Mary Ann Burns, Author at Burns Web Design

Sadie

Mary Ann Burns — Mon, 12 Nov 2018 20:58:26 +0000

Meet Sadie. She is our beautiful gray cat adopted from our children, who found her as a kitten in the pound. She is the most loving cat we have ever had. As a result, we have totally fallen in love with her. John has developed the habit of feeding her tuna twice a day, and she has come to appreciate this ritual to the point of reminding him when he forgets! We aren’t sure, but we believe that Sadie is around seven years old. She is still young enough to be playful and love chasing balls and other toys. She often sits in our laps demanding to be stroked, until she has had enough, and then turns around and bites! And even after living in our home for almost a year she continues to find new and high and out of the way places to perch. Lately she has even taken to hanging out inside the piano. The only thing she does not like is our grandson Jack. When Jack is here, Sadie is nowhere to be found.

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Open Door Sunday School Class

Mary Ann Burns — Thu, 13 Sep 2018 18:34:43 +0000

The Open Door Class is an adult Sunday School Class at Central United Methodist Church in Monroe, North Carolina. This is a very active and vibrant group of people who needed a way to better communicate with their members, as well as reach out to possible visitors. In designing their site, I looked for an image to use as a header on the home page that would somehow represent their class, and went with the name. They needed a contact page with a form to make it easy for members to access the administrator. They also needed a page for events to keep everyone informed of upcoming happenings, or sign up to volunteer for projects. They also needed a list of people to keep in their prayers. The goal was to provide a place for all to easily know the most current information about the class.

To view this web site…

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Lee Process Equipment

Mary Ann Burns — Thu, 24 May 2018 21:29:36 +0000

Mathias Lee began his business, Lee Process Equipment, just a couple of years ago, and is already running full speed ahead. He is a manufacturers representative for eleven companies, covering the three states of North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. With all of his time and energy focused on meeting with clients, and building up his new business, Mathias needed a website that would keep up with the growing demand. He already had a very good idea of how the site should be set up and what it should include. His primary goals for the site were (1) for strategic SEO to bring potential clients to his page, (2) for it to be responsive, (3) for it to include images that featured some of his past installations, (4) for it to include a list of manufacturers on the home page that linked to individual pages for each one, still on his site, (5) all well as a manufacturers page with logos that linked to the individual manufacturers websites, (6) a page for Case Studies, and (7) a page for Resources. He already had the red, white, and blue color scheme, and a fantastic logo. The site features a full-size slider and just enough parallax on the home page to make it interesting, without being overdone. It is heavy with images and helpful information that should serve him well for now, but with plenty of room for expansion with future growth potential.

To view this web site…

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How does your church google?

Mary Ann Burns — Tue, 24 Oct 2017 17:39:59 +0000

I worked in a church as a Director of Children and Family Ministries for 20+ years. During that time, a lot changed. People, not so much. But technology, and the way we communicate with each other…wow! My experience is that most people, even our older folks, embrace today’s gadgets, and love learning how to use them. Unfortunately, for some reason, it has been a much more difficult adjustment for some of those in our churches. Perhaps it is because our church programs have been based on coming together for experiences based on relationships. Maybe we find it more of a challenge to create those warm and fuzzy feelings by way of a cell phone screen. Or could it be that we just don’t like change, of any kind? We like doing things the same way we have always done them. It’s comforting, in this fast-paced world. And then, there is of course, the noise factor. How do you find the silence to hear that still, small voice of God?

Use technology in a positive way

Whatever the reason, tech is here to stay, and our churches are learning what an advantage it can be. We have great tools for communication with vast numbers of people. So, let’s use them! Open a facebook page. Start a website. Engage the world with Jesus’ message. Don’t wait for people to walk through the church doors without having been invited, or without having checked you out online first. But remember, the information we have today will change by tomorrow, so keep on it and stay up-to-day with your site.

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Website Redesign, Support & Maintenance

Mary Ann Burns — Wed, 11 Oct 2017 20:38:37 +0000

Website Redesign

If you already have a site, but it isn’t performing as you would like, perhaps it’s time to redesign. If your site is not bringing in new business, I will work with you to craft an updated site, that will reach your target audience. This process would include, a more extensive initial interview, to establish exactly what you are looking for in a new site. It would also require a final review, which would give you the opportunity to tweek any details. In addition, you are able to make sure it is perfect before launch of your newly redesigned site.

Ongoing Support & Maintenance

An often over-looked aspect of your website’s life-cycle is support and maintenance. The internet is constantly evolving with updates to WordPress, themes, plugins, and more. It is vital to keep your website updated to prevent unwanted intrusions and website errors. It is also quite important to have support when trying to add new content to your website. I am here to provide you with continued support and maintenance to keep your site working at it’s optimum level. Contact me today to discuss the possibilities.

