Pleasure Doing Business: 007 Computer Services

What is your website doing for you today?

That is the question Rob Fowler of 007 Computer Services poses at the top of the home page of his website, rooted in Gulfport.

Mr. Fowler is a professional web developer, which is to say he provides web development, search engine optimization (SEO), digital photography, marketing, web administration, hosting, troubleshooting, security and all things Internet to form a powerful marketing tool for any business that seeks to expand its business.

“When I start working with a client I become very involved in their marketing and measuring and testing what's working,” he says. “I get involved in the print media and TV and the whole bit.”

He's used to working with creative minds that already have an image of what they want. What works on a canvass or in graphic design doesn't always work on a website. Still, it's not his intention to stifle creativity but to accentuate it.

“I will always do what the client wants but I definitely try to educate them on what's going to give them the most bang for the buck; what's going to work best for them and their business.”

He's been working with computers since the late 1970s with companies like NCR and Texas Instruments and always thrived in the IT world, creating his own niche in the western U.S. creating business systems and troubleshooting.

He got a jump on the Internet in 1996 soon after it exploded, creating websites when few others did and continued to build sites and skills. Eventually, about eight years ago he reached a point getting more and more involved with SEO where he was good but needed to get better, so he went back to school for Interactive Media at the International Academy of Design in Tampa and completed a four-year program.

“That just took everything to another level,” he says, noting experience played a role complimenting the education. “I'm now comfortable building high end websites, I know how to market, what works and doesn't work.”

He found a new home at the same time. He'd heard of the Blueberry Patch in Gulfport and while visiting he discovered Beach Blvd. and as soon as he saw the strip and the waterfront he was hooked and it all unfolded naturally. He now lives here with his wife and is on the board of directors for the Gulfport Chamber of Commerce and involved with Gulfport Magazine.

SEO is one of the most popular services to sprout up in recent years.

“Unfortunately there's a lot of people out there offering SEO that don't know what they're doing,” he warns. “They learn a few tricks and end up causing more harm than good.”

He cited a recent experience where he cleaned up some bad SEO for a small business website, re-designed the home page and went from number 91 on Google to number one in a matter of four days.

“It's very important that you don't do it wrong,” he says. “You're better off not doing any SEO than doing it wrong.”

If a potential client is looking to start their first website and is hesitant to budget money for it he'll often encourage them to use one of the free services for a simple site and try it out. When they're ready to take a serious marketing approach that's where he comes in to produce a professional site and all that comes with it.

He is absolutely sure that just about every business that wants to grow needs their own website, including the city he lives in, which includes the Gulfport Florida site, which he created.

“If you're competing in the business world a web site is one of your most important tools,” he assures, noting all social media presence should point to a business website. “Your website is your best sales person and should be a profit center, not a monthly expense.”

As for the name of the business, 007 Computer Services is usually the first to pop up in any listing and there's intrigue to any “007” reference but it's not James Bond he tips his hat to. It is an ode to John Dee (1527-1608), who used to sign his letters to Queen Elizabeth with two circles symbolizing his eyes as the secret eyes of the queen, as depicted in the logo of Fowler's web site.

“I've always liked the meaning of the 007, the ancients or the historic John Dee angle of it and I just stuck with it. It worked well for business and people remember it.”

Does he enjoy taxing his eyeballs virtually around the clock while living in a picturesque Florida waterfront?

“I love it. Absolutely,” he doesn't hesitate to say. “It's stressful – every day there's a crisis – there's hackers, Internet Explorer might make a new update and some things don't work that had been working perfectly. I'm a natural troubleshooter, problem solver. It's high stress and I rarely get bored.”

He is fascinating to talk to about the Internet yet keeps it simple. It's obvious he enjoys his work, taking arms against a sea of troubles and stress that go along with it. Let's hope he gives the eyes a break from the computer screen long enough to enjoy the view of the bay.