Our Strategy
Welcome to the internet home of shapesandpages, located in Boca Raton, Florida. Boca Raton translates litterally to "mouth of the rat" from spanish, but that is not the whole story.
"The Spanish word boca (or mouth) often described an inlet, while raton (literally mouse) was used as a term for a cowardly thief. “Thieves Inlet,” Boca Ratones, appeared on eighteenth century maps associated with an inlet in the Biscayne Bay area of Miami. By the beginning of the nineteenth century, the term was mistakenly applied to Lake Boca Raton. The “s” and later the “e” were dropped from this title by the 1920s, yet the correct pronunciation remains Rah-tone."
Our focus is on you. We try to understand what you're trying to accomplish. Some people come to us with no idea of what they want while others bring graphics and write-ups to the first meeting. What do you need vs what do you want? Does it match your business? Sometimes we'll show you sites from similar businesses. We'll talk about your competitors, analyzing what they do and don't have on line, looking for opportunities to capitalize on the power of a web site. Maybe you've already done that. We can make you site as simple or as complicated as you'd like.
The first year of hosting and domain registration is included with our web design efforts. This allows you to focus on the web site. and not get bogged down in sign ups and registrations. After all we are the experts.
Your web site should be "sticky"
What does sticky have to do with a web site? When a visitor is attracted to your page, you want them to stay and explore. But your site must entice the visitor with content and graphics that keeps them there ... aka "sticky". Your message should be clear. It must be presented in an easy to read format, with pictures and graphics that complement the topic.
It's not about glamour and glitz. Bold fancy pages have a place, but are they right for you? Your business has a personality and your web site. needs to fit it. Your web site. also needs to fit your budget.. That's another reason we include the first year of hosting and domain registration.
We exist because many organizations realize that a web presence is necessary today. It adds a level of viability to a business, it makes it real. It's no longer an option. We do good work, for fair prices, with integrity ... and we have fun doing it.
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The Basics For some of our customers, especially real estate agents, a basic 5 page site is all they want. It includes an introduction, a listings page that connects to the MLS system so that listings are always correct, a search page that allows customers to search the MLS for any listing, a contact page that allows a visitor to send messages to the realtor, and a free form page used at the Realtor's discretion. |
Your Ideas You may have ideas of what colors you want, or certain photographs, or how you want the pages laid out. We'll work with you to be sure that web page reflects your ideas in the best way possible. We'll do our best to keep you out of trouble with respect to copyrighted material. The best and safest material is obtained from your suppliers, trade associations, or created by you. |
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Color & Style For most web sites it is more than just picking a few nice colors. There is a lot of strategy behind color selection. There are various 'schemes' for selecting a color and one, two or three 'related' colors. The selection process depends on a wheel of colors and various shapes such as triangles and squares to locate the related colors. This scientific approach is supposed to create more enjoyable combinations. The very worst, red text on a blue background is documented as being so difficult to read that a visitor will actually leave before finishing your title. |
Pictures & Text What do you want to say? Sometimes trade associations will provide you with some basic ingredients for a web site. If you have to write it we can work with you to ensure that it effectively conveys the message you intend. You don't want to have too much text unless it's useful for the visitor. Long narratives are usually ineffective, but when combined with pictures can be much more enjoyable for a visitor. |
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