Web Preference News

Julian Bicknell website redeveloped

Tue,29 Apr 2008 14:18:09

World renowned Richmond based architect, Julian Bicknell launched the redevelopment of its website today.

Julian Bicknell has completed over 200 projects, dating back to the early 1970s and wanted to display the portfolio in an effective manner. As a result, the home page serves 15 highlighted projects; which when clicked on, open up the detailed section. The company have uploaded a further 13 thumbnails, which display the full sized image using a Lightbox effect. The full listing of projects is shown on the Projects page; where a project is not highlighted, the thumbnail image is also reproduced as a lightbox effect when clicked upon. The design of the administrative interface is such that the company can easily change the highlighted projects, and also select the number of thumbnails to display for each project.

Kevin Leadingham, Associate at the company, made the following comments:

We have been delighted with Paul Sawyer of Web Preference. He has been able to provide a full update to our website with all the special characteristics we had been looking for.

Our initial meetings were both professional and informative. With Paul's help we were able to develop a design that matched our house style and presented our material in an immediately engaging manner combined with the ability to update the content ourselves in the future.

Paul's response throughout was personal and immediate. He was able to solve any difficulties we encountered along the way.

We would thoroughly recommend Web Preference for an efficient, professional and forward thinking service.

Website launch for St Kitts Properties

Tue,29 Apr 2008 10:29:05

Property development and management company, St Kitts Properties launched its new website today. Working with the well established and respected local developer Faron Lawrence, the company aims to promote the St Kitts lifestyle to UK property investors.

The site, which can be viewed at www.stkitts-properties.co.uk provides for full content management, an email marketing tool, news database, flash photo gallery for the Life in St Kitts section, and a Lightbox gallery for the display of completed properties at the Ocean Lawns development. We have used the jQuery framework for this site; its enhancements can be seen in the frequently asked questions section of the site. As always, the site is marked up in XHTML 1.0 Strict and uses CSS throughout for layout and styling.

Rudee Bertie, director of the company, made the following comments:

It started with an idea, then a dream but now a reality.

I'm a regular visitor to St.Kitts & Nevis and always wanted to be a part of it in more ways than one.

The opportunity was presented to me and I grabbed it with both hands.

Now I had to bring the project to life and this is where Web Preference took over.

With all my thoughts and ideas now and truly alive for all to see, Paul Sawyer pulled it all together and offered support and guidance along the way.

He works to deadlines and is available 24 hours a day. The advice he gives is second to none and I feel confident having Web Preference maintaining and supporting our website to allow us to concentrate and look after business.

Recommended to all, 2nd to none!

Provenance website launch

Fri,18 Apr 2008 11:26:45

Provenance, a, ethical supplier of quality fresh fruit, with innovative marketing ideas to help the nation reach its 5 a day target, launched its website today.

The website, which can be found at www.provenance.co.uk, incorporates a content management system, email marketing tool, and a form with the reCaptcha library designed to ward off spam. There is also a fruit calendar page to assist users in the selection of the right fruit for the season, and a graphical representation of the fruit bag created with the aid of JavaScript.

Chris Whaley made the following comments:

I've been involved with Web Preference on two projects over the last 12 months. The first, Walk in the Park, is a Florist based in Windsor. Paul took our ideas and translated them into an amazing online presence which has benefited us a great deal. We always get great feedback from our customers! Paul is always available to edit and improve our site.

The last project was for Provenance, an ethical food company. As with the florist, Paul took our ideas and designed an easy, informative great looking site. His knowledge is fantastic and provides excellent ideas.

As an IT Director I get many requests to help with information regarding web sites, I pass all these to Paul now and recommend his services. Hosting with Web Preference is ideal, it's managed professionally with high availability.

Thanks Paul for a great working relationship and I look forward to many more engagements!

New website for media relations company Mark Anthony Publicity

Mon,24 Mar 2008 09:52:08

The new website for Mark Anthony Publicity was launched today. Mark Anthony Publicity, based in Epsom, is a full-service media relations agency specialising in the construction, demolition, recycling, waste and extractive industries.

