When it comes to using frames on a website, there are many aspects to consider before incorporating them into the web design.  Frames are part of old-school HTML code and have since been removed from more recent versions of the markup language.  Many web designers still incorporate frames into their web design while others despise the use of frames for various reasons.  Throughout this article, we will outline the pros and cons to using frames so you can decide whether or not to implement them into your new website's design.

Pros of Using Frames

One of the biggest advantages to using frames is the ability to keep selected information on the screen at all times.  Many people use frames for menus that will be present as the user scrolls down the pages, preventing the user from having to scroll back to the top to navigate to another page.  Frames also allow for editing of menus in one file, as opposed to updating the information on every page.  Other items can also be featured, such as company logos or advertisements, allowing you to achieve brand name recognition or increase the likelihood of ad revenue.  Any professional web design agency Manchester may also use frames for hiding the URLs of webpages (in the event you do not want them displayed) and to allow only for the bookmarking of your main page (www.warrenphillipswebdesign.co.uk) as opposed to lower-level pages within the site.

Cons of Using Frames

One of the biggest and most obvious downsides of frames is that they are obsolete in HTML5, meaning that you cannot use them in conjunction with it.  Depending on the content in the frame, you may want visitors to be able to link to it and the use of frames makes that nearly impossible.  Search engines also have trouble locating frames and the content inside them; if you are wanting certain content to be easily found by a search engine, then do not put it in a frame.  Also, some web designers have reported that using URLs inside frames can sometimes cause them to redirect to the wrong location, which can be very frustrating for both the web designer Manchester and the visitors of the website.

Our Verdict?

Depending on your specific needs, frames may or may not be a good choice for your web design Manchester.  Consider the use of frames carefully and explore in detail what you expect out of the frames you plan on using.  Lastly, if you are looking for frames as an option, consider if there are any other forms of code that can incorporate your ideas in a similar fashion.

A professional web design agency Manchester understands the importance and connection between web design and search engine optimisation.  In these days of global web presence, being discoverable by search engines is key to driving traffic to your site and while some may not consider web design when optimising their content, embedded features can exponentially improve the likelihood of a visitor or customer discovering your particular site.  By keeping a few simple tips in mind when building a site, the chance of it being successful is markedly increased.

Writing Correct Code

By making sure your site is properly formatted and coded, search engine bots and screen readers are able to effectively index your site and increase the chance that your articles, content or store will be found.  Sites that contain no coding errors are more likely to rank higher in any given search result, so it is vital to make sure that your coding is correct and done by a proper web designer Manchester.

Create a Sitemap

Search engines like Google and Bing love sites that have sitemaps, which serve not only in the search engine being able to find your pages easier but also helps your visitors locate any and all content available for viewing on your website.  Search engine bots use sitemaps to reference and index the content on your site; starting with first-level pages, the ranks of pages falling under each category is assigned based on the popularity of the parent page(s).  A site map can do wonders for all of the secondary-page content on your website.

No Unlinked Pages

Pages within a site that are not directly linked to any other page on the site are much harder for search engines to find and index.  Search engines essentially “crawl along the lines available”, discovering and recording each site it discovers along the way.  When there's no path to a particular page, the search engines cannot find it and make it available in search results.  By making sure each page has at least one link to another page on the site, a web designer Manchester makes sure the design is SEO-friendly.

Minimise Flash Use

Flash cannot be properly indexed in the same way that regular text can be indexed.  By either restricting Flash use to elements of the site that are non-critical to driving traffic or by providing text as a supplement with all the SEO-friendly features, you can avoid being nixed by search engines.  Flash is popular and used widely, and many sites still manage to incorporate functionality with aesthetics while remaining at the top of search rankings.

Site maps refer to a web feature that properly lists all of your website's pages in a segmented fashion that allows search engines and users to locate content easier.  There are obvious advantages to using site maps but some webmasters have no idea how much ease of access and traffic they are losing by not implementing this design.  Our web design agency Manchester takes this into account and makes sure that you have the best site map for your site.  Here are a few reasons why site maps are so important in designing a successful website.

User-Friendly Layout

Site maps display all of your website's pages and list them in a format that gives the user the ability to find which pages relate to a particular subject or interest.  Especially useful for larger websites, site maps give the user the ability to track down a specific page by exploring the “tree” of pages for any category listed.  When it comes to web design Manchester, a properly-placed site map will be an invaluable tool for making your visitors' lives easier and in turn, reward you with repeat traffic.

