The Port Web Design

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a Director of the Arnold Expedition Historical Society.

For what projects/services did your company hire theportwebdesign.com, and what were your goals?

We hired The Port Web Design to breathe new life into a discarded husk. Our website died because of an initial oversite on our part. Ongoin maintenance and Security Updates.

Things got away from us and we found ourselves behind on security updates and so deep over our heads that our website simply lay fallow and developed problems like slow loading, security warnings, and complete crashes eventually, it just died.

We thought, Maintenance and Security updates were something we could handle - we found we couldn't.

How did you select theportwebdesign.com and what were the deciding factors?

Our selection process began with a review of our present site and what we felt had to be changed. Our Society members made wish-lists and they were boiled down into a Request for Quote.

We sent the quote to 3 Developers after a thorough review of each of their company websites with a great deal of time spent looking at their Portfolio folder and reviewing their work. We felt our reviews put all three on a level playing field.

We felt they all did good work and presented their client's information in a clear and eye-catching way. But, the deciding factor was their response to our request for a quote.

After we received the replies our thought was The Port Web Design was the only one that actually read the whole quote and provided a response to each feature request we made. (including alternate ideas for addressing some of our site concerns)

The other two made some effort but neither provided a comprehensive reply. All three did provide a price or range of pricing depending on additional detail. The selection of The Port Web Design was not based on price. We considered price a secondary goal.

A clean, fast site that was easily navigated was our goal and their response looked to be our solution.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

Our project scope required taking an unorganized, scattered mess of historical documents and artifacts from the Revolutionary War period and presenting that data in a meaningful, and useful way.

Oh, and while they were at that we additionally asked for an Audio/Visual room, Mapping, Book Reviews, a Shopping Cart, Newsletter Archive, Research Room (to which we could add documents as we discover them), an Archive Display with Notes, A secure section for Society private discussions, online Membership renewal, an Events Calander, Newsletter Sign-up option and a few other things I can't think of now.

We got all of this and more. Everything is wrapped in the reliable Content Management System - WordPress. Within WordPress, The Port Web Design utilized plug-ins (which are updated by them - not us).

I'm not sure what technologies were used for the graphics and for our mapping requests they taught us how to embed GoogleMaps into our pages.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We worked directly with the owner through Emails, phone, and Anydesk sessions.

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

Our Society members are very pleased with the outcome. 100% positive feedback from members. It is obvious when browsing the site that nice little features that weren't required were added - just because they made things a little bit better and held the viewer's attention just a bit longer.

The countdown clock on each Events Detail page is a good example of that. Nobody really needs to know that there are 52-days, 22-hours, 43-minutes, and 14-seconds until our Trail Clearing event but I've already had people tell me they went back to that page just to check the clock. :-)

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timelines.

The Project Management Style was very functional. It worked well because they paid attention to our wants and needs (they listened), then we were presented with a design plan, a timetable, and the project was started.

Progress reports were in the form of live links to development pages, written reports, and revisions were made as pages inspired new ideas. It was a very collaborative effort and any new idea that showed merit was met with enthusiasm - even if it meant a revision of an existing format.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

A willingness to explain the WHY of their suggestions was refreshing. For example when we asked, "why" so much emphasis on being "Mobile Friendly" instead of replying - that's the standard now and leaving it at that we got an education on Mobile Phone viewing and use.

I guess the fact that Mobile viewing is on the rise is no surprise but that Mobile viewing is in the 80% range did surprise me. What surprised me, even more, was that 83% of those viewers expect a flawless experience whenever they visit a site and leave almost immediately if there is a glitch or slow loading.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

I don't know about this question. We're pretty satisfied. Answers were usually quick. If there was a delay there was an explanation. A timeline was given and met for the project.

Please describe your company and your position there.

MOOERS REALTY is a Maine real estate company started in 1976. As a Maine REALTOR for 41 years practicing real estate listing sales, I have had a few websites and am active in blogging, video production. I am the designated Maine real estate broker for MOOERS REALTY.

For what projects/services did your company hire theportwebdesign.com?

Our Me In Maine wordpress blog needed a whole new website and Prisca at The Port Web Design was interviewed for the task. Because of the success with that new blog post development, I turned to her for an extensive overhaul and deployment of a new Maine real estate website.

The former site was a Joomla platform so the migration, attention to not lose hard working links on the new Wordpress one was critical.

What were your goals for this project?

