Euro Business Enterprises /blog.php en-US Copyright 2009 Thu, 15 Jul 2010 16:49:36 +0100 http://www.ebeltd.co.uk/ Highly recommended - but not always the best bet http://www.ebewebdesign.co.uk/blog.php?news_item=9 http://www.ebewebdesign.co.uk/blog.php?news_item=9 Tue, 09 Feb 2010 03:11:35 +0000 Know your competition Having a dig at the competitionWhen comparing against other companies, as well as finding shortcomings in one's own business, one often finds fault with the other companies. The portfolios of some of our competitors have small pictures of the Websites they have produced, which are trimmed and displayed in a way that makes them look stunning, but they do not link to the sites or reveal their domain names. To really see what the sites look like one would have to search for them via Google, and quite often they cannot be found - even by company name - as the sites have dreadful or non-existant Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). In most cases, where Web design companies only displayed small snapshots of the Websites they had created, the actual sites often responded very slowly and almost always looked far worse than how the small snapshot made them appear. There are many lessons we can learn from our competitors, both things that we should and should not do. ]]> http://www.ebewebdesign.co.uk/blog.php?news_item=8 http://www.ebewebdesign.co.uk/blog.php?news_item=8 Thu, 22 Oct 2009 06:09:55 +0100 Good vs Bad Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) http://www.ebewebdesign.co.uk/blog.php?news_item=7 http://www.ebewebdesign.co.uk/blog.php?news_item=7 Mon, 12 Oct 2009 08:39:03 +0100 Getting visitors to your Website Attracting people to your WebsiteTo attract people to your Website you can add a news page, a blog, or send out regular email newsletters. If your site is regularly updated with information you are likely to retain the interest of your visitors, and hopefully relate to them on a more personal level. A Web design company, for example, should obviously provide information for people interested in having a Website designed for them; however, many Web design companies offer advice on Web design itself - because it's something they know a lot about. While this information might attract a large number of visitors to the site, they will be competitors looking to increase their knowledge rather than potential clients. Don't waste time helping companies competing against you, use the opportunity to sell your products or services, attracting potential customers to your site by focusing on their needs.

Having a high position in the search engines

Having a large number of sites linking to yours can increase its position in the search engines: this is the main reason why people add content that brings no direct financial benefit or which isn't directly related. Having the top position in Google does not signify that a company's products or services are better than others with a lesser position - the opposite is quite often true. Very few people find exactly what they're looking for in the first result the search engine presents them with, and most people will visit several sites in order to compare quality and prices. Even if your site is listed first in Google for a particular key phrase it doesn't mean that you will receive many hits. To receive a high number of visitors you have to use key words and phrases that are popular. Being listed high in the search engines for a popular key phrase doesn't always bring in a large volume of visitors. It's really all down to the quality of service you provide. Word of mouth is the best form of advertising available: if you provide a good service then people will spread the word free of charge. ]]> http://www.ebewebdesign.co.uk/blog.php?news_item=6 http://www.ebewebdesign.co.uk/blog.php?news_item=6 Thu, 01 Oct 2009 11:13:44 +0100 Web hosting - 99.9% uptime Uptime does not equal 'available time'Most Web hosting companies claim to provide 99.9% uptime. This is a good thing, and means that the server is only likely to be inactive (down) for roughly 9 hours per year. This statistic puts at ease the minds of countless thousands of people. 99.9% uptime does not guarantee that your Website will be available 99.9% of the time. Most Websites hosted via cheap packages suffer problems quite frequently, adding up to several days of inaccessibility per year, even though the servers remain up 99.9% of the time. When people access a Website for the first time and it takes ages to display information, or doesn't display anything, people will become frustrated and leave - most never to return. While buying cheap hosting seems to save money, it can also end up losing money. If potential customers are going elsewhere because your Website is not available, you are likely to lose far more than what you could have spent on better hosting. ]]> http://www.ebewebdesign.co.uk/blog.php?news_item=5 http://www.ebewebdesign.co.uk/blog.php?news_item=5 Wed, 23 Sep 2009 11:22:09 +0100 Cheap Websites - you get what you pay for Get a Website for as little as £99, with free hosting!£99 for a site with free hosting sounds incredible, but it isn't really. For this price you'll probably get a couple of pages, and if you want up to ten it will cost £699. You're bound to find that the hosting is only free for 1 year, and after that it will either be quite expensive or unreliable. The word cheap suggests something that is of low quality and not worth much. Very few Web designers could afford to spend much time putting together a Website for such a small fee, so the work is likely to be hurried, and the design unremarkable.

