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Introduction
My name is Ellis Benus. I have been doing Web Development and Design for over 10 years.
Specializing in Small to Medium sized business web design and marketing has been very rewarding.
I’m used to working with smaller budgets and finding ways to make sure an organization's resources are notsquandered, but used to their maximum potential.
However, I’ve also worked for very large companies:
1. Columbia College – a local college with over 30,000 students nationwide and online.2. MidwayUSA – an online retailer in the shooting sports industry. Poised to hit $300 million in the next 5
years, and 70% of that is done through ecommerce.3. Hubbell Power Systems – a worldwide business to business wholesaler.4. Zimmer Radio Group – the largest media group in Central Missouri.
I have worked on projects of every size, from the smallest one page website to worldwide ecommercedeployments receiving millions of hits a day.
All that experience is brought to bear for every customer I work with.
“The Web” has grown where just having a website is no longer enough. With the domination of searchengines, social media, mobile devices, and always connected people web marketing has become a beastrearing its head and seeking businesses to devour.
My goal is to assist every business in navigating the confusing, and oft scary waters that are “the web.”
Bring me on board and I’ll steer your ship to Paradise Island.
Technologies:
Utilize the newest web technologies to work ubiquitously across all devices and platforms:
1. Responsive Design – Your website will work on All Mobile/Tablet platforms.2. HTML5 markup3. CSS3 styling4. jQuery (JavaScript) animation5. SEO – Search Engine Optimization6. WordPress CMS – Any user, no matter their technical proficiency can update the website.
1) Responsive Design
Responsive Web Design (RWD) is a web design approach which builds websites to provide an optimal viewingexperience easy reading and navigation with a minimum of resizing, panning, and scrolling across everydevice without using a “mobile” version.
A website designed with RWD adapts its layout to the viewing environment by using fluid, proportionbasedgrids, flexible images, and CSS3 media queries.
The same site loads on every device, the website expertly adapts to best present itself.
1. The fluid grid concept sets the size of elements using relative units like percentages, rather thanabsolute units like pixels or points.
2. Flexible images are also sized in relative units to best fit the viewing screen.3. Media queries allow the page to use different CSS style rules based on characteristics of the device the
site is being displayed on, most commonly the width of the browser.4. Serverside components in conjunction with clientside ones such as media queries can produce
fasterloading sites for access over cellular networks and also deliver richer functionality/usabilityavoiding some of the pitfalls of devicesideonly solutions.
2) HTML5
HTML5 is not universal across all browsers, but utilizing backwards compatible markup allows us to usethe newest technology and keep the site functioning on even the oldest browser (including IE6).
3) CSS3
CSS styles the website the same across every page keeping the design consistent everywhere.CSS3 is the newest version of CSS and allows for greater functionality while also supporting all browsers.
4) jQuery (JavaScript)
jQuery powers nearly all of the animation you see on the web today. Flash is a thing of the past whereanimation and mobile devices are concerned. jQuery will allow your website to have fancy imagerotators, drop down navigations, and far more while failing gracefully on browsers or devices that don’tsupport JavaScript/jQuery.
5) Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
The markup and technology which comprise the website will be written as friendly to searchengines as possible. WordPress excels at SEO!
6) WordPress CMS
A content management system, or CMS, is a web based piece of software which allows anyone with a securelogin to update a website with zero knowledge of web technology or languages.
Using WordPress to update your site is almost as simple as using Microsoft Word.
Most importantly, a CMS puts in the user’s hands the power to change their site, add and change contentwithout the intervention of a web professional.
WordPress is the fastest growing CMS in the world today.
Of the entire internet, WordPress runs 18% of the websites that exist today.
A subset of the internet is blogging, and WordPress runs over 80% of the blogs on the web today.
Those numbers are massive. No other CMS can boast that they run 18% of all sites on the internet.
WordPress is Open Source – Read: FREE
There is no purchase cost or licensing fees with WordPress. It is completely free!
WordPress is just for Blogs
Absolutely false!
It is true WordPress was originally built as a blogging platform, but it has grown into so much more.
Today WordPress is a fully featured CMS which can stand toetotoe with any other software.
Why is WordPress so Great?
Three things stand out that make WordPress amazing:
1. An incredibly user friendly interface that allows even a nontechnical user to update their site.2. Thousands of plugins which can infinitely extend WordPress’ functionality.3. Search Engine Optimization
All of the websites you see attached at the end of this document, and most of the ones in my portfolio(http://EllisBenus.com/portfolio) are built on the WordPress CMS.
I would also be happy to setup a default installation of WordPress for anyone in the organization to demo.
6.a) WordPress CMS Continued...
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) with WordPress
WordPress is the CMS known for excelling at SEO!
1) WordPress uses pretty URL’s to make search engines happy, as well as human users.For example we’ve all seen websites with addresses that look like this:
http://domainname.com/ s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=searchalias%3&x=0&y=0#/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_26?url=searchalias%3Daps&fieldkeywords=boonecountyfair&sprefix=boonecountyfair
WordPress makes URL’s look Pretty:
http://Domain.com/About/http://Domain.com/News/unbeliveableshowsandattractionsincentralmissouti/
The URL of any page is based on the title of that page, which makes users and search engines happy!
2) WordPress has amazing plugins which help Search Engine Optimization
Your website will have plugins installed which:
● Automatically update all search engines when a change or addition has happened on your site.● Create an XML Sitemap which search engine robots look for and indexes every link on your site.● Create a robots.txt file that directs search engine robots.● Manage friendly redirects to keep old content linked to new.● Much more!
6.b) WordPress CMS Continued… WordPress Security
How Secure will my website be with WordPress?
