The design and build of a new website has been the focal point of the project and a highlight for me of this part of our work is the 3D wire-frame graphics we’ve used to demonstrate the company’s work with Formula 1 companies and elite automotive manufacturers.

The work that Formaplex carries out is very technical and one of the key challenges for us has been creating a new website that found the right balance of illustration and copy to clearly showcase what the company does. As well as the graphics we used, our photographer was busy on site getting a wide range of images.

We have also provided Formaplex with new branding, including a new logo, which can be seen across its online presence, in its
offices and factories, and on the road. We’ve created new signage, stationery, van livery and a wide range of customised workwear for the company.

Going back to the website, it is fully search engine optimised and social media optimised. Formaplex now has a presence on Twitter and Facebook, and its own blog. Our copywriter works with the company to create their posts.

This has been a great project to work on, and not just because I got to see some Formula 1 car parts up close.

To find out more about Chichester Design’s web design and development services, contact Michelle on +44 (0) 1243 787542 or info@chichesterdesign.co.uk.

As you might expect from a company that supplies and installs a wide range of gates and fencing, a strong visual approach to showcasing their product range was important. The new website has images of all the fencing, gates and garden products in their portfolio, each with a clear and concise description.

The fully search-engine optimised new website also features a blog, so the company can keep visitors informed of new products and other events and developments, such as new contracts.

Showcasing a project is always a good way of generating business and we set up a Knight Fencing Facebook business page and Twitter account to go with the new website. The company’s blog posts are uploaded to their accounts, giving their news wider coverage. As I’ve mentioned before, social media optimisation has fast become a must in the business world.

Our copywriter is working with Knight Fencing to produce the blogs, making sure they are well written, get over the right information and are fully search-engine optimised. He also worked on the copy for the rest of the website ensuring that, in conjunction with the design, visitors to the site receive a clear understanding of what the company offers and can easily navigate to the pages and products they’re interested in.

To find out more about Chichester Design’s web design and development services, contact Michelle on +44 (0) 1243 787542 or info@chichesterdesign.co.uk.

The new office spaces at Vinnetrow Business Park were impressive and the large amount of natural light was a feature that stood out for me. Mark Hooper, from Kingsbridge Estates, the owners of the premises, and a representative from the architects involved in the project explained the thinking behind the design of the building. Aside from the light, there is no need for air conditioning and the Courtyard has won an Energy Performance Certificate A rating.

From a design point of view, it is interesting to learn that Kingsbridge Estates has recently joined the SCDF. I think their membership points to an important avenue of growth for the Forum in terms of attracting companies with in-house design teams and the people from these departments. There are a lot of these departments and people around and it’s good to see
more of them getting involved.

I also got to catch up with some familiar faces at the event and meet some new ones. The food is worth a mention too – it was really good and, if I heard correctly, it was by Jacaranda Catering, who are a client of ours. They’ve used our web design, brochure design and copywriting services in the past. There was a photographer present, so hopefully we’ll see some pictures up somewhere soon.

To find out more about Chichester Design’s web design and development services, contact Michelle on +44 (0) 1243 787542 or info@chichesterdesign.co.uk.

One of the tips for creating a successful website mentioned in the article is to regularly update your website content and it’s one I think is worth flagging up. Adding fresh content will keep visitors coming back and help you climb search engine rankings. Blogs, articles, news, social media, videos, podcasts, etc., are all great ways of achieving these goals and a good web design and development company will integrate some or all these features into your website.

Of course, it is vital that the content is updated on a regular basis. It’s no good to sprint off only to run out of steam after the first bend. Whether you choose to allocate time on a daily, weekly or fortnightly basis, it’s important to stick to this schedule.

Why? Keeping to a schedule is vital for maintaining a professional image. Visiting a website and finding out that a blog hasn’t been updated for months or last season’s special offers are still emblazoned across the homepage gives the kind of impression that will cause people to click away immediately.

And, if you can’t find the time to ensure your content is updated regularly, employ someone to do it for you. If you go down this road, which lots of businesses do, again, it’s important to have it done properly. Your content reflects directly on your business and its credibility. A good copywriter will be able to create a lot of text for this content and will ensure you sound consistently authoritative and professional.

I really recommend that you read the article linked to above – I’m sure I’ll go into some of the other tips in more details at a later date.

