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Web Design Solihull

Xceeda Group - Business Consultants

Strategic Learning & Development website launch

By E-Learning, SEO, The Web Surgery, Web Design, Web Design London, Web Design Solihull, Web Design UK

The Web Surgery have just launched the new website for the Strategic Learning and Development company – Xceeda Group.

The Xceeda Group wanted to update their current website with one that was user friendly, responsive to work on desktops, tablets and mobiles, and have an impressive front end design to engage with their customers.  The site was also to have the ability to showcase courses and workshops that customers could book and purchase online.

Solution

We created a new website that offers customers the ability to view a variety of strategic learning and development courses and purchase these through an online booking system.

Website Address

www.xceedagroup.com

Services Provided

  • Website Design and Build
  • Responsive to work on desktops, tablets and mobiles
  • Course descriptions and booking facility
  • Payment gateway
  • Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
  • Social Media
  • Blog

ATCS Training & Consulting Services

ATCS Group Training and Development website launched

By E-Learning, The Web Surgery, Web Design Hammersmith, Web Design London, Web Design Solihull

ATCS Group

The Web Surgery developed the new website for the ATCS Group which offers customers HABC level 1-3 training courses for:

  • Fire Safety Awareness
  • Awareness of End of Life Care
  • Conflict Management
  • Emergency First Aid at Work
  • Award in Moving People Safely
  • Risk Assessment
  • Safe Moving and Handling
  • Safeguarding and Protecting Children and Young People
  • Control of Substances Hazardous to Health
  • Contact Centre Operations
  • Certificate in Customer Service
  • Principles of Providing Security Services
  • Providing Security Services
  • Team Leading Principles
  • CCTV Operations (Public Space Surveillance)
  • Security Guarding
  • Team Leading
  • Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector
  • Award in Risk Assessment
  • Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector
  • Food Safety in Catering

Solution

We created a website that offered a range of training courses including a countdown clock to the start of each course.  In addition to this we will continue to develop the marketing strategy and website development.

Services Provided

  • Website Design and Build
  • Scrolling Images
  • Training courses
  • Countdown clock
  • Gallery
  • Video
  • Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
  • Social Media
  • Blog
  • Contact form
improve Website’s User Experience

How To Increase Your Website Traffic

By SEO, The Web Surgery, Web Design, Web Design Hammersmith, Web Design London, Web Design Solihull, Website Design Business

Bad SEO will kill your Business: Practices to avoid to keep Google on side

Statistics suggest that the first two organic positions on Google get around 51% of all search traffic. Those top spots are like gold dust and whilst you may feel like it’s worth doing anything to get there, the guys at Google and other leading search engines are savvy, all the old tips and tricks which used to catapult websites into that top spot are now amongst the worst practices you can carry out and black hat tactics and bad SEO practices could cost you dearly in the long run.

5 SEO Bad Practices to Avoid

Here are ten key things business owners simply must avoid to help keep their website on the good side of the search engines and moving closer to those coveted top spots.

1.  Duplicate Content

You won’t get away with copying. Copying large chunks of content from elsewhere without appropriate credit will not please Google in the slightest and even when you do provide credit, they won’t be impressed if your website is basically copied from elsewhere. If an article has already been indexed by Google and then you copy it, Google won’t even consider indexing yours so it’s wasted space. If you do need to copy or share content from elsewhere then use the noindex or nofollow tags within your coding.

2.  Guest Posting for Links

Outreach is a key part of your business’ development and it’s always nice to post content on other sites around the web to draw interest back to your own site. However, Google has grown clever to the act of simply writing the most basic, unengaging content for the sake of tacking a link back to your own page. Guest posting is brilliant if done properly but when it’s clearly a rush job and you’re doing it for the sole purpose of getting links, it won’t work in your favour. Highly relevant sites with high quality content which are of use to your audience are worth pitching to, but anybody else could be risky. The same goes for the opposite and accepting low quality guest posts for your site.

3.  Keyword Stuffing

This is the big one. It’s a practice which was absolutely done to death for many years. You’d find content which was barely readable because content creators were stuffing every sentence with searchable keywords. They took their time but the search engines caught on and repetition won’t work, it may result in penalisation and being pushed every further back in the SERPs. Your content needs to be written for your target audience, your relevant keywords and terms should flow naturally and this type of content is beginning to be viewed very positively and picks up social shares as well as pleasing the search engines.

4.  Too Many Ads

Too many ads spells bad news for your website, especially if they’re positioned above the fold. Not only will you alienate your users but Google has started to come down hard on websites which are too packed out with ads, especially positioned before the user can even see your content. Content first, advertisement later.

5.  Out of Date

An old website is almost as bad as no website at all. Google and the other search engines love fresh, new content and websites which are regularly updated tick many of their boxes. The design and structure of your website too needs to be in line with modern standards and sites which are just one or two years old become outdated and fall out of line with SEO best practices. Working with a professional web designer and checking in every once in a while with your chosen designer will help to ensure your website remains current and therefore keeping the search engines happy.

Contact Us

If you would like to find out more or have any questions then please get in touch with The Web Surgery.

