Menu
Sparrowsart Studio

Every business starts out as an idea, a leap of faith, a passion. And every business has a story to tell.

Whatever you do, let’s tell your story.

Web Site Design Maintenance and Updates FAQ Current Portfolio

website design services

Web Site Design

Hey There! Good to see you. My name is Lori Sturgeon. I create websites.

Website design is a method used to tell browsers what information to display and how to display it.

There area lot of great web people out there, choosing the right person or agency will depend on the services you need. In a nutshell, this is what I can offer:

  • Mobile website design
  • Custom hand-coded static website design
  • WordPress Installation & Customization
  • Websites built with attention to your business goals and your customers' needs.
  • Scheduled or as needed updates and maintenance
  • Domains and hosting
  • Wordpress walk-throughs
  • Basic page optimization
  • No obligation, free consultations.
  • Reasonable rates

No obligations, no fine print & no hard feelings.

Like you, I love what I do. More importantly, I want my customers to love what I do. If you aren't happy with my services for whatever reason, we settle up, shake hands and walk away from the table.


US Military Active Duty & Veterans: 50% off up to $500
Immediate Military Family Members: 10% off up to $500.


Working with Lori has been a pleasure. When we first began looking into initiating an overhaul of our website, we didn’t know where to begin. Lori helped talk us through the entire process and was very helpful, taking time to understand exactly what we wanted from our new website. Her professionalism, advice and assistance throughout the process were invaluable. Ruth Crothers

Please visit the sites in my portfolio. If you like what you see, perhaps we can work together. I would love to give you a custom website design that reflects the spirit, individuality and history of your company.

Questions? Please click here to get in touch.
Click here to subscribe to my very sporadic newsletter.

Web Site Maintenance and Updates

Website maintenance is like any other maintenance you do, tending your garden, cleaning those gutter spouts, polishing the golf clubs . . well, you get the idea!
It is important to keep your website updated and 'alive'. You don't want the search engines to forget you are here!

Maintaining and updating your site with me is easy. Once we set up your account, all you have to do is send an email with the updated content. I will update your site within a day or two, depending on the complexity.

Fees

$130 for up to 6 hours per month or $30 per hour, whichever fits your needs best. Anything up to half hour is $15.00 and anything over half hour is $30.00. For example, 10 minutes would be $15.00 and 45 minutes would be $30.00.
The $120 monthly maintenance service requires a 12 month commitment and includes optional annual hosting and one domain renewal.

I also offer a handy monthly plan that includes hosting, one annual domain renewal and light maintenance of up to 30 minutes for $25 per month.

When to Update?

  • Announce special events and sales
  • New products
  • Price changes
  • Articles or posts with details about your services
  • Troubleshooting articles for your customers
  • Industry related news
  • Customer or employee spotlight
  • Holiday events and hours

FAQ: Web Site Design

What is the difference between websites, domains and hosting? Isn't it the same thing?

I get asked this a lot, it can be so confusing. They are three different things used together to bring information to the web. A really basic explanation:

A Website is a collection of files that that work together to display information in the web. It typically consists of html, javascript, php, images and other files. It's your 'stuff' on the internet.

A Domain Name is used to give us an easy way to identify a website or other resources that reside on the web. Or, how we find your 'stuff'

Hosting is like a storage unit for your stuff, it is where you 'store' your website. We store website files or other data (like downloadable content, images, music, etc. ) on a server so it can be seen and accessed by others over the internet.

Wordpress.com or Wordpress.org?

Wordpress.com provides a free hosting plan and a fast easy way to get online. There are a lot of themes and a nice range of widgets to choose from. but you cannot edit the css and customization is fairly limited. It is easy to track your stats and you don't have to worry about software updates. Upgrades add up quickly - a business plan with all the bells and whistles is $299 a year. You can only monetize your site through Wordads and only if your site meets certain criteria.

Wordpress.org provides free open-source software that requires a separate hosting account. There are a gazillion themes and plug-ins out there, you can customize to your hearts content. Along with all that freedom comes responsibility. You are responsible for maintaining your site's software and plug-in updates. Costs range from a penny-wise free or a couple of dollars on up. Hosting is pretty pain-free with plans starting around $5.00 a year, usually including a domain in the package for no extra charge. You are free to monetize your site.

What is SSL and is it important?

SSL or Secure Sockets Layer is standard technology for keeping an internet connection secure. SSL uses small data files to encrypt or scramble information to and from your website. Think secret code rings!

Aside from basic website security, Google Chrome will start indicating http (HyperText Transfer Protocol) pages that collect passwords or credit card numbers as non-secure. At this time, if you are NOT collecting passwords or log-ins, this should not affect you. However, Google does plan to eventually label all http pages as non-secure. I would also like to mention that Google currently uses https (HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure) as a lightweight ranking signal, and I am just going to guess that at some point down the road it will become a bit more important. You can read Google's security blog post on it here: Moving Towards a More Secure Web

Any new websites I build will include an ssl certificate.

