Trade Parts

March saw the release of our latest e-commerce website. Trade Parts specialise in supplying heating, plumbing and electrical supplied to trade customers. The site is built using a e-commerce CMS to enable the client to update and manage their own products and pages. Since going live the website has gone from strength to strength with ever increasing sales.

Visit the site

Heart Broken

At the start of the year, we designed and branded a website for a Guildford based heart charity. Heart Broken provide advice and support for people and families that have been affected by heart problems. They are extremely happy with the look and feel of the website and have managed to reach out to people in a way that had not been possible before.

Visit the site

KTG

KTG are a Portsmouth based electrical contracting a air conditioning contractor serving the whole of the UK. The Web Taylor were approached back in April to design and develop two websites for each arm of their business – electrical and air conditioning. KTG were extremely happy with the design and branding of their new websites and were also extremely happy with the service they received and the short amount time it took to get their websites live.

KTG Electrical – Visit the site
KTG Air Conditioning – Visit the site

Times are busy for us and there are loads more projects in the pipeline so watch this space. If you have any questions about our company, our work or would like to discuss your website design project, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

One thing that it often forgotten on a landing page (or even a website) is the call to action that converts visitors into enquiries which then convert into a sale or client. It is essential that that you entice the potential customer with a reason to contact you either with an offer, promotion or just that your product or service is so good they need to get in touch.

We believe that less is more, you don’t need to overload your page with graphics or distract the visitor with lots of text, links and banners.

If you are looking for a SEM (Search Engine Marketing) company based in Hampshire then please do not hesitiate to get in touch, we would love to hear from you!

In the past we have written about responsive web design (RWD) and now with a recent hint from Google, it looks like the importance of using RWD may be getting greater. With 100s of different tablets and other devices used for browsing the web these days it is essential that your website is built to cope with the different screen sizes, resolutions and browsers. If your site is not optimised for these different devices, then it’s not going to look good for Google when your site shows up in the search results on a tablet device.

Google has said that they want to provide a good user experience, and users will not benefit from a site that doesn’t cater for the device they are using, even if the relevant content is there. Although it has not been officially announced, it looks like Google will be taking measures in the near future to keep your site from showing up if it has not been optimised.

Google has suggested that using responsive design is the best way to ensure that your site looks good across many devices. Google has not said that it will actually help you in search rankings, but considering Google’s emphasis on the importance of user experience, and the fact that they are even suggesting it, seems to indicate to us that this is something they’re paying attention to.

Google has said…

“When considering your site’s visitors using tablets, it’s important to think about both the devices and what users expect, say Google’s Pierre Far and Scott Main in a joint blog post. “Compared to smartphones, tablets have larger touch screens and are typically used on Wi-Fi connections. Tablets offer a browsing experience that can be as rich as any desktop or laptop machine, in a more mobile, lightweight, and generally more convenient package. This means that, unless you offer tablet-optimized content, users expect to see your desktop site rather than your site’s smartphone site.”

“Our recommendation for smartphone-optimized sites is to use responsive web design, which means you have one site to serve all devices,” they write. “If your website uses responsive web design as recommended, be sure to test your website on a variety of tablets to make sure it serves them well too. Remember, just like for smartphones, there are a variety of device sizes and screen resolutions to test.”

October and November have been very busy for us here at The Web Taylor, with lots of new and existing web design & SEO projects in the pipeline we thought we would take a few minutes to write an article of one of our latest websites: Premier Seal.

New start-up Premier Seal are a Hampshire based domestic, commercial & industrial roofing contractor specialising in flat & single ply roofing solutions. After finding TheWebTaylor via Google, we met up with Premier Seal to identify their requirements and were instructed there and then. Premier Seal wanted a website that was simple, professional and detailed their USP in an obvious way. After a week or so in development, the new website was live and Premier Seal are extremely happy with the outcome.

The Web Taylor were commissioned by Premier Seal to build and design their lovely new website, along with their logo, write the content for their new site and also design some nice new leaflets to support their brand and services offered.