The website provides the company with a content management system, dynamic menu structure, a drop down menu created entirely in CSS, and custom modules for displaying work examples and upcoming events. In addition, the admin interface allows contributors to only access the events/schedule section, and only to add and edit contributions they make. Once such an entry has been added, Mark Anthony will receive an email of this fact, which after approval he will then publish to the site.

Mark Anthony, Director of the Company, made the following comments:

I have previously worked with Paul Sawyer and Web Preference on a number of client websites so I knew roughly what to expect when I asked them to design and build a custom site for my own media relations and publicity business.

However, what I didn't expect was the speed of response and turnaround which took, from my initial brief to a live launch, just three weeks.

In that time, I was kept fully abreast of developments with my site. Paul Sawyer made a number of important recommendations that greatly enhanced the functionality of the finished site. And, perhaps most importantly of all, Paul told me when he thought I was wrong.

As a result, I now have a website that is slick, professional and simple; one that immediately drew admiring emails from my customers, contacts, friends and family.

Thanks Paul for all your hard work and for delivering such a great website in such a short space of time.

New website for Saxon Brands

Wed,16 Jan 2008 17:38:37

Saxon Brands, a major distributor of branded consumer products in the UK and overseas, today launched its new website. The url is saxon-brands.com.

Designed by leading London agency Circle, the site is built using valid XHTML 1.0 Strict and CSS throughout for layout and styling.

The team at Saxon will be able to update the site themselves using a content management system. The site also incorporates a top end email marketing capability which facilitates monitoring of open rates and click throughs and will allow the company to schedule emails, which can be constructed from an unlimited number of templates. In addition, there are database driven modules for the display of brand products and case studies. This will make it very easy for the company to keep the site updated going forward.

Romeo De Lima Pereira, Business Development Manager at Saxon Brands, made the following comments:

Thanks Web Preference for all the hard work in setting up our new website. Paul Sawyer has always been present and very quick in his responses. Plus, he was always keen in adjusting every single detail to make sure than the whole site was in tune with our new corporate identity.

He helped us as well to set-up our e-marketing facility and taught us how to use it efficiently. We are now running successful e-marketing campaigns.

We are particularly impressed with how Web Preference was flexible during the development of our website and allow us to do amendments until the final hours before the launch. We are as well impressed by Paul’s perspicacity in resolving problems when these ones occur.

We would not hesitate in recommending Web Preference services and we look forward to working with them in the future.

National Demolition Training Group website goes live

Thu,11 Oct 2007 07:48:06

The National Demolition Training Group, operated jointly by the National Federation of Demolition Contractors Ltd (NFDC) and CITB ConstructionSkills, organises training courses for the industry across the UK. The Group's new website, developed by Web Preference, was launched today.

Built using XHTML 1.0 Strict and using valid CSS throughout for layout and styling, the new website features a content management system, email marketing tool, and database driven modules for news (including the automatic creation of RSS feeds), courses, downloads, and qualifications.

The aim is to provide contractors with all of the information they need to obtain the correct training credentials to operate in the industry, in a simple concise and easy to follow manner. In this respect, the card scheme pages are particularly important.

Howard Button, Secretary of the NDTG, made the following comments:

I just wanted to thank you for all your help and input on the new NDTG website which has now really taken shape

As someone that has never been involved in the design of a website before, I realise that our brief may not have been as complete or helpful as perhaps it might have been. However, the way in which you took that brief and interpreted it in a functioning, easy-to-navigate site was fantastic.

I look forward to working with you on an ongoing basis to develop what is already a great website

New website for retailer of British made goods, Patria is launched

Tue,14 Aug 2007 09:16:43

The new website for Patria, a specialist retailer of British designed and manufactured products, went live today.

The website offers full scale e-commerce, including unlimited products, categories and sub categories; unlimited styles and style types; the ability to monitor stock at the style level; related and recommended products; tell a friend; gift certificates; coupons; volume based price discounting; an email marketing tool - and a host of other features designed to maximise revenues for this successful niche retailer

Annie Armstrong, owner of Patria made the following comments:

Paul at Web Preference has helped to transform our website into a web space to be proud of.

We wanted our website to exude quality and simplicity and I believe that we achieved that with Web Preference.

The whole process took approx 8 weeks and Paul Sawyer at Web Preference supported and updated me every step of the way. He was always eager to update me on the progress and enhancements he had made and was always available at the end of the phone if I needed to discuss anything about the site.

