Web Design News from Webfuel

Designing web site landing pages that work

2012-04-17T00:00:00.0000000

Designing an effective website landing page will increase the number of site visitors that take the desired action. Below we discuss the web design and content factors which make a good landing page.

It's worth first quickly defining what we mean by a web landing page:

From the standpoint of the website owner, it is a web page that asks the user to perform a specific task, such as making a purchase or subscribing to an email newsletter.

From the users perspective it's a web page that they see after clicking a link on another website (e.g. ...

Generate some Pinterest in your website

2012-04-03T00:00:00.0000000

The web is going Pinterest crazy at the moment. Pinterest is the latest thing in social media, and since its launch in 2010 has been the fastest growing social site ever.

Unlike other social media sites Pinterest is based on visuals, pinning images to your own personal 'pin board' and sharing these images with others. It's a beautifully built site and people can spend hours browsing through images and 're-pinning' the ones they like to their own boards.

Like all good social media sites Pinterest offers web-developers the tools to integrate with their own websites. In particular the ...

New Website Design for Dishwashers Direct

2012-03-22T00:00:00.0000000

Nottingham based Dishwashers direct approached Webfuel with a requirement for a website design and refresh for an information based commercial dishwashers website that was looking a little dated.

We gave the website a bright new professional design and also put the website into our bespoke content management sytem Sitebuilder.

The company were impressed with our responsiveness and speed throughout the project. Having used a few content management systems the feedback was that Sitebuilder was incredibly easy to navigate and use in comparison.

view the website >>

Lock-in your .co.uk domain names for up to 10 years

2012-03-05T00:00:00.0000000

Nominet is to roll out multi-year registration periods for .uk domain names. This means that from 1st May 2012 anyone looking to register or renew a .uk domain name will have the option to extend the registration for up to a maximun of 10 years.

Until now it has only been possible to register a .uk domain for a two year period. The change will give businesses and consumers the opportunity to lock in their domains for up to 10 years, giving them security of tenure and a longer period between renewals. One year registrations will also be available.

Supercharge your Google Analytics

2012-02-28T00:00:00.0000000

We should all be using Google Analytics to track visitors to our websites. It's as simple as registering with Google and pasting a short piece of tracking code into the header of your web page.

This simple step then gives you access to an enourmous wealth of information on your visitors. Which pages are they looking at, how long are they staying on your site, what country are they from, what browser are they using, are they new visitors or returning visitors and so on.

However many sites leave it at that and miss out on much more ...

Web privacy matters - Google 'Do Not Track' coming soon

2012-02-25T00:00:00.0000000

The issue of web privacy has been generating a lot of press attention recently, mostly due to stories of companies leaking or selling personal browsing information which can then be used to target advertising to web visitors.

It's not uncommon for websites to track the behaviour of their own visitors and customise the content they display accordingly. When sites such as Facebook or Amazon adopt this strategy they can sell much more accurately targeted advertising to their customers based on the significant amount of information these companies can gain from our Facebook account or Amazon buying history.

This ...

jQuery is the new Flash

2012-02-21T00:00:00.0000000

Flash has been in terminal decline for some time now. Ever since the decision by Apple not to support Flash in their mobile devices, and more recently by Microsoft to limit support for it in the next version of Windows. For a while people wondered what would replace Flash to allow us to produce interactive animations within web pages.

For a short while there was some suggestion that a new Microsoft technology called Silverlight might become prevelant, but in reality there was no chance of Apple ever integrating a proprietary Microsoft technology into their devices even though it ...

How fresh is your website?

2012-02-14T00:00:00.0000000

Back in November Google announced another major change to the way it ranks web pages. The search giant updated its algorithms to give greater priority to "fresh" content. The rationale behind this change is that people are generally seeking news and information on the latest developments or current events.

The changes don't impact all searches, for example someone searching on William Shakespeare isn't looking for the most up to date information. The Google algorithms are clever enough to take the context of the search into account, but Google estimate that their fresheness update will impact about 35 percent of ...

Love Business East Midlands

2012-02-11T00:00:00.0000000

You will often meet members of Webfuel out and about on the networking circuit. The next event we'll be attending is Love Business East Midlands.

Love Business East Midlands is a strategic alliance of 'like minded' businesses and organisations. Working together, whose aim is to inspire the business community and highlight the many successes within the East Midlands region.

Who is it for: Individuals from all size businesses in the East Midlands
When: Tuesday, 14th February 2012
Time: 9.30am - 4.00pm
Where: Donington Park Race Circuit, Paddock Suite

http://www.lovebusinesseastmidlands.com/

If you're planning to attend then keep an eye ...

What is Google +1?

2012-02-07T00:00:00.0000000

Does your website take advantage of Google's latest trend, the +1? If you have a website and you want to maximise your traffic you might want to start thinking about whether you should be implementing the +1. Since Google came out with the concept it makes sense that it may eventually be given consideration in regards to Google rankings.

What is Google +1?

The +1 is similar to what Google buzz used to be. It's a way that users can recommend content to others who are looking for quality content. When someone comes across a website, article or ...

