JAH Web Development Blog

A fresh lick of paint...

2011-12-01T13:28:00.001Z

First of all, apologies for the lack of updates recently - rest assured, I have been busy, although unfortunately, for one reason or another, I am not able to showcase any of my very recent work on my portfolio.

In between working on these top secret projects however, I have had a new design for the JAH Web Development website on the back burner for some time now. Yesterday, I spent a considerable amount of time testing and fine-tuning the new design and I am pleased to announce that it is now officially live.

If you can't remember what the old design looked like, take a look at the screenshots below. The main changes include:

A new banner and minor changes to the logo colour/font
An iPhone/iPad friendly rotating slideshow of portfolio items within the banner
A brighter colour scheme, with a lighter background to aid readability
A new, more approachable, layout for the home page, with more images to break up the text
More emphasis on social media channels with large icons and latest tweets in the sidebar
Links to independent reviews on FreeIndex and LinkedIn
Removal of various old portfolio items
Seamless integration of this very blog

Overall, I am very pleased with the new look and feel and hope you like it to. Feel free to get in touch if you have any comments or suggestions - I'd love to hear from you!

JAH Web Development has moved!

2011-05-10T13:52:00.000+01:00

Once again I am on the move, and this time it is to a brand new purpose-built studio in my own garden!

Although it is very early days (I only moved in a few weeks ago) I am already appreciating the new work-life balance - I have the flexibility of working from home whilst also being able to shut myself away from any day-to-day distractions.

As mentioned in my recent newsletter, I was unable to take my old phone number with me so, with immediate effect, my new office number is 01793 329 701.

Please continue to use my home address (which can be found at the top of all estimates/invoices) for any correspondence and note that anything received by Pure Offices will NOT be forwarded on to me.

If you have any queries or concerns regarding my office move, please do not hesitate to let me know.

Nail Frenzy

2011-04-21T14:26:00.000+01:00

JAH Web Development is proud to announce the launch of the Nail Frenzy website, designed & developed by JAH WD.

Nail Frenzy is a new business that offers manicure and nail enhancement treatments from a home-based salon in Swindon.

Amongst other things, the site features an iPad/iPhone friendly JavaScript gallery (without the use of any Flash objects) and Facebook integration with a 'like' button on the home page.

For more information about the services provided by Nail Frenzy, please visit their website.

Carfax NHS Medical Centre

2011-03-21T14:53:00.000Z

JAH Web Development is proud to announce the relaunch of the Carfax NHS Medical Centre website, designed & developed by JAH WD.

Carfax NHS Medical Centre provides primary care and walk in services for registered and non-registered patients in the central Swindon area 7 days a week, 365 days a year. With 8 doctors and around 25 nurses on the team, they offer a wide range of health services available to everyone.

Amongst other things, the site features an embedded Google Translate tool, allowing users to easily translate any page into a wide range of different languages.

For more information about the services provided by Carfax NHS Medical Centre, please visit their website.

Loadpoint

2011-02-17T16:16:00.001Z

JAH Web Development is proud to announce the launch of the new Loadpoint website, designed and developed by JAH WD in collaboration with C3 Marketing.

Based just outside Swindon, Loadpoint are a technology company that develop, manufacture and supply high precision dicing machines and machining systems for Semiconductors, Electronics, Ferroelectrics, Opto-electronics and related industries. They have been providing solutions for the Semiconductor/Electronics industry world wide for over 40 years.

For more information about the services provided by Loadpoint, please visit their website.

New Videolandscaping Website

2011-01-28T15:04:00.001Z

JAH Web Development is proud to announce the relaunch of the Videolandscaping website, designed by Videolandscaping and developed by JAH WD.

Videolandscaping offers editing, compositing, 2D/3D design and DVD creation services. Programmes include Avid, Final Cut Studio, Adobe CS and 3D Studio Max. The website features embedded video, twitter updates and a google map and is also fully compatible with mobile devices such as the iPhone and iPad.

For more information about the services provided by Videolandscaping, please visit their website.

Swindon Consultant Anaesthetists

2011-01-17T11:24:00.000Z

JAH Web Development is proud to announce the launch of the new Swindon Consultant Anaesthetists website, designed and developed by JAH WD.

