Website Design & Development

Websites come in many forms, but their beauty lies in the ability to develop them as your
business grows. The most important point to remember when it comes to designing and developing
a website, is that the website should provide the end user, your clients and prospective clients, with
either the information they require, or at least enough information to arouse their interest in your
products and/or services, that they feel the need to contact you.

At Hub Media we work closely with all our clients, assisting them in getting the most from their
online presence. The process we employ in dealing with clients and prospective clients is as follows:

Initial Consultation

Proposal/Plan

Design

Development

Ongoing Support

What constitutes a good website?

Keep your site simple – the main reason people use the internet is to get information and they want that information quickly. So when working on the text for your site, concentrate on the content.

Getting your home page right – the first page that most people visit when visiting a website is the home page, so, it is vitally important that you set it out clearly, quickly and simply:

-          What’s on your site

-          Where to find it

-          How to contact you

-          Why they should explore further

Don’t fill your home page with too much text. Identify two or three actions and focus on these. Everything else should be subordinate to these results.

Most people don’t read websites – they scan them. Therefore, split your home page into chunks so as the site visitor can quickly assess whether there is anything on your site they want. Link to more detailed content on subsequent pages.

These pages should be written so as they appeal to both the reader and the search engines. You need to include your keywords and phrases so as the search engines detect the high relevance of your site to the keywords you’ve identified as important in your market.

Design – a balance needs to be struck between the visual aspect of your site and the text content. A common mistake made is that some designers concentrate too much on the visual. Search engines can’t read images, they read words.

A website is your 24/7 talking salesman. They should be structured, designed and written to:

-          Grab your attention

-          Stir your emotions

-          Build your interest

-          Get you involved

-          Develop your appetite

-          Establish credibility and trust

-          Persuade you to take action

Content – it is important that you offer valuable content and promote your site effectively. How do you create good content? By focusing on your audience’s needs, not on what you’re selling.

Make sure people return to your site – most people use the internet to get free information. Content is king, so it follows that you need to refresh your site at regular intervals or as topics arise in the news. People need a reason to return to your site, but if they find nothing new, they may not give it a second chance. Ideally you should look at updating your website on a fort-nightly basis. This can be done easily with a content management system.

You can get ideas for content from trade publications, the internet, local media or from your own creative head.

Special offers also make for great new content and give you a reason to contact your opt-in subscribers.