Meon Creative Website Design Blog

What does your website do for you? Do you have a return on your investment?

info@meoncreative.com — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 22:11:00 GMT

What is your website’s role? Does it earn its keep? Is there even any sign of an ROI?

If you answered no, you are probably part of a large majority of website owners. At Meon Creative, we don’t think that it is OK for a website to just act as an online business card – a business card is only useful in the hands of a potential customer. The question is, what does your website do to make sure potential customers can find you and even better that they get in touch?

You website should work for you in two separate ways. Firstly, it must attract new customers online through Search Engine Optimisation. The best optimised websites attract their own traffic through organic search listings on search engines such as Google and Yahoo. This is done by ensuring that the search terms that potential customers use to find you are prominent on your website in several ways – but I won’t bore you with this, that’s for us to worry about! In short, if someone is looking for ‘website design in hampshire’ we would hope that you would find our website – because this is the keyword (phrase) that our site has been optimised for.

Secondly, you website should encourage you visitor to become customers – i.e. conversions. Your website should offer calls to action to the visitor to provide you with contact details or to make a sale. By offering your visitors an intuitive website to navigate that provides them all the information they need, you are putting them in a position to make a decision. This is when you want to hear from them.

When do you get your return on investment? If you pay £1000 for your website and you make a sale of £1000 through a web lead then you have your return! Any subsequent sales through your website are a profit. Obviously your product/service price will define how quickly you make your return, but it can be measured in the same way.

For more information on how your website should work for you, please feel free to get in touch by calling 01329 841438 or by using our contact form at http://www.meoncreative.com/contactus.aspx

Meon Creative

Website Design Hampshire

Investigating Local Networking - Fruitful or Awful?

info@meoncreative.com — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 10:50:00 GMT

This evening we (Mark and I) attended a networking event in Winchester. We’d been meaning to go for ages but never gotten around to it. When we arrived I was quite surprised by the amount of people there, and they were too! We began the process of mingling with other attendees but quite soon we settled into the process.

After talking with a couple of regulars they explained that this was the best turn out yet and that newcomers were quite rare. Lucky us!

Eventually, after our free first drink, we were shepherded upstairs to the top bar and our speaker for the evening was introduced. The speaker (who will remain nameless) talked to us about the benefits of branding, but I’m not too sure that the branding history of Coca Cola was entirely useful to the 90% one-man-band operations in the room.

We did however meet a really interesting guy called Matt who is lucky enough to draw for a living! He creates cartoons and jokes for newspapers, including The Guardian. He’s also worked for channel 4, ITV and a few others – I will post his web address when I find his business card (sorry Matt!).

I think we will be attending a few more of these events to get a good median for reflection. I guess they must be useful, otherwise why would people go? Comments welcome!

Anna

Website Design Hampshire | Marketing Hampshire

Server Based Document Management through your website.

info@meoncreative.com — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 09:02:00 GMT

One of our IT clients has employees scattered all over the globe. We had created a proposal document about six months ago that was going to be used for a number of different clients, which was handled by multiple account managers. Last week, someone sent me an adaptation of the document which had just been sent to a prospect. Yikes. The document was one of the very first versions still complete with typos, incorrect pricing and numerous other embarrassments!

How did this happen? Well it turn out the account manager had spent some time shuffling through his email archives searching for the document, totally oblivious to version control and dates and as if by magic, the first one he found was the most immature version possible. Obviously he had no time to read the document so he just sent it off. Thud!

So how do we stop this from happening again? One of our latest offerings is a document link module which makes documents available on the server available via the newly formed intranet. The module offers mild version control, renaming the last version when a new one is added. In practice, the team are asked to send a link by email and not an attached document, forcing the account manager to download the very latest document available. Bingo! We have a solution.

There is however, always someone who stores the document on their PC who will continue to distribute it, but these are the people that make life interesting and give IT managers something to do!

If you’re interested in adding a document management system to your website, why not give us a call?

Speak soon….