Mobile friendly websites

2012-02-02T00:00:00.0000000

As smart phones are becoming more ubiquitous you may be wondering how your website fares when potential clients look you up on their mobile. The new website from Google - www.howtogomo.com may be able to provide an insight into your website's performance in the mobile sector.

HowToGoMo is a website which Google have created in order to help business owners evaluate the performance of their websites on mobile devices. A virtual mobile device is simulated, displaying your website on its screen. However HowToGoMo does more than simply render an image of your website, it also simulates the ...

How Much Should I Spend on My Web Site?

2012-01-27T00:00:00.0000000

Usually the first question we get asked when we go to see a potential client is "how much will my website cost?" The easy answer to this is - the larger your budget the more time we can spend on your website design and build, and the better the final web site will be.

However, as we all know funds aren't limitless and in current times budgets are tight. When we first meet with you we will ask several questions one of which will be, 'what is your budget for this web site development'. The answer to this question ...

It's Not All About the Design, Content Matters

2012-01-24T00:00:00.0000000

If you want your website to be valuable to your customers and generate a consistent stream of good leads for your business what do you need to focus on? The design can often become the focus, but if you want your website to fulfil its potential then the content matters just as much.

It's a mistake to see your web site's content purely as filler, a rushed job to be got through at the end of the web development project. Your web site content is vital: your words ARE your messageit is how you communicate your value and ...

Web Trends for 2012, our Predictions ...

2012-01-12T00:00:00.0000000

Happy 2012 everyone!

When looking at what's in store for us in 2012 we'd rather ignore the woeful cries of more euro zone troubles or a double dip recession and instead throw ourselves into the ever expanding possibilities that the web has to offer us!

We're talented in many fields of expertise but we haven't quite yet mastered the art of fortune telling, however based on current shifts and emerging trends here are some of our predictions:

1. Responsive web design

With the increase in mobile usage and the explosion of cheap often smaller tablet forms ...

Newsletter Campaign Tips

2012-01-11T00:00:00.0000000

Many clients have found our Campaign Manager software an invaluable tool for keeping in touch with their suppliers, contacts and leads. Here we share some of our tips on producing an effective newsletter campaign.

1. The Subject Line and Sender

All email browsers will display the email subject line and sender. If these aren't right then your carefully crafted campaign could be sent straight into Deleted Items! It's important to grab the attention of the recipient without appearing too much like a hard sales pitch.

Successful subject lines set out a compelling headline offer such as a ...

New Year, New Website, New Offices

2012-01-11T00:00:00.0000000

A Happy New Year from everyone at Webfuel. We've been busy over the holiday period, and not just busy celebrating!.

We've moved offices, to the village of East Leake, south of Nottingham and close to Loughborough. We've also launched our brand new website. The old site was starting to look a little dated, and we felt it was time for a refresh.

We are also proud to announce the latest incarnation of our cutting edge CMS software, Webfuel Sitebuilder. Our new CMS is a centrally hosted solution, with all sites running on our software benefiting from ...

Should I use Internet Explorer 6?

2011-11-24T00:00:00.0000000

There have been a range of stories in the press recently announcing the 'death' of Microsoft's much derided browser, Internet Explorer 6. Like all web professionals we are very happy to see the back of this browser. The browser is now 10 years old, and not compatible with most modern website development techniques.

The main problem with IE6 was not that it was based on old technology, it is old technology so this can be forgiven. The problem was that many companies, particularly in the public sector got stuck on this version of the browser and as the web ...

Webfuel Launch Poseidon Charters Website

2011-08-15T00:00:00.0000000

Poseidon Charters has been providing yacht charter, flotilla sailing and yachting holidays globally for over 15 years. With so much data required for each holiday type, destination, yacht and route the challenge was to provide a well structured website that was easy to navigate and displayed this content in a user friendly fashion.

As our CMS system is built in-house we were able to ensure that we designed the content management interface around Poseidon's specific data structures, making it incredibly easy for them to update their own website. All this was achieved to a tight deadline despite Poseidon being ...

Redcastle Website Launch

2011-04-01T00:00:00.0000000

Redcastle, a software company based in Nottingham offer a wide range of Customer Relationship Management and Business Management applications. They were looking at a complete overhaul of their brand including a logo and new webdesign to tie in with this. The design is clean and professional and the website has been a success with both new and existing clients.

The website includes a comprehensive news system that visitors can subscribe to (either via RSS or via signup to a regular newsletter). This helps Redcastle keep their customers up-to-date on developments in their software.

visit website: www.redcastle.co.uk

Webfuel Launch FERAA Website

2011-03-24T00:00:00.0000000

FERAA is the body that represents the local residents associations in the London borough of Enfield. They approached Webfuel seeking a brand new website, not only for themselves but also as a platform for the smaller associations that didn't have the time or money to implement a website of their own.

Webfuel built a website the included content management, news and forums for FERAA, as well as a separate area where member organisations could be granted access to update and edit pages on their own sub-sites.

The website now caries a wealth of information on local activity ...