Monday, April 6, 2015

Responsive Websites


Simpler, Smarter Design
For many advisors, their websites provide prospects with first impressions and crucial information about their firms and activities. For Koch Capital, our service offering had recently changed and the old website was looking cluttered and tired, so it was time for an upgrade.

From a website technology standpoint, I do not care for WordPress (personal preference) and was looking for something simpler to maintain and easier for prospects to navigate given Koch Capital’s non-traditional Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) business model. Additionally, I wanted a primary landing page that provides current not just static content, and is mobile device friendly. The design solution Koch Capital finally settled on is provided below.         



Source: Koch Capital


Responsive “Content” Design 
The good folks at JVF Consulting were instrumental in transforming my ideas into the tangible building blocks of multiple URL website that fits Koch Capital’s unique business model. The main Koch Capital landing page uses HTML5 and JVF’s dynamic framework to re-size the viewing area for just about any Internet-enabled device. Internally, we only need to worry about the topic-specific blogs courtesy of Google’s Blogger application. We also use those topic-specific blogs to deliver service-specific information like a website. The goal is simply to guide the prospect or client to the most relevant information in the fewest number of clicks.
      

Time Asset Investments 
The two big time savers in this endeavor include (1) the initial collaborative design process and (2) the more efficient ongoing website maintenance. Working with the JVF team over several Google Hangouts sessions facilitated back and forth exchanges in real-time with visuals that resulted quick and efficient design turnaround and implementation. Time asset suggestion number one is to invest a little time to become proficient in a video conferencing tool like Google Hangout, Skype, Join.me, WebEx, etc. The payback is almost immediate and definitely enduring.

Second suggestion is to invest time up front to select a website firm and framework that best fits your firm’s website needs. In my case, outsourcing the intricacies of HTML5 to the pros while maintaining service-specific content control using a simple blogging platform will save me significant future labor hours while keeping my content fresh.

Please feel free to contact me via email or 925-838-2324 if you are interested in discussing further my design considerations and trade-offs, or contact Jason Franco of JVF Consulting at 925-224-9986 for more information on the underlying technology.

Thank you for your consideration and feedback…..Jim



About Jim Koch

Jim Koch is the Founder and Principal of Koch Capital Management, an independent Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) in the San Francisco Bay Area. He specializes in providing customized financial solutions to individuals, families, trusts, business entities and other advisers so they are better able to achieve their financial planning goals. Jim sees himself as an “implementer” of financial innovation, using state-of-the-art technology to provide practical investment management and retirement planning solutions for clients.


General Disclosures

This information is provided for informational/educational purposes only. The opinions referenced are as of the date of publication and are subject to change due to changes in the market or economic conditions. Nothing presented herein is or is intended to constitute advice to use or buy any of third-party applications presented here, and no purchase decision should be made based on any information provided herein. The information contained herein, while not guaranteed as to the accuracy or completeness, has been obtained from sources we believe to be reliable.


Third Party Information
While Koch Capital has used reasonable efforts to obtain information from reliable sources, we make no representations or warranties as to the accuracy, reliability, timeliness, or completeness of third party information presented herein. Any third party trademarks appearing herein are the property of their respective owners. At certain places on this website, live 'links' to other Internet addresses can be accessed. Koch Capital does not endorse, approve, certify, or control the content of such websites, and does not guarantee or assume responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of information located on such websites. Any links to other sites are not intended as referrals or endorsements, but are merely provided for convenience and informational purposes. Use of any information obtained from such addresses is voluntary, and reliance on it should only be undertaken after an independent review of its accuracy, completeness, efficacy, and timeliness

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