Web Design, Hosting and Multimedia in Croydon - Web Design in Croydon

So what does it DO, then?

When developing a website it is better to consider the function of your site before thinking about how it will look. 

The saying, 'form follows function' never held truer than it does for good website design.

So here are a few basic points to bear in mind...

How is the website going to be part of your business/organisation?

Basic Minimum: If it is just something for people to look at before contacting you via email or phone, like a 'teched up' Yellow pages listing then that's fine. This can probably be achieved with one or two 'read only' pages - usually just HTML with possibly some Flash if you want it to look good (don't worry if you don't know what HTML is - enough to know it's a simple language for making websites).  

As websites go, such a solution is simple, secure and very cheap. A good example of such a site developed by tonygillham.com is the one we did for Sullivan's Florists. The idea is that people come across the site via google or other advertising, like what they see, then call or email the business in question.

A Bit More Elaborate: If the site is intended to put across the range of services available in more detail but still be 'read only' then a simple menu system can be introduced, linking to many different HTML pages, some with Flash animation, some not. A good example of such a site designed by us is D.A. Lindsay & Sons' website.

Obviously, having more pages, this site is a bit more expensive but it gives a good overview of all products and services on offer. Being read only, it is a very secure site and requires very little maintenance.

Content Management System: if yours is an organisation or business which is continuously putting out information and news to its members or customers, or just to the general public, then you should consider getting a tailor-made website based on a Content Management System. 

With these you can add to the material published yourself with relative ease. Such sites are slighly less secure than 'read only' sites but, with the security features we build in, and continuously update, you need not worry about hacking. 

A good example is the site we did for Carshalton Rifle Club  - the site owner is able to update articles and pictures in the gallery with ease.

Such sites can also have member registration and even give members the ability to post articles to the website. Whether to have this or not, and what level of access and supervision members have is entirely up to the site owner.

Clubs, organisations and IT businesses very often have forums. You can see a good example of a forum here  - a forum is one of the many ways an organisation can build a community - vital for developing any organisation or business in the 'Web 2.0' culture. It is worth noting that registered members of the forum shown can see a lot more than just a normal visitor - more sections are 'unlocked' and visible to them.

The downside, of course, is that such things require time and effort to maintain and run. 

e-commerce Sites: These are often very similar to CMS sites, with site owners constantly adding to products and services offered and amending price lists etc. etc. the main extra feature, of course is a secure connection to some form of payment portal, such as PayPal or Credit Card handling service.

Basically put, anything that can be sold, can be sold online, be it a pizza, insurance, software, a holiday, even a house. If your business is not selling online are you losing out to competitors who are? 

In today's business environment most credit cards and online payment services prefer to provide their own secure sites for payments to be made. Your site will just link into that and be informed when payments are made so that you can make you delivery, enable the download or whatever else it is which is 'your side of the bargain'. This is a good thing because it removes a lot of the headaches from verifying that your customers are actually making bona fide payments.  

Any, all or none of the above: The limits to what can be done through your website are your imagination, and your commitment of time and money to developing the site. If your vision of a web presence does not fit neatly into one of the categories above then simply contact us and we can discuss how to realise your plan.