Verulam Web Design

Proteros Data Systems

Nigel — Tue, 21 May 2013 10:56:29 +0000

WHAT WE DID

Graphic Design, Website Design, Website Development.

CLIENT BRIEF

Proteros are a supplier of data systems for several business sectors. They wanted to redesign their website to present a more professional and slick image, improve the user experience and make their product data and benefits clearer.

SOLUTION

We created a clean and professional design and layout, with clear calls-to-action using their corporate colour palette. Tabbed internal pages allow access to a large amount of information without scrollin. Custom icons and infographics present clear visual clues in a consistent manner. We integrated the design onto the WordPress content management systemto allow for easy and efficient addition of new content. The website also has a responsive layout, so visitors have an optimal experience when viewing the site on mobile and tablet devices.

TESTIMONIAL

Although we were a difficult customer to pin down, Verulam stuck with it and ensured the web design was to our requirements. Changes were made quickly and overall the service was professional and efficient

Mario Toouli – Proteros Data Systems.

How we got a client to number 1 on Google

Nigel — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 11:46:21 +0000

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. One of our clients, Jason Simon of stalbans-mathstutor.co.uk recently approached us to get them to the very top of Google searches for a specific keyword term – ‘St Albans Maths Tutor’. They were already at number 3, but wanted to leap-frog the competition. We did this within a couple of weeks. How?

Nothing amazing – we did onsite SEO. We improved their content, increasing the amount of keyword-rich text, used the the text effectively in the code – links, headings, page titles, descriptions, image alt tags and so on. We also created some links to the website from highly ranked sites we own and manage (including this one!) and voila!

This was an easy one, but we also help clients in many, much more competitive business sectors, to obtain page 1 positions on Google for a variety of keyword terms and phrases. Just search for ‘web design st albans’ and see who comes up as number 1!

Client Questions Answered – What is Responsive Website Design?

Nigel — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 12:52:05 +0000

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.

In a natural shift towards mobile technology, consumers are turning to their mobile phones and devices to access information and services. Research has shown that 1 in 3 web searches are conducted by mobile devices whereas 1 in 7 are carried out on laptop or desktop computers.

Research has also shown that consumers intake of information is now not always ‘on-the-go’ but rather via the second screen phenomenon where people are surfing the web on their mobile devices whilst watching TV. It is becoming more apparent that a company cannot control where, when or how their website can be accessed, therefore it is imperative that whenever it is viewed, it is suitable for display on any mobile device of any size, but with the same results.

We now always offer clients a responsively designed website, if appropriate. For websites that offer significant bespoke functionality (such as membership websites) a bespoke mobile website, that differs in content and functionality from the main website, may be appropriate. It may also be the case that a particular business idea will warrant a mobile app.

Client Questions Answered – What is a 404 Error?

Nigel — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 16:41:08 +0000

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?

Quite simply, a 404 error means that the page you were trying to reach could not be found on the server, either because you typed the website address in wrong, the page has been removed from the website or the page or resource has been moved, but without redirecting the old URL to the new one. When that happens, you’ll receive a 404 error instead of being automatically routed to the new page. We all get frustrated when we cannot find what we are looking for and many companies have made great efforts to ensure the 404 error can be met with that little bit of humour. Have a look at these examples -

Click to view slideshow.

Natural Health Welwyn

lee — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 14:17:23 +0000

WHAT WE DID

Graphic Design, Website Design, Website Development.

CLIENT BRIEF

This local health food shop was looking to radically overhaul the design of their extremely popular ecommerce site. This was part of a project to improve the conversion process and drive online sales. The project was completed in partnership with another agency The Conversion Detectives.

SOLUTION

We created new design concepts for client approval, working from supplied wireframes and requirements. The approved design was implemented on a development area, allowing full user and client testing, before final sign-off and go-live.

TESTIMONIAL

Our Natural Health store now looks much more attractive and sales revenue has increased by over 130%, compared to the same period last year, in the first five weeks after launch, that’s good isn’t it?

Julie Goodwin – Natural Health Welwyn.

IJ CNC Services

lee — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 13:39:41 +0000

WHAT WE DID

Graphic Design, Website Design, Website Development.