We will be announcing some other cool new projects shortly, so watch this space…

This week we launched the Fence My Garden website. Fence My Garden is the sister company of Eastleigh based Hampshire Fencing who provide fencing supplies and reclamation to both commercial customers and the public. The Web Taylor were approached by Fence My Garden who needed a website to run alongside a radio campaign that was being launched very soon! We went hard at work and within a few days had completed a whole new brand, logo and website for Fence My Garden.

Over the years we have had the privilege of building websites and working with some amazing companies, both big and small. One thing that we have learned along the way is that although businesses can be very different, it is essential that we approach and look after any sized client with care and passion. We meet regularly with both new and existing clients to discuss past, current and future projects which enables us to have a good insight into what works best for their businesses.

We firmly believe that the internet and technology is the future of business & marketing. Meaning that strong branding, a good quality website and SEO are essential to any company wanting to grow and expand in this current climate. A good website will raise awareness of your company, brand and the products or services that you offer. Which will in-turn increase your customer base and could lead to repeat business and referrals to other prospective customers.

If you own, operate or work for a small business and are not sure how to approach this area, or would like to know more about what web design, SEO & branding options are available to you we would be more than happy to assist. We have experience in many different business sectors, and are equipped with the knowledge and expertise to ensure your businesses online success. Just see what our clients are saying about us, click here.

1. No Search or Bad Search
One thing many people look to when they are browsing a site is the option to search what they are looking for rather than trying to navigate through menus and pages. With more sites using CMS’s like WordPress or Joomla having a built-in search function it is now a lot easier to implement. But for those of you not using a CMS, why not try out Google Custom Search. It’s free and people are farmiliar with Google’s style. Although the free version does display ads, it is powerful and has functionality this is hard to match compared to other search functions.

2. Bad Layout
This is one of the single most important part of any website, layouts should be intuitive and easy to follow. If your website is messy and hard to find what content is relevant to what section of the page, your are going to lose the viewer instantly. Make sure that you section your content off and make it easy for the user to navigate through the page. Also do not try and cram lots of content and elements on the same page, try to keep it simple!

3. Bad Navigation
Your website should be easy to navigate, people should be able to access content on your site with ease. The general rule of thumb is that content should not be more that two clicks away from the home page. Your menu should be clear and simple, and if you are using a mega menu try and keep it as simple as possible. Another good technique is as well as having your main nav menu, once a user goes through to a content page include a side menu in a “tree” layout that links to further content.

One thing to also remember is breadcrumbs. This gives the user a trail of pages, so if they want to go back to a previous page it is easy to find the one they want.

4. Poor Content, Wording and Grammar
You’ve all seen it. You’re browsing through a blog or a website and there it is! Poorly constructed sentences, bad grammar and spelling mistakes. This is a big no no. People notice, and people want to read something that looks like it has been written by someone who knows what they are talking about. Ensure that you proof read your content multiple times before publishing it.

5. Screen Resolution
A lot of web designers (especially inexperienced ones) forget that not everyone’s screen is the same size as theirs. So when someone comes to visit their site, elements are not in the right place, and in a lot of cases the user will have to horizontally scroll to see content. This can be very annoying for a user, and I know I personally hate it when I have to horizontally scroll! When designing a site, make sure you build it to be universal and thoroughly test it in different screen resolutions.

6. Too Many Images & Animations
We’ve all seen it. A website plastered with lots of images and distracting animations… this is not good. For some reason people think it looks flashy and cool, but it really doesn’t! Use images and animations in moderation, and make sure they are positioned in a place that is not too distracting for the user. Animations in design are on their way out (i.e. logos and banners), especially with iOS not supporting flash. So our advice would be to avoid these completely.

7. Small Text
This one is for you visually impaired readers, or just people who want to read text that is clear. Obviously you don’t want your content in a ridiculous font size, but bare in mind that not everyone’s eyesight is the same. A good option that many sites decide to include is a button that changes the text size, although this needs to be done carefully as it can cause layout issues.

