I partner with Wicked Code on a LOT of projects, so it was an obvious idea for me to build a new computer programmer business website for the company. Kim Paternoster and I have worked on a multitude of projects together over the years, and I understand how she wants her business to be presented to the world, even if sometimes I have to take here there kicking and screaming.
A well crafted website is mission critical for a computer programmer business website.
A website is the digital storefront for any business, and for a small or mid-sized computer programming business, it’s particularly crucial. It’s not just a place to list services; it’s a platform to showcase expertise, build credibility, and generate leads. Most programmers skew more to the engineering side of the spectrum – that’s not to say they have no artistic talent – and they tend to look more at the function than the form. (If you’re thinking about Sheldon in the Big Bang Theory, then you’re on the right track.)
The computer programmer business website should be designed with the target audience in mind: businesses or individuals seeking programming solutions. It needs to be professional, user-friendly, and informative.
Essential items for building a website that demonstrates to the viewer that the coder is a professional and a great potential business option.
Homepage:
A clear and concise value proposition that immediately communicates what the business offers. It should be visually appealing design with a modern and professional aesthetic. Easy navigation is a key for leading prospective customers through the various sections of the website. A clear call to action (e.g., “Get a Free Consultation,” “Request a Quote”) should be repeated throughout the site and should be very prevalent on the home page.
On the WickedCode.com homepage, we started with a video interview of Kimberly, which was broken into sections so the load times would remain small and users could self-select what other topics they wanted to hear more about, after the initial introduction. We applied some special effects – a noise overlay – using custom programming that Kimberly wrote.
Portfolio:
One of the most viewed pages on nearly any website – not just a computer coder business page – is the Portfolio. Potential clients and customers LOVE to see other work that a design professional has produced, and they often will get ideas or expand their criteria for a project based on seeing something unexpected that strikes a chord with them.
For the WickedCode.com portfolio, we chose a top slider to feature a handful of select projects, and then a grid based system with a pop-up overly on hover that indicated the types of computer programming that went into each project, and offered the user the ability to click through to the full project page.
Services Pages:
Most computer programmer business websites offer a wide variety of technical services, and it’s rather important to make sure that prospective clients understand the differences in both the services offered and the expected outcomes.
In this case, we divided up the services into sections based on how they are compiled – ie website, mobile application, webhosting, etc. I created a clear set of pages based on these divisions and we made sure the navigation between the sections and pages enabled a prospect to see multiple options and to be able to explore the entire site.
About Us:
Since Kim has been successfully in business for more than 25 years, it was important that we tell the story of how she grew her business, and that we provided visual cues to the viewer that would help them to understand the myriad of changes that she’s seen online during that time.
In order to accomplish this, I tracked down historical versions of her computer programmer business website, and then superimposed them on devices that would have been in use during the various eras that we referenced.
Other Features:
In addition to the marketing and sales portion of the website, we also included the following must-have technical features in the design and creation of the new version of the programmer website, in order to demonstrate best practices and correct use of available technology.
- Responsive design (mobile-friendly)
- Fast loading speed
- Secure hosting and SSL certificate
- Clear and consistent branding
- Easy-to-use navigation
- SEO optimized content
Last but not least, we made sure to include always updated copyright information, multiple contact methods, links to privacy policy and other small but important disclosures, and we sprinkled some social media links throughout the structure, instead of compiling them all into a single place that often gets overlooked.
