Effective website design

As software consultants and website developers we are often asked how best to present a website. The key thing when designing any website is the call to action in our opinion. It can e the prettiest most technically advanced website on the internet - but if it doesn't have a strong message explaining what to do next then it won't deliver results.

A call to action can be perfectly simple - such as "Call our X experts now to find out how you can improve y". Hardly a difficult thing to do. Or perhaps the call to action is no more than the request for an email address to provide an (interesting) newsletter.

We develop a range of different style websites for our clients but it is always key to understand what would work for them when it comec to a call to action.

Online Markting for free

Online Marketing can be done at little or no cost - all that is required is a time, diligence and effort.

Search Engine Optimisation is extremely effective as a method for website promotion and of course so is Pay Per Click.

SEO provides great results if you are in a field which is not overly competitive - ensuring the urls, content and tags all reflect your product and service is the key. PPC is also important though - it can drive transactions to your site cost effectively (though you can mess up badly if the call to action doesn't chime with the advert).

For us a combination of all works best. Theres lots of free advice on the web regards SEO - we offer some ourselves on various sites to help folks with no budget - it isn't rocket science.

Software project management

As the customer base grows within any company the nature of project management can change as well. For us we like to ensure that our software consultants build a good relationship with the end client - it's often quicker and better to go direct to the software consultant than via a help desk or account manager.

Software development is a complex task and often it is difficult for clients to fully explain what they want until prototypes are built - so giving them access to the correct people at the correct time can ensure that developments run a lot more smooth than otherwise they might.

Sharepoint support in Scotland

Microsoft Sharepoint is one of those systems that everyone knows off but not everyone uses. It's mainly used for intranet projects though can be used very successfully for public facing sites as well. In essence it's a Content Management System and developed specifically to ensure scalability and robustness.

There are many CMS alternatives of course - some better than others - but in some cases it's the pricing model that is the deciding factor. We are happy to develop Sharepoint systems as required though if license pricing is the deciding factor it's normally systems like Dot Net Nuke we opt for as the system is open source.

It's down to technology preferences and budgets in the end. And of course the existing system that is in place - throwing the baby out with the bath water is never a good idea.

Windows 7 - not before time

It's amazing to see the transformation from Vista to Windows 7. Quite an improvement and to be honest well overdue. At last the PC interface is starting to look engaging - though perhaps somewhat borrowed from the Mac.

When it was launched it came out to aclaim - but even now it is looking like a very solid platform to build on. Not before time.

As for whose idea it was? Everyones - we all knew that we needed something easier to use and work with. As software developers we find some interfaces tricky - so goodness knows how the non techy types cope.

From asp.net to microsoft.net and Dot Net Nuke

When Microsoft.Net first got announced we were already knee deep in a huge ASP.net project so could'nt easily jump ships to the new platform. It was a bit of a frustration for us but there really wasn't much we could do about it. That was a good few years back and now of course we build almost all of our software solutions and websites around the .net framework.

It's made life much easier for developers like us and with each new release the product seems to geet better. We've combined the benefits of Microsoft.Net development with the DNN (Dot Net Nuke) framework and it's made for increased throughout for project. Good to see progress.

Great Hex songs

I do like number jokes - I know its naff.

This one courtesy of a colleague who sang tunes all day in hex....

"I've got the key of the door never been 15Hex before"

love it

Dot Net Nuke as a core platform

One of the systems we use a lot is Dot Net Nuke - it's a Content Management System based on Microsoft.Net technologies. For us it's a near perfect fit with our skills set which include a significant team of .net developers.

We've found that the framework it supplies lets us concentrate on the clients requirements rather than on the more tedious areas of web development. We've extended the system a great deal and added event management systems, social web components, shopping carts.

Thats not to say we dont use PHP and other technologies but the benefit we see is the ability to build scalable and robust .net systems at speed.

Augmented Reality - the term for 2010

Its good when a new term emerges in the technology and software development arena - the term for 2010 appears to be "augmented reality".

Sounds really good - almost Minority Report in nature. Augmented reality is the ability to overlay images and videos with dynamic information - ie point your phone at a street and it will tell you what direction to walk to reach the nearest Starbucks.

Augmented Reality is undoubtedly here to stay - great term.

ZX spectrum in the loft

I never bought a ZX Spectrum but I did geet one when a friend had had enough. Very quickly I had as well and the thing ended up in the loft. It turned up the other day when we were gutting the loft - strange how it's keyboard was clearly unusable and yet we all persevered with it.

I've notice though that cost cutting with PCs these days is introducing very flat looking keyboards - not as bad as the ZX - but far from ideal.

Newsletters for marketing

As our email inboxes fill up with junk it's easy to forget that most of the information we get is through that medium.

We've seen our marketing been positively impacted by the use of a regular and informative newsletter system. As software developers we built the system ourselves and promote it through our web development site - Web Wise Business.

It's fascinating to see readership levels and interest in the news we publish and a relief that not everyone junks email.

Business Events in Scotland

With Techcrunch soon coming to Edinburgh (May) I thought I would run through the events site we run to see what else was coming up - Whats On Central - a lot going on and some interestng events from the University of Edinburgh as they bring in expert speakers to motivate aspirational businesses.

