Introducing our clients to a great Web Designer is very often the next step after a client comes to see me for a rebrand. Having a website gives your business credibility and makes your brand easily accessible worldwide! Our favourite Web Design and Development partner is SM Web Development. We sat down with Spencer Mortenson, owner of SM Web Dev to talk about what he does and how it is the next important step for your branding.

Can you explain a little bit about what you do as a web designer?

For myself, I like to start by going into the business whether that’s a virtual meeting or going into their office and learning more about their business and how they operate. Then I work to find online systems we can build out into their website to incorporate it into their business.

The other aspect is the design itself. If they have a great graphic designer, then we grab the branding package and make sure that the website is aligned with what they put out to the public. 

I like to try to build a site that will look good and that they’ll be happy with. It also has to be functional. Functional means a lot of things, but for me, it means that a website is a good tool for their business which could be lead capture, off-loading customer support or fulfillment and delivery. 

How does a website influence a company’s brand?

The look and feel are very important. It should be very congruent with how they want their brand to come across. For example, I’ve worked with both yoga people and a personal training gym. The yoga instructors want a more gentle and relaxed feel to their website, which will be a big part of their brand, whereas the gyms want to be more “get it done” and in your face. So making sure we align – spacing elements, colour, all of these different pieces need to align to what they do with their brand. This is where it’s important to lean on a strong graphic designer.

When should someone be contacting a web designer?

If you’re already in business and have a decent business model laid out then you should be talking to someone right away. If you are in the planning stages but will be leaning heavily on online strategy a lot, it’s good to talk to a web designer early. Any time, really!

What are some of your favourite projects that you have worked on or clients with whom you have worked?

I worked with an RV company that was pretty interesting. It was a mix of online part sales and service. I’m doing some work with a solar company which is great, because of the automation integration to save them time in their business. I have a new one launching next week – a bigger company with multiple locations across Canada. It’s working with a bunch of people in different offices across country-wide. We’re working with them to build a congruent vision across all offices.

What services do you offer that people might not realize?

Automation, web discovery process. We are really digging into your business process and if there are opportunities to automate or offload through your website. We created a spot on a client’s website where customers could log in and see their previous invoices, saving them a ton of time in support inquiries.  I do some Google My Business setups for clients. We can integrate CRMs into website behaviour as well.

What do you think is the biggest challenge facing local businesses right now?

People do not know a better way to do things. They do things manually and bring on people and teams and do not realize that there are tools to automate a lot of stuff and save on margin and be more profitable. 

Some people don’t leverage online enough. I know some people that don’t have a website at all. I feel like they’re missing out quite a bit. Google My Business too, lots of people don’t have that set up even if they have a website. They are missing a ton of traffic and reviews. 

What industry hacks or tips can you share?

Google My Business for sure. Not enough people use it! Even just looking for online tools to do things. There’s a great connection tool called Zapier that allows you to connect all sorts of apps together. 

What’s your favourite thing about being a web designer?

I really like dealing with a wide variety of businesses getting in there seeing how we can help and helping push them into an online world. Helping them grow!

Anything you would like to add?

Your website needs to be an integral part of your brand image.

Ready to get your website started?

A huge thank you to Spencer for sitting with the Paper Lime Creative team and explaining a bit more about what web design entails and how it affects branding. Please check him out because if your business isn’t online, it doesn’t exist!