Disaster Consultant: Website Design

A local disaster preparedness consultant needed a website to establish credibility, communicate his offerings, and make it easy for potential clients to get in touch. He didn’t need anything complex — just a clean, straightforward online presence. However, like many solopreneurs, he wasn’t sure where to start, which platform to use, or what the site should include.

He needed guidance not just on design, but also on content, layout, cost, and long-term maintenance — all while staying within a limited budget and avoiding unnecessary technical overhead.

We started by discussing the overall goals of the website: keep it simple, easy to navigate, and focused on clarity. I researched similar service-based businesses and shared sample live websites to help visualize potential layouts, content ideas, and design direction. This gave the client a chance to provide early feedback on what resonated and what didn’t.

From there, I created a proposed page structure for the site, outlining what content would go where and how we’d guide users through the experience. I then built and shared mockups using two different platforms — WordPress and Google Sites — to provide options based on ease of use, flexibility, and cost.

Once we aligned on the platform, I finalized the design in Google Sites — creating all the page layouts, writing the website copy, selecting imagery, and embedding a contact form to make inquiries easy. The final product was a clean, low-maintenance site that reflected the professionalism of his new business without unnecessary complexity.

This project was a great reminder that good web design isn’t always about advanced features or flashy effects — it’s about clarity, fit, and solving the right problem. By focusing on the client's actual needs and walking through each decision together, we landed on a solution that balanced budget, usability, and professional design.

It also highlighted the value of using simple, accessible tools like Google Sites for clients who want to avoid ongoing complexity — a reminder that as a freelancer, it’s important to adapt my toolkit based on what’s right for each client.