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I am in business to help you, as a fellow small business owner, get more business with less effort by designing you a really good web site that works for you, and by remaining available for friendly ongoing maintenance and advice as you need it. What is a good website? A good web site needs to communicate your business effectively. You’ll spend less time repeating yourself on the phone and more time being productive. A good web site also needs to get across your “marketing message” – a compelling, concise statement of why people should give you their business. A good web site needs to be user-friendly: fast to download, easy to navigate, enjoyable and accessible so that your visitors have a good experience and stick around long enough to get interested. A good web site needs to reach people. It must be designed to rank well with the search engines so that people nearby and around the world who are looking for your product or service can find you. I see our working relationship as a partnership, pooling our knowledge and expertise to reach these goals and others you have for your small business. I am available for new…
Services
Web Design That Works
If we decide to work together, I want you to have a website that you’re proud of, and that reflects the quality and nature of your product or service. I want you to be happy with the process of creating it – including the price. And I want your website to be successful. I aim for professional quality throughout (if you find a typo, I’ll correct it for free), relevant design, fast downloads, compatibility with all browsers, and search engine friendliness. Wondering just what is involved in creating a website? Read about the web design process here. Hopefully it will answer most of your questions, but make a note of the rest for when we talk. If you want to know more about domains, domain names, and website hosting, you can read more here. I can get your site hosted on super fast, reliable servers with a friendly user interface. You can have your own “dot com” address, complete with business e-mail, statistics, and other services. Are you not planning to sell online but you’re still wondering what a website can do for your business? Click here to read on. Please check out my portfolio for examples of what I…
Website Re-Design
WordPress Websites
WordPress Training
Responsive Web Design
SEO and Social Media
Gone are the days when you can put your desired keywords in a meta keyword tag and expect them to work with the search engines. Google especially doesn’t look at meta keyword tags, preferring to analyze the text on the page itself to determine what the page is about. It goes back to the days (in the 1990s) when car salesman, for example, would put “sex” in their keyword tags, while adult sites would put “porche” in their keyword tags, all in an attempt to lure people who were really looking for something else. So now search engine optimization (SEO) is more complicated, and a bit of an inexact science and applied art, with lots of practitioners of varying degree of skill and ethics. There are “black hat” and “white hat” techniques, the former liable to get your site banned from the search engines if discovered. Lots of grey in the middle, too. It’s a cat and mouse game between the search engines and those who would try using tricks to influence them. Google and Bing’s goal is to give searchers the results they’re looking for. They would prefer that everyone follow a few basic rules such as having good…
Maintenance and Updates
Copywriting for the web
Website Consulting
The Nitty-Gritty
Portfolio
I’ve divided my portfolio into separate pages for the following industries and areas. I’ve added comments relevant to each industry and to the individual websites that may be of interest to you. Feel free to follow the links to the actual websites. Choose from the following categories: Construction and specialty builders Real estate Professional firms Vacation rentals, Bed u0026#038; breakfasts Artists, writers and crafts Alternative energy Associations and not-for-profit organizations WordPress-based sites E-commerce websites
WordPress Web Sites
WordPress is a popular, free, open-source blogging application that can be installed on a domain either as part of a site or as the basis of the entire site. It allows the site owner or contributors to make additions to the site themselves. It can be used as a content management system (CMS) for smaller sites. In fact, you can ignore the blogging part and just have pages, making it look like a normal website – and one you can log into and edit from anywhere. WordPress templates, or themes, are ready-made designs which can be used as is or be customized. Many plugins are available that offer a wide variety in function. WordPress keeps getting better. I changed this site to a WordPress platform in March 2011. I take care of the website for our local French school, Centre scolaire de la Rive-Sud (above, left). Recently, I’ve moved it to a multi-user WordPress network. The network gives every teacher and every committee the opportunity to have a website and/or blog. Administrators too can log in and make changes to the main site. This is my first experience with using a WordPress network with a large organization. It will take…
Specialty Builders
