Messages By Marlow

WordPress Conversion

July 26th, 2010 by Scott Marlow comment category: nonprofit,portfolio,web design

Screenshot of AIDSHousingTacoma.org
CSS/XHTML Web Development: Scott Marlow

A new WordPress Content Management System for AIDS Housing Association of Tacoma.

Designer Website

July 12th, 2010 by Scott Marlow comment category: portfolio,web design

Alexandra Immel Residential Design
Graphic Design: Kelly Davis, Farm Girl Works
WordPress Web Development: Scott Marlow, Marketing By Marlow

A new website for residential designer Alexandra Immel. Powered by WordPress, the site features an editable image gallery that showcases Alexandra’s design work in large detail.

Scott was delightful to work with. He was always attentive to my detailed and numerous requests and questions. I was so grateful for his patience as I got exactly what I wanted for my website. I would love to work with him again and highly recommend him to everyone. He is a gem.

Alexandra Immel
www.alexandraimmeldesign.com

What’s the Best Web Host?

June 23rd, 2010 by Scott Marlow comment category: web design

For WordPress web hosting, I recommend BlueHost. However, WordPress websites can be hosted by any provider that supports its minimum MySQL and PHP requirements.

For custom CSS websites, I prefer Newtek Web hosting – powered by Crystal Tech.

Web hosts that I do NOT recommend

(based on my personal negative usability and/or customer service experiences)

  • DreamHost
  • GoDaddy
  • Media Temple
  • Network Solutions

Features to look for in a web host

  • 1Gb, or more, of disc space (note: host expenses are related more to bandwidth than disc space)
  • Domestic (not offshore) support personnel
  • Easy-to-use Control Panel
  • Spam filtering, preferably that can be customized
  • Toll-free phone support (live chat at a minimum)
  • Unique IP Address
  • Webmail, like SmarterMail
  • And, for WordPress: Apache web server with .htaccess

Tips for Choosing a Web Host:

  • Don’t buy the cheapest hosting plan offered; you’ll often end up on a server, possibly old and slow, with thousands of other sites.
  • Don’t host your site with your friend, in your friend’s basement or garage.
  • Don’t host your site with your domain registrar. Separating your domain registration from your web host makes it easier to move hosts in the event you are dissatisfied with service. Likewise, be careful hosting your site with your designer, developer, or anyone else who is not managing web servers for at least a few thousand domains.

In my experience, expect to pay about $10 per month for reliable shared web hosting with excellent customer service and tech support. If you need help choosing a web host, moving web hosts, or with other host administration, contact me.

P.S. For domain registration, you can register new domain names at my Registry Rocket account (a service of eNom, based locally in Bellevue, Washington).

Quality Craftsmanship and Thoughtful Design

June 21st, 2010 by Scott Marlow comment category: portfolio,web design

CSS/XHTML Web Development: Scott Marlow
Photography
: Ashley Delatour, Susanna Moore, Josh Niederberger
Graphic Design
: van den Berg Design

We would definitely recommend Scott Marlow. Scott is knowledgeable, accessible, resourceful and a nice guy who is easy to work with! The whole process of re-designing our out-dated website was broken down into understandable, logical steps so that we were able to launch our new site on time and within our budget.
—Susanna Moore and Josh Niederberger
Niederberger Contracting

Creating Accessible Websites

May 29th, 2010 by Scott Marlow comment category: web design

Skills Inc.

This spring, I conducted an in-depth website accessibility evaluation for nonprofit Skills Inc.

My site audit identified 12 issues that did not conform to federal Section 508 Standards, WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) 1.0, and the latest WCAG 2.0, released in 2009.

Read more

Patterns Surfacing

May 13th, 2010 by Scott Marlow comment category: web design

jennifer-cepeda

WordPress Development: Scott Marlow
Graphic Design: Jennifer Cepeda

My latest WordPress creation for artist, designer and illustrator, Jennifer Cepeda. A fellow West Seattle neighbor, Jennifer is building a portfolio of surface & pattern designs. She is currently represented by Pink Light Designs, and her first four collections will showcase at the May 2010 Surtex Show in New York.

Scott was terrific to work with! He accepted a very short deadline and helped me stay within my budget by offering alternatives for me to consider. I really appreciated his flexibility in helping me design my site, answering a million questions and working with a new hosting service outside of his standard practice. His style of service and responsiveness are invaluable!

Jennifer Cepeda