Anna

Meon Creative | Website Design Hampshire | Marketing Hampshire

The benefits of using a local marketing and web design agency.

info@meoncreative.com — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 21:55:00 GMT

The economy certainly seems to be making businesses consider their options when it comes to creative industries. I heard the other day that Gartner had reported that 70-something percent of businesses can expect their marketing budget to be cut by around 30%. Yikes –“ that’s potentially 30% off our bottom line” I though! Although this doesn’t seem to be coming to fruition just yet, I shall be monitoring this one closely.

A definite trend seems to be a move towards using local businesses over national/international ones. I must say, I always try to do this anyway – I would rather my money stayed in the local economy rather than going abroad, plus I like to think that other local businesses feel the same way when they look for a web designer!

So why would someone choose to go local? A few reasons I think….

1) Cost
Local businesses are by their very nature, smaller businesses. Smaller business generally equals smaller overheads equals lower prices, although this isn’t always the case. Smaller business can’t always benefit from economies of scale but you see where I’m going with this.

2) BECAUSE they are local
It’s always nice to actually go and see someone. Have a cup of tea and discuss what you’re looking for face-to-face.

3) Local Contacts
If you’re looking to market yourself locally, you are probably better off using a local agency who has local contact! If you’re in Norfolk you wouldn’t use a Hamsphire Web Design agency!

In the current economic climate cost is probably the major driving force. If you’re looking for affordable website design solutions, you are probably best off looking locally.

I think I had better leave it there before I start to sound like a HSBC ad. However, I can’t resist saying – Meon Creative are a Hampshire based creative agency and we would love to work with other locally minded businesses.

Until next time…

Anna

Meon Creative | Marketing Hampshire | Website Design Hampshire

Are Web Design Agencies Recession Proof? Is anyone?

info@meoncreative.com — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 21:34:00 GMT

Last week I visited one of our more niche industry clients – a scientific company who sell solutions globally. Their director was explaining to me that his business had proven to be ‘recession proof’ and that the industry as a whole seemed to be immune to the epidemic.

More...

Introducing.....the In8 Blog

info@meoncreative.com — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 21:21:26 GMT

In8 Website have decided to run a blog from our website.More...

News - Want to vary your content depending on your user?

info@meoncreative.com — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 21:21:26 GMT

Coming soon....In8 Customers wil be able to control what content users see on a user level, not just role! Interested? Please contact us. This service SHOULD be available in April 2007.More...

Reale Photography Launch

info@in8website.co.uk — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 21:21:26 GMT

Reale Photography have become the latest Portsmouth based business to get an In8 Website. Rhys Meale, Photographer, has been looking for a website solution to suite his budget and In8's Basic Package allowed him to get online!More...

Reale Photography Launch

info@meoncreative.com — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 21:21:26 GMT

In8 Offers Visitors Free Downloads and Resources

info@in8website.co.uk — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 21:21:26 GMT

In8 has decided to offer its much appreciated visitor a selection of free resources over the next few months. In8 believe in helping web newbies to help themselves using a range of specialy selected resources. The first resource is 'Make Google Love Your Site'. The download is now available on www.in8website.co.uk Enjoy! More...

In8 Offers Visitors Free Downloads and Resources

info@meoncreative.com — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 21:21:26 GMT

Search Engine Optimization Tips

info@in8website.co.uk — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 21:21:26 GMT

In8 is offering visitor and clients Search Engine Optimization Tips with no catch or cost! Visit our 'SEO Tips' page in our 'Info' section for details.More...

Search Engine Optimization Tips

info@meoncreative.com — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 21:21:26 GMT

In8 is offering visitor and clients Search Engine Optimization Tips with no catch or cost! Visit our 'SEO Tips' page in our 'Info' section for details.More...

A New Ecommerce Back-End for Hampshire Based Films Company

info@in8website.co.uk — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 21:21:26 GMT

In8 Website Design is currently working with helping Hampshire based company, Tomahawk Films, to streamline their shopping cart and payment gateway facilities. Tomahawk films originally used a 1990's 'unpack and go' shopping cart, which collected order details and emailed them to Tomahawk Films. Although secure, the system was needlessly complicated and Brian, the CEO of Tomahawk Films, was single handedly trying to run the website and the archaic back-end was holding him back.