The internet is a perfect match for the construction business. Retirement or dream homes are planned years in advance. My clients have found that their websites have enabled them to gather a following of potential customers online. Keep people and search engines coming back with regular updates. Showcase the quality of your work with great photos, well presented. Spend less time on the phone and more time in the shop or yard — or with the kids or in a canoe – by letting the information on your website do the talking. When people finally contact you, they will be better informed. Timber Frame and Log Home Builder Websites I’ve worked with Heartwood Log Homes and Arlington Frame Company since the late 1990s, and the websites now drive their businesses. Their sites have been redesigned and updated often over the years. Both companies are located in the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia. Arlington Frame Company has spawned Timberframe Houseplans Ltd., which sells timber frame house plans online and feeds the construction side of the business as well. David Yasenchack is an artisan timberframer in Ohio who works with the beautiful species of trees growing on his Pennsylvania land to build…
Real Estate
Residential real estate agents would be best off using a website platform designed with special features for the real estate market. These platforms use templates that can be customized for you. If you are selling lots, however, or operating outside the mainstream of the real estate industry, a bespoke website is an essential business asset. Cambrian’s Cove is a subdivision near Halifax with building lots for sale, close to nature while being near all the amenities and attractions of the city. The testimonials alone would sell me on one of their lots! The website helps interested buyers, who may see the web address on “Lots for Sale” signs, learn more about the development before contacting the developer, saving him a lot of time answering questions. It also provides an anchor for a listing realtor to link to. The sale of a single lot with the help of the website provides an excellent return on investment (ROI). Eagle Ridge Green’s web site offers similar features and benefits. This subdivision is on a lake situated between the Annapolis Valley and the South Shore. Chambers Developments Inc. is a commercial real estate developer and leasing and sales agent based in Wolfville and Halifax,…
Professional Firms
Professional firms such as law firms need an online presence where potential clients can locate them, learn more about them, and distinguish them from the competition. Articles in their areas of expertise establish credibility and raise internet presence with search engines, with potential clients and with others in the field. Profiles of the lawyers and support staff help put a human face on the firm. A website gives ample space to explain services offered in detail, saving valuable time for both clients and professionals. Muttart Tufts Dewolfe and Coyle is a law firm in Kentville, Nova Scotia, and Parkland Law is a Halifax, Nova Scotia law firm. Sepulchre Regulatory Aid provides regulatory support services, including legal editing, research, writing and translation to lawyers, regulated businesses and government. Part blog, built on WordPress, the website serves to highlight to experience, ideas and writing skills of the owner (my husband). An abbreviated resume is also on the site.
Alternative Energy
Boss Solar (left) has been installing alternative energy systems, including solar water heating, solar PV, heat pumps, in Toronto and around Ontario for 20 years. Mike is a solar expert and is building an informative blog on solar and efficient heating systems. Mondial Energy (middle) operated under an innovative business model for financing renewable energy projects while making a profit. See ongoing live energy monitoring of Mondial’s projects on the site. Since Mondial was acquired by Glenbarra Energy Management Corp., we have been maintaining their websites as well. Mondial grew out prize money awarded to the environmentally-friendly Beach Solar Laundromat (right), which continues to operated under a roof full of solar panels. You’ll find lots of nitty-gritty details there, as well as live energy monitoring. Alternative Energy Websites Solar thermal and PV Renewable energy Boss Solar Mondial Energy Boss Solar has been installing alternative energy systems, including solar water heating, solar PV, heat pumps, in Toronto and around Ontario for 20 years. Mike is a solar expert and is building an informative blog on solar and efficient heating systems. Mondial Energy operates under an innovative business model by which it finances renewable energy projects while making a profit! The site…
Artists & Artisans
Websites for artists and craftspeople must embody their work. They vary from a richly-illustrated online resume, an elaborate online brochure, to e-commerce if they have a product that it is appropriate to sell online. Often the site design is a collaboration with the artist. Wee Giant Theatre (above left) animates festivals, parades and special events with its giant puppets. It also offers workshops and co-creates grand outdoor performances for all ages and runs a summer art day camp for kids. Fireworks FX is a world-class pyrotechnics company. We’re currently working on an online store for their consumer fireworks. The rich textures of de Weever’s Wovens’ hand-loomed wool cloth grace their pages (above right). Writers have text, themes and ideas which should be brought to the screen in an appealing and appropriate way. Reach Into Life Books (above left) is an e-commerce site set up with PayPal to promote and sell Doris Halstead’s books about horses and consultations on physical therapy for horses. Travellers Joy (above middle) offers shamanic pilgrimage tours to ancient sacred sites in places such as Ireland, England and Mexico and is also developing “Sacred Nova Scotia” as a tourism destination. Do Re Me and Maria’s website (above…