What Steps are Involved in Developing a Website?

From concept to internet, every website is different. During the process, each step can be revised as we go. These are the basic steps we take for each project.

Step One. We talk a bit about things like:

  • Your website goals & how they align with your overall business goals.
  • What your products or services are and their benefits.
  • The history of your company
  • Your customers' demographics & your 'ideal' customer
  • Competition: How is your product better?
  • Company logo, brand guidelines and styleguide
  • Social media you are actively using
  • Problems you and your customers are having with your current website
  • Wishlist
  • Hosting, domains, and any technology that will impact your website
  • Content: type, availability, editing, etc.
  • Budget & timeline

Step Two. Estimate

Based on our conversations, I will submit a website estimate and scope for your approval via email. If you like what you see, submit your approval and we can get the ball rolling!

Step Three. Start Website Project!

  • First payment of 50% is due
  • Research:
    • Solutions to specific problems presented during discussions
    • Your industry, competition, and customers
  • Working basic draft of website with pages, available and/or relative content, navigation, contact form and other elements. This will reside in a staging folder that you will be able to see.

Step Four. Initial Testing

You and your team get to tear it up - try it out, let me know what works for you and what gives you problems. Better now than after the site goers live! Try it on your desktop, laptop, smartphones ,and tablets.

Other areas of testing involve user experience, browser compatability, & accessibility.

Step Five. Polish

  • Second payment of 25% is due
  • Content and design are completed
  • Revision requests get taken care of and lose ends get tied.
  • One last client approval and one final round of testing before we go live

Step Six. Go Live

  • Third and final payment is due
  • Site moved to permanent location
  • Back up copy of site files via email
  • google analytics set up
  • Submission to google and bing search engines

What is a small basic responsive website going to cost?

Every website is different. A good ballpark figure for budgeting purposes would be in the $2500 to $5000 range for a small website with up to 5 or 6 pages of standard supplied content. I can give you an accurate estimate after we talk. This is just for the initial website project and does not include ongoing costs like hosting, domain and maintenance.

Current Web Site Design Portfolio

I am fortunate to work with interesting and dynamic people. They come to the table with unique perspectives, goals, visions and personalities, but they all have two things in common. A passion for what they do and the perseverance to be the best at what they do.

All the web site designs in this portfolio are live, please take a moment to visit them. If you like what you see and would like more information, please contact me with any questions or to schedule a free consultation.

Bartow Capital

Bartow Capital

Location: Bartow, Florida

Bartow Capital offers investment opportunities, and properties for sale or rent.

The Project:

Bartow Capital is a new company and needed a new entry level website that is easy to navigate, mobile friendly and capable of future growth.
Ongoing Services:Maintenance as needed.

Click to visit site
Dynamic Wings Express

Dynamic Wings Express

Location: Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania

If you live in the valley, you know these guys! Dynamic Wings is a long time local favorite for wings, sandwiches, salads and more.

The Project:

Dynamic Wings is adding three new express locations in Middleburg, Selinsgrove and Sunbury PA. They wanted a new site with menus and directions to each one. We combined their unique and fun chicken style with uikit for a solid responsive website.
Ongoing Services: Hosting and light maintenance as needed.

Click to visit site
Heimbach's Country Store

Heimbach's Country Store

Location: Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania

Heimbach's Country Store is a well established old store with an in house bakery, deli and a wide selection of country themed gifts. Popular with the locals and well worth a visit if you are in town.

The Project:

Sue needed a simple one page website to post her weekly specials along with the store’s hours, location and contact information.
Ongoing Services: Hosting and maintenance as needed.

What Sue said:

Friendly greetings, prompt service, courteous reminders, and great rates. Plus I am really happy with my web page! Thanks, Lori!
Sue Heimbach

Click to visit site
Miller Travel Agency

Miller Travel Agency

Location: Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania

Miller Travel Agency specializes in local group cruises, honeymoon cruises, all inclusives, business travel and tours. The agents are professional, experienced and great fun to work with.

The Project:

Amie outgrew her previous site and needed a website redesign that was a little less cluttered. Her new site has plenty of white space while still providing the information her customers need. The design reflects her agency’s lighthearted and happy personality.
Ongoing Services: Hosting and maintenance as needed.

What Amie said:

Sparrowsart has been instrumental in the growth of my business. Lori does a fantastic job and I highly recommend her to any company – large or small.
Amie Miller

Click to visit site
Museum of Nursing History

Museum of Nursing History

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The Museum of Nursing History is committed to the preservation and exhibition of historical nursing memorabilia and to educate the nursing community as well as the general public about nursings' past.

The Project:

The museum was interested in a site that they could easily update and showcase their collections of nursing artifacts. We decided on a wordpress site with the Genesis framework and child theme.
Ongoing Services: Maintenance as needed.