Along the way he has shared his depth of knowledge and helped me to understand how to make the PATRIA website the best that it can be.

The feedback I have had has been 100% positive and within days I received my first online order which was processed accurately and effectively.

I look forward to working with Web Preference in the future as our business grows and we need to develop our website further.

New website for Customs Clearance goes live

Tue,31 Jul 2007 09:16:50

The new website for specialist customs clearance broker, Customs Clearance Limited, went live today. Built using standards compliant code, the website provides for a content management system, email marketing tool, and database driven modules for news, frequently asked questions, tips and ideas, and coffee breaks. The news module enables the automatic creation of RSS feeds.

Rudee Bertie, Chief Executive of Customs Clearance, made these comments:

Well, now, where do i start?

I was using another supplier to design and maintain my website.

It all started off okay, the rep came out to see me and promised me the earth, told me that him and his team were brilliant and very competitive on price, basically he said all the right words to get me listening, so what did I do, I accepted his proposal and he begun to show me what he could do.

Like i said, begun! and that was January 2005, yes you heard me 2005 and I am still waiting for the completion.

However, I don't quite remember how Web Preference was introduced to my company but I would put hand on heart and say that it was an introduction that has taken me and my business places that I could never imagine.

Paul came to see me, he promised reality, functionality, reliability and delivered accurately, efficiently, effectively and professionally.

Always giving advice and pointing us in the right direction, Web Preference now maintains our site with constant reliable updates.

If you want a business that listens to what the client wants but gives a very honest objective opinion, contact Paul Sawyer.

He made it happen for us..

Makeebo launches recruitment website

Wed,25 Jul 2007 00:00:00

Makeebo, a leading recruitment company for sales professionals, announces the launch of their new website. The url can be found at www.makeebo.com. Built, as is customary, using XHTML 1.0 Strict and CSS throughout for layout and styling, the site enables prospective candidates to search or browse for jobs, add them to a basket within the same session, and to apply with their written CV.

Shivani Sharmer, Director at Makeebo, made these comments:

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for all of your hardwork and creativity in making our website a reality. The message that we wanted to convey has definitely been sent out. We are now automatically, being seen as a key player within the sales recruitment space.

Your imaginative style and flair has definitely worked. The end result has been commented on by everyone we know, including our clients and candidates.

We can alter data on the website very easily thanks to the training you gave to all of us.

Finally, thanks for your patience. I know I tested it a couple of times

I will have no hesitation in recommending you.

June 2007 Newsletter

Sun,10 Jun 2007 00:00:00

Gen3 Systems Launches Website

Tue,15 May 2007 00:00:00

The new website for Gen3 Systems Limited went live today. Gen3 Systems, based in Farnborough, Hampshire, manufactures and distributes specialist equipment for the electronics industry. In addition, the company provides training and testing services.

The website is built using XHTML 1.0 Strict and as always, incorporates the latest CSS techniques for the layout and styling of the content. In addition to a bespoke catalogue for the presentation of the products supplied by the company, we have provided database driven modules for the upload of PDFs relating to press releases and "techshot" newsletters. The site wide search functionality is spider based.

It is planned to make further enhancements to the website over the medium term, including the addition of a multi lingual capability.

Nicholas Redgrave-Plumb, a director at Gen3 Systems, made these comments regarding the service received from Web Preference:

The new Gen3 systems website has surpassed our expectations. The look and feel of the finished product is wonderful. It was delivered on time with a minimum of fuss and attention to detail in every respect. In addition Web Preference provided a great deal of added value in sorting out web and e-mail hosting transfer and other things to make life simple for us. They provided a common sense pragmatic approach throughout the development phase of this project and we plan to work closely with them as they are now our Preference for all web based media.