Tomahawk Films did not want to chang the lok and feel of the site in any way and was keen to retain the web processes, so as to not alienate their loyal customers. With this in mind, In8 created a simple back-end solution that fitted in with the current look and feel, as well as the structure that was familar to Tomahawk users.

Brian can now collect payment, manage and track orders and market to his customers all from his website. The simple ecommerce package allows Brian to totally manage his web shop and indeed his business.

For more information of Ecommerce Packages, please visit our ecommerce web page. To find out how In8 can help you to effectively sell online, please contact us via our web form, or call us on 07809 709 308.

Community and Networking functionaliy putting Women 1st

info@in8website.co.uk — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 21:21:26 GMT

In8 is currently working with Women 1st, a Dorset based Womens Networking Group to build a community forum that involves its users and members. Women 1st is a new and exciting ‘networking’ event for all women – a meeting point for friends, with a tailored programme of talks, and a small supporting exhibition for you to browse whilst enjoying a warm welcome and relaxing atmosphere.

Women 1st started out with a HTML based website that was proving costly to update and did not nurture the community aspect of the business. Kathryn, the founder of Women 1st, was referred to In8 by another customer. In8 created a community website for Women 1st based around their current website, while extending it with community features.

The Women 1st website now consists of:

Community Forum - fully managed by Kathryn,
Speaker Profile Directory - a listings module that Kathryn can update herself as new speakers join
Events Payment Facility - a paypal integrated events modules which allows Women 1st to monitor signup
Gallery - an interactive gallery module that members can add their own photos and images to

More information on community websites and forums is available on our website. For a quote or more personalised informaiton, please contact us.

A New Ecommerce Back-End for Hampshire Based Films Company

info@meoncreative.com — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 21:21:26 GMT

Community and Networking functionaliy putting Women 1st

info@meoncreative.com — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 21:21:26 GMT

The Women 1st website now consists of:

Community Forum - fully managed by Kathryn,
Speaker Profile Directory - a listings module that Kathryn can update herself as new speakers join
Events Payment Facility - a paypal integrated events modules which allows Women 1st to monitor signup
Gallery - an interactive gallery module that members can add their own photos and images to

More information on community websites and forums is available on our website. For a quote or more personalised informaiton, please contact us.

I'm Back - and fully recharged!

info@in8website.co.uk — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 21:21:26 GMT

Hi everyone - as you may be aware I was away last weekend relaxing in the west country! Lucky for some ay! ;o)

I've had some advice that I should use my blog in a more personal way, rather than just sharing news about clients and web launches - so here goes!

You may have noticed that we have added a couple of new tabs to our site recently...these are links to our sister sites which have been around for a while, but I felt it would be better make a connection between the websites. In8 Design and Print offers design and print service including brochure design, leaflet design, logo design, etc....as affordable prices - just like In8 Website Design. In8 Photography offers affordable photographic services including studio photography, commercial photography, product photography and also 360 virtual tours.

Speaking of which...we have also added a fairly new tab for 360 virtual tours, which you can see on the In8 website (http://www.in8website.co.uk/360VirtualTours.aspx ). We at In8 really like these and have added this to our list of services - and of course these are very affordable, starting from just £50 to take the images and setup the tour (depending on where you are based of course!).

We will be adding a new demo tour soon which was captured whilst I was on my hols in Devon ;o)

We are also investing in a support site which will be at www.in8support.co.uk very shortly. The aim of this site will be to enable In8 customers to knowledge share and also get support in a more structured way. You will be able to post your support requests and monitor their progress via the website. Naturally, you will be able to login, amend your details and potentially even make payments via the site. We are also considering running workshops quarterly to help our customers to learn a bit more about the internet and how to make it work for you - but this is a little further in the future at the moment - but watch this space!

I think that will do for today - thank you for reading!