What Jane said:

I am a board member of the Museum of Nursing History and have had my RN since 1957. I became active with the museum in 2004. The web site for the museum consisted of several broken links, misinformation, and three different addresses. Need I go on?
This situation, in my opinion, was intolerable. Getting the web site fixed presented its own set of problems with the board. With perseverance, 5 proposals and the recommendation of a satisfied customer, Lori was selected to fix our website. Not an easy task I must say.
In addition, several retired and close to retirement nurses wished to be the content managers. She had to walk us through; do a lot of handholding, furnish some anti-anxiety reassurance (You get the picture). It is hard to believe; here we are working on our web site, adding content and so forth. I invite you to visit the web site Museum of Nursing History.org and see for yourself!
Jane Early

Click to visit site
1337 Rentals

1337 Rentals

Location: Sunbury, Pennsylvania

1337 Rentals is a professional Susquehanna Valley, Pennsylvania Property Management Agency with expertise in residential, commercial and off-campus student housing.

The Project:

Chris and Meghan needed a new website with rental listing capabilities that is responsive and easy to update. The flat design with bold red accents and a subtle yellow dotted background give the site a warm and light feel.
Ongoing Services: Maintenance on an as needed basis.

What Chris said:

Lori is wonderful to work with. I am not a tech person but she broke it down so it was easy for me to follow along and use. We are really pleased with the work she has done for us and would recommend her anytime.
Christopher M. Peiffer

Click to visit site
All Saint's Episcopal Church of Selinsgrove

All Saint's Episcopal Church of Selinsgrove

Location: Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania

All Saints is a historic Episcopalian Church with deep roots in the Selinsgrove area. The church welcomes everyone to enjoy a community meal twice a month through the “Martha’s Table” program.

The Project:

All Saints needed a website to provide information and a friendly welcome to potential visitors. The church keeps the site maintained and updated on a regular basis with current events, a calendar and their Sunday Morning Service bulletin. The site uses Wordpress with the Genesis framework.
Ongoing Services: Hosting and light maintenance as needed.

What Chris said:

Our site is for congregants wanting schedule information from the site as well as for attracting new people who may be looking for a church to attend. Lori has made this a very user friendly as well as informative site that is pleasant to use and enables one to find the information they need quickly.
Chris Packard

Click to visit site
Mr. Birds Custom Car Wash Equipment

Mr. Birds Custom Car Wash Equipment

Location: Williamsport, Pennsylvania

Mr. Birds is a full service company specializing in custom car and truck wash systems and components.

The Project:

Mike needed a website update to provide more in depth information about the various car wash products he carries and services he offers. The project had a couple of different areas being worked on: Moving the site to a different server,SEO involving rewriting page content, title tags and descriptions, etc. Adding new pages for his product lines and updating the code.
Ongoing Services: Maintenance as needed.

Click to visit site
Landera Associates

Landera Associates

Location: Miami, Florida

Landera Associates, P.A. has over twenty-five years of experience in architectural and roofing related services.

The Project:

Osvaldo moved to a new location and needed his website information as well as his recent projects updated. Please note that this is a 'vintage' pre-mobile site.
Ongoing Services: Maintenance on an as needed basis.

What Osvaldo said:

Your creative ideas, prompt action and patience made this a pleasurable experience and the results were perfect for our needs. It was great to be able to give you a brief idea of what we wanted and have you transform our thoughts to an internet identity that truly represents the image of our firm.
Osvaldo L. Landera, AIA, LEED AP

Click to visit site
Kathy Morrell and Associates

Kathy Morrell and Associates

Location: Fredericksburg, Virginia

Kathy and her team specialize in project management and event planning. While her primary focus is on producing successful events, she also uses her organizing skills to help clients evaluate their current staffing and office resources, develop tighter office procedures, and brainstorm about long-term strategies or campaigns.

The Project:

Kathy was looking for a website redesign with a professional clean look. We used her logo and branding as a reference for the design. Please note that this is a 'vintage' pre-mobile site.
Ongoing Services: Maintenance on an as needed basis.

What Kathy said:

Without a doubt I am thrilled our paths crossed! My new website design is exactly what I was looking for. Thank you for your professionalism, your responsiveness and above all – for taking the time to listen. Your customer service is superb and working with you has been a real pleasure. I am looking forward to our next project!
Kathy Morrell

Click to visit site
Jet Residential Services

Jet Residential Services

Location: Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania

Jet is a small family owned business providing plumbing, heating, and electrical services. Jason has been servicing the Susquehanna area for over 6 years.

The Project:

Jason needed a simple one page business card web site with a synopsis of his services and contact information.
Ongoing Services: Hosting and light maintenance as needed.

Click to visit site
Restaurant Website Example

Restaurant Website

Live example

Customizable mobile ready one page site suitable for restaurants, bakeries, etc.

Click to visit live example