May 2007 Newsletter

Fri,11 May 2007 00:00:00

	11th May 2007
May 2007 Newsletter
April was a quiet month for new site launches, but we carried out significant work for existing customers, and undertook a number of freelanced CSS projects. On the new site front, we launched Walk in the Park - a family run Windsor based florist, details of which can be found below. For existing customers, we completely recoded the website for Melita Boutique in an attempt to make the site significantly more search engine friendly. In addition we reworked the navigation menu for Marathon School Supplies.
Walk in the Park went live on May 2nd. The site is built using XHTML 1.0 Strict and uses CSS throughout for layout and styling. This will ensure the pages are fast to load, the site is compliant with Priority Levels 1 and 2 of the Web Accessibility Guidelines and is as search engine friendly as possible. We have also incorporated a PHP image gallery.
For Melita Boutique, we undertook a complete recoding of the site, maintaining the original design. We have been very successful generating traffic to the site since launch, helped by an Adwords programme which has consistently generated a click through rate of 20% plus. However, the business now wants to shift the marketing focus to organic search. To assist in this process, we recoded using XHTML 1.0 Strict and used CSS throughout for layout and styling. As we have stressed on many occasions, such an approach will assist the correct indexing of many pages as possible. To further enhance the chances of success in this regard, we have also created an XML site map. On the programming front, we have ensured the URLs are search engine friendly - for example the Condici page now reads http://www.melitaboutique.co.uk/view-condici.php. With no query strings in the URL (a characteristic of many dynamic websites), there is no risk that all search engines will not crawl deep into the site.
Marathon School Supplies is a major supplier of bags, clothing and accessories to state and independent schools throughout the UK. We launched the website for the company in November last year. Originally, we created the drop down horizontal menu with the aid of JavaScript. In addition, the menu did not "stick" when for example the user was viewing a top level category with related sub levels. Therefore, we have recoded the menu - purely using CSS for accessibility reasons - and enhanced it such that the sub menu now stays in place when a user views a sub category. This is a definite plus for ease of use for any website.
Web Preference Limited 14 Oakdale Road, Weybridge, Surrey KT13 8EJ. Company No: 5426254. Vat No: 860 5011 58. Telephone: 01932 424242

Walk in the Park Launches Website

Wed,02 May 2007 00:00:00

The new website for family run, Windsor based florist, Walk in the Park went live today. The site - www.walkinthepark.eu - is built using XHTML 1.0 Strict and uses CSS throughout for layout and styling. This will ensure the pages are fast to load, the site is compliant with Priority Levels 1 and 2 of the Web Accessibility Guidelines and is as search engine friendly as possible. We have also incorporated a PHP image gallery.

Faye Whaley, owner of Walk in the Park, made these comments regarding Web Preference:

Thanks for your hard work and patience! We got there in the end.

Website looks fab!

April 2007 Newsletter

Fri,06 Apr 2007 00:00:00

	6th April 2007
April 2007 Newsletter
It has been a while since our last newsletter - we have been busy on projects, and developing our own new site! Since then, we have launched six sites - which we briefly describe below - and have also set up a relationship with a finance company to enable smaller customers to finance their projects over a longer timescale. Details of this venture can be found on the website. Here are the details of the sites we have produced:
LCV Leasing went live on April 5th. The site offers a database driven catalogue for the display of the light commercial vehicles provided by the company, in addition to a site wide search. Ease of navigation together with a cross categorisation of product lines is aimed at raising the number of enquiries received, substantially. We have also taken care to minimise spam through the contact form, by providing a random image verification function. Built using valid XHTML 1.0 Strict using valid CSS throughout for layout and styling, the site is search engine friendly and accessible.
The website for Young Electronics Group and it's four subsidiary companies went live on March 23rd. Young Electronics Group is one of the UK's largest suppliers of electronic components. Built using XHTML 1.0 Strict and valid CSS for styling and layout, the sites have one administrative interface for ease of updating, a content management system and a custom built database for the presentation of the complex and varied products and services the Group companies provide. In addition to a site wide search, we have also provided a parts search by integrating with the Group's Zisk database.
The website forTrinity Environmental Services, an established UK building services contractor, went live on the same day. Created in XHTML 1.0 Strict and using valid CSS throughout for styling and layout, the website provides a customised catalogue of Trinity's new and current projects, and a news database for company announcements.
The new website for leading London and overseas landscape photographer Jeffrey Jaye - Jeffrey Jaye Pictures -was launched on Febuary 21st. Built using validated XHTML 1.0 Strict and CSS, the site provides for a fully customised catalogue enabling the different picture aspects - panorama, upright panorama and standard - to be displayed in their glory. The search functionality also produces results which are categorised into this sections - again to aid display and usability. The picture detail pages incorporate an AJAX based tell a friend.
The website for Hulme Martin, a leading manufacturer of specialist heat sealing equipment, went live on February 6th. The website - www.hulmemartin.co.uk - provides the company with a content management system, catalogue, email marketing tool, and a news manager.
The new website for Digital Sign Services was launched on December 16th 2006. Digital Sign Services, based in Guildford, provides large scale printing for the outdoor advertising industry and for indoor promotional spaces such as retail and exhibition centres. The new website is built using XHTML 1.0 Strict and uses valid CSS for layout and presentation. In addition, the site offers an FTP (File Transfer Protocol) upload facility which makes it simple for the company's clients to deliver large files and folders for further work.
Web Preference Limited 14 Oakdale Road, Weybridge, Surrey KT13 8EJ. Company No: 5426254. Vat No: 860 5011 58. Telephone: 01932 424242

