates (i.e. daily, weekly) through the use of an administrative menu-driven (non-HTML) screens where you had the ability to enter new information into text fields, modify existing information or delete information that no longer applies?  For example, daily/weekly specials, product or service updates that change more frequently than once a month, schedules, the availability of products or services (in or out of stock), frequent price changes, calendar-related events, etc.  If so, please describe very briefly the types of information that would be changing and how often it generally changes.
2. Do you need to manage "membership" type data where your clients could log on using an ID and password where they can enter information about their needs, requests, orders, etc.  If your organization has "members" that need to communicate with you and a secure Internet website would facilitate better communication, please briefly describe these circumstances.
3. Do you have product or services that are conducive to selling on-line?  If so, please describe.
4. Do you need to post meeting notes, service bulletins, inclement weather-related hours, or any other information that changes regularly, to your website?
5. Do you have a need for site visitors to be able to search through a lot of data using search criteria?  For example, a real estate site where the site visitor can enter their criteria for a new home, or a "knowledge base" of previously submitted questions and answers where a site visitor may be able to get an answer to a question that was asked before, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week?
6. Do you have information that you only want to be available to specific site visitors that needs to be password protected?  For example, a wedding photographer that wants to put draft wedding photos on-line, but does not want anyone other than the wedding party to see them.  Or a business that posts a schedule of hours for employees.
7. Do you have any other "data-driven" information that would be beneficial to be available on your site?  If so, please describe briefly.