To find out more about Chichester Design’s web design and development services, including copywriting, contact Amy on +44 (0)1243 787542 or info@chichesterdesign.co.uk.

Our graphic designer and copywriter worked on the brochure for Zinga UK a division of MG DUFF, who have been at the forefront of marine cathodic protection, including sacrificial anodes, since the early 1950’s.

As you might imagine, the content of the brochure was very technical and it was the job of our copywriter to make the text more user-friendly. As part of the graphics and copy overhaul, we included case studies, one of which was the London Duck Tours.

These tours looked great fun on paper and I can confirm that they are just that. The amphibious vehicles date back to the Second World War, when some 22,000 were made to bring troops ashore on the D-Day landings. They were originally called DUKWs (hence “ducks”).

On a beautifully clear October afternoon, we were given a fascinating history of the city. I think what makes London so special (to visitors at least) is the small details, such as the splatters of bomb damage that remain on the church just down from the Royal Courts of Justice or the fact that the face in the middle of the plaque adorning the old Financial Times building is that of Winston Churchill.

Plunging into the Thames is also quite special – you do it next to the M16 building, from where James Bond emerges in a speed boat in The World is Not Enough. The trundle along the river also gives you a great view of the Houses of Parliament, including one of its buildings where Guy Fawkes was held briefly (before being hung, drawn and quartered!).

So, I can heartily recommend London Duck Tours – a great way to go sightseeing in London.

To find out more about Chichester Design’s web design and development services, including graphic design and copywriting, contact Michael on +44 (0)1243 787542 or info@chichesterdesign.co.uk.

Ray at Inderford approached us and asked us to create something for him, using the company’s existing visuals, that he could then update and expand as and when he wanted. So, once we had the photography in the bag, we designed and developed a content management system (CMS)-based website for him.

A CMS-based website gives the user the independence to make changes to their website whenever and wherever they like. New products, new services, details of new staff members – all can be added easily and for free.

Simple, easy to navigate and easy to amend – I think that this kind of website is going to become the standard for SMEs everywhere. You can visit our online portfolio for more info and a look at the new Inderford website, as well as many others.

In addition to photography, we offer lots of other services that complement our web design and development, such as digital marketing, Google Adwords, Google Apps, branding, SEO, copywriting and more.

To find out more about Chichester Design’s web design and development services, contact Michael on +44 (0)1243 787542 or info@chichesterdesign.co.uk.

Have you ever stopped and thought about what business you are in, I mean really stopped and thought about it? Brand image is about more than what you do on the surface and more about the aims and ideas behind your products or services, their true values

Let me put this another way for you; Harley Davidson does not simply sell motorbikes. It sells the concept of freedom to middle-aged men. You see?

The issue here is that you can only start providing these intended values to your customers once you know what they are. So take a good hard look at your product or service and think about why people choose to buy from you. Think about your products or services in relation to lifestyle and experience. Are you selling a sense of freedom? Are you selling self-confidence? Are you selling security?

Once you’ve worked it out then come to Chichester Design and we’ll help you express what business you’re in clearly and creatively through strong branding, copywriting and web design. It’s all of these factors that work together to communicate who you are and what you do and that’s precisely what business we’re in.  Contact us for a proposal today.

There are a lot of us who use our phones as work tools on the go, and even more so in the freelance sector; when you have a smart phone there is never a minute lost to make a bit of dosh.  Basically, anywhere you can get a wireless connection or some good old 3G is not off limits as a work place to the smart phone owner and Google had some rather interesting insights into this during their TFM&A keynote speech: The Future is Mobile….

According to Google, the growth in mobile use is a result of more mobile devices, more mobile use and more access to the internet and we are fast approaching an era of 10 billion mobile devices. Wowsers!

When considering smart phones, there is one that seems to stand out far from the crowd and that’s the iPhone, and I’m not just saying that because most of the Chichester Design team has one. It is the most successful product of internet use and, despite having only 11% of global shipment share, iPhones drive a whopping 65% of all internet usage, compared to Android’s 8%.

