About HeidiCool.com — Web Design & Strategy
Established in March, 2009, HeidiCool.com provides goal-oriented Web sites, social media consulting and Internet marketing strategies for businesses, universities, individuals and others interested in developing an online presence that works with, and supports, their marketing and communications goals—while also supporting the needs and expectations of site visitors.
The Cool Web development philosophy
As a table is supported by its legs, a good Web site is supported by clean design, valid code, semantic mark-up, appropriate content and a logical, user-friendly navigational system.
But most of all a site must be designed with a purpose. This purpose, the goal of the site, helps us determine the appropriate target audience and the content we'll need to reach that audience, make a connection, and reach our goal—whether that's selling widgets, promoting a service or disseminating information. This approach is explained in greater detail in my Planning Your Web Site Tutorial.
Planning and designing the site is only the first step. If we start with a well constructed site that incorporates search engine optimization (SEO) we can make our sites more findable, but we still need to spread the word. By applying the right blend of traditional and social media marketing strategies, we can not only let people know our sites exist but also let them know the value they provide.
Heidi's Background
I have over 15 years experience in Web development with a background in marketing including: direct marketing, graphic design, writing and photography. Prior to founding HeidiCool.com I served as Webmaster for Case Western Reserve University, overseeing the university home page and developing sites for departments across campus—ranging from the Office of the President and the Campus News Center to the Annual American Music Masters Conference and Alumni Relations.
When I started building Web sites, I did it just for fun. At the time, I was marketing law books and just wanted to learn about the new technology. Soon my experiments drifted into my work as I built an Intranet site for our division and began providing Web content for my product lines. Within a few years I left legal publishing to write and build Web sites for Case Western Reserve University.
The field has evolved tremendously in a relatively short time, and that's what makes it so fascinating. Today it's not just enough to build a well-constructed site, but we need to make sure our content is optimized for search engine optimization and think about new ways to promote our sites, products and services through social media.
By constantly reading about new Web trends and best practices—and writing about what I've learned on my Web Development Blog—I work to keep abreast of the latest information so that I may continue to offer the most appropriate strategies for any given Web project.
