At Iceberg Web Design, we have an entire team of penguins dedicated to helping you solve your business dilemmas with web-based solutions. Our newest developer is Josh Smith. Today in our Penguin Profile, we will be talking to Josh to learn more about him and what he does at Iceberg.

Josh | Senior Developer Penguin

How long have you been working for Iceberg? 

I started working at Iceberg in February, 2021.

Have your duties changed since you first started working here? 

Even though I haven’t been at Iceberg all that long, I’ve worked on some really exciting projects. I really enjoy the mix of working on new projects and providing support to existing customers.

What do you do for Iceberg’s customers? 

I help our customers create or enhance their online presence in a way that reflects their business values and goals. Using the latest web technologies, I make sure that our solutions work well and follow the highest standards for functionality, accessibility, and design.

What’s your favorite part of your job? 

I really enjoy working with customers and coming up with innovative solutions. I also like constantly learning the latest in digital technology and marketing. 

What is your #1 goal when working with a customer? 

My #1 goal is to understand the customer, what their business objectives are, and how we can bring all of their vision to their website.

In what other industries have you worked? 

I’ve worked in IT, product development, ecommerce, digital marketing and web development.

Tell us a bit about your family (including pets): 

My wife and I have 2 kids, a dog and a couple fish.

Do you have any hobbies/special interests? 

I enjoy playing guitar, discovering new music, reading great books, and mountain biking with the family.

What is something about you that might surprise your customers and co-workers? 

My wife and I have taken on many DIY home & garden projects over the years. Our kids are now reaching the age where it’s fun to teach them some of the skills we’ve learned.

Describe your perfect day: 

Wake up early enough to watch the sunrise with a good cup of coffee. Then a day filled with some work, reading, listening to music and a bike or motorcycle ride. And a perfect day would always include trying out a new recipe and having time to cook a great meal.

Science or History? Which is your favorite and why? 

I really like both, but as a sociology major, I’ve probably studied a lot more history and do find it fascinating how much history repeats itself.

If you were guaranteed the correct answer to one question, what would you ask? 

What is the secret to eternal happiness?

What is your best piece of advice? It can be about anything. 

“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

Connect with Josh and the Iceberg Team

Thank you, Josh, for sharing a bit about yourself for this week’s Penguin Profile. And thank you for all you do to build our customer’s website projects in a way that will meet their business objectives even better than they imagined possible. 

Learn more about The Iceberg Team. Read Some Of Iceberg’s Reviews!

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When you intern with Iceberg Web Design, you work with an entire team of web marketing professionals to learn and grow. We have been spending time getting to know some of our full-time employees pictured above, but today we will get to know our intern, Cece Talbot. We are helping our business, and our community grow by giving opportunities to new people to the website industry, and we can’t wait to see all that Cece will acomplish.

Cece | Design Intern Penguin

If you could describe Iceberg in three words, what would they be?

Fun, Caring, and innovative 

What have you enjoyed so far about working for Iceberg?

The Creative freedom, ability to learn so many things in different areas, and I enjoy coming into the office to be with great people.

What do you do for Iceberg’s customers?

Help design mock-ups, websites, and fill in the content.

What’s your favorite part of your job?

Building mock-ups; It’s fun to watch how much it changes as you create, change layouts, colors, features, and build out new ways to navigate. Creating Style tiles is fun. Taking words and matching them with images, fonts, colors to make the company’s message come to life. 

What is your #1 goal when working with a customer?

Creating something they love and something that not only can help their business grow but something that can grow with the business.

In what other industries have you worked?

I worked in the Dance industry my whole life. From working in LA, Atlanta, Chicago in front of the camera to working behind the stage and in the studio. Creating is what I love to do, whether it’s on a computer screen or on the stage. Dance also led me to start my own Dance equipment business. I have also worked in the restaurant industry. 

Non-Work Related Stuff

Tell us a bit about your family.

My mom is my best friend and someone I’ll take on every trip with me. I got my love for fast cars from my dad, who used to drag race and had a mud truck my whole life. The best memories with my dad are going to his races and mudding! I also have an older brother who I can always count on. I can never forget about my dog Ziggy!

Do you have any hobbies/special interests?

DANCE and Fast cars. Although I love dance and fashion with two walk-closets full of sneakers and clothes, I am not your typical girly girl. I will get my hands dirty and change a front rotor, or go wheels deep in a mud pit!

Describe your perfect day

Sunny blue skies hanging with my dog and family, definitely staying busy with activities if it’s the farmers market, swimming, or trail riding.

Now for Some Deep Stuff

Science or History? Which is your favorite and why?

BOTH. I am a big history snob and know a lot of weird random facts about history and science, especially astronomy. 

