about us

This site represents a group of website providers with a track record of providing web development solutions to customers of all small to medium sized businesses. As a group we can provide, or recommend, fantastic website solutions. Our mission is to help both those needing websites, and those of us building them, by matching each customer with what we believe is an appropriate solution for their needs.

We have seen it all when it comes to having a website built. On this page we have tried to point out some key areas to consider. There is no 'golden rule' that will ensure your website is a success, but there are some simple things that you should consider that can give you the best chance of succeeding where others fail.

 

planning considerations

Your Website Will Never Be 'Finished'
Avoid thinking about your website as something that will never be finished, rather you need to think of how easily and cost effectively your website will evolve over time. You may need to add new pages, edit content, possibly consider a design face-lift as well as make constant small improvements to keep up to date with the latest internet developments (like new web browsers). The degree to which your website evolves will depend on the type of website you settle upon, and where it fits into your business as a whole. If changes are frequent, you may want to consider a Content Management System (CMS). A CMS allows you to update your website content yourself rather than paying web developers to make simple changes. Be aware that over time you may need to also spend money to keep the CMS itself up-to-date as technology changes.

Developers Are People Too
Your website needs will evolve over time and you will need a developer that understands your business and is responsive. Web development is a complex area and you will have to trust your developer and listen to their advice. If you have any questions or concerns please make sure you ask us so we can provide answers & solutions for you.

Paying The Price
Creating a website can cost a business anything from a few hundred dollars to tens of thousands of dollars. The price difference will come down to the specifics of your needs and how much custom design or programming you require. You need to maintain a strict sense of reality, as the old adage goes - you get what you pay for!

Don't go for a cheap do-it-yourself solution if you do not have the skills to create a website that will effectively win you customers (rather than turning them away). You may not need a highly customised and expensive solution if your website simply needs to let people know what your business does. Explore all your options before you make a decision. We will be happy to talk through all your options with you to ensure you get the best deal available to suit your needs.

Simplicity Pays
Pay careful attention to some of the most successful websites on the internet and you will find a theme of simplicity. Think Google, You Tube, EBay and even this website. You will notice that all of these sites focus carefully on their core message / purpose. They do not get distracted by fancy flash movies, overly intensive graphic layouts and unnecessary distractions. You have to make a decision... is your website a fancy piece of art or is it a tool for your business? Of course this does not mean that you can't have a successful website that also looks great, indeed you should, but you can not let this distract from the core purpose of your website for either you or your site visitors.

Website Marketing Plan
If attracting new visitors to your website is important, then you need to plan for it - it is highly unlikely you will succeed by accident. If possible, you should start thinking about marketing your website before you even have one. The way a website is built can dramatically impact on its ability to perform well in search engines.

We design your site to be search engine friendly from the ground up, to maximise your search engine ranking. We know how to generate traffic to your site which means a greater return on your investment. You may also want to consider things like email marketing, offline marketing and a variety of other marketing methods to attract quality traffic to your website. This can be an ongoing process depending of what your goals are.

Speed Matters
Do not underestimate how a slow loading website can affect its success. Not everyone has broadband, and even those who do, expect sites to get faster each year. Statistics suggest that if a website doesn't load within eight seconds, around one-third of visitors will leave. The need for a fast website emphasises the importance of cutting straight to the point and avoiding large image or flash files that may look nice, but adversely affect the performance of your website. Speak to us about techniques to make your website load within a reasonable timeframe. It can be attractive to go for cheap hosting overseas (often in the United States) however be aware that you may be sacrificing the speed of your website, and therefore its success, for a few dollars per month.

Compatibility
Before selecting a website vendor ask them about website compatibility. Do not let them tell you that "only" 10% of users have that type of browser, or only 15% of users have that operating system. Truth is Only a fraction of website users will have the latest operating system, the latest browser and the highest screen resolution. Our message is simple - ignore the minorities at your peril! There is no reason why you can't have a fantastic and effective website presence that is viewable and useable by well over 95% of internet users. Many web designers fail to make your site cross platform compatible. Here at Titan Design we ensure that your website looks great and functions correctly across all platforms, including:-

On both PC's and Mac's
Using Firefox, Explorer (versions 5 and up) and Safari
On monitors starting at a resolution of 1024 x 768. This can be a contentious point as there are still 800 x 600 resolution monitors out there. Keep in mind though that in many cases building a site for 800 x 600 screens will limit the effectiveness of your site for the vast majority of users.
When measuring up to W3C compliance.
 

Be Prepared
Think about what you want to achieve with your website and the message you want to get across to your customers. Having a website can greatly increase your business growth. Gone are the days when people simply picked up a phone book to search for information about a product. Now days it's all about the web. If you have a business then a website is a must. Whatever type of business you have, Titan Design can get your website up and running quickly and cost effectively.