Vacation Rentals
If you rent a vacation home or operate a bed and breakfast, a web presence is now essential. Most tourists today plan their trips using the internet. When designing a website for a tourist accommodation business, I strive to convey a feeling for the scenery and/or the decor of the house in the website. I figure that the people who will want to stay there will be attracted to a website that reflects the house’s personality. The website has been a tremendous advertising tool and accounted for a major part of my business last year at a time when many tourism operators were struggling so I cannot thank you enough. ~ Elizabeth Measures, Whitman Wharf House While search engines bring in some traffic directly, visitors to vacation home sites often arrive via provincial or state tourism publications or websites, and by online listing agencies such as CyberRentals, Cottage Link, VRBO and others. These sites may show a few photos of your property, but if you have your own website you can have a lot more photos, convey a feeling about the place and describe the area on your own terms. HomeAwayConnect.com provides an availability calendar and a guestbook that site…
E-commerce
There is more than one way to take payment for products or services online. Your choice depends on your situation. Each choice has its pros and cons which you should discuss with someone with experience before you make your decision. At the simplest end is a PayPal shopping cart as shown on Doris Halstead’s site, Reach into Life Books (above, left) and Do Re Me and Maria‘s site (above, right). If you have only one or a few items to sell, in a limited or specialized market, the PayPal solution could be best for you. It also works for donations, as on Barefoot Acupuncturists (above, middle). Also using a PayPal shopping cart but on a larger scale is Bluenose II Company Store (left). I inherited the cart when I redesigned the site, but it really should be using another option, given the size of the store. Timber Tools (right) uses a third-party cart with “Add to Cart” buttons from CanadaCart, but is considering migrating to a full shopping cart that would make it easier to change prices. Timber Frame Houseplans (left) sells one item at a time, and includes tax and shipping in the sales price, so we got away…
Testimonials
A collection of unsolicited comments I’ve received by e-mail: I can’t believe the speedy results from your work. I just did a couple of google searches, which I have done regularily for years, hoping to see our houses come up, and already seashorehouse.com is on the first page for [keyword phrases]. Thank you, thank you for your insights, speedy response, being so easy to work with, and most of all for creating such an effective website. We would be most pleased to write a more eloquent testimonial for your website, but just wanted you to know ASAP that we are SO pleased. (February 6, 2009) We remain just thrilled with the inquiries we are getting from the website, and the rankings on google. (May 14, 2009) Carol Sifton, Vacation by the Sea I am now getting a LOT of good feedback about the TJ website from people I know although I never had an official launch…i guess the word is out….and all of the people I know that have chosen your services are also pleased, so hey, you are in a place of right livelihood that the Buddhists are always talking about, eh. (June 26, 2008) Nancy Sherwood, Traveller’s Joy…
Blog
About
My name is Heather Holm, and I’ve been designing and maintaining websites since 1997. A rather eclectic education and a broad range of life experience help me understand the needs of a wide range of clients. I have an Honours B.Sc. in Chemistry, a Masters degree in Sociology, and a variety of other training including some courses at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. Having worked in my own and other small businesses and organizations gives me an empathy for the opportunities and constraints felt by small business owners. My writing skills in English are excellent. I’m comfortable in French and Spanish and have some knowledge of German. See a more detailed resume here. Etienne (Steve) Sepulchre Sometimes I collaborate with my husband, Etienne (Steve) Sepulchre, our in-house expert in the French language. His love of the French language was nurtured by a classical education in his native Belgium. With a Canadian law degree (Common Law) followed by postgraduate studies in legislation, and a lifetime interest in aviation, he has specialized in legal drafting, editing and writing, particularly regarding civil aviation and regulations, as well as in legal translation. He is a highly skilled writer and translator, and…
Contact
HolmPage Productions RR#2 Mahone Bay Nova Scotia, Canada B0J 2E0 (902) 627-1294 heather@holmpage.com
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Timberframe Houseplans