If you were guaranteed the correct answer to one question, what would you ask?

Is there a way I can live forever?

One last question: What is your best piece of advice? It can be about anything.

“It’s all good.” 

Connect With  the Iceberg Team

 Thank you, Cece, for sharing a bit about yourself for this week’s Penguin Profile. And thank you for all you do to keep our customer’s design projects running smoothly. 

Learn more about The Iceberg Team. Read Some Of Iceberg’s Reviews!

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When you work with Iceberg Web Design, you work with an entire team of web marketing professionals. But just who are these people who are hard at work helping you connect with your customers? For the next couple of months, we will be profiling our team of penguins. Today we are talking with our Project Penguin: Mariann Martin. Mariann is our Project Manager, so every website client we take on will work with her throughout the website creation process.

Mariann | Project Penguin

As Iceberg’s Project Manager, Mariann keeps everything running smoothly and on track. She is adept at identifying potential problems and prevents issues from arising with her proactive approach.

How long have you worked for Iceberg?

Since April 17th, 2017

Have your duties changed since you first started working here?

Yes, I started as the CSR (Customer Service Representative), Project Manager, accounts receivable person.  Then I added content writing to that role.  After that, I dropped the CSR role.  And then added the VP of Finance role and dropped the content writing. Now I’m the Project Manager and VP of Finance

What do you do for Iceberg’s customers?

I am the main point of contact for customers when they have an open, active project.  I plan and organize their project within their scope of work and schedule our product calendar. I also handle all client billing.

What’s your favorite part of your job?

I like learning about the different businesses we serve.

What is your #1 goal when working with a customer?

To deliver on time and in scope.  Preferably early and over-deliver.

In what other industries have you worked?

Radio, Retail, and Automotive

Tell us a bit about your family (including pets):

I have a husband named Alexander (whom I call Alex). We got married in 2019.

Do you have any hobbies/special interests?

We keep plants, a lot of them, and hope to have someday a conservatory or year-round greenhouse full of them.

Although I have not done this much in recent years due to lack of space, I also sew. I hope to be able to do it more when I have a dedicated space for it soon. In addition, I love to make clothes from my designs.

Describe your perfect day:

To be at home with my husband and later have friends and family over for brunch and games.

Science or History? Which is your favorite and why?

Definitely history. It’s fascinating.  The history you learn in school is so limited, so there is always more out there to learn.

If you were guaranteed the correct answer to one question, what would you ask?

What are the meanings of life, the universe, and everything?

What is your best piece of advice? It can be about anything.

Drink more water.

Connect With Mariann or the Iceberg Team

There you have it. Thank you, Mariann, for sharing a bit about yourself for this week’s Penguin Profile. And thank you for all you do to keep our customer’s website projects running smoothly. 

Learn more about The Iceberg Team. Read Some Of Iceberg’s Reviews!

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At Iceberg Web Design, you get to have a dedicated partner with an invested team working for your business’s interests. Each month we have been featuring each of our team members in a profile post, so you can get to know the penguins better. This month, we are talking to Heather Erickson, our SEO Content Writer.

Heather | SEO Content Writer

I’m an SEO content writer and head of the content department at Iceberg Web Design. I was a freelancer, contracting with Iceberg from November 2019 until July of 2020, when Iceberg hired me to be on staff full-time.

Have your duties changed since you first started working here?

I started writing blog posts for customers who subscribe to our SEO writing services. That involves researching the business and the things about which their customers are concerned. Then, I write articles about those topics. I might be writing for a lawyer and an electrician one day, and the next, I could be writing for a roofer and a flooring company. So, I get a lot of variety.

Over time, I started taking on website projects. That’s an entirely different type of writing, but the same SEO principles apply.

What do you do for Iceberg’s customers?

Every website project that I write content for starts with a content interview. I prepare for the interview by doing some preliminary research and deciding what I need to prioritize since I will only have an hour with the client. That time can go very fast!

My job is to gather enough information from the content interview to put the business owner’s passion for what they do into words. I need to do it in a way that evokes trust and assurance to customers and gets customers excited about working with the business—all while making the copy search engine-friendly.

The process includes writing a couple of drafts to ensure I get all of the details right. Once I have delivered the final copy to development, I am pretty finished, other than checking the site before it goes live for any potential issues.

What’s your favorite part of your job?

My childhood dream job was to be a detective, so I love the content interviews and the research. I get to pull out important details to get an accurate picture to have on the website. Plus, I love getting to know our customers. It’s the one chance I have to really connect with them.

What is your #1 goal when working with a customer?

My number one goal is to help create a website that will fulfill their business’s needs. Sometimes that means they want sales. Other times they want to hire new staff because of high turnover. I love finding ways that their website can make their job easier. The truth is, we do much more than build websites. We build business solutions that happen to look like websites.

