Agile, Real, People and Business Focused

Looking for web designers in Devon? My name is Glenn, a Devon web designer providing a professional website designing and development service in the UK for clients in Exeter, Plymouth, Torquay, Totnes and the rest of South Hams. I am a skilled project manager and one of only a few Ruby on Rails web developers based in South West England. I specialise in designing and developing bespoke, database driven websites and, in particular, managing small teams of Rails developers and web designers on projects like yours using Agile Web Development practices. I've been active in the web space since 1995. Whether you are a SME and require a freelance web designer / developer or you have a larger web project in need of a project manager, I would be happy to hear from you today to discuss your project. My advice is free (within reason!).

"Advice, new site design, launching your shop, I'm your man."

I have seen a change recently: the web is becoming much more 'humanised' as the Social Media revolution is starting to influence business owners' ideas about their place on the web. Technology is great, but it is people that make the web a unique challenge and a special place to interact. I am more enthusiastic than ever before about the ability to express and succeed with ambitious business ideas on the web. In short, I can help you.

I welcome your contact and can provide help and quotations at any stage of your web exploration. Read more about my personal and professional ideas and I look forward to hearing from you.

Latest Project » Launched March 2010

Phase II is underway (Sep 2010): an e-commerce improvement project...

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This client needed a lot of advice and guidance with planning, designing and developing their new website. In particular, they wanted someone to be able to listen to their non-technical requirements and translate those into real solutions. My non-jargon, loosely "Agile" approach to web projects meant that we developed each feature step-by-step, with many iterations and NO SURPRISES. The client is happy! For those interested in the techy stuff, listed briefly below are the services I provided / the technology choices made over a three month period comprising phase one of the project with further phases planned:

Domain Transfers, Portfolio Management & DNS Configuration
VPS / Ubuntu Linux Server Setup incl. Firewall, SSH Secure Access & more
Ruby on Rails, Gems, Capistrano, Passenger, Apache2 & MySQL Setup
Use of Blueprint CSS Framework; XHTML & CSS Validation
Bespoke Content Management System (Rails) incl. Content, Pages & Other Admin
Rails Based Submission Forms & Other Features incl. Search / Results Feature
Creation of MailChimp Account & Integration with E-newsletters on Website
Setup of E-junkie E-commerce Account to Manage Products & Shopping Process
Configuration of E-junkie Account: Branding, Shipping Rules, Voucher Codes...
Creation of PayPal Business Account for E-commerce Payments via the Shop
Full SEO Services incl. Website Page Optimisation, URLs, Keywords, Titles...
Setup of "301 Redirects" for old Website URLs in Search Engines
Setup of Google Account incl. Webmaster Tools: Sitemap, Analytics, Adwords...
Creation of & Integration with Social Media Sites incl. Facebook, Twitter...
Cloud Based "Corporate Strength" Email Systems Advice: Google Apps Chosen
Cloud Based User / File Management & Backup Solutions: CTERA Chosen

Some Visual Project Snippets

Integrated with MailChimp

Clear Navigation & Branding

Set up for popular Social Media sites

Simple RSS Feed of Tweets

Use of popular Large Fonts styling

Modern, Bold, Oversized Footer

Database Search & Results feature

Forms capture all data in the database

So, do you need Glenn?

If you identify with one of the following people (actual quotes (paraphrased) from just a few of my clients), you could well do with talking to Glenn today before you go any further with your web project!

"I'm John and I find it hard to find a decent web person..."

JOHN: I've had my company website done 3 times now and despite having spent thousands and thousands, I STILL don't have what I want and it doesn't even work properly!

GLENN: My Agile approach to web projects means that I can develop exactly what John wants from the ground up - a fully tailored solution, no 'pushiness' about a particular CMS product or resistance from the developer who wants to do it 'his way'; basically, you get what you want and without breaking the bank. (SOLVED)

"My name is Paul and I know what I want but can't explain it in web terms..."

PAUL: This is my first web project, I don't buy online myself BUT I know what I need from my new e-commerce website in terms of how my business works and how I know my customers think - this MUST get across on the website.

GLENN: I listen very closely to what my clients say and even become a temporary expert in their businesses for the duration of the project! This means that I can translate Paul's business requirements into useful website features and other content. Equally, I use plain english to explain what I will design and develop so that Paul can comment and be part of the process. (SOLVED)

"Hi I'm Jonathan and I have to able to compete online..."

JONATHAN: My competitors in my business's geographical area have a strong online presence in terms of search engine rankings etc. but I don't know where to start; AdWords looks like a jungle to me, being a Podiatrist and all, I just want to focus on my business and not have to learn so much.

GLENN: I develop websites to be Search Engine Friendly so that they are optimised for Google and other search engines to find, index and rank (known as SEO). Too much jargon? Simply, I'm up to speed with modern web technology, the latest thinking in how to please the search engines and I use other techniques to help raise Jonathan's website above his competitors. (SOLVED)

I have many more of these but I think you get the idea? Let's move on - read more about my approach and get in touch directly (see links below) or feel free to read my blog and tweets - links in the right column.