Your website has to work
A web site is usually more than just a business card. But even if that’s all it is, it still has to convert a page view into an enquiry.
This is why it’s vital that form and function work in harmony: it needs to be useful, not just pretty.
The design should never be an obstacle in the path of a site’s visitors, who have something they want to do – they’re not there to gaze admiringly. Keyword research plays a huge part in this.
We build sites that are not only good-looking, but actually work properly: they respect the visitors’ instinctive user-interface expectation, which makes them easy to use – all with the aim of producing sales, sign-ups or enquiries.
How will people find your site?
Web sites do not magically appear on the first page of Google. The art of getting a site ranked highly in the search engines is called Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), and we know how to do it the right way.
There is no area of design or implementation that doesn’t have an effect on SEO, so it is integral to every step in our web development process.
How will you get people to stay on your site, and come back?
We design and structure sites to ensure that there is every incentive for visitors to hang around. This means an attractive design, good functionality, easy navigation, and great content. View more information.
The web has changed and websites are not what they used to be. Much of the content on the web is not browsed directly on the web sites it comes from, but in feed readers and other applications.
How do you know if your site will work on all the available platforms and devices?
You can’t control how people will view your site, so it is best to test for compatibility across multiple platforms, browsers, and devices throughout the build process.
As it’s impossible to mimic every user’s experience, maximum compatibility and accessibility is essential by using well-structured semantic HTML, tested for W3C standards-compliance and following the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.
The end result is that sites cope well when viewed and used in a variety of ways:
- Platforms, e.g. Microsoft Windows and Apple Mac
- Operating system versions, e.g. Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows 2000
- Internet browsers, e.g. Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, Google Chrome, Opera
- Internet browser versions, e.g. Internet Explorer 8, 7, and 6
- Devices, e.g. Desktop PC, laptop, netbook, iPhone, Smartphone, iPad
- Monitor sizes and screen resolutions
To varying degrees, all of these make a difference to how your site will work for your visitors.
However, as people now rely on their smartphones more than desktops and laptops, repair shops have seen an increase in sales.
This is mainly due to the fact that an accidental drop on the floor can cause a smartphone screen to be smashed.
We have conducted studies to find out the best ways of protecting your device and preventing damage.
See below to discover what we found and how to protect your smartphone whilst on a budget.
- Buy yourself a phone cover, designs include hard, customised and plain
- Place a screen protector on the front
- When in your pocket, keep it away from coins and keys
- Think about phone insurance
How will you keep the site fresh and up-to-date?
One of the biggest turn-offs is a site that has been left to stagnate. If there’s even a hint that information, contact details, product descriptions or links are out-of-date, this can seriously damage your reputation and compromise any trust you might have built up. Click here for information about creating a blog.
Content management is key to making a long-term success of a web site, allowing you to keep on top of things without having to pay your web designer every time you need a change.