Anna

I'm Back - and fully recharged!

info@meoncreative.com — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 21:21:26 GMT

Hi everyone - as you may be aware I was away last weekend relaxing in the west country! Lucky for some ay! ;o)

I've had some advice that I should use my blog in a more personal way, rather than just sharing news about clients and web launches - so here goes!

We will be adding a new demo tour soon which was captured whilst I was on my hols in Devon ;o)

I think that will do for today - thank you for reading!

Anna

SEO Obsession - my trials and errors

info@in8website.co.uk — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 21:21:26 GMT

I don't like to consider myself a work-aholic, but I must admit that I do feel the need to check my Google Analytics quite frequently! My better half and I have an unspoken rule that on weekends I shouldnt need to be on my laptop all day, and I do agree. However, I can't seem to avoid quickly checking my emails or logging-on to Google Analytics to see how many visits I had the day before and where they came from...

I think it has started to become a bit of an obsession. How sad does that sound? But when you think about it, it is my livelyhood and I do spend a hell of a lot of time trying to better optimize my site and get more inbound links.

I am offen asked by my customers how much time you need to spend on SEO in order to achieve good rankings. How long is a piece of string! What you need to do really depends on your individual website. The trouble I find with Search Engine Optimizing my website design site is that every bugger in the industry SHOULD be quite good at optimizing their site and links should be plentiful from client websites. This means that trying to pull your way to top rankings on a keyword like 'website design' is near on impossible without large budgets and an extra 300 days in the year.

Some of my clients have been lucky enough to be targetting relatively untapped keywords (or at least keywords where the top listings are at the top more through luck than judgement!). In fact, I recently managed to get my client straight to the top of the google listings just because their site was the best optimized.

So, I would definitely recommend looking for the less common relevant keywords when optimizing your website. A very useful tool for this is www.goodkeywords.com. This free software allows you to type in your most general keyword (e.g. website design') and it wil suggest other less common alternatives (e.g. shopping cart website design). Now, you may get less people using this search term, but it does mean that when they do, they are more likely to find you that on page 245 of the ' website design ' keyword listings!

Right, must get on - have a great week.

Anna

SEO Obsession - my trials and errors

info@meoncreative.com — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 21:21:26 GMT

Right, must get on - have a great week.

Anna

Website design accross Hampshire, Dorset, Wiltshire and accross the globe!

info@in8website.co.uk — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 21:21:26 GMT

Just a quote entry to say that we are now in talk with am international client - how exciting! In8 Website Design Hampshire are quoting to create a multi-lingual solution for a large international company. The site will cater for partners accross the globe, who will be able to select the language in which they would like the content.

Watch this space...

Website design accross Hampshire, Dorset, Wiltshire and accross the globe!

info@meoncreative.com — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 21:21:26 GMT

Watch this space...

Web Design Tip - Favicon: What is it? How do I get one?

info@in8website.co.uk — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 21:21:26 GMT

Good evening...

I often get comments about the 'little details' that make our service special to our web design customers. Just yesterday, I was asked about a Favicon for a website (or as they put it, "the funny little icon thing in the web browser"), so I thought I would take this opportunity to enlighten you all!

What is it?

The favicon is an icon file ( extension .ico) that your web browser looks for to replace the internet explorer (or firefox etc) logo in the web browser address bar. If you looks at ours, we have a little green leaf . It also appears if your site is saved into somebody's 'Favorites' and it makes your site easier to find.

How do I get one?

Well there are two ways to go about this really:

Create your own icon in Photoshop (or something similar). Create yourself a square image that is 16 pixels x 16 pixels. Create your design and save it as a .gif . Then, rename the file to 'favicon.ico' (the .ico bit is the file extension). You then need to save it to your web hosting root directory - or get your friendly website designer to do it for you.
The easy way!! Visit my favourite Favico website: http://www.htmlkit.com/services/favicon/ You will need to upload your logo (ideally this would be a square shape or it will become distorted) and then the website does the job for you! You can test the favico in the website browser, and if it's OK, download it as a .zip file. You will then need to upload the extracted .ico file to your hosting root directory.

