Our full service includes everything from initial scope to final delivery.
If you're looking for a new website or want to update or replace your existing one, then get in touch with us for a no-obligation chat about what we can offer.
We've been designing and developing websites for 25 years and have the experience and in-depth knowledge to provide you with exactly what you need.
Our approach will give you the confidence that you're going to get something special and our contract states that you can bail out at any time and we'll hand over any work we've done that you've paid for.
We ensure that our sites are built to the highest standards and include accessibility and technical SEO from the outset.
Where do I start?
Finding the right place to start a website project is crucial to its success.
We never start with design! Without a deep understanding of your organisation and its customers any design work would be wasted.
Instead, to get to a design that really works for your business there are a number of crucial steps that must be taken before a designer can even start visualising what your website should look like.
We start off by researching exactly what's needed by taking a deep dive in to your business. We'll set up a meeting (or meetings) with you and key staff members to get to know you.
We'll want to find out:
- what does your business do?
- how do you communicate with your customers?
- what products or services do you need to promote, and how?
- what is your brand? (not just visually, but your ethos and the way you communicate)
- is your brand clearly defined or does it need changing?
- what you are trying to achieve with a website?
- who are your target audience?
- what motivates your audience?
- how do your customers find you?
- what is your use of social media and other communication channels such as email?
- what are your marketing and sales strategies?
- what resources do you have in-house?
- establish the technical aspects such as integrations with other systems and hosting.
- ... and anything else we think is important in getting a deep understanding of your requirements
Once we've got a clear picture, we'll make recommendations and get your feedback.
Ultimately, we want to know exactly what you want and how to go about achieving it; then we can move on to the next stage.
Content and Planning
Once we've agreed on the recommendations we'll move on to the next stage, which involves:
- creating a content map - what content will be on the site and where it will go.
- identifying where content is missing and deciding who is going to create it (images and text).
- designing a visual site map so we can all see how the site will be put together.
- what features are needed ( e.g.: promotional panels, video, animations etc) and what will their purpose be.
- gathering assets (video, images, graphics) and checking their quality.
Once all this is complete we'll know who is going to do what and when.
We'll also have a really clear idea of what the website is going to do for you and we'll be able to match the design with your exact requirements.
If you need other services such as marketing, copywriting, photography or video then we can supply these too from our network of highly experienced professionals.
Design
With everything in place, our designers can get on with creating the initial visuals.
We like to work with real content because this is the only way that a design can be developed that actually works with what you have to say. You probably won't have it all at this stage but we'll use what you have when designing.
We do all this online so that you can follow progress and will have the opportunity to comment and provide feedback.
This process usually involves a number of iterations until a final design is agreed upon.
Build
With the design signed-off, we get on with building the site.
This process can take some time and while its going on its a good opportunity to create or edit the content, find images and graphics, do any photography that required and anything else that's going to be needed.
Our build process involves carefully crafting each page to match the visuals and also includes all the technical aspects that are important for a modern website such as accessibility and search engine optimisation (SEO).
If your site includes any integrations with other systems we'll get develop the software needed to do this and liaise with your suppliers for you.
At the end of this stage you'll be able to see a working website.
Completion
Once we have a working website available we'll train you how to use the Content Management System (CMS) and you can use it to finish off uploading content and getting things ready.
We work closely with you to do this and of course we can put all the content on there for you if you want us to.
Once everything's ready we'll ask you to sign off on it and we can make your new website live.
Support and Maintenance
Once a new site goes live that's the end of one project and the start of another one!
Let us take the strain out of managing your site while you get on with managing your business. We’ve been doing this for years and we know what to look out for and what works best. We'll keep an eye on things and notify you if something needs addressing. Anything from website analytics to user support.
It's very important to keep a website's CMS up-to-date with upgrades (especially for security and new features) so your site is always using the latest software.
The site will also need adjustments over time to keep things running smoothly.
We also provide a support service which means you can call or email us to ask questions about the site and discuss how best to use it. You might also want additional CMS training or have simply forgotten how to do something.
Our flexible maintenance and support agreement covers as much or as little as you want.
Here are some of the things that are covered in our maintenance contract:
- Site upgrades
- Adjustments and changes to the site
- Troubleshooting if something goes wrong
- SEO advice and guidance
- Additional CMS training and help
- Security
- Help registering your domain name
- DNS support
- Help setting up Google account
- Help setting up Google search console
- Help setting up Bing search indexing