Equally important in overall presentation of a company is quality of content and copywriting. Because the web is a medium where your competition is only a click of the “back” button away, so-called “informational” pages don’t work, either. It’s not enough to tell a potential customer who you are: They don’t care. If they wanted to look at a list of companies, they would look in their address book or through a folder full of business cards. On the web, every page must be a sell page. There is absolutely no logic in having a potential customer read through your company information, and then not also have a gentle nudge to actually contract your services. What is the point of having a site at all?

These two issues, while certainly not new ideas to anyone in the industry, are of particular importance for websites here in Yucatan, an area where the two key components of “design” and “content” are very often overlooked. Websites in the region are rooted very firmly in first or second generation design; to look at the local web is to step back in time to Netscape-era surfing. Based on the sites, you would have no idea that Yucatan contains thousands of highly trained, professional services and companies that can make living here as easy as living in a suburb somewhere north of the border.

This is why it is vital for the local web space to improve. Unlike many areas which have received huge amounts of publicity on television and in print, relatively little is known about the day-to-day of life in the Yucatan. This makes the web the FIRST place potential expatriates and retirees go to research their move, their ability to live here, and their ability to do business. If you want to research Cancun, you can buy a travel guide. If you want to research Paris, you can see a documentary on cable. Heck, if you want to research expat life in VIETNAM, you can catch a re-run of Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations, and get a pretty good inside look. If you want to learn about Yucatan, however, you turn to the web. And frankly, the local web isn’t making Yucatan look all that great.

The tide, however, is changing, as locals begin to understand that quality design is a hugely important factor in the face their company presents to the world.

The Mexico International website (designed by Mexico Bob) is thorough, clean, doesn’t use the same cookie-cutter software driving most local real estate companies, and best of all, functions exactly the way you would expect a real estate website to work. Is it a coincidence, then, that Mexico International is rapidly becoming the go-to company for those looking to invest in the area?

The Hotel Luz en Yucatan site (designed by Eclectec) is one of our favorites in the local web space, as well. This design of this site proves that, even with new media, old-fashioned design, vintage photography, a “sideshow” feel, and a healthy sense of humor combine to create a web experience as fun, vital, and interesting as a stay at the hotel itself.

The website for Los Dos Cooking School (also by Eclectec) is another great example of how you can enject some traditional typographic elements, pair it with some great photography, and end up with a website that is professionally presented without losing its local flavor and decidedly “Mexican” feel.

It doesn’t stop there. The web here in Yucatan is changing, and we are happy to do our part to help transform the web presence of local businesses, to attract others to the region, and to help local businesses attract the customers they deserve…all without breaking the bank.

All went well for a few years, and then a strange thing happened: I met the neighbors.

With the introduction of Yolisto, I started becoming exposed to the hundreds of men and women who are busy starting businesses here, of all types. Americans and Canadians are putting every last ounce of effort into building internet cafes, restaurants, real estate companies, concierge services, and more. The complications of working and growing a business in a foriegn country are many, and the near lack of affordable, professional design was only adding to the chaos that starting a business here can be. I have met so many people with so many great ideas for their businesses, and I think they deserve website design that is as professional and passionate as they are.

I have also recently become fascinated with trying to bring the “look and feel” of Mexico into a completely incompatible format. It has been pleasantly challenging to figure out and itemize what Yucatan FEELS like; a mixture of texture and color, of hand-painted signage and lettering, of concrete and sand, of blue skies and bluer oceans. Trying to translate that sense of place into the electronic world, trying to force it to conform to the limitations of pixels, has proved a great pleasure for the designer in me.

Because the sites I have built for local business differ wildly from my usual style, I thought it was important to break them off into their own portfolio. Of course, if you want to see some more samples of the non-Mexicocentric work I have done, you can check out my parent company, NewBlack. The portfolio there hasn’t bee updated in a while, but it will give you an idea of the range of style options available.

One final word about availability: I simply don’t have the time to take on every project that gets presented, so please understand if I am not available for your particular design challenge. If you want to get in touch with me about potential projects, you can email me any time. Thanks for stopping by and having a look around.