Swindon Consultant Anaesthetists are a group of consultant doctors working in the independent sector in the Swindon area. They mainly work at the Shalbourne Suite at the Great Western Hospital, and at BMI the Ridgeway Hospital.

For more information about the services provided by Swindon Consultant Anaesthetists, please visit their website.

New Office & Phone Number

2010-09-08T14:49:00.004+01:00

It's the start of a new era here at JAH Web Development. About a week ago, I made the bold step of moving into my very own serviced office here at Kembrey Park (just outside Swindon's town centre). I am just about settled in now and I have to say I am delighted with the spacious office and its peaceful/scenic surroundings. To top it all off, the telecommunications system is state-of-the-art and I can now upload to clients' web hosting faster than ever before!

Most importantly for my clients however, is that with the new office comes a new phone number - 01793 250122. Please ensure you update your contact lists straight away as the old phone number will cease to work from the 5th October 2010.

Full details of my new location can be found on the website. Please don't hesitate to let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

All that's left to say is that I look forward to seeing you all in my new office very soon!

The G2S Group

2010-07-30T14:15:00.000+01:00

JAH Web Development is proud to announce the launch of the new G2S Group website, designed by C3 Marketing and developed by JAH WD.

With offices in Swindon, Melksham and Salisbury, The G2S Group supply and fit windows, doors and conservatories all over the south and west of England. The website has been fully optimised for search engines, and continues to perform well in local search listings.

For more information about the services provided by The G2S Group, please visit their website.

JAH WD Website Redesign

2010-07-16T13:42:00.000+01:00

Over the past few weeks, whenever I've found the time, I've been slaving away on a fresh new look for the JAH Web Development website. I'm pleased to announce that the new website went live this afternoon and I hope you'll agree that it is a dramatic improvement on the old design.

The main objectives were to narrow the content width on larger screens to make it more readable, draw attention to our 4 core services and make better use of the banner area with examples of our clients and previous work. I've also tweaked the styling in places to help modernise the design and give it a more professional look and feel.

As part of the process, I've also collected some new testimonials from our existing clients.

For those of you who haven't visited us for a while and can't remember what the old site looked like, take a look at the before and after screenshots below...

Is Your Website Ready for Mobile Internet?

2010-06-29T16:24:00.000+01:00

Unless you've been under a rock for the past year, you can't have failed to notice the dramatic rise in popularity of mobile devices capable of browsing the Internet. In particular Apple's iPhone, new Blackberry devices and a number of smart phones running Google's Android operating system are now all capable of surfing the net in a similar fashion to the way we do so on a desktop or laptop computer. The bad news is that many websites don't render properly on these devices and if your website is one of them, you could be losing potential business right now.

The main issues that affect these mobile devices is their ability to play video and Flash content on the web. This is due to an absence of the necessary plug-in or codec in the mobile's browser software. For instance, you may well have heard about the recent spat between Adobe and Apple regarding the lack of Flash support on the iPhone (this post from Steve Jobs and this newspaper advert from Adobe will give you a good idea of what's been going on). Add to this the recent release of the iPad and the iPhone4 and it soon becomes clear that the problem is only going to get bigger.

If you would like to know whether your website is mobile friendly or want to find out what you can do to ensure the best possible browsing experience for all your customers, please get in touch.

Asthma Relief Charity

2010-05-04T15:30:00.003+01:00

JAH Web Development is proud to announce the launch of the Asthma Relief Charity website, developed by JAHWD.

The Asthma Relief Charity based in Swindon is a small charity established in 1997 that offers support to people with all types of breathing difficulties and donates nebulisers to hospitals, doctor's surgeries and other institutions or individuals who require them.

For more information about the services provided by Asthma Relief, please visit their website.

Bluefin Media

2010-04-14T11:01:00.000+01:00

JAH Web Development is proud to announce the launch of the Bluefin Media website, developed by JAHWD.

Bluefin Media offer comprehensive services in video, animation, photography, web development and print & mail. The Bluefin Media website features custom-built Flash menus, a custom-built video control bar and a healthy dose of video & animated banners.

For more information about the services Bluefin Media can provide for your business, please visit their website.