Optimal Search Indexing

Site maps are typically formatted in XML and serve not only to make a user's experience easier but also help search engines index your site in-full and make sure as many of your pages are indexed as possible.  What does this mean for you?  Most notably, it means that more of your site's pages will be indexed for any particular search term, giving you more chances at being exposed through search engines.

Easy Setup

In years past, creating a site map required you to know how to write code and for many website owners, this proved to be more of a hassle than they considered it worth.  Fortunately, there are tools today – debuted by none other than search engine giant Google – that can automatically find the pages on your site and create a dynamic site map for you on demand.  Even the most picky web designer Manchester will find tools like these to be thorough and effective in meeting the demands of both the search engines and the visitors to your site.

Now that you are aware how important site maps are to the web design process, you may have additional queries on how other features impact the performance and design of your website.  Please, contact us today for more information on any and all subjects: we're here to give you the site of your dreams!

Incorporating illustration into your web design Manchester is a great way to create a unique and striking showcase for a brand.  By using illustration in your web design, you will be able to incorporate a sense of personality as well as creativity into your site, as well as communicate a high skill level on the part of the web designer Manchester that created it.  Illustrations also present a unique opportunity to create a design that cannot be easily copied or replicated by other designers or a competing web design agency Manchester. 

Illustrations Make Websites Memorable

When you create a website, you are not only providing a solution to your client’s needs, but you are also showcasing your talents.  You web design is an advertisement not only for your client, but for your business as well.  This is why it is important that your web design Manchester stand out from the crowd and that people remember your site because it made such an impact on them.  Incorporating illustration into your web design Manchester helps a lot with this because you have created a visual element that is completely unique to your site.  This stands out to visitors because it shows that you truly care about not only your website, but also your brand.  Illustrations can be used to bring a feeling of innovation and fun to your website.

Illustrations Don’t Have To Be Complicated

That old rule of “keep it simple, stupid” applies to all facets of your web design, and your illustrations are no exception.  By keeping your illustrations simple and minimal, you are still creating a tremendous visual impact across your site while at the same time not overwhelming your visitors with a loud confusing design that will make your site hard to read and navigate and will of course drive people away instead of encouraging them to come back.  When in doubt, keep your illustrations as simple as you can.

Treat Your Illustrations As An Integral Part Of The Site

You want to make sure that you don’t simply treat your illustrations as just a way to make your web design Manchester look good, you want to utilise them as a core part of your user interface.  By building your illustrations into the UI of your website, you are able to create a good ambience to your website where people feel much more active using it, rather than passively reading your content.  When people feel involved, they will want to come back to your site again and again.

If you are a web designer Manchester, then you know that in order to build a successful webpage you have to provide a user-friendly experience for visitors navigating through your site complete with colours that are easy on the eyes and images that stand out from the crowd.  There is another very important aspect of web design Manchester that you should be sure to not overlook and that is your choice of font type.  The font you choose for your website can be the difference between having a successful and engaging website, or one that visitors click away from as fast as they can.  It may surprise you to learn that despite the seemingly infinite number of fonts available, only a small handful of them will work on a web page.

Keep It Simple, Stupid

That old design mantra of K.I.S.S. (keep it simple, stupid) still applies to the font type you chose for your webpage.  This is why you should not experiment with that funky crazy new font you just discovered.  When you use a font that is difficult to read, you will find that nobody is going to want to try to read it, no matter how good your content it.  This is why most websites stick with the old classics Ariel and Times New Roman for their text.  These are the two fonts that people tend to be the most familiar with, which makes it much easier to read. 

Compatible Fonts

Another reason Ariel and Times New Roman are so popular on websites is because they are very compatible.  You want to make sure that your site functions across a number of different types of browsers and operating systems.  One of the best ways to ensure that is by using fonts that exist on basically every operating system and that you know browsers can read.  Remember: Just because you have certain fonts available on your computer doesn’t mean that everyone has them.  If you use a font that your visitors don’t have, it can look distorted and unreadable.

Be Consistent

Consistency is the key if you want people to read the content on your site.  Using a lot of different fonts can be distracting as well as off putting to your site’s visitors.  Or, as any web design agency Manchester will tell you, it also looks incredibly unprofessional.  Sticking to a single font across your entire website will give a consistent voice and look to your page.

