With most Web site makeovers, a company is simply seeking to improve their online presence. In the case of Kenn Cross Concepts, the business had also changed from interior and landscaping design services to one that also featured a furniture store. The goal was to provide a single site featuring the services as well as the new store.

There was an existing site that was attractive (see screen shot below). But it was not a responsive site that would render differently based on the device viewing the site. As such, it was hard to read on a mobile device. It was also designed so that everything fit into a small area and no scrolling was required.

In talking with the client, there was still a desire to have a site that required no scrolling. In general, horizontal scrolling is bad and vertical scrolling is a good thing. The right answer changes for each page based on the content on that page. We also had to suggest the client have more than simply a series of photo galleries that automatically cycle through pictures.

On the new home page (see below), there is a slider with photos that link to photo galleries of projects and the furniture store. But there is also information on the business. Lower on the page (not shown) is more information and a footer with a map, contact form and a connection with the company’s Facebook page.

The view shown here is what is seen on a computer. View the site on a tablet or phone and the view changes to fit the device’s screen. With the rising usage of mobile devices, this is extremely important. While there are pages of photo galleries, there are also pages (see below) that tell the story of the owner and the business.

Great photos are certainly important. But integrating text with photos is just as important. Search engines can see the file names of photos and “alternate text” attached to those photos. Yet the text displayed on the page can also help a page and a site perform better in search rankings. Plus it can help answer visitors questions and encourage them to become customers. With the makeover, the site now blends text and graphics into a a compelling integrated story.