Then there are Apps, a phenomenon that’s been around for a while but has taken off really well over the last year. The Apps Store has recently received 3 Billion downloads! What’s more 25% of iPhone and Andriod users spend 2 hours per day playing around with Apps. Who can blame them when they have easy and instant access to games such as DoodleJump and Monopoly, music such as Spotify and Last.fm, social media platforms such as TweetDeck and Facebook as well as practical stuff such as Tesco Clubcard and TubeMap?

The thing about smart phones is that each individual part has more sophistication than it first may seem. Ok the camera on the iPhone isn’t likely to produce you a winning Wild Life Photographer of the Year entry any time soon but it becomes your eye to the world, even more so with Google’s introduction of Goggles.

Googles is an App allowing you to search the world by taking photographs, so if you were to go and take a picture of Chichester Cathedral with your phone and then ask it to perform a search it would recognise the image and pull up search results for Chichester Cathedral so that you could essentially find out what it is and its history before deciding to go in and visit. This is also designed to work with works of art, movie posters, business cards and signs for businesses on the street.

There is already capability for your iPhone to become your ears with the Google App that allows you to perform a website search using voice recognition. Therefore, if you say “Chichester Design” your phone will chuck back the search results for us and you’ll find our website, no problem. However, there are some issues with accents and we would hazard to say that you are far more likely to find what precisely what you’re looking for if you have an American twang as the feature still has issues with more unusual words such as “tapir”.

Google has taken this concept a step further and is soon to introduce a speech recognition feature to Andriod that helps you to compose texts and can also translate foreign languages. So, you would be able to simply scan a Spanish menu and it would be able to tell you in English what’s on offer- food for thought indeed!

What about navigation? If you thought your SatNav was the epitome of clever then you haven’t seen anything yet. The new Google Navigator is set to provide route information along with real-time traffic info so that you can change route according to how busy it is. It will even help you to make sense of the world around you by providing satellite imagery of your route so that you can see landmarks and traffic jams for yourself. As well as this, it will help you to search for food outlets, showing all those along your route when you type in a simple search command such as “burgers”.

It seems a mobile future is well on its way. There are already a significant amount of people using their mobiles for both work and play, and with the introduction of smart phones this use has gone colossal. Apps and features using real-time data are always going to produce the most sophisticated and timely results; receiving them while on the go is an added bonus. Also, features such as voice recognition will make online search more accessible to those who are committed to multi-tasking or are limited by their sight or the use of their hands.  Is the future mobile? We should coco!

Find out more about the services offered by Chichester Design by visiting: www.chichesterdesign.co.uk. If you would like us to help you with anything from web design to copywriting then contact us today.

“How do I get my website to the top of Google?”

“How can I get more traffic to my website?”

“Is it worth me starting up a business for this, that or the other?”

And we thought as a special treat we would give you a few hot tips that will get you well on your way to a prosperous 2010 and stop Ben sounding like a monotonous old broken record all at the same time.

“How do I get my website to the top of Google?”

This is the age old query (well, digital age anyway) to which there is no one simple answer I’m afraid. But there are several things that everyone can do to improve their Search Engine Optimisation and therefore improve their rankings in the search results, here’s just a few of Ben’s favourites:

Search Engine Optimised webcopy – The first place to start with regard to Search Engine Optimisation is top-notch content. You need content on your website that is relevant, interesting, informative, easy to read, easy to navigate and fresh.

One of the most important elements of webcopy is that it contains the keywords that people will be searching for in relation to your product or service. For example, with the Chichester Design website we make sure that words like “Chichester”, “web design”, “web development”, “copywriting” etc are prominent (and of course choosing a nifty company name such as ours tends to help a little). But be careful not to just use keywords for the sake of it, they should fit naturally into the flow of your copy so that people actually gain something from the content, and we don’t mean a headache!

As people and search engines scan read online it’s important that your content is organised in such a way to aid this. Consider using subtitles and bullet points to break up the copy and improve readability. Linking to other relevant pages within your website also help the readers and the search engines to find what they are looking for effortlessly.

No one likes stale content and with the Internet being such an evolving and interactive place there really is no excuse for the boring and clichéd. Make sure that your content stays up-to-date so that your readers stay interested and the search engines keep coming back to crawl.

Google AdWords – Using Google AdWords to promote your services can work hand-in-hand with Search Engine Optimisation. AdWords also use keywords as a point of relevance and you will notice that the sponsored ads always appear alongside natural search results (on the right-hand side and at the top) for whatever keywords or terms you are searching for on Google.