When it comes to web design Manchester, one of the most important things is to know who your target audience is.  In order to effectively determine the answer to this important question, it is important for not only a web designer Manchester to step outside of their role as a designer, but also the entire web design agency Manchester to and change the focus to marketing in order to help identify who your target audience is and what you can do to design a website that will meet their needs.

Content

When people visit a webpage, 9 times out of 10 they are there for a purpose, such as gathering information or to make a purchase.  There are a few questions that you will need to address to make sure that your content is matching the expectations of your target audience. 

• Why are they visiting the site?  Are they there for news, to join an organisation, to participate in user forums, or to make a purchase?  People go to websites for specific purposes.  Knowing what that purpose is will help you figure out how to structure your content, as well as what content you will need to put an emphasis on. 

• Why should they return to the site again?  A successful website design means that you have convinced your target audience that they will want to revisit your site again.  In order to do this you have to provide an incentive to your audience to come back, such as adding new products if you are selling items, or making sure that the information contained is updated and relevant. 

• What should the look of the site be?  When you know who your target audience is, this will make it easier to decide what information you need to have prioritised on the front page of your site.  Being able to give your audience quick access to what they want will create a positive experience that they will want to come back to.

Demographics

Of course, the most important factor in designing a website for your target audience is knowing what demographic you are appealing to.  You will need to know if your target audience is going to be men or women, because that information will have a massive impact on your overall design decisions.  You should also be aware of how old they are.  In general, different age groups are likely to be more computer savvy than others.  If you are designing for an older audience, you will need to be sure to keep things much simpler than you would if you were directing the site towards a teenage audience.

You probably don’t need us to tell you how essential branding is when you are trying to create a business or a recognisable entity like a blog.  People almost subconsciously form relationships with brands, and this is what makes them keep coming back, and what makes them talk about you to their friends.  As a top web design agency in Manchester, we do a lot of work with clients to help them create strong brand elements and use them consistently throughout their web presence.  Here we look at some things that make up a good brand.

Logo

As a leading web designer in Manchester, we also offer logo design services.  The logo is not the brand (a lot of people get confused between the two) but is one of the strongest elements of it.  A good logo is a good foundation for good branding, and is often a good place to start, as your logo can then drive other brand design decisions such as those around colour, fonts and the type of graphics you use.

Colour

The colours you use say a lot about your brand.  Whether you go for traditional, fresh and modern, minimalist, high contrast or bright and fun, you are giving your visitors an idea of what your business or site’s direction is.  This is why a professional web design in Manchester company can add a lot of value to your business.  We understand how to use different schemes and levels of contrast to have different types of impact.

Graphics

The style of your graphics also forms part of your brand.  You may think, if you are selling products, that a simple image of that item is all there is to it, but if you look at how this is done on some of the big sites like Amazon, you will see there is a distinct style used every time.  This is also the case with other pictures.  You don’t want cartoon style graphics on one page and then corporate style stock images of people looking at laptops on another.  The decision on the graphic style is part of your brand development.

These are just some ideas about the elements on a web page that will become part of your brand.  You may also want to consider things like fonts, and navigation, and of course the tone of the language in your content.  A professional web designer in Manchester is a good person to contact if you are looking to launch a new site and want to talk over brand ideas.

You may or may not be aware that in many countries, including the UK, there are laws in place about the design of websites.  This is to do with disability discrimination.  A website needs to be accessible for as much of the population as possible, and the way this is shown is by how well it complies with a set of globally recognised web accessibility standards.  As a leading web design agency in Manchester, we understand that accessibility isn’t just important from a legal perspective, it is also important for your users, and for you.

“Disability” Is More Common Than You think

Consider this – disability, when it comes to whether or not you can easily use a website, doesn’t just refer to conditions like blindness or deafness where a site would need to be compatible with additional software like screenreaders that the user might need.  It also refers to things like colour blindness.  One in four men is to some degree colour blind.  Pick a colour scheme for your site that has insufficient contrast between the background and any text or icons, and you’ve made your site impossible for an eighth of the population to read.  This is a good reason to use a professional web designer (in Manchester, consider us!) who will be able to ensure you pick accessible colour schemes and other design elements.

