Website Design

webdesignAs website designers, our focus is on high quality,  affordable custom designed websites that get found by search engines .   All to often affordable websites suffer either because they are templates and end up looking like every other site using the same design, or because they can’t be customized to be search engine optimized.

We are able produce anything from simple, highly effective sites to the latest in content management systems with database integration. We produce optimal compact sites incorporating industry standards and excellent usability.

Designs can utilise your current identity or we can assist you refine your corporate image and marketing on the Internet.

The design process includes the development of back-end software solutions and database integration. We offer features such as bookmarking your webpage, search function for your site, booking and enquiry forms, multiple passwords etc; Feel free to discuss your excact requirements we will taylormake your package.

Our consultants will meet with you and we will work through the development process together.

Once the site is developed you may consider using our team to develop your online marketing of the site with search engine optimisation [eg. Google.com] submissions, interactive email campaigns etc.

Feel free to [contact] us for more details and information.

Our consultation method in designing a site:

1. Understand your business
Your market
Products and services
Process and systems
Brand and values
2. Configure & Customise
Site layout, look and feel
Functionality you need
Site hosting and email
Payment methods
Special requirements
3. Catalogue and develop content
Web content
Product data capture
Image photography
Image optimisation
Navigation
4. Implement and support
Delivery integration
Site awareness
Search engine registration
Performance reporting
Site maintenance and support

To design a website is a lot more intricate than people think,  herewith some pointers:

  1. First Impressions Internet users demand instant gratification. Users tend to look at the top left corner of a website first, so make sure that this is where you have the important details: what you do, who you are, how a customer can get your goods, etc. Never make your users wait for a splash page to load – many won’t. Rather, direct them strait to the valuable home page.
  2. Navigation When a user wants more information, don’t make it difficult to find. Use clearly labelled, non-cryptic tabs placed in the usual places to help make navigation easy. Try not to use more than seven tabs for your main navigation, you can subdivide later.
  3. Contact Information A potential customer does not want to have to work to find your contact details. Make sure they’re easy to find (a 'Contact' tab in your main navigation is best) and up to date.
  4. The Hook Regardless of your goal, you need to make your call to action very clear. Don’t disguise it. Make it easy for your user to complete the action, whether it’s making a purchase or requesting more info.
  5. Top Focus Most users won’t scroll if they don’t find what they’re looking for at the top of a page, so make sure to have all of your most important information at the top of your page. Keep details and added value offerings lower on the page, to further tantalise users that are already interested.
  6. Valuable Content To get a commitment from your users, you need to keep them coming back, and to keep them coming back you should be offering something of value. You can do this by making sure your content is accurate, interesting and valuable to your target audience. A blog or frequently updated product page can help you to achieve this.
  7. Be Organised Make sure your page layout is simple, clear and easy to navigate. No one wants to sit around searching for hours for one snippet of information. In fact, they won’t! They’ll go elsewhere. Try to experience your site from a user’s point-of-view, and plan it accordingly. A concise plan will ensure coherence.
  8. Be Attractive As a predominantly visual medium, your website should be attractive to the casual user. That doesn’t mean you have to go all out with design techniques, graphics and animated characters. Just make sure that your text is in an easy-to-read font, that it is big enough and that it is aligned properly. Highlight headings, choose colours that complement each other, don’t crowd the page with text and images – all of these things will add to your site’s overall appeal.
  9. Credibility Being credible is invaluable when building trust with your users. In addition, search engines will consider your credibility when determining search engine rankings, so don’t be tempted to use underhanded techniques to get higher rankings or more hits – this will damage your business in the long run.
  10. Look Professional Be sure to present your website in a professional manner, just as you would any other part of your business. Check your spelling and grammar. Make sure your facts are correct and your contact details are up to date. Check your links and layout. Remember, if you look professional, people are more likely to return to you.

Refresh or Upgrading

dtpSo, a change is as good as a holiday? In business, it’s essential!

Just having a website isn’t good enough in an increasingly competitive market. You need a dynamic, living, evolving site that grows with your business. A website with the ability to continuously add new relevant content – a revamp every twelve months.

Why is it important to give your website a makeover?

It indicates progress: A  redesign or upgrade shows  that you are a successful company that knows the value of evolving along with technology.

Improve SEO ranking: A website revamp involves text changes as well as new content additions. The new system should be more search engine friendly and therefore make use of technology to give you better search engine results.

Improves usability: It gives you an opportunity to revise areas that you have noticed could be improved on.

Saves time: By updating your site you can work frequently asked questions about products and services into the text to save you or your sales team time.

Remember to define the goals you would wish to achieve with the new, updated version. Have a meeting with various key members in your company to establish what areas of the website works and what areas don’t.

Consider a Content Management System (CMS). A CMS site allows you to upload, manage and edit content on your site without consulting designers or developers to do it for you.

Contact us for a free consult or discuss any question you may have.