Web Design & Development

Need a website? Maybe you have a website but just fancy a change. Or perhaps you’ve got a great idea for your site but need some help making it happen. Oh boy have you come to the right place!

We supply a complete service. From conception to completion we’ll look after you every step of the way.

Whether you want a small site to replace a brochure, an e-commerce site to sell your products or even a fully dynamic site you can update yourself, we can cater for anything you can conceive. Even if you’re not sure what you’d like, we have the knowledge and experience to advise you and together we can build the right solution for your company.

For more information about our web design services please contact us.

Good Website Fundamentals

Websites can be used to communicate your message in a myriad of ways. Through our research and experience we know which methods work and which methods don't, but we always make sure to keep an open mind. Although there are some fundamental rules that must be followed in order for your website to be successful, there is always an opportunity to do something new and to add an individual touch to your online identity.

Content

Every person who browses the internet is looking for information. It may be information on cinema times, a review of a new book or price comparison on a new TV, but for some of them the information they're looking for will be about the service you (and of course your competitors) provide.

The content of your website is paramount to its success. We can present it in an attractive and interactive way, but if your content isn't the information the user is looking for they won't stay on your site long, and if they aren't on your site you can be sure that they'll be visiting one of your competitor's sites.

The content of your website should be relevant, informative and easy to digest. State what you do, how you do it and why you're the company they're looking for. We are always at hand to help you convey your message and should you need a little extra help you can always make use of our copywriting service.

Intuitive Navigation

Your website's content may have every bit of information that any potential client could ever want, but if they can't get to it you've go a problem. Intuitive, straight forward navigation is essential for efficient and easy use your website. The easier it is for your potential client to find what they are looking for the more satisfied they'll be and the more likely it is that they'll contact you.

Important guidelines for easy to use navigation include:

Make sure the structure is logical and makes sense to someone who doesn't know as much about your business as you.
Group your pages into relevant and related sections.
Make sure the naming of pages is relevant to the information on the page.
Use internet naming conventions to make it straight forward for the user, calling the entry page homepage and calling the contact details page contact us.
Present the navigation in a consistent manner, making sure the positioning and format of the navigation doesn't confuse the user.

Tip: Good use of colour, fonts and rollover techniques all help to make navigation easy to use and understand.

Strong sales messages and a clear path to contacting you.

The following seems simple but is often overlooked; If you sell Spangley Widgets the first thing anyone should see on your site is some a statement saying that you sell Spangley widgets. What's more, as early as possible your website needs to tell them why they should buy them from you.

Of course on its own that simple message isn't enough. Rather than presuming that a user will know where to go on your website and how to contact you, we believe in telling them. By leading a user through your website in an informative and logical way you will increase your chances of them staying to read on and therefore increase your chances of them making contacting.

When we design a website we always ask the question "what next". What is the user going to do now? How can we keep them on the website until they make contact or buy the product? Once they have read a page about a product or service, do you passively leave it up to them or actively tell them what to do? An 'Active' website will tell informing them of (and link to) other pages that might be of interest and will provide them with a way to find out more by contacting you.

Creating the right impression

Once a website opens you don't have long to communicate with your client, this doesn't mean a million fireworks need to go off, they just need to know that what they are looking at is what they are looking for. You also need to make sure that your website looks professional, reputable and trustworthy. It's not true that image is everything but having a really good image is certainly a plus.

A creative, good looking and well designed website will instantly inform your audience that they are looking at a company that 'means business'. Each website we design is done so with the target audience in mind. If your market is corporate so your website should be. If it is mainly creative based then equally your design must reflect this. But let us not forget the competition. We will evaluate your competitor's websites and make sure that yours is more than a match. In a sea of paint by numbers we'll make sure yours is a Picasso.

Accessibility

Legislation is now being enforced to ensure that you take reasonable steps to make your website accessible to everyone. This includes anyone with a disability that might prevent them from accessing your website in the conventional ways. For example your website must allow a visually impaired person to browse your website through special screen reading software that literally reads the website to them. The legislation involved is the disability discrimination act - 1995 which you can find out more about here: http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts1995/1995050.htm

Besides the social responsibility and legislation that enforces accessibility, making sure that everyone can see your website makes a great deal of commercial sense. If a person looking for your services can't access your site properly you've lost out. Quite simply the more accessible your site is the larger your potential client base.

Now this all sounds like a big deal, but really it isn't. We know exactly what to do to make sure your website complies and we test all our work against the industry W3C standards. Furthermore we don't charge extra for the privilege. We believe the internet should be for everyone so everything we build is built this way as standard.

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