Media Accessibility on Your Site

Another thing to consider when you’re thinking about web accessibility is that it doesn’t only refer to disabilities.  Someone may not be able to use certain design elements on your site because they are using a slow connection like a 3G modem or dial up for whatever reason, or they may not be able to watch your video because they have no speakers on their device.  This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t include cool stuff like video clips or moving graphics, which can really enhance your site for the majority of users, but you would need to ensure that any information you display primarily through sound or video must also be available in text form, or you’ll lose those visitors.  These are all things you need to think about when designing for the web.

When it comes to web design in Manchester, we have the expertise to keep your site from falling into any of these traps that might lose you business or return visitors.  We know how to design accessible sites, and also how to test and verify that our designs are compliant, giving you peace of mind that your site will be valuable to as many people as possible.

If you’re in the Greater Manchester area and looking to launch a new website, whether it’s for a business idea or for something more personal like a blog, you may be wondering what advantages there are to using a professional web design service over trying to build the site yourself using something like WordPress.  Here are some reasons why a local web design agency in Manchester can help you:

Creativity

You want your site to make an impact.  While the tools provided by website building services are fine for putting together something simple, when you want to really stand out you can’t have your site looking like anybody else’s, let alone everybody else’s.  As a leading web designer in Manchester we can provide something innovative that will leave a lasting impression on your visitors.

Brand Development

Branding isn’t just important to big companies like Apple and Coca-Cola.  Even a blog, if it’s going to be successful, needs a striking brand image, that people can learn to recognise and associate with what you do.  This is very hard to develop without some custom design work.  We provide web design in Manchester that can really help your brand develop, from logos through to the colour schemes and fonts you use and the graphic style.

Innovation

The most interesting sites are the ones people keep coming back to, and by providing your visitors with cool interactive features or impressive graphics, you can be sure to create a buzz around your site.  The one size fits all approach used by website building tools simply doesn’t promote innovation, but a professional web designer will be looking for cool new ways to make your site more fun to browse, and more useful to its customers.

Starting a new venture on the internet is always exciting, whether it is a new web presence for an existing business or a whole new online enterprise, and the importance of getting the site’s design right from the start should not be underestimated.  Collaborating with professionals who are experienced in creating effective, eye-catching sites gives you a huge competitive advantage over rivals whose sites are boring and amateurish in appearance and user experience.

Working with a web design agency in Manchester allows you to work with people who understand your target audience and will make an effort to get to know your business and what you want to achieve with your new site.  This kind of input can make the difference between a mediocre web presence, and one that transforms your business.

Every freelancer knows the difficulties that can arise when working with particular clients. When it comes to web design in particular, there are some projects that can end up being a nightmare when clients are non-responsive, overly detailed or quick to change their minds about the agreed upon web design Manchester.  While keeping your clients satisfied and happy is crucial to repeat business as well as referrals, it is equally important to know and communicate your boundaries and extent of services to maintain a professional, mutually respectable relationship.  Outlined below are some tips to help reduce the amount of instances in which picky clients can throw a wrench into your operations and how to handle the situation whenever it arises.

Define Your Extent of Services

The best way to address any possible squabbles or headaches over changes in what the client desires out of the project is to have a comprehensive project contract for every type of web design project you offer.  As a freelance web designer Manchester, every client should be presented with a contract that outlines the details of services provided, the extent to which changes/revisions will be made and what time-frame is expected for completion of the project.  There are sample contracts and templates available on-line to assist you in drafting your very own contract agreement.  As a professional, it is crucial to have an agreement upon which you can refer to if a problem arises.

Portray Your Specific Services

When meeting or discussing work with a new or potential client, be completely honest about what you can provide and design a portfolio that accentuates previous work in similar categories.  Many freelancers attempt to expand their business into categories and niches that they may not be familiar with yet and this can lead to complications between the client and you over how the project will go forward.  Be clear and upfront about your skills; while you may be a freelancer, you should be offering services and an approach that is no different than a web design agency Manchester.

Meet – Not Exceed – Expectations

The subtitle may be misleading; no one is saying to not approach a project with a creative mindset and the idea to surpass the expectations of the client.  Rather, pace yourself in instances where the client may be ordering larger quantities of work.  If you are capable of producing quality work in a short period of time, the client may begin to inundate you with an increasing workload, which can significantly reduce the ability for you to remain “diversified” in your freelancing career.  Always meet the client's needs but do not put yourself on a shiny pedestal; give yourself enough time between projects to rest and/or help other clients.