Category: Uncategorized


How We Work

If you’ve decided it’s time to have a new web site but don’t really know what to do about it, here’s an insight into how we operate and how we deliver your brand new web site.

Initial Meeting

One of our Web Specialists will come out to you and talk about your requirements over a coffee. As we’re the specialists, we will also offer up alternatives and other idea’s which you may have not thought about. Once the initial Web Site Spec (site navigation, functionality requirements etc) is in place we are then able to give a fair an competitive price. The choice is then yours to go with us or to seek alternative quotes.

Accepted Quote

If you choose us, we will send you out a Welcome pack which features your Web Site Spec, Contact Information, Terms & Conditions and an introduction to your team. We also normally require a deposit of around 30% with all new web site orders.

Our Project Coordinator will then get in touch to discuss, in more detail, your design requirements, functionality and any other requirements you may have. At this point we also request any content and imagery you might want on the web site. We appreciate that the day to day running of your company must be your priority but without content a web site is simply an empty shell so if you need help writing content about your company and what services/products you offer simply give us a call or read our How to write content for your web site article. If needs be we can source images from iStock Photos on your behalf.

When the above is done, we then commence designing your brand new web site.

Web Site Production

Depending on your requirements we will offer two different types of initial proofing.

We will either show you an initial working version of your new site or we will show you a static version of your newly designed home page. You then have the opportunity to fine tweak it until you are happy with the new look. Once the visuals are agreed we then continue with the development of the web site and insert your content and imagery.

Functioning Proof

Once the web site is packed with all your new features, content and imagery, we then show you a functioning proof which is basically a finished version of your web site for you to check over and approve. At this point the onus is on functionality rather than anything visual. Once you are happy with the web site, we request that you sign our Web Site Acceptance Form which confirms that you are happy for the new web site to go live. Then we make steps to put the site live, add any SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) that maybe required, double check all contact forms and general functionality.

Going Live

Once the web site is put live we double check everything to make sure your new web site is perfect!

If you have any questions about the above simply email us at helpdesk@esterling.co.uk or give us a call on 0121 766 8087

 

Yesterday Tom joined 15,000 other runners to take part in the BUPA Great Birmingham Run. The 13.1 mile course winds through the streets ofBirmingham, going past famous local landmarks such as Edgbaston Cricket Ground.

Tom completed the course in 1:52:16 – a great result for the eSterling SEO expert. “It feels great that I completed the course in a similar time to last year, although the two mile hill at the end is an absolute killer!” Tom said.

It was his second time running the course for charity Macmillan and eSterling showed support by sponsoring him to wear an eSterling t-shirt during the race. The t-shirt was kindly provided by one of our clients, White Lodge Promotions.

Tom was joined by the distance running legend Haile Gebrsalassie, who raced to victory with a time of 1:01:29. The women’s race was won by Brit Gemma Steel in 1:12:21, a personal best.

 

Steve Jobs – Well the day has finally come…

People will remember the legacy of Steve Jobs: a visionary, inventor, designer, entrepreneur and icon. But we all need to remember that the people that will feel the loss more deeply are those who call him a Husband, Father, Brother and friend.

RIP Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs 1955 – 2011

His creations have touched the world in so many ways, the iMac, iPod, iPhone & iPad have literally changed the way we go about our daily business. As a Web Designer his creations have changed the way I do my job – I cannot understate the influence he has had, and continues to have on my career.

I’ve read many articles already today relating to what he gave the world and what type of man he was but one of my favourite articles is written by someone who didn’t know him very well, but lived just a few doors away from his home in Palo Alto, a fascinating read:

 

http://paloalto.patch.com/articles/my-neighbor-steve-jobs

The fact that I learnt of his death while using one of his devices is really not lost on me. I own quite a few Apple products and they all do their job perfectly and seamlessly, I would dearly love to list benefits of my Apple products but I could be here for quite a while! But all I will say is that they make life easier which is all you can hope for really.

Steve you truly have made a difference, ‘Thank you’ doesn’t really seem to cut it.

Steve Jobs 1955 – 2011

http://www.apple.com/

“Don’t be sad because it’s over. Smile because it happened.” – Dr. Seuss

Steve Jobs, RIP

Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes.

The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them.

About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They invent. They imagine. They heal. They explore. They create. They inspire. They push the human race forward.

Maybe they have to be crazy.

How else can you stare at an empty canvas and see a work of art? Or sit in silence and hear a song that’s never been written? Or gaze at a red planet and see a laboratory on wheels?

We make tools for these kinds of people.

While some see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.

First Impressions Really Do Count

Three seconds doesn’t seem like a long time, but it’s the time it takes for a visitor to make up their mind about your website.

Just having a website is not enough. An amateurish website will imply that your business is not a serious one, and can tempt your potential customers to choose your competitors over you.

The top offenders when it comes to bad websites are;

  • Poor colour schemes
  • Broken links
  • Poor graphical layouts – cramped text, irrelevant images
  • Confusing navigation
  • Outdated content, typographical and grammatical errors
  • Horizontal scrolling

Is your website guilty of any of these web design sins?

Rightly or wrongly, people judge your business by your website – so it must be good! Be honest and think about what conclusion a first time visitor may form about your business.

Ask yourself these questions about your website…

  • Does it enhance your brand?
  • Is it appealing and clean?
  • Is it free of bugs and glitches?
  • Does it promote credibility?
  • Does it boast rich content?
  • Have a smooth functionality?
  • Is it compatible with popular browsers?
  • Does it have a consistent navigation area?
  • Do the design principles enhance rather than distract?
  • Is there a good balance of text/graphics/white space?

