My name is Derek Conjar. I rapidly develop websites that are user-friendly, search-friendly, and some might say pretty cool. I don't just want to build websites... I want to build browser-based cathedrals.
Small design decisions can have big impacts on brand perception, usability, and user experience. My job is to balance all those factors, creating a UI that is greater than the sum of its parts.
My designs start out as paper mockups. Graduate to finger-lickin’ Photoshop designs. And triumphantly emerge as the code that makes your website work.
Your website is a marketing tool. It should drive search traffic, complement your copy, establish credibility, and convert visitors into leads and customers.
As usability pioneer Steve Krug would say, “Don’t make me think!” I design websites to be as simple as possible, then I look for ways to make them simpler.
HTML5 is the present. Every website I build supports the latest HTML standard, without sacrificing compatibility with older web browsers. Don’t live in the past.
Mobile browsing nearly doubled in 2012. Don’t miss out. The websites I build look good everywhere, from your widescreen monitor down to your iPhone.
I don’t stop with the UI. The “guts” of your application – the HTML, CSS, and JavaScript code, are meticulously-crafted. Easy to read and maintain.
Design is about form. Development is about function. As a web developer, I apply my knowledge of various languages, frameworks and practices to make your website work.
WordPress is a top-notch content management system. It makes it easy to manage your website. It also empowers me to develop new websites crazy-fast.
When WordPress just isn’t enough and lots of custom functionality is required, a web framework called Ruby on Rails helps me build full-stack web apps quickly.
When you’re on a webpage and see something change, it was probably done with JavaScript. You need JavaScript to do lots of cool UI stuff. I write it.
You need your website to do something. I can make it happen. I speak many languages, including JavaScript, PHP, MySQL, Regex, Ruby and Python.
Lots of copying and pasting? Stop. Let little programs on your web server take care of those dreaded repetitive tasks. Save time, money, and headaches.
Need your website to play nicely with your CRM system, or email marketing platform? Your systems are strangers. They’ll be best friends when I’m done.
Your website is an incredible marketing tool. It should be built with your marketing goals in mind. Show off your brand. Interact with your market. Track your results.
Search engines like valid, semantic markup. You get a foundation that supports good search engine optimization (SEO) practices out of the box.
SEO is mostly about writing content that people share. But sometimes, it gets kind of technical. Need some rich snippets? I’m here to help.
Use an analytics platform like Clicky or Google Analytics to monitor your web traffic. Identify trends, seize SEO opportunities, and monitor conversions.
Google cares about speed. A lot. Your users do, too. Make good use of caching, CDNs, CSS3, and other technologies to maximize your site speed.
I use contrast, directional cues, whitespace and other aspects of design to increase conversions. Copy matters most, but I put the focus where it belongs.
Designing for conversions isn’t enough. Integrate with an A/B testing software like Optimizely or Google Content Experiments, and find out what really works.