How It All Began

From 1996 to 2007 Digital Mouse Designs was known as PuterBug.com and more recently as PBC Web Design. I was one of Watertown, Wisconsin's first dedicated web design companies. For those of you interested in hiring a local web designer, Watertown is located in Southeastern Wisconsin between Madison and Milwaukee. Cities nearest to my office are Jefferson, Waukesha, Oconomowoc, Brookfield, Pewaukee, Fort Atkinson, Elm Grove, Juneau, Beaver Dam, Milwaukee and Madison, Wisconsin. My office is located in Northern Jefferson County on the South side of Watertown. To the North is Dodge County, with Waukesha and Dane Counties to the East and West.

The beauty of working on the Internet is that my physical location does not limit my availability to work on any web site at any location. Many of my web site are owned by clients all across the United States and into Canada. The Internet allows us all to offer our products or services remotely to anywhere in the world! You're welcome to read my client testimonials and learn what my clients have to say about my services.

Now that you know where I'm located, you might like to know how I came to be in the web design business.

Mom Really Does Know Best!

My "web designer madness" began as my effort to help my parents and brother get their business on the Internet. They had a bad experience with a web designer having taken their money but never producing a site for them. At the age of about 40 and very unhappy with my job situation, words my Mother had spoken way back when I was nearing High School graduation began to haunt me. Mom words were; "You should go into computers. It's the way the world is going."

Now, how many of you listen to your parents when you're in High School? Her words had floated in and were quickly banished from my mind over the years. But at this point in my life, Mom's voice just wouldn't let go. I got my first computer and quickly became a real computer bug (thus the name PuterBug). To family, friends and co-workers I became their personal Computer Guru. I quickly realized just how sorry I was that I hadn't listened to Mom 20 years ago! To think I could have been doing what I love doing during all the missed years is just mind-boggling to me. Because of my insatiable desire and eagerness to learn all that I could about computers, my others got the idea that I knew anything and everything about computers in general! My parents asked if I would develop a web site for them.

My Mentor Enters the Picture

In my initial efforts to learn computers I met and befriended a very special lady by the name of Linda Cole. Our online meeting was quite accidental. I had posted a question on the AOL web site and Linda answered it. I truly believe that fate played the biggest part of this meeting. Something just clicked in that one chance meeting and our friendship was born.

Linda had been designing web sites for about five years at that point and had been urging me along, but I had absolutely no interest in that particular aspect of computer use and so her coaxing fell on deaf ears. When my parents told me what had happened, I was angered that someone would take advantage of them and decided it was time to listen to Linda.

Having no experience and no money to purchase good software like Linda had, I got myself the trial version of a really bad web design program (oh, so much to learn!) and Linda and I spent the night eMailing back and forth on how to make a web site. I didn't know I could be so lost ... but Linda held my hand all the way. In a few days I'd built my first web site and was so proud of me! Looking back I remember just how awful it really was! I'm embarrassed to say that a kindergartener could have done a better job, but at the time I was literally in awe that I actually had created a web site! There it was on the Internet for the world to see. I quickly became one of those that believed "if you build it they will come" and with that one experience I became obsessed with designing web sites. Poor Linda had no idea what she'd just unleashed!

Of course, there was nowhere else to go from there but to move forward and really get into the web design world. I bought just about every book on the topic there was, began taking classes at various online sources and reading everything I could get my hands on to learn the trade. The entire process fascinated me and I spent every moment I could on anything related to web design.

PuterBug.com is Born

I then designed my own web site and put it on the Internet in 1996. PuterBug.com was born, I was open for business and Watertown now had a web design company! I spent a few years developing web sites for friends and relatives for no money just to get my name out there, to gain experience and just doing what I loved doing. I worked hard to make each web site better than the one before it. I continued my research and studies and spent money that I really didn't have to spend on various ways to get The PuterBug known. The one thing I didn't have was clients. There were many a depressing day when I felt like giving up but my husband kept telling me "you never give up your dream." His support of me and my dream is amazing. He even took over the household duties so I could be on the computer doing what I loved most and trying to make a go of my business.

What finally started bringing in clients was when I learned about Search Engine Optimization. All this time I had a web site on the Internet but unknown to me, my site was not optimized for the Internet and thus no one could find me! Once I got started in SEO the doors to my dream began to open and I found that indeed, I had truly arrived on the web design scene! All my hard work began paying off.

The Evolution Era

As my business grew, I felt the need to change my business name to something more professional. I was irritated with myself for having chosen an original name that more than not, people mis-pronounced. The visual they got with "puterbug" was not one of a company that could develop quality web sites. I came to the conclusion that "cute" doesn't cut it in this business when it comes to your company name. After a few years of thought, a definite need for a new look for my own web site and a giant leap over my fears, I selected the name Digital Mouse Designs.

I've been offering high quality, low cost web hosting since 2001. Currently my services include maintenance and updates for existing web sites, shopping carts, search engine optimization and submission, and web design consulting, evaluations and sub-contracting services to name just a few. If you don't see what you're looking for that doesn't mean I don't provide it. Contact me to inquire. I have pretty much unlimited resources to get you want you need!

I'm happy to announce the addition of my very own logo designer Keith Doles! I am now able to call on other designers to give me a hand with the workload when it gets to deep in the form of sub-contracting, and I reciprocate when they need me.

A Few Final Words

Web site design and development is definitely a challenge. It's continuously changing, constantly evolving, and it's always a never ending learning experience. I work with my clients on a one on one basis and take their needs and design ideas into serious consideration. When you contact Digital Mouse Designs, you are dealing directly with the owner. Each and every web site I develop is individually and carefully designed to be unique to the individual client's needs. I have have help, but I oversee absolutely everything personally.

Digital Mouse Designs is a great place to have your website created! There's enough experience here to provide you with a quality website, but I'm small enough to put my heart and soul into each and every project. This is not "just a job" for me. I truly enjoy what I do! 

With the world, technology and the Internet changing at the speed of light, a good website is truly never finished. I like to think of my web design business as an adventure to bring my clients new and better services all the time. You can be assured that I'll give you individualized attention to your website development needs at affordable prices.

If you're interested in speaking further with me on a website development project please submit your Web Site Planner. I will contact you by eMail to discuss your needs, generally within 24 hours. I'll help you plan and anticipate all of your personal or business site requirements every step of the way.