8. An Intro or Enter Now Page
This is something that is not so common anymore, but you do see it occasionally. You click on a link to a website, and you get an animation, big picture or even a small intro paragraph with a button underneath that says “Enter Here”. I struggle to find the point in this, surely it is best for someone to see the site and content they wanted straight away? Not to mention the SEO disadvantages. Your homepage is the most important page on your site as far as search engines are concerned, an intro page will have very little content on it therefore giving it little weight for Google and the like.

9. Cross Browser Compatibility
Internet Explorer makes cross browser compatibility extremely hard for web designers. Every few years Microsoft brings out a new version of IE that renders websites in a different way, meaning that more work has to go into ensuring that a website works across all versions. But it has to be done, if a visitor views your site on a browser that you have not tested it on and it does not display properly, it is likely that they will leave your website instantly. So once you have finished your site and it is nearly ready to go live, make sure that you test it on as many different browsers as you can. Also if you have access to them, try viewing your site on different mobile devices and tablets.

Different browsers to test on include: Internet Expolorer 6, 7, 8 & 9, FireFox, Google Chrome, Opera & Safari.

10. Background Music & Sounds
No no no no!! I really hate it when I go on a website and there is a cheesy MIDI song playing in the background. It is not so common anymore, but you will still find the odd site that has this. Even a small “jingle” audio clip that plays upon entering a site is annoying. Ensure that if you are using sounds or music on your site, that the user can initiate the playing of it. This way if they don’t want to listed to it, they won’t.

The most recent big project that we have been working on is an online shop for a client. Their specifications were very specific and there was a lot of work involved in getting the spec right. The shop is now nearing completion and our client could not be happier about how it has turned out!

We have also been working on designing and building a number basic brochure sites for clients in and around the Hampshire area. All sites we build are made to give you the best possible search engine rankings, we include all necessary HTML tags, a number of keywords that are relevant to your company and ensure keywords are targeting to the audience that you desire. On-page optimisation is included with ALL website packages as standard, but if you want to give your search engine rankings a real boost, we do offer further search engine optimisation services that include; link building, article writing and submission, keyword and market analysis, social media presence, sitemap submission and also website structure analysis. All of this work can be carried out within on fixed payment, which will not go a penny over! The cost is based on your specific requirements, so get in touch to find out more about our search engine optimisation services.

Since launching our new website back in May the response has been massive. We are getting a lot of good feedback on our website packages, which makes it easier to decide what website is right for your business and how much you can expect to pay. Please remember that these packages are not set in stone, if you feel that there is something that you require or do not require, we are flexible and can advise you on your best options.

So all in all a busy time here @ TheWebTaylor, which is a good thing considering it is holiday season. But no complaints we love being busy!! Though we are never too busy to take on new clients, so if you are looking for a website, want your current one updated or are looking for SEO and marketing services, then give us a shout, we would love to hear from you…

Low Cost + Fixed Cost = Happy Customer

Not only do we offer low cost, high quality websites, but we always promise that the price we quote will remain the price and won’t go a penny over!

Easy to understand packages

We have put together clearly labelled website packages so you can get an idea of what you get for your money. Prices do depend on your exact requirements and are completely flexible.

Exceptional Designs and Outstanding Service

We pride ourselves on our attractive modern websites that are built to impress and a service that exceeds all expectations. Why not check out our portfolio page to see for yourself.

So if you are looking to get your company online or want a spruice up of your current site and are looking for a company that is reliable, talented and cost effective then give us a go and contact us today!

Time and Place Luxury Holidays are a UK based luxury holiday specialist providing tailor made holiday itineraries based on customer specification. After having the same website for 3 years Time and Place found that visitor numbers were dropping and visitor to enquiry rates were also decreasing. A full re-design of their website was required in order to keep up with the times and to make information on their site easily accessable. In addition to a full website re-design, Time and Place also required search engine optimisation to improve organic search engine results resulting in increased traffic and more enquiries.