In what other industries have you worked?

Haha. You name it. I’ve been a nursing assistant, a waitress, a cashier, a trainer in restaurants. I guess I like the service industry. I was also a realtor for about ten years. My favorite job was homeschooling my kids. I got them through to college, which they each started at the age of 16.

Tell us a bit about your family (including pets):

I’m a widow. My husband had lung cancer for seven years before his death in 2019. Our kids are Matt (17), Samantha (19), and Summer (22). Summer just got married, so now I have a son-in-law, too! I have a gerbil. My youngest kids are allergic, or I would get something more interactive.

Do you have any hobbies/special interests?

I hunt wild mushrooms and am involved in the Minnesota Mycological Society. I also carve Wooden Duck Decoys. I don’t hunt, but I love the carving process. I enjoy learning Spanish, as well. I like learning anything.

What is something about you that might surprise your customers and co-workers?

I’m a true crime junkie.

Describe your perfect day:

Perfect weather, 72* with no humidity and a soft breeze rustling through the trees. I get to spend the day in the woods. I can walk, look for mushrooms, read, take a nap, relax. That sounds amazing to me.

Science or History? Which is your favorite and why?

I think history, though it is tough to choose. I love the stories that are attached to history. There are science stories, as well, but they aren’t well known.

If you were guaranteed the correct answer to one question, what would you ask?

“What should I do?” The key thing is to save that question for the most crucial moment—a pivotal point in time.

What is your best piece of advice? It can be about anything.

If you can learn from your mistakes, you turn them into life lessons. Then, they are no longer regrets or wasted moments in time.

My second-best piece of advice is to contact us at Iceberg Web Design for all of your website needs! 

Connect With Heather or the Iceberg Team

Learn more about The Iceberg Team. Read Some Of Iceberg’s Reviews!

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When you work with Iceberg Web Design, you get to have a dedicated partner with an invested team in your business’s interests. Each month we have been featuring each of our team members in a profile post, so you can get to know the penguins better. This month, we are talking to Hattie McCoy, our Marketing & SEO Penguin! 

Hattie | Marketing & SEO

How long have you been working for Iceberg?

 Over eight whole months! 

Have your duties changed since you first started working here?

 Duties are evolving but absolutely fit under the umbrella of my title.

What do you do for Iceberg’s customers?

I am privileged to work with many different types of companies on their SEO and Digital Marketing goals. The job varies by company but can include reputation management, Optimizing web pages to better-fit lead goals, google my business set up and monitoring, Google Ads, Keyword research, email campaigns, and more.

What’s your favorite part of your job?

I appreciate that the job looks a little different each day. I learn more about businesses and figure out how to better serve their customers, and I help them meet their milestones, whatever they may be.  We work with a lot of local businesses, and it’s great to be able to see the impact we can make to the small business and the local community.

What is your #1 goal when working with a customer?

I think paramount of my job is to make sure I am on the same page with our Customers. I need to understand their business well enough to speak to it and find out what they are looking for from their qualified leads/ customers. I think the plan is to be collaborative while making the dial turn for the business.

In what other industries have you worked?

I have worked in many jobs. Including radio, retail, custom perfumes, credit unions, data centers, and more! I have also moved from Iowa to Colorado to Minnesota. I think my varied experiences have made me a good fit in this position to work with very different businesses.

Tell us a bit about your family (including pets):

My husband, Mike, is an electrician who has the biggest heart and always wants to make sure everyone is having a great time. My dog Gimi is a 5-year-old Lab- Mutt that is a large (100 lbs) baby. I am also expecting a tiny human addition to my family in March 2021. I am excited to be a new mom! 

Do you have any hobbies/special interests?

I enjoy reading, playing video games, board games, binge-watching tv shows, hiking, swimming, trying new foods, and the occasional craft time. 

What is something about you that might surprise your customers and co-workers?

That I am an open book, and not much is super surprising. 

Describe your perfect day:

Great food, great company, great weather, and I’m there. 

Science or History? Which is your favorite and why?

It’s a tough choice because I think it’s good for everyone to know and appreciate both at least a little. I think I am probably a better history student, but I could easily get into a few specific science fields. I’ve always been pretty fascinated with psychology, and I think it probably draws a little on both history and science. 

If you were guaranteed the correct answer to one question, what would you ask?

How can I make the best positive impact?

What is your best piece of advice? It can be about anything

Some of our biggest disappointments are the expectations that we have that cannot be met. A lot of things are out of anyone’s control. Do the best you can with what you have, and you may find that there are a million ways to yes. 

