The coders corner and Web design

Web design is a rapidly changing field, both technologies and web-design standards change frequently leaving one with fairly frequent update cycles. In addition to this, any CMS based solution must be updated frequently to ensure that the most recent version. This version will be hardened as much as possible against external attack. If you've not updated your CMS solution in some time, I recommend you do so as soon as you can. Even better, I recommend that most small sites use a static content manager such as Hugo CMS or Jeckyl. With this there are far fewer moving parts to look after.

For new websites I recommend looking carefully if any framework is really needed, I imagine you’d need JQuery for Javascript, but how much CSS help do you really need? Bootstrap is quite heavy unless you are building a fully fledged HTML 5 application. For example this site is built using our in house template, it is less than 1/10th the size of bootstrap.

Do we offer web-design services?

Yes, and it can be cheaper than you think. For small sites we generally recommend Hugo CMS, with a UI front end if needed. Always truly mobile ready by default and will include training to ensure you know how to manage it properly going forwards. Contact us using the link at the top of the page, or see the consulting area for more information.

Can you build your own site?

It is possible to build your own site, as long as you are quite technical and can understand HTML and CSS, there is no reason not to have a go. Bear in mind this is not a quick process, if you are not used to web development, allow a few weeks to read about CSS, HTML and hosting. Personally, I would recommend a static content management solution and managed webhosting, from any reputable provider. A good starting point for developers that are unfamiliar with  web-development is w3 schools.

Questions to ask before starting designing a web site

• What you want the site to look like? Remember the more complex, the greater the cost will be. Draw some simple story boards of your website to get started.
• Check who is going to own the copyright for the work once complete, and then ensure you are happy with that. It’s not always a problem for someone else to own the copyright and give a 100 year lease, but it’s best to know this upfront.
• Is the site going to be static, or based on a content management solution? Forget what you used to know about static sites, with Hugo or Jeckyl they are just as powerful as dynamic solutions.
• Do you need an ecommerce / shop presence? If so, which shopping cart and payment system are you going to use. Does your company have a long enough track record to meet the card payment credit checks.
• If you are building an e-shop, do you have an existing stock management system? If so you will need a shop solution that is compatible with that stock system.
• Mobile support is now very important, Google actively check if a site is mobile friendly (makes up > 10% of visitors) even the technology pages on this site.
• Have you yet registered the domain? If not think long and hard about what domain to choose as once you’re on a domain, it’s difficult to change it.

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