The site also create rolling text favicos - I personally don't like them and they are a little more tricky to install, but if you like it, go for it!

Tips

Keep it simple!! Anything too complicated will be lost anyway, so try shrinking it down to real-size in your design software and see what it will really look like.

Good luck - if you need any help, you know where to find me....

Anna

In8 Website Design Hampshire
www.in8website.co.uk/

Next time, we will talk about rotating gifs and how damn useful they can be!

Web Design Tip - Favicon: What is it? How do I get one?

info@meoncreative.com — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 21:21:26 GMT

Good evening...

What is it?

How do I get one?

Well there are two ways to go about this really:

Create your own icon in Photoshop (or something similar). Create yourself a square image that is 16 pixels x 16 pixels. Create your design and save it as a .gif . Then, rename the file to 'favicon.ico' (the .ico bit is the file extension). You then need to save it to your web hosting root directory - or get your friendly website designer to do it for you.
The easy way!! Visit my favourite Favico website: http://www.htmlkit.com/services/favicon/ You will need to upload your logo (ideally this would be a square shape or it will become distorted) and then the website does the job for you! You can test the favico in the website browser, and if it's OK, download it as a .zip file. You will then need to upload the extracted .ico file to your hosting root directory.

The site also create rolling text favicos - I personally don't like them and they are a little more tricky to install, but if you like it, go for it!

Tips

Keep it simple!! Anything too complicated will be lost anyway, so try shrinking it down to real-size in your design software and see what it will really look like.

Good luck - if you need any help, you know where to find me....

Anna

In8 Website Design Hampshire
www.in8website.co.uk/

Next time, we will talk about rotating gifs and how damn useful they can be!

Web Design Tip - Get Rotating Images with an Animated Gif!

info@in8website.co.uk — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 21:21:26 GMT

Sometimes a bit of simple movement can enhance a website design and offer your visitors a more interesting experience, but people are often put off by the workload.

Getting changing/rotating pictures on your website dosen't necessarily mean spending a couple of hours messing around with Flash. Gifs are normally thought of as just images, but they can also be animated. I was recently directed to a fantastic piece of FREE software which takes your images and turns them into a rotating gif.

Please Note: You only seem to be able to use JPG files.

You can download Animator Nine from here:

http://www.download.com/Animator-9/3000-2186_4-909432.html

Basic instructions:

Download, install and open Animator Nine.
Select 'Stitch'
Click the little file tree icon in the top left and browse to the folder that contains the JPG FILES that you want to rotate. You don't need to select the individual files, just the folder they are in.
Select the images you want to use from the file list window and click 'Add' for each
Select the size of the rotating gif (the images should all be the same size or they will look funny!)
Select 'Done'
Save the file.
Select 'Control'
Set the frame delay and loop delay (its best to play with this to work it all out!)
Split Format - Gif
Autorun after load - Make
Then, click 'Make' in the main menu
Save your animated gif, and that's it!

Then, just upload your image to your website using our Content Management and the images will rotate like a charm!

You cannot edit a file once made, but hey, its a nice simple tool...

Have fun!

Web Design Tip - Get Rotating Images with an Animated Gif!

info@meoncreative.com — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 21:21:26 GMT

Sometimes a bit of simple movement can enhance a website design and offer your visitors a more interesting experience, but people are often put off by the workload.

Please Note: You only seem to be able to use JPG files.

You can download Animator Nine from here:

http://www.download.com/Animator-9/3000-2186_4-909432.html

Basic instructions:

Download, install and open Animator Nine.
Select 'Stitch'
Click the little file tree icon in the top left and browse to the folder that contains the JPG FILES that you want to rotate. You don't need to select the individual files, just the folder they are in.
Select the images you want to use from the file list window and click 'Add' for each
Select the size of the rotating gif (the images should all be the same size or they will look funny!)
Select 'Done'
Save the file.
Select 'Control'
Set the frame delay and loop delay (its best to play with this to work it all out!)
Split Format - Gif
Autorun after load - Make
Then, click 'Make' in the main menu
Save your animated gif, and that's it!