The difference between sponsored ads and organic search is that sponsored ads are likely to be far more specific and more useful when searching for specialist products or services and when comparing prices and expertise.  For example, if you search for “bike maintenance Chichester” you may see a sponsored ad from Bike-Master and if you click on that ad you will be taken directly to the Bike-Master website so that you can contact them and find out more about their services. On the other hand, if you were to click on an organic search result it could be an article about the Council maintaining cycle routes – not really very helpful if you need to fix your bike – you see the difference?

It is a good idea to have specially designed landing pages for each product or service that you are advertising through AdWords, which should also be Search Engine Optimised. The main reason for this is that if a person has to make more than one click after clicking through from your Ad to your website, they will get bored and leave.

Social Media – Using Social Media such as Twitter and Facebook has been increasingly popular over the last year and 2010 is heralded to be “The Year of Social Media” so it seems there’s much more excitement to come.

Google has been indexing blog posts for a while and this indexing is usually as quick as the posts are frequent, which has seen blog pages coming up trumps in the organic search results. For example, if you search for “Google AdWords Chichester” the Chichester Design blog takes places number one and two in the search results.

The mighty search engine has now turned its attention to indexing social media posts, which are showing up in search results far more regularly. For example, Google recently launched its real time search feature which uses social networking sites, such as Twitter and Facebook, to provide live commentary, links and reportage related to a user’s search. Not only that, but Google’s fusion of blog, news and social networking content has produced a search results page which focuses on synergy more than ever before. That means your Twitter or Facebook profile page can now be as important as your website itself.

“How can I get more traffic to my website?”

This is what everyone wants but some seem to believe that it will just happen as a result of a flick of a switch overnight; it takes considerably more effort than this. First of all, people need to know that you’ve got a website and then they need to know what it is and how to find it.

Marketing Strategy – Kate’s always reminding us that any business needs to have a good, solid marketing plan in place to survive but this does not necessarily need to cost the earth.  The purpose of a marketing strategy might be to raise brand awareness, attract new customers and retain existing customers. But, whatever mode of communication you choose, your key call to action would usually be to get people to visit your website and find out more about you. Thus, you should use other media to drive visitors to your main marketing vehicle (your website) and from there it will create new leads and conversions.

Digital media is a much more cost-friendly and accessible option for many and the likes of e-newsletters, PPC and distributing press releases online seem to be taking over where direct mail, print advertising and snail mail press releases left off.

Chichester Design offers a full marketing consultancy service, which includes a proposal to help you take all sides of marketing into consideration to achieve the best mix for your brand. There are so many options available now and newer mediums like social media cost more in time management than hard cash so are a more viable option for start-up businesses.

Search Engine Ranking – as long as your website is ranking well in the search engines for keywords relating to your business service or product you should acquire a good share of traffic. For example, our clients Ski Floralie wished to rank for terms such as “ski chalet”, “luxury chalet” and “Luxury chalets Saint Martin”. As a result, we have re-written their webcopy as well as their page titles and meta descriptions for their web pages to include these terms.

Since we published this new and improved Search Engine Optimised copy online just after Christmas there has already been a 60% increase in web traffic to Ski Floralie’s website. With time, the website should also rank higher in search engine results for these specific terms and encourage those people searching for those terms to visit the website and hopefully make a booking.

“Is it worth me starting up a business for this, that or the other?”

Traditionally, when considering starting a business, conducting market research is perhaps the most vital step. After all, without such consideration, the endeavour is merely a shot in the dark – which is really a rather irrational and foolish way to go! When it comes to the web the story’s the same, with the identification and targeting of a niche being make-or-break for your business.

Google Trends – It’s exciting (exciting for us, at least!) that such a large volume of web traffic is directed through the major search engines. Such a high percentage of the population search the web that usage data is an invaluable resource for identifying what’s being searched for and whether/how well that search is being catered for. Even more invaluably, Google publishes this data for free at Google Trends.

Not only is Trends an interesting way to identify niches, but it’s also an excellent way to find the optimum keywords for a website, depending on the present popularity of certain topics. Entering multiple keywords returns a graph comparing the popularity of each keyword over a selected time span. Not only do correlations emerge, but a clear winner when it comes to which keyword to focus on.

