What Would You Say You Do Here?
I build and manage websites for multiple clients and ensure that our client’s websites offer a great user experience in order to drive conversions. Mobile-friendliness and site speed are top priorities for me. I also do site maintenance to keep websites up to date with the latest security patches and core updates.
What’s A Non-digital Marketing Skill or Hobby of Yours?
When I’m not building websites, I enjoy playing guitar, writing music and camping. I’m also a self-proclaimed space nerd; on warm nights with clear skies, you’ll often find me stargazing with my telescope. I like to schedule these stargazing nights in advance so I can explore new dark sky sites, but unfortunately, due to the unpredictable nature of weather, it’s difficult to plan it (see what I did there).
What Are Some Web or Digital Marketing Pet Peeves of Yours?
As a developer, unfortunately I see lots of websites that don’t follow best-practices when it comes to user experience, mobile-friendliness and site speed. I also see some pretty outdated development tactics, but it’s my job to highlight these concerns and rectify them for our clients. Here are some of my top web pet peeves:
- Images that are not optimized for web (they are usually the main culprit for slow sites)
- WordPress sites with too many plugins. You don’t need a plugin to install Google Analytics, or to create a simple image slider. Too often I see websites that are littered with unnecessary plugins that unfortunately weigh the site down. Too many plugins will often slow your site down and make it more prone to hacking if these plugins aren’t regularly updated. Not to mention compatibility issues that these plugins can cause.
- Speaking of sliders… sliders! Ok, sliders aren’t all that bad… so long as you’re not burying your most important and valuable information in multiple slides that scroll past at lightning-fast speed. It’s been proven that this is an ineffective way to present valuable content.
What Do You Think Is Essential When It Comes to a Successful Website?
This goes without saying, but a solid website with great user experience and clear call-to-actions is key to a successful digital marketing campaign. Your site is your brand, and it needs to do a great job selling your service or product.
Also, site speed is extremely important. Users will usually leave your site if it takes longer than 3 seconds to load content – nobody likes to wait for a page to load.
Lastly, What Do You Think Is an Important Step(s) In Enhancing a Company’s Online Presence?
There are lots of moving parts when it comes to enhancing your online presence, but what keeps it all together is a strong, professional website that users can easily use and find what they are looking for.
Head to Pat’s bio to find out more about what he does here at Ontario SEO to help our clients grow.