Connect With Hattie or the Iceberg Team

Learn more about The Iceberg Team, Read Some Of Iceberg’s Reviews or Connect with Hattie on Linkedin!

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Each month we have been featuring each of our team members in a profile post, so you can get to know the penguins better. This month, we are talking to Kyle Teeter. Kyle has been a Website Developer at Iceberg Web Design for the past three years.

Kyle | Website Developer Penguin

Have your duties changed since you first started working here?

I originally started as a CSR while I finished up my education in Software Engineering. Once I finished up the education, Iceberg needed a Website Developer and offered me a new position as a website developer.

What do you do for Iceberg’s customers?

As a Website Developer, I help customers maintain and update their websites and work with new clients to build marketing, e-commerce, and custom websites.

What’s your favorite part of your job?

I love being able to work with clients to solve problems. Web development goes far beyond just what the public sees, and I really enjoy the process of discovering how a website can help streamline things within the client’s business.

What is your #1 goal when working with a customer?

My number one goal is to listen to their needs and ideas. They are all experts in their fields, and we learn so much from them every day.

In what other industries have you worked?

I have worked in many other industries over the years, ranging from commercial fishing to education. 

Tell us a bit about your family (including pets):

My wife and I just moved back to Minnesota about two years ago. We have really enjoyed connecting with the community and exploring the area. We have two mischievous cats that are using finding ways to ambush each other when they are not sleeping.

Do you have any hobbies/special interests?

Recently, I have been learning a few new sports like rollerblading and cross-country skiing. Also, I have a lot of fun trying to make new recipes, often inspired by international tv shows.

What is something about you that might surprise your customers and co-workers?

You might be surprised to know that I have a side business in the education industry. It has been challenging, but everything I have learned in the process makes it easier for me to connect with other business owners.

Describe your perfect day.

While I do love my work, I would have to say that a perfect day for me would be spent with my family doing the things that we love to do.

Science or History? Which is your favorite and why?

That is a hard one. I enjoy both, but I would have to go with science. The process of asking questions, creating a hypothesis, etc., is really enjoyable for me. I am quite curious and pretty easily fascinated by things.  

If you were guaranteed the correct answer to one question, what would you ask?

What untruths do I currently believe?

What is your best piece of advice? It can be about anything.

“Listen to advice and accept discipline; then you, too, will become wise. People might make many plans, but what the Lord says is what will happen.” – Proverbs 19:20-21

Meet All the Penguins!

Kyle and the rest of the penguins at Iceberg Web Design look forward to helping you solve your business problems. Contact us to meet all the penguins as we create your next website!

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Trying to build your website yourself is like being your own lawyer or Real Estate agent, or dentist. There are many reasons why we hire those people and others to do the things they were trained to do. They have the experience to do an exceptional job.

A Professional Web Developer is FAST

Our developers have made hundreds of websites. Because of that, they are efficient. From the first conversation they have with a client, they start thinking about what the client needs for their site and how to make that happen.

The Pros Follow Industry Standards and Best Practices

There are things you should do to keep your website fast that most people don’t know. There are also things to avoid.

Web developers and designers know the industry standards that improve access to information on the web. We follow those practices with every website we build. This ensures that people with visual and other impairments can access the same information as someone with 20/20 vision.

We can say, “That’s not a good idea, because…” when a client wants something that will harm their SEO or make it difficult for their website to accomplish its purpose. For example, you should never put text on an image.

Our developers also know the potential potholes that can show up along the way—and how to avoid them. This saves a lot of time and frustration.

Web Developers enjoy their work

Being on the back end of a website can be tedious. You often spend eight hours staring at your computer screen writing code, but developers love doing this, and they are good at it. It is a lot like a composer putting notes on a page that mean little to a layperson. But when the music is played, it’s beautiful. All that code becomes a symphony on your website.

Developers Have More Control Over Customization

They can combine features from multiple plugins and make them look cohesive by making changes to the code. As a client, you can come to us with your ideas, and the developer can make them happen.

A Professional Developer Brings an Outside Perspective

Clients are often too close to their project to see the big picture. That’s a normal thing. When we gather all of the information we need from you at your kickoff meeting, we can sort it out and put it together in a way that will attract customers and business contacts for your company.

The entire team at a Web Development company brings this outside perspective. We know the best way to assemble your site map and name the pages because we do this every day. We have professional content writers, SEO specialists, developers, designers, and a project manager to ensure your website project runs smoothly.

How is Your Website Doing?

Is it time for an update? Are you ready to give up trying to cobble one together on your own? We offer solutions to your business problems. Contact Iceberg Web Design to learn how we can help create a website that does what you want.

The post What Can a Professional Web Developer Do that I Can’t? appeared first on Iceberg Web Design.