To be more than a real estate website. To offer community information, the helpful with landing pages for the buying selling process. And to integrate the videos, the blog posts we produce for online consumption.

Harnessing an IDX is no easy task. Prisca had done Maine real estate websites before so is more than just a designer.

How did you select theportwebdesign.com?

Because of past experience with Me In Maine Blog, due to the fact she had experience with Maine real estate websites. And on the list was she lives in Maine, not some far away state or country where she would not live, work, play here in Vacationland.

She understands Maine and local providers are the most effective promoting that state pride. She is hardworking, funny, creative and puts in some long hours... won't leave you hanging.

Her sensitivity and ability to teach you how to improve your website and Internet presence is invaluable.

Describe the project in detail.

The process for Me In Maine blog and the new Mooers Realty website was approached the same. Prisca started by taking good notes, thinking about what the goals were. And she studied the old sites, to bring over continuity. To get a sense of what the mission was in the updated design.

Better navigation, new trends, sensitivity to the UX is key to create a website portal that keeps the user coming back and staying on that URL because it is worthwhile and easy to access. No pop ups, no forced registration. Just worthwhile content with imagery, video, not just a sea of words.

I want anything we put online to be a buffet of information for the online user doing their "homework".

What was the team composition?

One on one, nothing lost in handing it off to another person. From day one, the ground up, it was one on one with emails, phone calls and collaboration with Prisca who understood my goals, my budget, the time table to implement.

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Me In Maine is a blog that comes up on the front page of search engine queries. That was not done with pay per click, it was organically achieved with hard work on my end and an effective wordpress blog platform created by the Port Web Design on the server side.

I have no doubt the new and improved Mooers Realty website will achieve the same success as long as I do my part to weed, feed and water the site with careful input. SEO is the sport and it takes more than a pretty website design to achieve success.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Great workflow and exchange of ideas back and forth. The ongoing process was defined and together with sharing screens the shaping of the new website was done a piece at a time. Hands on and not lost in a sea of emails back and forth.

Jumping into the development site in the operating room happened. More than design of a website too. Other best practices shared to make the link up worthwhile and to improve our Maine real estate operation.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Real person, not a number you call and every time it is someone new to begin all over to try to achieve results. You get Prisca and will work long into the night to tackle a project and she is dependable, true blue and a real person.

She thinks of the person using the site and suggests ways to achieve that so you have input but education too. For over 18 years, she has learned more about websites and their evolution.

That's a big component for what you get beyond just a website that is never a cookie cutter creation. Hand built, home made and each unique to stand out from the sea of sameness.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Nope. Sorry... nothing to complain about and it's the reason we have two projects under our belt. I highly recommend The Port Web Design for a partner in your website design. But also high performance workability that is cutting edge.

Her passion shines through all that she does. She wants your success and knows how to achieve it.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Maine Surf Info is a website designed to share wave information and blogs that cover a wide range of surf topics with fellow surfers

For what projects/services did your company hire The Port Web Design?

Redesigning the website so it was cleaner and worked more effectively.

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

Selected based on communication, quality of work, and cost.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

Spoke with owner/designer about company needs and goals. Discussed layout options and analytics, reviewed various designs and received constructive feedback at every step before launch.

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

Just one. The owner was very knowledgeable.

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Received great feedback from customers and colleagues.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They were putstanding. Communication was fast and effective.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Communication. Lightning fast and always available to talk about my project.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

None at this time.

Please describe your company and your position there.

President of a non-profit state beekeeping organization

For what projects/services did your company hire theportwebdesign.com, and what were your goals?

To replace a 9-year-old outdated and unorganized website with a more intuitive and attractive version.

How did you select theportwebdesign.com and what were the deciding factors?

Pricing

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

A WordPress website, using Elementor for editing, and integration of Wild Apricot membership management platform. We asked for specific functions and provided the content. The design was left up to Port Web. We moved to Port Web's hosting service.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

Just the principal.

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

We have received positive feedback from members regarding the functioning and look of the website.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timelines.

The project was long and drawn out mostly due to time constraints on our end, as we are a volunteer organization.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Follow-up. We were given a tutorial to learn how to do ongoing editing. Ptheportwebdesign.com has been very responsive to our questions or when something beyond our knowledge is needed. We use a remote desktop application, allowing these occasions to become a learning experience.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

In hindsight a detailed written proposal and contract should have requested. We received only a verbal proposal and the contract was essentially a billing statement.