As of the 1st of March 2011, online marketing material – including not only content on business websites but also marketing communications on third party sites such as Facebook and Twitter – is regulated by the Advertising Standards Authority. It’s a significant & welcome step in bringing the regulation of advertising on websites in line with other media. Don’t panic though… If you’re legal, decent, honest and truthful in your…
Read in fullWordPress 3.1 was released last week. It made me think about how much WordPress has developed since I first started using it. Although the basics have remained the same, there has been an array of features added in the past year making WordPress (to quote the recent 3.1 announcement), ‘more of a CMS than ever before’. It’s not perfect, but it’s a brilliant system. It’s brilliance is in large part…
Read in fullSo your website is looking a little tired and you want a beautiful new design. It’ll give your business just the boost it needs. It will really freshen things up. Really? Stop a minute. What’s your website there to do? Impress people with its good looks or prompt visitors to action? The two aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive, but in 99% of cases, I’m guessing you want the second option more….
Read in fullDuring a recent meeting with a new client and a local copywriter (Gail Gibson), the subject of Twitter came up. This is always an interesting one for me as a web designer. The reaction I sometimes get from people when I tell them that no, I don’t tweet, and no, I’m not on Facebook, is, well…. interesting. “WOW!? You’re a website designer and you’re not on Twitter?! Surely you should…
Read in fullFor anyone who is still in doubt about using WordPress as a Content Management System… WordPress was recently awarded top place for ‘Hall of Fame CMS’ in the 2010 Open Source Awards – to which I say, well deserved!! This award is open only to those projects who have won the Open Source CMS Award at least once in previous years, and was apparently a close contest between two other top…
Read in fullAre you scaring people away from your website?! Pretty much any website designer will agree with me that clear, consistent navigation is key to making a website usable. But a couple of client meetings recently have got me thinking about this. Often a website will have grown over time, and the obvious thing to do, when new content is created, is to create a new page, link it from the…
Read in fullThis month, I want to share a little success story with you. As a website designer, I often get asked about the big Google and how to rank well in search engine results. Those of you that know me well will know that I’ve always had a bit of a love-hate relationship with Search Engine Optimisation (aka SEO) – mainly because of the lack of control one has over the…
Read in fullYour website is an important part of your toolbox for promoting and selling your business. But remember that many people that see your website might never have seen you face to face. The internet is a big place, so it’s crucial you make it easy for people to trust you. 10 Checkpoints If they’re searching for what you’re offering, then you’re already in a good position – they’re looking for…
Read in fullIt’s been a while since I’ve written at length here…eek! Mainly down to being nice & busy with work, which can’t be a bad thing. Time to make up for it though… here are a few thoughts on something which is actually quite important – how to make the most of visitors once they’ve arrived on your website. People invest a lot of time & effort in driving visitors to…
Read in fullReady to talk? Call +44 (0)1235 811 088 or email for a no-obligation discussion about your new website.