Service and Sustainability

In order to cover the average salary for a single Web designer - which is £30,000 per year - a company charging £99 for a Website would have to produce over 25 sites per month, per employee. Web designers who single-handedly run a business from their bedroom don't usually have high overheads to consider, allowing them to provide services at low cost. Many people operating in this way don't last very long, or at least have another job providing most of their income. In such cases the designer can take days/weeks to resolve problems or make updates that clients have requested. Some of our own clients parted company with their Web designers and came to us because of this very issue. If you pay more for Web design you should expect more. Both the Website design and the service should be of high quality, providing you with plenty of time to discuss your requirements and to revise the design until you are happy. If you're paying very little then don't be surprised to receive an inefficient or unreliable service. ]]> http://www.ebewebdesign.co.uk/blog.php?news_item=2 http://www.ebewebdesign.co.uk/blog.php?news_item=2 Wed, 02 Sep 2009 05:42:12 +0100 Choosing the right Web designer CostPeople with a small budget usually try to find a company that charges the least for Web design. There are also those who want the best site they can get, and look for a company that charges the most. Obviously you must find a company that will produce a site within your budget, but our advice is to never judge by the fees a Web design company charges. Sometimes designers charging small fees can waste your money on a site that is poorly designed, looks bland, and has no impact whatsoever; however, the same can also apply to designers who charge exorbitant fees. We have seen companies that charge small fees and produce amazing Websites, and companies charging the earth which produce dreadful sites.

The portfolio

If a Web design company's site looks fantastic this does not mean they can produce a site of the same quality for you. Many Web designers will spend hour upon hour tweaking their own site to make it more aesthetically pleasing, but they won't spend so much time working on a client's site. Web design companies usually have a portfolio of sites they have designed, and judgement of their ability should be based on the standard of those sites alone. If you can't find a portfolio then ask the company directly for some examples of their work.

How does the site look in ALL Web browsers?

Web designers may inform you that their sites are compliant with CSS or XHTML standards. While this is highly commendable it does not mean that their sites will look good when viewed through all Web browsers. As well as Internet Explorer there are browsers such as Firefox, Opera, Safari, and now Google's own Chrome browser. Make sure that the Web designer you choose can produce a site that looks the same in each of these browsers. Some large, well known companies have spent thousands of pounds on their Websites, yet they look terrible when viewed in Firefox - which is used by over 20% of people accessing the Web. Remember, how much you pay doesn't necessarily reflect the quality of the site you will get.

Unique work

Many Web designers offer great looking sites for small fees because they don't actually design the sites themselves. There are plenty of sites providing templates (pre-designed Web sites) that you can get for as little as £40 or even completely free. A Web design company can use such templates for your site, merely adding your logo and content. The major issue with this method is that other people could buy the same template, so your competition could legally have a site that looks exactly the same as yours. Make sure you know whether or not you are paying for a template or a unique design. Charges for unique sites are usually much higher as the design will only be used once.

How are you treated?

'The customer is always right'. Well, not always. If you want a Website you probably want it just the way you like it, but a Web designer may tell you it's not a good idea. Listen to what the Web designers suggest, as they probably have a very good reason for suggesting it, but remember that the final decision should be yours. You should not feel pressured into doing something that you don't feel happy with. Service should always be friendly and personal, and you should be treated with respect.

Search engine optimisation (SEO)

No matter how much you pay for a Website it's a waste of money unless people can find it. When people use search engines (such as Google), and type in words or phrases associated with your site's content, you would expect your site to be displayed. This is a very fine art. A lot of time may be required to find out exactly what people would search for, and then your site would need to be optimised in order to reflect this. There are many companies who claim to provide good SEO; however, many such claims are plainly false. Always ask for examples of the sites a company has designed, and the keywords/phrases the sites were optimised for - and make sure that the words and phrases are sensible things people would naturally search for. If you pay for SEO then make sure you're not paying money for nothing.

Conclusion

  • You don't always get what you pay for - don't let the price rule your decision.
  • Before approaching a Web designer check their portfolio.
  • Make sure that the site can be built to look the same in all Web browsers.
  • Check whether or not your site will be a template or a unique design.
  • Listen to Web designers' advice, but don't be pushed around.
  • Ask for examples when paying for SEO.
Having said all of this, we leave it up to you to decide which is the best company to build your Website. ]]> http://www.ebewebdesign.co.uk/blog.php?news_item=1 http://www.ebewebdesign.co.uk/blog.php?news_item=1 Wed, 02 Sep 2009 01:14:23 +0100