Get Google Analytics Intelligent Reports Direct To Your Inbox

2010-03-31T10:19:00.001+01:00

As the majority of our clients are already aware, keeping an eye on your Google Analytics is crucial when measuring the Return On Investment (ROI) for your marketing efforts. However, when we're very busy, remembering to login and check our data can be difficult.

Luckily, Google have introduced an alert mechanism so you can be notified by e-mail whenever anything of interest happens on your website. To setup these alerts, login to your Google Analytics account and follow the instructions below:

Click 'View report' to view your statistics
Click 'Intelligence' on the left hand menu
Click 'Create a Custom Alert' on the right hand side
Name your alert and tick the box 'Email me when this alert is triggered'
Specify the type of alert you would like to be notified about...

For example, we have an alert setup over a weekly period that tells us when the number of visits increases by more than 50% compared to the previous week.

If you're struggling for ideas, click on 'Intelligence' in the grey box under 'My Customizations'. Now click on 'Alert Templates' - there you will find a list of useful alerts for which you can copy to your custom alerts, tweak and then setup e-mail notifications.

Did you know you can also receive scheduled updates to any of your Google Analytics reports via e-mail? For example, if you want to receive an up-to-date copy of your dashboard each week, just click on the 'Email' button in the grey bar at the very top of your dashboard, and then click on the 'Schedule' tab to configure your e-mail reporting.

We hope you find this information useful. If you have any trouble setting this up you could follow JAH Web Development on twitter and ask us a question there. Happy analysing!

Email Marketing

2010-03-17T14:46:00.000Z

Email Marketing is a good way to keep in touch with your existing customers, help build a community around your business and encourage repeat sales.

If you have some exciting news or a new product/service that you want to share with your customers, you can't just rely on them to stop by your website every week and check for updates - you need to feed them the information directly, i.e. make them sit up and take notice! Email marketing is by far the easiest and most cost-effective way to do this.

JAH Web Development can design a branded e-mail template for your business and then allow you to login to our Email Marketing system and create your own newsletter/campaign, define your subscribers, and monitor who opens your e-mails and which links they click on.

Our Email Marketing service is a recent addition to the range of many services JAH Web Development can offer. If you would like to discuss the benefits of e-mail marketing further and the (very affordable) costs involved, please get in touch.

10 Methods to Boost Traffic to Your Website

2010-03-09T12:56:00.002Z

Revise Your Content. Think about the keywords your customer may type in when looking for a website like yours and ensure these keywords feature regularly within your content (particularly in titles and sub-headings).
Add New Content. Search engines love websites with frequently updated content. Adding a blog to your website that you can post to yourself is by far the easiest way to achieve this. You can either setup your blog on a separate page, or integrate your blog's content into your existing site.
Google Maps. Did you know you can advertise your business for free on Google Maps? Visit Google's Local Business Centre to either add your business to their listings or update the existing listing they have for your business.
E-mail Marketing. Keep in touch with your existing customers by sending out a newsletter to let them know about new products or changes to your business. This will remind them that you still exist and may result in repeat business. It's important not to SPAM though - you should only send these to existing customers who have not opted out to receive this kind of marketing. It's also best not to send them too often (i.e. more than once a week) and make sure you have something worthwhile to say!
PPC Advertising. Setup sponsored links on search engines such as Google to drive targeted traffic to your website, and only pay when someone clicks on your advert!
Facebook Fan Pages. Did you know you can setup a page for your business on Facebook for free? People can then become a 'fan' of your business and will receive notifications when you post news/messages/photos on your wall.
Twitter. You may want to consider setting up a twitter account for your business too and inviting your customers to follow you. Be sure to post interesting tweets relevant to your business/industry and not simply pimp your services every 5 minutes!
Offline Advertising. It's important to remember there's more to marketing than the Internet! Make sure you plaster your website address wherever you can - on your business cards, leaflets, on the side of your vehicles, your business premises and any print advertising you do.
Word of Mouth. Ask your existing customers to recommend you to others and offer an incentive to reward those referrals that lead to new business.
Write a Testimonial for JAH Web Development. If you've used our services and are happy with the results, you can write a short testimonial for our website and we will link back to yours in return!

If you have any questions regarding anything above, or would like more detailed advice in a particular area, please get in touch.

