We’re recommending a free PDF ebook recently published by Google, The SEO Starter Guide.

It’s not exactly new information, but by putting it into one brief document, it is a victory for common sense. You can read it in under 30 minutes and, hopefully, it will help demystify a subject many people obsess over.

 

The guide tackles a dozen or so topics for sites that want to achieve good organic search engine rankings.

 

Top of the list is:

• Create great content that is easy to use, share and index.

(Craft the best possible content for the user, and make it as easy as possible for Search Engines to index. Er. That’s it.)

 

We’re not saying that SEO is easy: creating the best content is always going to take what we call ‘donkey’ work, and non of the smoke and mirrors of some SEO companies.

 

That said there will always be a place for genuine experts in SEO, as there’s plenty that Google isn’t giving away.

 

As a business that creates accessible, content-rich websites, we welcome anything that shifts the focus back onto the content.

 

Want to read more? See our article on sympathetic search engine optimisation.

 

See how we can help optimise your website for search engines.

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The brand new website for Burleydam Garden Centre on the Wirral was launched on Boxing Day, 26th December 2008.

The new design includes popular elements from the previous website and a number of new ones, including the RSS feed, podcast and videos. Just like it’s predecessor, this site is updateable quickly and easily.

The far bigger second phase of the new site will be rolled out from February 2009.

Visit the new Burleydam Garden Centre website.

Want a makeover for your website? Contact Us.

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Need us over the holidays?

We will be having a well deserved breather on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years Day, but we are open for business as normal at all other times.

Bank Holiday Availability 2008, Christmas, Hours of operation, New Year, Opening Hours, service

We are pleased to announce our latest website project – and quite frankly we can’t wait to get started on this one.

Northern Ferrari Hire is a Chester-based business that hires out supercars including Ferrari’s, Lambourghinis, Aston Martins, and more. NFH have commissioned Roodee Web Design to give their already successful website a makeover.

The new site will have a sleek new modern look, even more gorgeous images, will maintain it’s excellent Google listing, and will be updateable with easy to use Content Management Software.

The new Northern Ferrari Hire site will be unleashed in January 2009.

Chester Website Makeovers

If your website has design or technical issues, Roodee Web Design of Chester will be pleased to help. We can either ‘get in quick’ to sort out issues, or we can simply build you a new website, using some or all of the content your original website had.

We Make It Easy

We always start out a website makeover by getting our paper and pencils out. Only when you are happy with our ideas do we go anywhere near a computer. You can even log into our development server so you can follow progress on the website makeover as we work.

Website News business, Chester, Ferrari, makeover, Northern, website

We are delighted to announce that Roodee Web Design in Chester has been commisssioned to develop the new website for a CRS, a Roofing Supplies Company with two local bases.

CRS operate from two depots in Cheshire, and the new website will help the website’s users to find product range information, direct them to either of CRS’s depots, or direct leads into the business.

The website will feature Flash in specific areas, and will be fully updateable using Content Management Software.

The website is expected to launch in March 2009.

Website News Cheshire, Content, Management, Roofing, Supplies, website

Work commences at Roodee Web Design from 3rd November 2008 on a new major ecommerce website for a successful local retail business.

The exciting new website will compliment an existing html website and will feature secure online payment processing, EPOS and a powerful content management system.

Ongoing support
The website will benefit from ongoing Search Engine Optimisation, internet marketing campaigns including newsletters and plenty of marketing graphic generation – all provided inhouse by Roodee Web Design.

The website is due for launch early 2009

Website News ecommerce, marketing, online, optimisation, search engine, shop, Web

We’re often asked to rework the look of ‘old’ websites, and the latest one we’re giving a welcome ‘new look’ to poses a challenge we are relishing. The site is a bespoke built e-commerce website for a wholesale business that has been successfully trading online for a number of years. Our client’s brief calls for a modern look whilst incorporating a number of existing visual elements.

With a redesign, as with any of our custom design projects, we always start out on paper first, organising our ideas and our clients. The concept works are carried out in Photoshop, with a number of views submitted for approval. After amendments and sign-off, we get to work on coding.

The redesign and coding will be completed within a week.

Website News custom, ecommerce, makeover, new look, website

We have come to the conclusion that, for a Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) strategy to work, it should include a well-balanced combination of three core elements:

• 20% onsite optimisation; technical tweaks (many web design companies stop at this point);
• 40% ‘link building’, attracting links from other sites to yours;
• 40% on site content.

Get these three areas correct, spend enough budget so that the project is resourced correctly (ongoing SEO usually involves a lot of ‘donkey work’) and your site will start to perform in the organic (free) listings.

We have seen a few briefs that propose search optimisation at any cost. SEO was given cart blanche in many cases, compromising a website’s usability or its chances of reaching it’s ultimate goal such as converting a paid user.

Look at it this way: an over-the-top SEO strategy that dominates a website at the expense of other key site design considerations, like usability, would be just like creating an amazing radio commercial but forgetting to add in the contact details or the company name. The ad reaches loads of new potential customers, but they have no way of acting on it.

SEO does have an important place in the mix, but it must be sympathetically implemented, carefully balancing the key components that relate to a good user experience.

Website News adwords, Google, optimisation, optimization, PPC, search engine, SEO, Yahoo

This week we were proud to be able to deliver a new brochure for Orchard Manor Care’s new dementia care unit.

Our brief was to photograph the new unit, residents and staff, and write compelling and informative copy to complement the website we delivered earlier in October 2008.

We came up with a beautifully simple design for the outer, printed on 350gsm media, with an internal pocket for loose leaves. Two different sets of inner leaves were included.

About Our Chester Print Design Brochures
Brochures are affordable, manageable, and one of the most effective ways of catching the attention of a prospective customer. A brochure’s design should say everything about you and the service or products you provide.

Its presentation shouldn’t only engage but give that prospective customer the confidence to choose you above your competitors. Our high-quality brochure design services ensures the choice is made in your favour. We have the knowhow and more importantly the experience to produce bespoke brochures and leaflets that ooze quality. Quality your company shouldn’t just expect, but deserves.

Print News Brochure, Chester, Design, Print design, Printing

Orchard Manor Nursing Home in Chester have opened up a new dementia care unit and have rebranded to Orchard Manor Care.

We were delighted to be asked to work on the marketing campaign for them which includes the following:

• Redeveloped web site.
• New photography.
• Printed Brochure.

The photography was undertaken by Roodee’s acclaimed photographer, Liz Davies. The new website is due to be launched in late September 2008.

Website News Care, Chester, Dementia, Design, Manor, Orchard, Print