The use of images in web marketing to engage with an audience is nothing new and it could be said that a strong image can speak more than a thousand words. Visuals communicate thought and emotion whilst communicating in a way which words on their own cannot do. With high-tech cameras on our smartphones being carried around in almost every pocket across the world, capturing an image has never been so easy. The ability to upload images to the internet instantly wherever you are makes image creation accessible to everyone. Smartphone users also have access to a whole range of filters to improve and edit their images, meaning that creating the perfect image can be done quickly and simply. Although images are easy to create, when choosing images for a website it is important that they convey the message that you want your users to understand. A recent study found that online content with good images get 94% more views than those without. When it comes to it you can lead a customer to your product online, but unless it looks attractive and the image confirms that they need your product or service, the customer will click away at the […] Read more...

Most charities are eager to raise funds in order to support the people, groups and organisations that they were set up to help. There are a variety of ways that different charities fundraise from running lotteries, holding events or selling merchandise but an effective way of raising awareness of a charity and inviting donations is to have a website. Although the cost of setting up a website may seem prohibitive initially, it should be seen as an investment resulting in increased income for the charity over time. A simple website need not cost a fortune and can always be added to at a later date. Some web designers have a fixed price option for a straightforward website with approximately five pages which can include pages about the charity, how someone can get involved with fundraising and success stories about people that have been helped in the past. It may be that there is someone already involved in the charity who would be willing to set up a website by using one of the many online website templates that are available. This could be a good idea especially if the website is solely about providing information for visitors to the site […] Read more...

Whether you are looking for information about something online or whether you are looking for a product or service your initial impression of the website you visit gives you an insight into the business and its ethos so it is essential that as a web designer you choose the best images on your home page to convey your brand in a positive way. When you are choosing images or photographs to use on your website, be aware that you can only use images that are copyright free unless you are happy to pay for the right to use them. Stock image sites often charge a one-off fee for their images whilst other sites charge for each single use or charge you a fixed price to allow you to use the images for a restricted time. A more cost-effective option is to use images that are in the public domain or those that have a creative commons license as these can be used freely. Another alternative is to use your own images as this is a good way to give your visitors a more personal inside view into your business location and meet your staff. It goes without saying that the […] Read more...

If you are thinking of having a website created or want to have your current one updated, then you need to think carefully about who you will use. You may already have had recommendations of a company or an individual or even met them at a networking event or other times you may scorer the internet to find someone. There is often a wide selection of programmers you can use, some of whom are self employed and others who work for a large organisation. Self employed programmers tend to be slightly cheaper and you may be able to find someone who is local to you. There are many advantages to using a local web designer and programmer. It can make it easier when it comes to discussing ideas and passing material between each other. If you use a freelancer or someone who is self-employed, then you may find that the project takes a little longer as they will often have other projects that they will be working on. It is always worth doing a bit of research to see if you can find any reviews on them and find examples of their work.  You need to obtain a few quotes […] Read more...

All businesses need to have an online presence in order to be able to compete on a number of platforms. If you do not currently have a website you may have no idea how much it will cost to have one built and the ongoing running costs.   The costs of websites range drastically in price from a few hundred pounds upwards into the tens of thousands of pounds depending on what it needs to be able to do and how big the website will be in terms of the number of pages or products. Some companies will even build a website for free and then charge you a small monthly management fee. In some regards you do often get what you pay for, i.e. if you chose to have a website that only costs £300 the chances are you will be getting a template website that will not have much flexibility in terms of what you can change or add to the site in the future. You may also find it difficult to get these sorts of websites ranked on the search engines such as Google etc as they are often not built with search engine optimisation in mind. […] Read more...

It is very easy to get a bit carried away with the functionality of your website and forget about what the viewers of the site actually want and need. You need to ensure that the customer can carry out certain tasks such as buying an item or enquiring about a service you offer, but always be sure to think about how easy it is for the customer to do so. It can be a great idea to have additional functionality on your site but if it is not easy to use or doesn’t function correctly it can have an adverse effect. You may find that visitors leave your site and do not return because they are put off by issues on the site. Some companies chose not to put too much functionality on their site as they want to be able to get the customer on the phone to really sell what they are offering, so there is a balance and it differs from company to company. When adding in any new part to a website it is very important to carry out sufficient tests prior to setting it live and it may be worth getting other members of staff […] Read more...