About me and my approach
My path into web strategy began in the mid-1990s, as the web was becoming a commercial medium. I came to it through business and sales first, then moved into development and website operations before my work expanded into content strategy and communications.
That cross-discipline view shaped how I think about websites and where meaningful improvements usually begin.
Over time, I saw that website challenges often trace back to unclear foundations: who the site needs to serve, what it needs to help them do, what the organization can realistically support and how success will be measured.
When those foundations are unclear, redesigns and new tools tend to have limited impact. That insight is central to how I work with clients. Effective websites improve when the underlying foundation is sound.
What Guides My Approach
I look for underlying causes before jumping to solutions.
Website problems often appear in visible ways, but the source is frequently elsewhere. I try to understand what is driving the issue before recommending what to change.
I prefer practical improvements over unnecessary reinvention.
Sometimes a redesign is warranted. Often, meaningful gains come from clarifying content, improving structure, or resolving friction that has gone unnoticed.
Strategy has to hold up in the operational reality of a website.
Recommendations have to work within how websites are governed, maintained, measured and managed, not just sound good in theory.
Structure and clarity often have more impact than people expect.
Some of the most valuable improvements come from helping visitors understand, navigate and act more easily.
~ Glen Cochrane, The Leadership Centre Willow Creek Canada
Common Situations I Help With
When the website no longer reflects the business it supports
Sometimes the business has evolved, but the website has not kept pace. Messaging may no longer be clear, the structure may reflect old priorities, or the site may not support the kinds of inquiries and conversations the organization wants to generate.
How I help
I examine how structure, messaging and funnels support or limit performance, then identify the specific changes that will improve results.
Client Story
An university’s recruitment campaign was driving significant traffic to a landing page, but engagement and outcomes for that page were poor.
Analytics showed great referrals from the campaign but a content audit identified a mismatch between campaign intent and the page’s structure and calls to action.
A redesign feels necessary, but the starting point is unclear
Redesign discussions often begin when the website is no longer supporting day-to-day decisions.
A new service or offering needs to be added and there’s no clear place for it. Pages have been updated over time and it’s no longer obvious what should change or what should stay. People start asking what a page is meant to do or how it supports the business, and the answers are unclear.
At that point, the site begins to lose its purpose. A redesign starts to feel like the next step.
How I help
I help clarify purpose, priorities, and what success should look like before design decisions are made. That gives the work direction and makes it easier to see what actually needs to change.
Client Story
When preparing for a redesign, a large marketing division engaged an external agency to conduct a content audit of a critical section of its website, but the audit lacked essential internal knowledge.
I worked with subject matter experts and the marketing team to clarify how the content was actually used, what it needed to support, and how sections should be structured with purpose.
Performance is hard to explain
Performance becomes easier to understand when there is a clear connection between the website and the business.
Without that, metrics tend to describe activity rather than contribution. Traffic, clicks, and engagement may be visible, but it’s not always clear what they mean or how they relate to outcomes.
This makes it difficult to decide what to improve or where to focus effort.
How I help
I focus on identifying signals that reflect business value, so teams can use analytics to support decisions about what to change and where to focus..
Client Story
A small, agile marketing team had access to analytics and search data but struggled to use it to guide decisions.
I helped interpret performance trends and create key metrics that focused attention on what was actually supporting goals.
Next Steps
If you’re trying to make sense of a website problem, start with a conversation or review the common ways to work together. The right next step may be an audit, focused page improvement, refresh strategy & content planning or ongoing support.
Start a conversation View packages & pricing Explore services