CLIENT BRIEF

This local CNC services company asked us to redesign their website and also rebrand their logo and colours scheme. They also wanted to sell a small range of products from the website.

SOLUTION

We chose our favourite CMS – WordPress, along with an ecommerce plugin. The design is striking, with red being used as the call to action colour. The shopping cart and services are visible from all pages and a custom-built ‘Request a quote’ form is included to allow clients to upload their design work and order bespoke CNC services. We created a responsive design, that changes the layout to suit the different devices the website can be viewed upon.

TESTIMONIAL

I commissioned Verulam Web Design to create a website to advertise our CNC Cutting services and also include a small section for e-commerce that I could easily manage. I was pleased with the result especially with the flexibility of the behind the scenes WordPress content management system. They also re branded my logo and produced a crisp clean site. Communication was good with rapid response to my emails.

Ian Jinks – I. J. CNC Services.

Energise Media

Nigel — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 10:14:38 +0000

WHAT WE DID

Website Design, Website Development.

CLIENT BRIEF

We were approached to create this custom-designed website using the WordPress CMS. This video production company wanted to integrate their social media profiles and a blog, to add regular content, so the WordPress platform was a perfect choice.

SOLUTION

We worked with the client and the design agency, Pixelcake, to clarify any issues and ensure the design incorporated all the necessary elements and calls-to-action. We created a custom WordPress theme and implemented on a clone of the existing website, located on our development server. After full user and client testing the new design went live.

TESTIMONIAL

Verulam Web Design were able to provide us with the perfect website solution within our challenging timescales. We were highly impressed with the expertise and advice offered throughout the development and the excellent after-sales support.

Martin Newton – Energise Media Ltd.

2012 – the year of the mobile

Nigel — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 12:28:39 +0000

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 statistics 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.

New smartphones have clearly been designed with this in mind. Several android devices, like the Galaxy, have screens almost as large as the new iPad Mini. I have recently got an iPhone 5 and initially wondered why the handset has a longer, thinner design. Apart from allowing an extra row of apps on the screen, the extra screen length actually makes browsing much easier in landscape mode. Yes you have to scroll, but the larger screen length allows even my older eyes to read text more easily. The higher resolution screen – 1136 x 640 pixels (up from 960 by 640 pixels for the iPhone 4), adds to the user experience and clarity of web browsing. I now often browse sites on my iPhone first, especially if I’m clicking on website links within emails, which I invariably access first from a mobile device, if I’m not in front of my laptop when they come in.

So what does it all mean? Quite simply design for mobile and tablet devices is something we now consider as important as designing for browsers on traditional laptop/desktop computers. We liase with clients to define a mobile strategy, whether the client requires a specific mobile website (that is different to the main website), a ‘responsive’ design ( same website content, but often styled differently, or with some sections not shown) or whether they require a mobile app in addition or instead.

2013 will see further huge changes in how people access web content and how businesses approach their online strategy. It is an exciting time to be involved in the digital domain.

* 2012 Mobile Internet Usage article – http://www.gpmd.co.uk/blog/2012-mobile-internet-statistics/#PageComments_holder

Bowmansgreen Primary School

Nigel — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 15:04:32 +0000

WHAT WE DID

Website Design, Website Development, Hosting.

CLIENT BRIEF

The school was looking to overhaul their website from a static site, with a very basic design, to one with a content management system, that they could use to add and modify content regularly and a bespoke design.

SOLUTION

We created this highly-functional and user friendly website built on WordPress, as it is considered the most user-friendly CMS available. The design reflects the school logo and branding. Contact details are prominent, the homepage includes an image fader to present images and links to new and key areas of the website. The twitter feed and news areas are featured. Links to key information are presented in a second menu and linked images.

TESTIMONIAL

We have been very impressed with Verulam Web Design’s rapidly responsive service, their accommodation of our many demands and expectations, and their patience in dealing with our inexperience. The website has proven to be a great success providing a valuable means of communication between home and school, whilst delivering a platform from which to display the learning activities being undertaken. We are confident that our new website provides an appealing, professional and true representation of what Bowmansgreen is all about.

Robert Downing – Bowmansgreen Primary School.

Christmas 2012 Opening Hours

Nigel — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 14:23:04 +0000

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.