Website Design
There are different aspects to producing a good and effective website
- The technical aspect of how the computer code makes it all work
- The structure of the website, how many pages there are how they connect to one another, and how the information is divided amonst them
- The search engine optimisation or SEO that helps the website get found and rank well on Google
- The artistic or graphic design, or put another way, how good it looks
- The copywriting, this is the information that visitors to the website will be reading, and if it is effective prompting them to buy
- The purpose of the website, it is important to identify the purpose that the website is intended to achieve
All of the different aspects associated with website design need to be taken into account, otherwise a website is likely to be ineffective.
Good website design is a blend of many different skills or specialities; technical ability; artistic ability; language and writing skills; selling skills; all of them need to blend together effectively.
The technical aspect of the website
This is all about the computer code, the parts of the website that no one sees, but it is responsible for making sure that everything works
This is obviously important, if links don't work, or take you to the wrong page, it is not going to impress potential clients, neither will text that overflows off the page, or things that don't line up properly, and if a web page takes too long to load, impatience can prompt people to look elsewhere.
Small errors can create a poor impression, or potentially annoy or frustrate
Some web designers will have the technical knowledge to make a website work brilliantly; but the 'science' alone does not do the complete job
The technical side of web design can help to make pages load quickly, and contribute towards search engines ranking pages, but essentially the technical side of the website should just work, and not really be noticed
When technology works well, it just works and we don't really notice it
We aim to make the technical side of a website that we build to work smoothly and efficiently so that your potential clients can focus on the information that you are providing them with.
We write the computer code rather than use other software to produce it, this means that we can have precise control, and make the code neat tidy and logical.
The other aspect to ensuring that all of the technical aspects of a website work as they should is a diligent and an almost obsessive attention to detail.
The structure of the website
This is about how many pages there are, how they link to one another, and how the information is divided up and structured
There are countless websites that are frustrating or confusing to navigate; information seems to be served up in a random order; it is difficult to find the answer to simple questions; it feels as though you are trying to navigate a maze.
If your potential clients get frustrated or cannot find what they are looking for, they are likely to just look elsewhere.
We will work with you to ensure that the informaion provided to your clients is divided up into logical sections
We will ensure that your website has a clear structure that is easy to navigate
We will ensure that the information on your website is easy to find
Summing these points up, we will ensure that your website is informative and user friendly
The search engine optimisation or SEO of the website
This is about ensuring that search engines such as Google, can find all of the pages of your website, index them, and be able to convince them that your website is the best answer to someone's search query
More people click on the results at the top of the search results than the ones at the bottom of the page, and results on page 2 get even fewer clicks.
There is no instant solution to getting a high ranking in search results, and only one website can be in the number 1 position
Search engine optimisation is about structuring and designing your website to try to make it rank as highly as possible
There are many different aspects that contribute to how high your website ranks, and one of them is how old, and therefore established your website is.
To help your website to rank as highly as possible we will ensure that the computer code is written to make it easy for the search engines to read
Search engine optimisation is also aided by good copywriting, to ensure that Google identifies the subject of your website, and the value and relevance of it's content
The artistic or graphic design on the website
This is about how the website looks, the layout, the colours, the images and many more small details
First impressions can be very important
It can take a little time to establish that the website that you are using is going to provide the answers or the services that you are looking for
If a the first impression is that a website looks cluttered, or the colours make it difficult to read, or boxes are popping up continually, it can get annoying very quickly
That is when a potential client starts to look for another website, and you don't get the opportunity to show them how brilliant your products or services are
We will work with you to ensure that your website looks the way that you want it to look, and is also easy to use
This is another aspect of web design where the attention to detail is important; colours; fonts; images; sizes, space; are all important
The copywriting on the website
This is the information that visitors to the website will be reading, and if it is effective prompting them to buy
Information that is unclear or confusing; poorly structured information; information that is difficult to find; are all likely to result in a potential client searching for a different website
Poor grammar, spelling, or using the wrong word has the potential to destroy your professionalism or credibility; is it 'affect' or 'effect'? is it 'stationary' or stationery'? is it 'there', 'their' or 'they're'?
Good copywriting explains information clearly, in a logical and structured way.
Effective copywriting is going to gently, lead and persuade the reader to take a course of action; this might be to sign up to a newsletter; it might be to make contact, to get more information; it might be to make a purchase.
Copywriting also needs to be mindful of search engine optimisation, SEO. Search engines such as Google will read the text on the website, and this will help it to decide how important and relevant the website is
Copywriting needs to be aware of both the needs of the potential client, and the aspects that search engines will look at; effective copywriting will satisfy both requirements
The purpose of the website
Not every website will have the same purpose, is the pursome will be designed it is important to identify the purpose that the website is intended to achieve
Purposes could include:
- Providing a resource of information
- Selling a service
- Selling a product
- Selling a large selection of products
- Selling membership
- Getting users to sign up to a newsletter or join a mailing list
- Getting users to make contact for a consultation before buying
Other considerations can include whether a company is generating clients by other means and is then directing them to the website, or does the website need to generate new clients?
All of the different aspects of website design need to be geared towards the purpose of the website, the same approach cannot be used for a website that is aiming to provide a resource, than with one that is aiming to sell
Website Design
Get it correct, and no one notices, it just works.
Get it wrong and the website does not do the job that it is intended to do; it doesn't work
Pricing, and working with Web Designs and More
A website project can vary enormously.
A single page website could require a large amount of complex design work and a lot of copy to be written, edited, and approved
A multi page website might be able to use the same, simple layout for every page and be able to use good previously written copy
To be able to give an indication of timescale and pricing, the individual project has to be assessed
We start the process by having an initial conversation with you, that conversation could be by telephone, video conferencing, or in person
This conversation will be used for us to learn what you require, we will also aim to learn about your business or organisation, and we will work out with you a suitable solution to fit your requirements
This introductory, learning conversation, is free, there is no fee, and there is no committment for you to continue the process any further
The stage after the free introductory meeting is that we will provide you with an outline of our proposals for your new website, including the timescale and fees