Visitors see any lack of credibility on your part as a warning, not a welcome, so avoid giving visitors an excuse to not do business with you!

Make those first three seconds count and give eSterling a call about our web design services.

New website brings in business for Park Farm Shooting

Park Farm Shooting is a family-run clay pigeon shooting ground in the West Midlands offering fun days-out and clay pigeon shooting lessons. The company first came to eSterling in 2009 to improve their online presence with our SEO services.

The SEO plan was working well in terms of rankings within Google, but the team at eSterling was concerned that an outdated website could be putting visitors off.

The old Park Farm Shooting website involved a lot of scrolling, as news items and event information were all on the homepage. Our recommendations were to split up this content into clearer sections and give the site a fresh makeover.

Phil Giles was responsible for the design. Phil said; ‘The strong green colour scheme and eye-catching imagery make for a site that captures the attention of visitors. The contact numbers are also available at-a-glance to encourage people to get in touch.’

Phil over at Park Farm was also happy with the result: ‘I was originally an SEO customer with eSterling and the team pointed out that I could benefit from a new website. I took the plunge and had a new website designed earlier this year. I’m really pleased with the look of the new site, and I’ve also seen a 20% – 30% increase in business since it went live, which is brilliant considering times are tough for everyone.”

You can view the new Park Farm Shooting website at www.parkfarmshoot.co.uk. The shooting ground is available for corporate events, stag weekends and shooting days as well as shooting lessons.

Park Farm Shooting website

 

Did you know that the number of mobile internet users is set to surpass desktop internet users within the next four year’s?
There is a very good chance that at least 5% of your customers, prospects or friends are browsing your website at this moment using mobile handheld devices.

What is the difference between a mobile website and my existing website?

New mobile browsing technology, such as the Apple iPad and iPhone and other smart phones have much smaller displays than traditional PC and laptop monitors.

Mobile sites are specially designed for these devices, and are quick and simple to use on mobile devices. This means that mobile users are able to access your website asily thus helping your company tap into a lucrative audience of new customers that want access to your website when they’re on the go.

The potential of mobile websites can not be ignored and this is why:

89% of the UK population have (or use) a mobile phone.
• Smartphone sales increased by 48.7% to 54.3 million units in this year’s first quarter.
• Smartphone usage is up 70% and growing faster in the UK than Europe.
• In the past three months, monthly Android traffic has grown at a rate of 43%. In 2009, monthly traffic from Android devices grew at a rate of 38%.
• As the number of mobile internet users looks set to surpass desktop internet users within the next 4 years, mobile advertising is expected to grow to £355m in Britain by 2014.
• The UK is 5th biggest mobile internet market globally.
7.1 million Brits now access the internet through their mobile phones.

Mobile internet browsing is popular because it is fast and easy to use. It allows people to access websites, products and services when they want, wherever they want. This type of internet user will expect to find mobile websites, and ignore those which do not meet their expectations.

If you find that your current website looks great on a desktop, but is not suitable for mobile users, then it’s time to get a mobile website that suits the purpose perfectly.

By investing in a specialist mobile website, you are showing your customer base that your company is at the forefront of new technology. This attracts tech-savvy customers or key decision makers using mobile technology due to travel and busy schedules to choose you over your competitors.

A mobile website will not replace your existing site, but make sure you are leading the way and contact eSterling today about your new mobile website.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

The team at eSterling would like to Thank You for your custom in this past year. We look forward to working with you in 2011 and we hope to make it a prosperous New Year for your business.

Coming to you in 2011 – The A to Z of eMarketing

We want you to get the very best out of our eMarketing service. In 2011 we will be bringing you the best advice and information about how to maximise your visibility on the web. With each newsletter, you will find out how using marketing tools such as Google Adwords and blogging can make a real difference to your rankings.

Once again, the team wishes you a relaxing break. If you have any further questions or queries, please do not hesitate to contact the eSterling team and we will be happy to help.

Kind regards,

The eMarketing Team

HTML5 Client Side storage. In every browser. Right now.

Somewhere along the road to cloud based storage accessed through web applications a weary programmer sighed and pointed out that you would not have access to your data if you have no internet connection. The response was to add local client side storage as part of the HTML5 spec. Hence-forth you could keep a copy of all your data on your local machine for your web apps to access. Possibly the same programmer pointed out that while this was indeed a solution wouldn’t it require everyone to have fully HTML5 compliant browsers ? I imagine there was a lot of frowning from various people at this point. Never fear though because more clever programming chaps have come up with ways to have client side storage on all browsers. Yes, even those produced by Microsoft, which incidentally have had this ability since IE5.5.

Store.js – http://github.com/marcuswestin/store.js
Lawnchair – http://brianleroux.github.com/lawnchair/
PersistJS – http://pablotron.org/?cid=1557
MilkCrate – http://github.com/garrow/milkcratejs

Microsoft move into top gear with IE9 Beta

Microsoft have announced that the third platform preview of IE9 is available to download and it’s a doozy. On top of their previously announced support for the Video tag we’re now getting a full Canvas implementation. Not only that but it’s fully hardware accelerated too meaning that rendering speeds for complex animations are now faster than competitors browsers. The icing on the cake ? That’ll be the support for ECMAScript 5.

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/ie/archive/2010/06/23/html5-native-third-ie9-platform-preview-available-for-developers.aspx

Powered by WordPress | Theme: Motion by 85ideas.