Then, just upload your image to your website using our Content Management and the images will rotate like a charm!

You cannot edit a file once made, but hey, its a nice simple tool...

Have fun!

Search Engine Optimization - beware unrealistic guarantees

info@in8website.co.uk — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 21:21:26 GMT

This week alone I have received 5 emails, 2 letters and 3 phone calls from various businesses promising to get me to the top of the Google listings. With prices ranging from a rather off-putting £200+ a month, to a more tempting £50 a month, it's tough to know who are the experts and who are the all-promising, zero-producing scammers. From £30 a month you may just be tempted to sign up to one of their deals - but please don't without knowing all the facts.

Here are five things to remember when considering using a Search Engine Optimisation 'expert':

1. Anyone who says they can guarantee to get you to the top of the listings without even knowing what you business does, is probably worth being suspicious of.

2. Just because the letter or email comes addressed to your name of business, doesn’t mean that they have research into you specific situation - they probably just bought a data list from somewhere.

3. Those companies who are good at this type of thing do not need to be sending out emails and letters to get business - if they are worth their money they will get enough customers through referrals.

4. If you are going to use a company off the Internet, without recommendation, try to contact one of the businesses they have testimonials from. If they are a genuine testimonial, they won't mind you contacting them.

5. If you are happy with a business' credentials, make sure you get in writing how much you are going to pay, what you are going to get and also how you can get out of any contracts you enter into.

Generally, the best way to know exactly what you're getting is to go with someone who has been recommended by someone you trust who has perhaps used them themselves.

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask via our web help and advice page.

Thanks for reading, don't have nightmares ;o)

Anna

For more information please visit our website http://www.In8Website.co.uk

Website Design Hampshire | Content Managed Websites | School Websites

Search Engine Optimization - beware unrealistic guarantees

info@meoncreative.com — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 21:21:26 GMT

Here are five things to remember when considering using a Search Engine Optimisation 'expert':

1. Anyone who says they can guarantee to get you to the top of the listings without even knowing what you business does, is probably worth being suspicious of.

5. If you are happy with a business' credentials, make sure you get in writing how much you are going to pay, what you are going to get and also how you can get out of any contracts you enter into.

Thanks for reading, don't have nightmares ;o)

Anna

For more information please visit our website http://www.In8Website.co.uk

Website Design Hampshire | Content Managed Websites | School Websites

JPG or JPEG? Gif what? Image file extensions explained...

info@in8website.co.uk — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 21:21:26 GMT

I'm quite often asked why I use a gif for one thing and a jpeg for another, so I thought I would document it all here to share with everyone. It is important to get these right when using the content management to add pictures. There are valid reasons for using different file types and its not just to do with the program you're using. There are far too many to list in full, so here are a few of the most common ones:

Gif The gif (Graphical Interchange Format) file is often used in web design as it offers a good quality image at a small file size. It can contain up to 256 'indexed' colours. The colours are called 'indexed' because they are chosen when saving the file. High detail images are probably better with a Jpg. GIF images can also be animated and saved as "animated GIFs," which are often used to display basic animations on websites; they may also include transparent pixels, which allow them to blend with different color backgrounds; however, pixels in a GIF image must be either fully transparent or fully opaque.

Jpg or Jpeg The Jpg (Joint Photographic Experts Group) are commonly used for storing digital photos since the format supports up to 24-bit color; also a common format for publishing Web graphics. Jpg are not good at being compressed - they will dramatically loose quality.

Png The Png (Portable Network Graphic) is a common web file. It is often used because the image loads in quality, rather than in stages. This means that the image will appear from the offset on the web page will gradually load. As such, the Png is often used for higher quality images.

Bmp The Bmp (Bitmap Image) is an uncompressed image file. This file type looses quality dramatically if resized. They are not the smallest of images either - best stick with a Jpg!

That will do for now! If you have and questions, feel free to ask...

Anna

Website Design Hampshire | Content Managed Website | Low Cost Website Design | Ecommerce Website Design | School Website Design