Blog
Why is web design important?
Whether you’re a start-up launching its first website or an established SME considering a major redesign aligned with your new company image, web design should…
What are the main types of digital marketing?
Enterprises at all stages of development soon discover that there are multiple types of digital marketing that they can employ to promote their brand, drive…
Update on latest clients in 2021
We are pleased to be working with a number of local clients in Hertfordshire on website builds and ongoing search engine optimisation and marketing projects in 2021.
Get More for Your Marketing Budget
In a time gone by, a marketer’s life was a much simpler one. Ways to reach your prospective customers were limited; sending a compelling message would shift your product and you’d think no more of it. With the rise of smartphones, tablets and internet usage, marketers have constant communication tools and consumers have no escape!
Client Questions Answered – why do you need to know the project budget?
Most clients we speak to have a budget in mind for each of their digital projects and will happily tell us what it is. Every company will know how much it can afford to pay for advertising and marketing their business and work within this amount. After an understanding of the scope of the project, knowing the budget the client has in mind for it is the most important piece of information we require. Why? There are several reasons….
Client Questions Answered – What mistakes do I need to avoid when planning my website?
In this latest installment of ‘Client Questions Answered’ we will look at the biggest mistakes clients’ make when creating a website. The reasons for creating a website are many, depending on the business sector, audience, whether the site needs to sell products, allow membership functionality etc. But there are key principles that all websites need to consider and here are some of the main ones.
We are a RAR Recommended Agency
Exciting news. We are a RAR recommended agency. To achieve this status requires impartial and consistently high reviews from our clients. So we are rightly quite proud. The main categories we are reviewed for are Digital Strategy, Web Design and Web Development.
Website and app projects completed for Hertfordshire and London clients Autumn 2013
Well it certainly was a busy summer. Normally things are a little slow in August, what with the holidays and good weather (for a change). Which can be nice, it gives some extra time for planning and internal projects, oh and going on holiday. But this year it was a particularly busy time for new projects.
Latest News for the Summer 2013
It may be the summer, but we are still busy getting websites and mobile apps completed for clients before the usual autumn flurry of business activity. Our emphasis has changed somewhat, with complex and highly functional websites and mobile/tablet applications taking an increasing amount of our time. We are excited to be working on a Help Portal website for The British Council and also a mobile version of the Gibraltar Financial Services Commission website.
Client Questions Answered – How do I choose a web agency to create my website?
Here are 10 Things to consider when choosing an agency to create your website. We hope these points prove to be helpful, please add a comment below with any questions or thoughts, we will respond promptly.
11 Costly Web Design Blunders
You know that thing people say about a trend; how it always changes like some fickle-minded aunt who can’t decide which hat to buy. A trend is usually associated with fashion, but it exists in many other fields too. For instance, the SEO we know today is the result of trends dictated by major players like Google, which sets a whole series of events in motion after every time it makes changes to its algorithm.
How we got a client to number 1 on Google
We specialise in both creating both highly attractive and functional websites for our clients, but also websites that are highly optimised. No one can promise Google rankings, but we know that our coding frameworks and expert knowledge mean we can both create optimised websites but also optimise existing websites.
Client Questions Answered – What is Responsive Website Design?
Responsive website design refers to a website that responds to the device that accesses it and delivers the appropriate output in terms of size, display and functionality. Rather than designing multiple sites for different-sized devices, this approach designs one site but specifies how it should appear on varied devices.
Client Questions Answered – What is a 404 Error?
We’ve all typed in the address of a website or web page more times than we care to remember. Often, when we try to find what we are looking for, we don’t. We must have all seen a page with the words ‘Page not found – 404 Error’ much like the one shown here. So what’s this all about?
2012 – the year of the mobile
There can be little doubt that this has been the year that mobile internet usage has stopped being something that only the teenagers do and become mainstream. Numerous tatistics on mobile internet usage from early 2012 suggest that around 30% of all internet usage is from a mobile phone*. It is widely expected that most people will use the internet via a mobile device in 2013.
Christmas 2012 Opening Hours
We’re all going to have a well earned rest this festive period. So the office will be closed from 5pm on Friday 21st December 2012 till 9am Wednesday 2nd January 2013. So from Steve, Lee, Sami, Andy and Nigel we’d like to wish everyone a peaceful and relaxing Christmas and New Year. Let’s hope it will be a prosperous 2013 for us all.
Are you a cookie monster?
On the 26th May 2012 the one year ‘grace’ period for websites and their owners, to comply with the revised Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations, which came into force in the UK on 26 May 2011, to address new EU requirements. The new requirements and ICO guidelines make it clear that organisations and companies in the UK must get permission to store cookies on users computers.
Why do websites go down in search results?
A common question for us to be asked is ‘why a website goes down in Google, Bing or Yahoo search results?’. There are a huge number of reasons, but here are some of the most common ones, including a video explaining how Google actually goes about performing a keyword search and delivering the results.
Google adds a personal touch to search results
Earlier this month Google moved a step closer to bringing social media and internet search results together. An update called ‘Search plus Your World’ effectively integrate Google+ and search results, so that Google+ circles, photos, posts and more will be integrated into search results to create a more personal and tailored experience
Website load time and why it matters
No one likes to be left waiting. Everyone is busy these days and the internet, with the enormous number of websites and information available at the click of a mouse (or movement of a finger!) is the most time-critical of all. Ten years ago, before we all had broadband, it was normal to wait a few seconds for pages to load. But now we can download movies and songs in seconds, we expect websites to load almost instantaneously.
Why creating a website is like buying a car
I like cars, I also like websites (duh!). I suppose I’m a bit of a petrol head. I rode motorcycles for 10 years before getting my first car (an old Datsun 120Y for £50). Since then I’ve had several cars, upping my budget each time till, in my late forties, I bougth a 2004 Mazda RX-8. I’ve always liked them and realised I could actually afford one and it does what I need. I still have it and use it day to day.
FREE web presence review
At Verulam Web Design we are passionate about improving our clients’ web presence. Many businesses come to us because they get little or no business from their website and wonder why. So we are now offering a FREE half-hour web presence review for anyone interested in understanding the strengths and weaknesses of their online presence.
WordPress .org or .com?
Something that regularly causes confusion is the differnece between the .org and .com versions of WordPress. So let’s clear that up. Frst what is WordPress? Well, wordpress.org provide the open-source software that anyone can download and install on a server (or have it done for you).
Is the canonical issue hurting your SEO?
So what is canonicalisation? Quite simply it is the situation where more than one URL points to the same content. Here is an example – the homepage for verulamwebdesign.co.uk
Do you need your SEO ‘done’?
I was attending a networking event recently and someone I was chatting with said to me “So your company does web stuff. That’s good, because I need the SEO on my website done!” I raised an eyebrow and over the course of the following ten minutes explained why SEO is never ‘done’.
Why use a CMS?
When we go through the initial stages of capturing the clients requirements for a new website, one of the most important decisions they need to make is whether to include a Content Management System (CMS).
Supporting our clients in building their brand
We work with a range of clients – from schools to local authorities, tradesmen to IT suppliers, charities to design agencies. What links them all together is a willingness to work with us in defining their brand, creating a strong online presence and providing a first-class digital experience for their clients and customers.