Computer Based Training (CBT)

2010-01-29T12:58:00.000Z

It's been a very busy January and a fantastic start to the new decade for JAH Web Development. There are a number of projects on the go at the moment and some very promising new ones on the horizon.

The main focus this month has been a new type of venture for JAH WD - a computer based training module. The program has been entirely built in Adobe Flash but rather than running on a web server it is automatically launched from a CD-ROM. The same program could have easily be adapted to run on a website if necessary, but in this case, due to the target market, a CD was deemed more appropriate.

The training module consists of a 3D introductory animation sequence, animated slides (powerpoint style) with an audio voiceover, and a number of interview-style videos.

The project has been a fantastic success and it looks like we will be building new modules for our client on a regular and ongoing basis.

If you are at all interested in Computer Based Training and would like to find out more about the services we can offer, please get in touch.

Le Petit Bourg

2009-12-01T12:35:00.004Z

JAH Web Development is proud to announce the launch of Le Petit Bourg, designed & developed by JAHWD.

The Le Petit Bourg website acts as a brochure for the luxury gite and swimming pool in the Loire Valley (near the Le Mans race track). The website features an embedded weather forecast and availability calendar. Please visit the website for further information.

Mind Your Own Business Swindon

2009-11-23T10:41:00.003Z

JAH Web Development is proud to announce the launch of Mind Your Own Business Swindon, designed by Hot Pepper Design & developed by JAHWD.

Mind Your Own Business is a website designed to guide local entrepreneurs through the daunting process of starting up a new business. The website was built in PHP/MySQL and features a host of interactive elements including a full messaging system. Please visit the website for further information.

Carfax NHS Medical Centre

2009-07-01T13:38:00.002+01:00

JAH Web Development is proud to announce the launch of the Carfax NHS Medical Centre website, designed & developed by JAHWD.

Carfax NHS Medical Centre in Swindon was set up as part of the Government's drive to give greater access to Primary Care Services. The practice provides primary care and walk-in services to its own registered and non-registered patients. Please visit the website for further information.

Troops | UK

2009-06-15T16:42:00.001+01:00

JAH Web Development is proud to announce the launch of the Troops UK website, designed & developed by JAHWD.

Troops UK is a military casting agency, a specialist resource of professional military personnel and technical consultants available to the film, television and advertising industry. Please visit the website for further information.

FT Solutions (FT Print & FT Mail)

2009-05-25T17:23:00.002+01:00

JAH Web Development has recently provided Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) services for FT Solutions - a print management company based in Hertford.

FT Solutions (FT Print & Mail) offer a range of services in the areas of Print Management, Direct Mail, Variable Data, Airline Print, 24 hour turnaround Digital Print, Business Stationery Bundles and more... For further information, please visit the FT Solutions website.

TopVideoGames.co.uk

2009-04-21T10:16:00.003+01:00

JAH Web Development is proud to announce the launch of TopVideoGames.co.uk, designed & developed by JAHWD.

TopVideoGames.co.uk is a database of video games that pulls in information from the Amazon Associates Web Service. Users can register with the site and add to the database by submitting their own reviews and ratings. The website is coded in PHP and the data is provided by a combination of XML files and an SQL db.

Please feel free to register yourself and contribute some reviews & ratings. If you encounter any problems or would like to suggest improvements to the site, please contact me.

LOHR Asian & Burmese Cat Breeders

2009-03-11T11:07:00.002Z

JAH Web Development is proud to announce the launch of the LOHR Asian & Burmese Cat Breeders website, designed & developed by JAHWD.

LOHR Asian & Burmese Cat Breeders represents a small hobby breeder of Burmese and Asian cats based on the Northants/Bedfordshire/Buckinghamshire border, England. They specialise in chocolate/cinnamon Asians/Burmillas and Burmese in all colours and have been breeding since 1995. Visit their website for further information.

Orange Blossom Villa

2009-01-27T20:43:00.002Z

JAH Web Development is proud to announce the launch of the Orange Blossom Villa website. This website was developed from scratch by JAHWD and features a stylish drop down menu and a pixel-perfect design that has been exhaustively optimised to display correctly in all major browsers.

Orange Blossom Villa is a luxury executive vacation home, near Disney Orlando theme parks and features 6 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, a pool & spa and games room. As it is a new villa there are some great discounts available. Visit the site for further information.