 

 

 

 

What Your Website Needs To Contain

By The Web Surgery, Web Design, Web Design Hammersmith, Web Design London, Web Design Richmond, Web Design Solihull, Website Design Business

web design londonFive Elements every Business Website Needs

Your business website should provide you with a direct opportunity to sell yourself to potential clients. This means more than simply showing off your goods or service though, it means letting them know what you’re all about. Human beings are naturally inquisitive and therefore the chance to get a better feel for the people behind the brand often goes down well too. Anyway, first things first, here are five critical elements that are essential to an effective business website.

Attention Grabbing Headline

The first thing people should see when visiting your website its headline, a tagline perhaps which concisely and clearly tells them what you do or what you offer. It should show off the most important benefit of your product or service. You need to stand out from the crowd and offer something unique and you need to tell every visitor this as quickly as possible, piquing their interest and keeping them engaged.

Effective Copy

Though this many not be down to your designer it is something you can discuss with them, especially if they have a marketing team or contacts in the industry. Your copy needs to be promotional and sales-orientated without being over the top. Your users want to know what you’ve got to offer but they don’t want it rammed down their throat. Your copy should highlight exactly why you visitors need your product or service and also instil trust.

User-Friendly Navigation

A confusing or slow website never keeps customers coming back for more. If you want your customers to come back again and again then you need to put their first. User experience has to be your number one priority and this means simply and clear navigation, an accessible menu and regularly testing page load speeds to ensure they’re fast enough to keep customers coming. Super-sized images and cluttered pages can slow down speed along with a range of underlying issues which may become apparent if you opt for a predesigned template or DIY website.

The Right Images

Images are part and parcel of what sells your business, especially if it is product based. Product shots can really lift the effectiveness of your website but erring on the side of caution when it comes to size and resolution will help ensure your page loading time isn’t scuppered. Thumbnail images are the best way to go for websites with a large product range as they allow for speedy load time and the option of enlarging the image where necessary.

Call to Action

If you want your website to result in sales then it needs to do more than show off what you can do, you need to actively direct people to make that purchase. Your call to action needs to be clear, bold and easy to follow. Easy to understand directions on how to make a purchase will ensure customers have no confusion when it comes to clicking that link and buying the item in question.

With these key elements in place your website will have the basics it needs to attract the right kind of attention.

If you would like to know more or find out how we can help you then please call us on 020 8144 6540 or contact us at www.thewebsurgery.com/contact

What are responsive websites?

By The Web Surgery, Web Design, Web Design London, Web Design Solihull, Website Design Business

In 2014, a website that isn’t responsive is unlikely to be anywhere as near as effective as you’d hope. Responsive design has become essential as experts are suggesting that by 2017, 90% of internet users will be accessing the web via their phones. Your design needs to be responsive if you want to access these potential customers you need to ensure your website is responsive and here we’re looking at what this means and why you need it.

Responsive Web Design

Responsive design is simply a website which responds to the device in which it is loaded. This can mean that the design includes a wide range of different graphic sizes and styles so it can load effectively onto devices with different screen sizes including mobile phones and tablets. Responsive design allows your website to be easily accessible to almost anyone.

Here is a closer look at some of the key reasons your website needs to be responsively designed.

1. Mobile Use is everywhere

As mentioned above, mobile web access is increasing at a rate far faster than almost any other kind. Statistics from Smart Insights show that over 20% of Google searches are performed on mobile devices and 25% of users in the US only access the internet via their mobile phone and no other means. More and more people are exclusively using their mobile phones and tablets to do business, make purchases and even arrange business services, so you need your website to be accessible and user friendly through all methods.

2. Boost your User Experience

You need to make a good impression immediately. People aren’t going to stick around on your website if it doesn’t load quickly enough or doesn’t load properly. Google research has shown that users who are frustrated when trying to load a website have a high chance of simply clicking off. Up to 61% of all users will go immediately to another website, usually a competitor’s. Having a properly responsive website in place should ensure a positive experience all around, with Google’s statistics suggesting that a positive mobile experience can be the driving force behind them using a service or making a purchase.

3. SEO Friendly

Responsive design is Google’s best friend and this is true for many other search engines as well. When Google came out and announced that they preferred responsive websites and would rank them more positively in their search engine pages, other search engines followed suit. A single URL to provide both mobile and regular access to your site is easier for bots to crawl and therefore they tend to perform better in terms of SERPs.

4. Ready for the Future

The most beneficial thing about responsive design is that you’re primed for the future. Simply the word responsive tells you all you need to know and as new devices are launched, a responsive design should be ready to work effectively without the need for any chances. Responsive design templates are designed based on screen size, not model or device type, which means whatever device is being used, your website will resize itself effectively.

The advent of people using internet on their TVs and even Google Glass means that your website, if designed responsively, will be easily accessible and if not, will once again not be accessed by this new class of potential customer.

When choosing a professional web designer, opting for one who commits to offering you a responsive result is a must. In the current climate and with more and more people relying on their mobile devices for internet access, your website simply needs to be responsive.

Find Out More About Responsive Web Design and Responsive Websites

If you would like to know more or find out how we can help you then please call us on 020 8144 6540 or contact us at www.thewebsurgery.com/contact