The site is free to use if you a business or academic event to promote.

1 in 10 people understand binary

From time to time this joke still makes me chuckle - "only 1 in ten people understand binary, the other 50% don't".

A software renaissance

There seems to be a renaissance in Software Development these days and the credit (in large part I think) has to go to Apply and their iPhone. The beauty of the iPhone is the interface and the way in which is has forced software developers like us to think more about the way in which a user uses their product.

Our background is in automated retail banking software so we know more than most about simple to use interfaces - but hats of to the iPhone guys - a work of genius.

Software development an early indicator of returning economic activity

It's been a tough couple of years for most businesses - I dont think many have escaped the downturn in the economy. Even though we've been pretty busy throughout its been a time of continual concentration and attention to every aspect of the software development business that we are growing.

Now as the economy begins to think about turning itself around we're seeing increased enquiries and as a result we've been recruiting. Good to see the team expand.

Hopefully the demands on us are because business generally is on the up - doing web development and sofware systems I guess we would tend to see the first since of a return of confidence. Fingers crosssed.

Techcrunch heads to Edinburgh

Techcrunch is coming to Edinburgh in May - should be good - more info here .

Techcrunch are a good source of info, comment and gossip and it will be interesting to see who heads along. The entrepreneurial community in Scotland is starting to build into it's own wee eco-system so the arrival of techcrunch can only help.

As we bob about promoting our software development services it's clear that there are a lot more techy events popping up - interesting trend - hopefully one that continues. Maybe see you at techcrunch.

DRM - protecting us all

Digital Rights Management - or put more bluntly the stuff that stops you copying files illegally - is a great thing and a bad thing all in one.

One of my recent frustrations was trying to share files across two accounts on one PC. Spent ages fighting with iTunes so that whoever was logged in could share the same music that we have previously bought for the family. Gave up in the end and decided to opt for one account.

If there is a simple solution - let us know.

We know DRM is a big issue - we've built software systems that help some of our clients protect their material - but ultimately you cant stop photocopying or CD copying.

Web development in Scotland – flash

Flash can produce some great looking sites but it can be expensive to put together and it is not very SEO friendly at the moment. By all means use flash but use in sparingly and don’t blow the budget. As web developers we can come up with decent features without resorting to flash.

Web developers in Scotland – fashion

One of the things we notice in web development world is fashion. Images can look dated fast, styles of presentation can look old within months and glitzy animation can suddenly look old hat. We’d recommend holding back on too many expensive whiz bang things and encourage good solid functionality.

Web development in Scotland – shopping carts

A reliable shopping cart is pretty important if you are adding ecommerce. They come in a variety of formats – some free and some expensive. As web developers we build our own – sometime based on others base implementations. We do that so we can stay in control.

Web developers in Scotland – ecommerce

Ecommerce is the quickest way to turn interest into business. So if you have the option to add a shop, then check things out to see what is feasible. Paypal can be a good way to get things started on a limited budget. A decent web development company will help out.

Web development in Scotland – selling

Whatever you are writing for your website the chances are that you want to generate sales. So make sure that all your copy has the benefits of what you offer made obvious. As web developers we often recommend to put call to actions in numerous and multiple locations to help with the chance of converting a visitor to a customer.

Web developers in Scotland – interest

Keeping the interest fresh on your site can be pretty tricky, so regular news and new features are important. Systems like that need good timed content and steady management.

Web development in Scotland – registration

Many CMS systems will provide the ability for visitors to create user accounts. This helps create loyalty if you have resources or information hidden behind the scenes. If you are building customer loyalty via registration type benefits then you will probably need web development help to take care of the tricky areas.

Web developers in Scotland – mobile

As browsers on mobile phones become more sophisticated (Safari on the iphone) then it becomes more important to think about usability on small screens. So if mobility is a factor then consider simple interfaces – good web developers can help.

Web development in Scotland – browsers

When developing your website its important to check it’s behaviour on the various browser – IE, Firefox, Safari etc. Each browser has its own way of handling certain things such as determining widths – so check and double check as web developers we have to.

Web developers in Scotland – width

It’s often just a question of taste but sometimes it also depends on how much you have to say. Some websites will expand their width automatically to ensure they use all the screen available while others are fixed width to either allow the web developer to stay in control of layout or if there isn’t really much info to display.

Web development in Scotland – html

Behind all websites is HTML but thankfully CMS helps web developers avoid that as much as possible. Nonetheless good HTML skills will ensure you get the most from the CMS package you want. As web developers obviously our HTML skills are put to good use often.

Web developers in Scotland – social bookmarking

As you add interesting news and articles to your website a simple way to promote your site is to add the news to a social bookmarking website such as Digg. If you are lucky and have something that appeals then you may attract increased traffic. Social Bookmarking can be a help in website promotion and as web developers we have added bookmarking facilities to much of what we do.

Web development in Scotland – micro sites

If you have a site with a great deal of information and diverse products you may decide to build one or more Micro Sites. This helps with customer focus and to some extent can also help build the back links that can influence SEO and Pagerank. In the world of the web an extra website might be worth the effort.