Hitwise – Similarly to Google Trends, Hitwise can help to identify online marketing opportunities for clients based on how their online presence compares to competitive websites and, in turn, maximize the return on their investments.

Hitwise offer a range of services for this purpose. For example, Hitwise Rankings are updated daily and provide a comprehensive overview of top performing websites across more than 160 industries. With over 1 million websites categorised, this tool gives marketers a complete view of their industry and specific online competitors.

Chichester Design offer clients free access to Hitwise analysis reports (which can cost up to £1000) through their premium AdWords Management service, Jumpstart. Read more about how Chichester Design can Jumpstart your AdWords.

Google Analytics – We recommend Google Analytics to all Chichester Design customers and will set up this free service as standard whenever we build a website.

This is because Google Analytics tells you everything you want to know about how your visitors found you and how they interact with your site. With the help of Analytics data you will be able to focus your marketing resources on campaigns and initiatives that deliver return on investment, and improve content on your site to convert more visitors’ enquiries into sales and commissions.

Google Analytics has the enterprise level capabilities you would expect from a high-end web analytics offering and provides timesaving integration with Google AdWords as well as non-AdWords initiatives.

In summary…

You now know the resources you need to work out whether it’s worth going forward with your business concept, how you can get your website to the top of the Google search rankings and how you can generate more traffic to your website.

Well there’s not a lot left to say apart from, what on earth are you waiting for?!

And remember if you need any help with Search Engine Optimisation, web copywriting, Social Media Optimisation, Google AdWords, marketing strategies or any of the other services that Chichester Design specialises in, we’re only an email away. Contact us now and start 2010 off the right way.

This is the first Chichester-based business to business exhibition of its kind and it has been put together by The Chichester Observer, Chichester Chamber of Commerce, Chichester College, Chichester District Council, Business Link and the South Coast Design Forum.

Hundreds of business folk from all over the region will be attending, including company owners and senior directors who wish to meet with peers and exchange information on the burning business issues of the day. Sales & Marketing professionals will also get their hands in to gain a better understanding of the latest competitive developments and market influences. It is expected that many delegates from larger companies will attend Business Focus as there will be so much on offer in the programme for one individual to absorb.

These key decision-makers with genuine business requirements are exactly the potential customers and suppliers we want to meet, and what better way than when they’re all at the same venue thinking business? Genius!

If you’re looking for a local, creative agency that offer bespoke marketing services and will always go that extra mile, then Chichester Design is for you…

Join us at Business Focus 09, exhibition stand A19! Here you will find out how we can set your senses alight with spicy chocolates from Montezuma’s, fiery ginger cordial from Appledram Farm and a sprinkling of our very own creative expertise. You will also find out just how many hot services we have on offer and you may be surprised at just how many possibilities there are with Chichester Design:

• Web Design and Development
• Digital Marketing Consultation
• Google AdWords Management
• Social Media Optimisation
• Search Engine Optimisation
• Copywriting
• Graphic design
• Photography

Doors to the event open at 10.00 am and delegates will have the opportunity to shop for products or services, marketing from an established, successful local agency, for example(!) They will also have the chance to listen to local business experts on the success panel, learn a few things in workshops and seminars and network with other businesses at the cheese and wine reception.

Here’s a taster of what you can expect on the day:

• Free entry
• Free parking
• Free workshops
• Free networking with wine and nibbles

Masterclasses

• Marketing • Finance sourcing for your business •

• How to bid for public sector and 2012 Olympic contracts •

• Twitter and social networks •

Seminars

• Employment Law • Managing Cash Flow •

• Planning for the Future • Designing Demand Programme •

1-2-1 Business Clinics

Pre-register your 1-2-1 session with a Business Link advisor by calling 0845 600 9 006

Success Panel Q & A

Local business figures present their success stories and answer your questions.:

• Caron Howe – More Food • Tom Sloan – Wired Red •

• Simon Pattinson – Montezuma’s Chocolates •

Sound right up your street? See you at Chichester’s Business Focus 09 and don’t forget to stop by stand A19 to see Chichester Design’s Ben and Kate. Go on, have a chat a fiery snack and pick up a business card, else you’ll kick yourself!