locally.co.uk

Tag: web design surrey

  • WordPress – a counter argument

    WordPress WebsitesHere at Locally, we use WordPress as the basis for great business websites. We work with a growing range of clients, all local businesses making their presence felt online too.

    We work with start-ups through to larger companies who offer a range of high quality products and services locally, as well as nationally and, in the vast majority of cases, globally too.

    We know that websites need to be creative showcases that have high quality content, great graphics that are not overdone and that the whole thing needs to search engine optimised.

    We also know that every business is different and so every website needs to be different; what suits one free school in one area of the country will not suit another free school is another area. Businesses may occupy the same trade or industry, but it doesn’t mean they offer the same product or service, in the same way.

    So, we don’t have ‘templates’ as such, although we have an innate understanding of what a business could want and, working alongside our clients, we create great websites that work.

    WordPress – not everyone’s cup of tea

    WordPress is an open source platform, which, without getting too technical, means that brilliantly technically minded people (like us here at Locally!) can create rather wonderful and spectacular websites for businesses (for anyone, in fact). Associated with a  vibrant and fabulous blogging movement, you can create, with the addition of plug-ins and design creativity, a bespoke WordPress website.

    But it’s not everyone’s cup of tea as highlighted in a recent article we came across and so, we think it is only fair to present the other side of the argument and why WordPress can create fabulous, creative websites that really do work…

    The criticisms levelled at WordPress websites were:

    • WordPress sites are not ‘truly’ able to be updated or created in a bespoke way – not true! And we think we have a growing portfolio that points to evidence to the contrary. There is also mention that people who create such websites do not know much about code and that they hitch a ride on other developers, using their ideas and creations. Here at Locally we add to the WordPress community, as well as share ideas. Since when has this been a bad thing?
    • Plug ins – as an open and sharing community, developers from across the web community create plug ins that others can use of their websites to enhance it. Detractors suggest that these plug ins often conflict and break, suggesting that the security of the website will be compromised. With all the recent hacking scandals and dodgy photos making their way online this is, to all intents and purposes, playing on people’s vulnerability. With the right technical help from a company like us, these breakages and conflicts in plug ins can be avoided.
    • Security – continuing with the theme of security, some industry experts also suggest that the open community behind WordPress is also its greatest weakness. As the platform is written by and shared by large numbers of people, suggestions are it is easier to hack and therefore, your WordPress website could be compromised. Funny how the recent hacking scandals have not affected WordPress but other open source programs…
    • Every site is the same – again, a common misconception we feel around WordPress is that people assume that because there are thousands of themes to choose from that this means every website looks and feels the same; we disagree. We do create bespoke WordPress websites. Simple.
    • Lacking in originality – another criticism of WordPress is the perceived lack of originality and that search engines, such as Google, will note this, giving such website a ‘miss’ when it comes to page 1 rankings. This doesn’t seem to affect Beyonce’s WordPress site… hers seems far from lacking in originality and ranking. In fact, research any major topic online and you will come across many bespoke websites that use WordPress and do not seem to struggle from lack of originality.
    • Updating – apparently the penchant for updating WordPress every few months is an issue that some find deplorable. We think that keep your website fresh, with all the latest technical wizardry a rather fabulous thing…
    • SEO – ah, the old search engine optimisation argument. In fact, we think our earlier point about WordPress websites figuring high in the rankings more than blows this point out of the water…

    For those that knock WordPress we think you are trying to kick an open door; it is a futile exercise! Take another look at what this platform can offer your business.

  • Web Design Surrey

    No one can believe where the time has gone since we launched the Locally web design brand last October.  Before becoming Locally we were Roibot Ltd a two man internet marketing company, but we found there was a pressing need in Surrey for a web design company that catered for start up and small businesses. At first we thought the best way to provide affordable web design services to these companies in Surrey, around Woking & Guildford was to provide a set of tools so that they could build their own sites.

    What we learnt very quickly was that small companies are too busy to allocate the time to learning skills that we (as experienced web professionals) take for granted.  So we realigned ourselves so that we would build the sites using our own tools and frame work and create a  form of website members club, where a monthly subscription gives them all the technical and website support they need.

    It is difficult to compare us with a traditional Surrey web design company, there are a lot, and they all offer different variations on solutions for their clients. Over the last few months our reputation as a trust worthy web design company has passed by word of mouth and of course we are very happy about that, the best form of marketing is referrals.

    Our process to develop websites is documented on our own website, and it is light weight and fast, a process designed to align with our customers. Larger companies will want a web design agency that goes through wire-frame mock ups, graphical mock-ups, then converting these into code, this process is great and necessary if you are commissioning a multi-thousand pound website, but our clients, local businesses in Surrey and indeed across the UK, need a process that delivers in hundreds not thousands of  pounds.

    So far we have met and produced websites for a great bunch of people & small businesses, and we very much looking forward to helping them and many more businesses with their on-line presence.