Chris Thomas PR

Problem

The client was looking to stand out in his field as a freelance PR professional by having his own website that communicated his values quickly and effectively to his target audience.

He already had his desired design established in the form of PDF documents, what he required was someone to build it into a working website that could be updated easily.

Solution

I decided to use WordPress for this project which provides a simplified administration area out of the box. I knew such would empower him to adjust the website's text and image content to his heart's content with no need for further assistance upon completion of the site.

While the bedrock of the design was already finalised, I added a number of creative embellishments to further enhance the aesthetic and ensure several aspects that had been missed in the original design were covered.

The finished product is now a lively and engaging website reflecting his vision and tailored to his specific audience. A dynamic video presentation is set on the front page enticing the user to enter the main site and explore the content further. Upon doing so they'll find an abundance of case studies of the client's previous work. Each case study page provides a clear call to action that the client wants the user to take, in this case, making contact.

Process

This entire project from beginning to end was completed remotely via email. I would examine the design documents, build out the design, element by element, on a development site on my local server, and make notes of anything that required clarification or feedback along the way. Week by week, I would then present these notes to the client who would in turn respond with answers to my questions, and the work proceeded after this fashion throughout.

Upon completion of the project I undertook a comprehensive series of cross-browser testing rounds to ensure that it was accessible and functional on a range of different devices and browsers, this I did both before and after migration of the website to the final server.

Methodology

I handled the configuration and set up of WordPress and security components, building the site according to the design specification, installing the website on the server, configuring the domain name to work with the website, testing the site for responsiveness and functionality, and everything in between.

Making use of StatCounter, I was able to establish which devices and browsers had the largest market share for the client's geographic distribution of potential clients. From this I could establish which devices and browsers to give greater priority to when it came to ensuring access and compatibility with the finished site.

I used LambdaTest's cross-browser testing suite (which provides device emulators of varying kinds) in order to test out the site's responsiveness and functionality. During the process I found and fixed a number of bugs and submitted a comprehensive test spreadsheet to the client upon completion for future reference.

Results and impact

The client was delighted with the final outcome and left a glowing testimonial highlighting his impression of the site and collaboration. I was particularly pleased to hear that the new site had secured 2 new projects within just a week of launch.

Inclusion of Google Analytics integration ensures that he can continue to monitor website engagement and refine his content to increase traffic as needed. The decision to use WordPress was definitely the way to go in allowing him to make such content changes without further assistance.

Testimonial

If you have limited technical skillset, but are a creative looking to push the boundaries of what’s possible with your website portfolio, I couldn’t recommend Shay enough. I wanted a website to advertise my freelance PR skillset to generate independent projects. It’s fair to say the site has exceeded expectations, not only in terms of transcending the original design, but also securing two projects within only one week of launching.

We completed the whole project remotely. Even despite this, Shay went the extra mile to deliver value-adds both in terms of the websites physical appearance and it’s traffic measurement capability. He is experienced with tackling even the most sophisticated technical challenge - which in the case of this project, was having an innovative landing page, with a bespoke user experience included. I wouldn’t hesitate to hire him for a development or design project.

Working with Shay is practical, especially if you’re already busy. We completed this website, whilst I managed full-time job, which left very little time for technical consideration. Shay broke-down and explained everything clearly, which allowed me to make fast quick decisions about the design elements. The project was done on time to a standard which exceeded expectations. I couldn’t recommend Shay enough... Shay went the extra mile to deliver value-adds both in terms of the websites physical appearance and it’s traffic measurement capability.