The Four Themes of Security:1. Obscure2. Protect3. Detect4. Recover
Obscure: Most attacks are a result of plugin vulnerabilities, weak passwords, and obsolete software. We hidethe places those vulnerabilities live keeping an attacker from learning too much about your site and keepingthem away from sensitive areas like login, admin, etc.
Protect: Just hiding parts of your site is helpful but won't stop everything. After we hide sensitive areas of thesites we'll protect it by blocking users that shouldn't be there and increasing the security of passwords andother vital information.
Encrypted Passwords: Whenever you log into your website, your password is sent encrypted. The onlyinformation transmitted unencrypted is the username. The password is hid with a random number generated bythe session and opportunely transformed by the SHA256 algorithm.
Detect: Should all the protection fail our software will still monitor your site and report attempts to scan it(automatically blocking suspicious users) as well as any changes to the file system that might indicate acompromise.
Recover: Finally, should the worst happen we make regular backups of your WordPress database and all offiles including: WordPress Core, Plugins and User Uploaded Files allowing you to get back online quickly in theevent someone should compromise your site.
Ellis Benus’ Personal Experience:
In over 10 years of building and managing WordPress websites I’ve only had 1 site compromised. It wasdiscovered within hours of the breach and corrected immediately. The reason for the breach was actually acustomer using an insecure password. We have since corrected this by having WordPress require allpasswords be secure. Between the security software we install, the monitoring software we use, and ourautomated backup system you are in the best possible position against any attack.
6.c) WordPress CMS Training
We provide access to a comprehensive list of WordPress training video tutorials which will take a person fromknowing nothing about WordPress, to being able to edit and maintain every aspect of a WordPress website.
Additionally, onsite training is available, and custom video tutorials can be created for your specific needs.
Project Cost:
Total Cost
Stand up an instance of Wordpress only select users can access during development.
Develop a Professional, Responsive, Mobile Friendly Design.
Setting up and Installing all necessary Wordpress Plugins:1. Cforms II Contact Form creator2. Google Analytics tracks all activity on the website3. XML Sitemap creates a sitemap. Updates search engines when the site changes4. WP Super Cache speeds up Wordpress dramatically5. Redirection allows a user to specify URL's to redirect on their site6. Image Widget allows a use to easily insert any image into their sidebar7. Widget Logic easily specify specific pages/categories/etc for widgets to appear8. WordPress Database Backup you must backup all that data!9. More dependent on the specific project…
Migrate all existing content, reworking it to fit in the new theme and on mobile.
Populating the website with all content provided in the Content Map document.
Initial Payment to Begin WorkA good faith payment to cover my time through the beginning process.
Final Payment upon CompletionThis is due after the website is stood up, all plugins are installed and configured, allcontent provided via the Content Map is input, and the website isready to “Go Live” or be made available to the public.
After final review by the client, the final payment is due.
When the final payment is made, the site is 100% the property of the client. We hold nointellectual property rights to the design or content.
~$3,000
$1,000
$2,000
Optional Monthly Maintenance, WordPress Training Videos:
Software Updates:Wordpress is a piece of software like anything else and needs to have updates installed regularly.The plugins which will comprise your site are also software and need to be updated.Since a website is publicly accessible, these updates are even more important than your computer’s updates.
Three Options:
Hosting Only ($49 / Month)
This option is for the cashstrapped or the doityourselfer who is technology comfortable and proficient.
You do not pay me anything, you only pay the host directly.
You are responsible for backing up your WordPress website, doing all WordPress Core, WordPress Plugins,and WordPress theme updates.
If anything goes wrong, or any work needs to be done, I’m available for my standard $100/hour rate.
Basic Maintenance, ½ Off Hourly Rate ($30 / Month)
I pay the hosting fees (through Site5) plus the following:
● Do all WordPress updates, core, plugin, theme● Backup website nightly● Restore website if customer causes any issues● Install WordPress Video Tutorial Series (learn or refresh on how to use WordPress)● My Hourly rate is cut in half from $100/hour to $50/hour● You are first in line for any assistance, changes, fixes additional work
Premium Maintenance, 1 Hour Retainer, ½ Off Hourly Rate ($90 / Month)
I pay the hosting fees (through Site5) plus the following:
● Everything from Basic Maintenance● You have 1 hour of my time every month on retainer.
○ This time can be used for nearly anything.○ I can update the website, adding or changing content.○ I can install a new plugin for added functionality.○ I can tweak design and presentation elements.○ Etc...
● Uptime Monitoring● Malware Checks
Portfolio:
I work with Kirk Sorenson world renowned Nuclear Engineer, featured in Wired Magazine, and speaks atGoogle’s Mountain View, California headquarters annually to develop EnergyFromThorium.org. This is themost highly trafficked site I’ve done and is seen by millions, worldwide, every day.
I worked with Columbia College to redesign their website and update to their new Branding. CCIS.edu
I worked for Zimmer Radio Group and ran their Interactive Division.We redid all of the radio station websites while I was there including:
1. Clear99.com2. Y107.com3. TheEagle939.com4. KCMQ.com5. Kat943.com6. KTGR.com7. KWOS.com8. kfalthebig900.com
HitchFit.com – My biggest customer with millions of page views a month and millions of dollars inrevenue from his sites.
JohnstonPaint.com Johnston Paint & Decorating. A very well known Columbia business with premierservices and designers to showcase on their fantastic website.
PeachTreeBanquet.com Another well known Columbia business with a beautiful web presence.
The following are some of my favorite works.
These are all Wordpress sites and nearly everything is editable by the users through Wordpress.
The Wordpress functionality on these sites is amazing, as it will be for you as well!
Checkout the designs on the following pages:
