Your website needs to do more than just look good. Google has to like it too. That’s why we produce websites that are designed for users and search engines, right from the outset.
Why all websites should be designed for search engines
That is why all our sites are:
- Designed around your business’ SEO objectives
- Optimised for user experience
- Mobile-first and fully-responsive
- Lightweight and fast-loading
It’s quite possible to have a website designed and built first and then get search engine optimisation (SEO) afterwards. In fact, many businesses have no choice but to get SEO as an add-on when they realise their brand new website doesn’t automatically rank well in Google.
Retrofitting SEO is not necessarily bad, it can be just as effective. But because SEO nearly always requires structural changes to a website, doing it this way around is expensive and much less efficient.
We’ve worked on enough SEO campaigns to know that the best websites are designed with search engine optimisation in mind from the start.
You’re in control
We design our websites in WordPress, the world’s most widely used content management system. WordPress is open source which means you don’t pay us any license fees.
It is also pretty user-friendly, so you’ll be able to add content on your own as and when you need to. And if you want to work with other developers in the future, you’re free to do so.
How does it work?
1. SEO Frameworking
We start with the most important job your website has to do: Show up in search. We work with you to research and design an SEO framework for your website that Google is going to love.
2. UX Wireframing
Next we focus on your visitors. Based on the SEO framework, we design the user experience (UX) to ensure visitors find all the information they’re looking for with minimal effort. We call this UX wireframing.
3. Look & Feel
With the SEO and UX foundations laid, we move on to making your site look great. We’ll design a look and feel for your site that is applied to the wireframes.
4. SEO Copywriting
In the meantime, we’ll also be getting on with content production. Collaborating with your team, we’ll help you compile content for all your key pages that doesn’t only read well but also helps Google and other search engines interpret your website and rank it in search.
5. Website Development
Your website is ready to be coded by our developers. Once complete, we’ll send you a link to test your site.
6. Testing
This is the part where we iron out any wrinkles. We’ll check that your website’s SEO has been properly implemented, fix any coding errors and tend to other niggles you may have picked up on the site.
7. Training
It’s time to show you the ropes. We’ll train you to use your WordPress content management system so you can change content on the site as you require. We’ll also set up the tools you need to monitor your site and give you the basic knowhow you will need to measure its performance.
8. Launch
Your site is ready to be released to the world.
9. Tracking
We’ll help you keep a close eye on your site’s performance in the first few weeks after it is live.
Great, sign me up! What’s next?
You’ll start by giving us some basic details, filling in the form below. We’ll arrange a chat to discuss any finer details and then send over a quote.
Once you’re happy with the quote we take 50% of the payment to begin work. The remaining 50% is due before we release the site.
Hang on, I have questions!
How much does it cost to build a website?
I already have a website, it just needs a refresh.
Not a problem! We love questions.
Here are a few we get asked often and that we think you should be on everyone’s mind if they want a new website.
If there’s anything else, why not send us a mail?
How much does it cost to build a website?
Unless you’re buying a template website, it’s very unlikely that a web design agency will be able to give you a fixed rate for a website. (Read our article explaining the difference between template websites and website templates).
How much a website costs is a function of how big and complex it will need to be. But that isn’t necessarily bad news for small budgets.
We’re always happy to discuss ways in which we can adapt your website design to make it fit your pocket.
Why not fill in the Website Planner form below and we’ll get back to you with a quote within 24 hours.
What does mobile first mean?
Mobile devices have overtaken desktop computers and are now the most common medium with which we access the internet. Whilst it used to make sense to design a website to look great on desktop computers and then adapt that design to look OK on mobile devices, the popularity of mobile devices has turned that process on its head. Now it’s a priority that your website looks great and works well on a small mobile screen. It can then be adapted for large screens from there.
This approach is known as mobile-first web development and is rapidly becoming the new standard for web design. Even if your particular website is still being accessed more on desktop computers than mobile devices (for now!), a mobile-first approach is a great way of ensuring your website design prioritises essential information and presents it in the most logical order.
Are your websites responsive?
Responsive design was a term coined when mobile devices first made it necessary for web designs to be scaled to the smaller screens of phones and tablets. Those were early days and responsive design was treated as an optional add-on to a full desktop website.
Now a responsive design is so integral it is rarely treated as an optional add-on. Most websites are designed to be responsive from the outset. Because it is intended to scale-up from a small screen, a mobile-first approach is usually responsive by default.
I already have a website, it just needs a refresh.
For existing sites, we always recommend starting with an SEO audit that will tell you where your current site’s SEO could be improved. As good optimisation nearly always involves some structural changes to site, it’s highly likely that we’ll recommend starting with a new site architecture that can be informed by a solid SEO framework and UX wireframe.
That might not be what you wanted to hear. However, an entirely new website could be less costly and time consuming than you might think. And, because it’s going to be mobile-first and fully responsive, it future-proofs your website for many years to come. Why not have a chat with us to find out more?
I’d like to work with my own designer or developer.
We’re not possessive. We’d be happy to help you plan SEO framework and UX wireframes that you can then take to your team to develop a search engine friendly website.
I'm completely in the dark with hosting and domains. Help!
You’ll hear a lot of jargon when you’re having a website designed. Don’t panic. We’ll help you decipher it all as we go along.
Website Planner
To get us chatting about your new site, please fill in the form below. Only the fields marked with a red asterisk are compulsory, so feel free to skip over any you can’t asnwer now.
Or if forms frighten you, send us an email at hello@bothbirds.co.uk. We will get back to you within 24 hours on weekdays, often much sooner.