LCV Leasing Launches Website

Thu,05 Apr 2007 00:00:00

The new website for LCV Leasing went live today.

The site offers a database driven catalogue for the display of the light commercial vehicles provided by the company, in addition to a site wide search. Ease of navigation together with a cross categorisation of product lines is aimed at raising the number of enquiries received, substantially. We have also taken care to minimise spam through the contact form, by providing a random image verification function.

Built using valid XHTML 1.0 Strict using valid CSS throughout for layout and styling, the site is search engine friendly and accessible.

Tim Stringer, Managing Director of LCV Leasing, made these comments regarding the service received from Web Preference:

Web preference made developing our new website both easy and painless. Previously bemused and confused with the techno babble of web developers Paul got on and got the job done simply with the minimum of fuss and disruption to us. The ability for Web Preference to design, host and lease the web site for us made them a very convenient one stop shop.

Trinity Environmental Services Website Launched

Fri,23 Mar 2007 00:00:00

The website for Trinity Environmental Services, an established UK building services contractor, went live today. The url is www.trinityenvserv.co.uk.

Created in XHTML 1.0 Strict and using valid CSS throughout for styling and layout, the website provides a customised catalogue of Trinity's new and current projects, and a news database for company announcements.

Richard Wheddon, Managing Director of Trinity made these comments:

Thank you for your tremendous effort and enthusiasm during the development of such an impressive bespoke website. The end result is very professional, well designed and innovative.

In particular your approach was so flexible and responsive - nothing was too much trouble and changes were always actioned with immediate effect. We wouldn't hesitate to recommend your company.

Young Electronics Group Websites Launched

Fri,23 Mar 2007 00:00:00

Today saw the launch of 5 new websites for Young Electronics Group and its associated subsidiaries: YEG Components, YEG Cabcon, YEG Powerline and YEG Locator.

Young Electronics Group is one of the UK's largest suppliers of electronic components.

Built using XHTML 1.0 Strict and valid CSS for styling and layout, the sites have one administrative interface for ease of updating, a content management system and a custom built database for the presentation of the complex and varied products and services the Group companies provide. In addition to a site wide search, we have also provided a parts search by integrating with the Group's Zisk database.

Ken Poole, Marketing Services Manager for the Young Electronics Group, made the following comments:

Following the launch in March 2007 of our five new websites for the Young Electronics Group, I would like to thank you for the superb way in which you developed a bespoke solution and created a web presence which communicated our company and product ranges in a way which both matched our corporate guidelines, whilst giving a unique and informative visitor experience. I am particularly impressed with how your flexible approach allowed us to develop the site content and administration interface during the development and even deployment stages. You were un-phased by our moving of the goal posts and somehow managed to complete to schedule, whilst incorporating the changes and additions we added from time to time.

Your uncompromising approach to ensuring the site code was as pure and compliant as possible has resulted in a user friendly, search engine friendly and fast loading website.

I would not hesitate in recommending your services and we look forward to working with you in the future when we will be extending the level of product and services we offer on the sites.

Jeffrey Jaye Pictures Website Launched

Wed,21 Feb 2007 00:00:00

The new website for leading London and overseas landscape photographer Jeffrey Jaye - www.jeffreyjayepictures.co.uk was launched today.