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My Family

Mary Ann Burns — Thu, 21 Sep 2017 17:53:30 +0000

I have been blessed with a wonderful family…the Burns Family! My name is Mary Ann, and I am married to my husband John, who grew up in Wadesboro, but has lived in Monroe for 35+ years. He has a law office in downtown Monroe. Also, John and I have four amazing children: Chris and wife Laura, Sarah, Molly and husband Neill and Tyler.

Burns Family Grows

Chris and Laura live in downtown Monroe, just a block and a half from us. Chris is a lawyer in Monroe and works with John in their firm, Burns, Gray & Gray. Laura is employed as a speech therapist at Union Regional Hospital. In addition, Chris and Laura blessed us with our first grandchild, Jack, who is a delightful three year-old, and now Anna, our beautiful new grand-daughter.

Sarah lives in Charlotte. She also works in the family law firm. The love of her life is Ryan, who is a lawyer for a firm in Charlotte. So many lawyers in one family!

Molly and Neill have moved to West Jefferson, North Carolina. They love living in the mountains. Molly is physical therapist, and we always put her to work on our aches and pains when she is in town.

Tyler is at Appalachian State University. He loves college life, and being away from home. We will see how he feels after this first winter in Boone.

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Mary Ann Burns

Mary Ann Burns — Thu, 21 Sep 2017 17:39:28 +0000

Surprisingly, my story begins at retirement. After 20 years of serving Central United Methodist Church in Monroe, NC, as their Director of Children’s and Family Ministries, I took a huge jump, into a new field. What good are dreams, if you never go for them? I attended Coder Foundry to learn more about computer programming. After finishing school, and in the midst of applying for jobs as a developer, a friend taught me the basics of WordPress. As it turns out, I really like the designing aspect of creating websites. Of course, there is a lot more that goes into it. Security is a really big issue, as well as Search Engine Optimization. Everyone wants to be found, after all.

Mary Ann Burns, today

So this is where I am now. I live and work in beautiful, historic downtown Monroe, NC. Our town is just oozing old southern charm and warm, friendly neighbors, ready to lend a helping hand.

I am working as a freelance web designer. My real passion is helping others. So I am drawing on that passion and my love of creating beautiful websites, to help people with small businesses in our area. We may live in an old, southern town, but in today’s world, people find everything via their cell phones. So if you don’t have an effective website that works beautifully on all size screens, no one will ever find your business. And we all know how very important Google is these days. So part of creating a beautiful and informative website for any business must include precise SEO, or Search Engine Optimization.

I am also very committed to serving local churches and non-profits, in their efforts to make this world a better place. I hope you will check out the site I created for New Hope United Methodist Church.

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Burns, Gray & Gray

Mary Ann Burns — Thu, 17 Aug 2017 15:49:27 +0000

Burns, Gray & Gray Law Firm needed a new web site to effectively find their clients. Because of the large number of firms it is a very competitive business, so the search engine optimization was very important, to give them a decent listing. This firm had a very basic version when they decided it was time for a redesign. They have a long list of areas of law that they consult on, so there are a large number of pages under the menu heading, “practice areas”. Also, there are three attorneys, so they each have a page, in addition to the menu page that covers the entire office staff.

Burns, Gray & Gray Website Design

Burns, Gray & Gray is a small, local, family firm that works very hard to help people in their community, so my goal was to represent this in their site. I used the dark colored background to represent the professionalism that they show their clients. This is my family’s business, so they like to get me to make changes often!

View the website…

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Responsive Web Design & Social Media Management

Mary Ann Burns — Thu, 17 Aug 2017 12:48:39 +0000

More and more, people are using smart phones for their internet access. This makes it very important that your website is a responsive design. Responsive website design makes sure that your website looks good and works well on all size screens. Responsive WordPress themes offer better readability and usability on smaller screens such as smart phones. Every site I design will be tested on all screen sizes for maximum effectiveness.

Social Media

Also, if you don’t have the patience or manpower to manage a social media presence (Facebook, Google+, Twitter) I can make those kinds of posts for you whenever you send news worthy updates for your website. I can also get you set up with business listings (Google Places for Business, Bing Places for Business, Linkedin).

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Beautiful Website Design Using WordPress

Mary Ann Burns — Mon, 03 Jul 2017 22:00:20 +0000

I create website design using WordPress for beautiful, fully-functioning websites. Your website is often the primary way that your business, church, or an individual connects with the world. So, it is so very important that you present your best self. I will work with you to design a site that you will love. It will be one that not only looks good and performs well, but effectively communicates your message. I tailor my services to each individual client to ensure that your site engages your audience and meets your goals.

My Process of New Website Design using WordPress

1) Initial interview. We have an initial conversation to discover what you need in a website. We can do this in person, on the phone, or by e-mail.

2) Contract. I will give you an estimate for my services and a contract to sign.

3) Project Development. Then I get to work creating your site.

4) Client Review. I will show you the site and note any revisions.

5) Website Launch. We take your site live. I will still be tweeking it for optimal results.

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