Built using validated XHTML 1.0 Strict and CSS, the site provides for a fully customised catalogue enabling the different picture aspects - panorama, upright panorama and standard - to be displayed in their glory. The search functionality also produces results which are categorised into this sections - again to aid display and usability. The picture detail pages incorporate an AJAX based tell a friend.

Jeffrey Jaye made the following comments regarding the service he received from Web Preference:

My website has only been live for a couple of months and already my business is benefiting from it, not to mention the amount of compliments I have had about the website itself. Paul really did a great job - I couldn't be happier.

Digital Sign Services Website Launched

Thu,14 Dec 2006 00:00:00

The new website for Digital Sign Services - www.digitalsignservices.co.uk - was launched today.

Digital Sign Services, based in Guildford, provides large scale printing for the outdoor advertising industry and for indoor promotional spaces such as retail and exhibition centres.

The new website is built using XHTML 1.0 Strict and uses valid CSS for layout and presentation. In addition, the site offers an FTP (File Transfer Protocol) upload facility which makes it simple for the company's clients to deliver large files and folders for further work.

Lesley Anne Cleaning Services Website Launched

Wed,06 Dec 2006 00:00:00

The new website for professional office cleaning company Lesley Anne Cleaning Services - www.lesleyanne.com - was launched today.

The site has been coded in XHTML 1.0 Strict with valid CSS to ensure optimum search engine exposure and compliance with Acessibility guidelines.

Jerry Hodge, the Managing Director of Lesley Anne, made these comments:

Thank you for being such a perfectionist. Your skill is reflected in your work and I just love my new website.

I would have no hesitation in recommending you to any friends or colleagues.

Garland Property Planning Group Website Launched

Wed,29 Nov 2006 00:00:00

The website for Garland Property Planning Group - www.garlandgroup.co.uk - was launched today. The Garland Group is a leading independent provider of specialist property planning advice for private individuals and developers, based in Cobham, Surrey.

The new website has been coded in XHTML 1.0 Strict and uses valid CSS to ensure optimum search engine exposure, and also incorporates Google Maps.

Marathon School Supplies Website Launched

Wed,29 Nov 2006 00:00:00

Marathon School Supplies, a major supplier of bags, clothing and accessories to state and independent schools throughout the UK launched its new website www.marathonss.com today.

We have created a fully bespoke solution for this client in PHP and MySQL, and an administrative interface that amongst other things, allows the client to order products within each category even though products can be members of multiple categories. We have also coded the site in XHTML 1.0 Strict with valid CSS to ensure maximum interoperability, search engine friendliness and compliance with accessibility standards.

RD Smart and Sons Website Launched

Mon,02 Oct 2006 00:00:00

RD Smart and Sons, a removals and storage company for the household and commercial sectors which was established in 1862, launched it's redesigned website today.

The url is www.smartandsonsremovals.co.uk.

Built using XHTML 1.0 Strict, the site complies with Prioity Levels 1 and 2 of the W3C Web Accessibility Guidelines

	10th June 2007
June 2007 Newsletter
During May we launched a major project - the new website for Gen3 Systems Limited, a significant business supplying the specialist electronic industry, operating from Farnborough. We continued to work towards the launch of a site for a South London based charity, and a new site for a recruitment company, located in Windsor. We also signed a number of new contracts in a variety of sectors; the logistics business, spas, gift retail and media communications. Finally we continued to provide additional functionality for existing clients; for example, we added an email marketing tool to the Jeffrey Jaye Pictures website, and created a newsletter template for the same.
Gen3 Systems went live on May 15th. Gen3 Systems, based in Farnborough, Hampshire, manufactures and distributes specialist equipment for the electronics industry. In addition, the company provides training and testing services. The website is built using XHTML 1.0 Strict and as always, incorporates the latest CSS techniques for the layout and styling of the content. In addition to a bespoke catalogue for the presentation of the products supplied by the company, we have provided database driven modules for the upload of PDFs relating to press releases and "techshot" newsletters. The site wide search functionality is spider based. It is planned to make further enhancements to the website over the medium term, including the addition of a multi lingual capability.
Web Preference Limited 14 Oakdale Road, Weybridge, Surrey KT13 8EJ. Company No: 5426254. Vat No: 860 5011 58. Telephone: 01932 424242