Web Design
Web design that is creative and visually striking yet commercially effective.
If you want a website with strong, visual appeal, stylised and individual, yet clean, neat and fast to load, then see what we have to offer by viewing the following pages: Why Have Your Own Website? Client Strategy Site Development Background Information Design & Production Design & Philosophy Contact Us Standard Rates
Why Have Your Own Website?
What if your business was open 24hrs per day,
7 days per week, 365 days per year?
What if everybody in the world could visit your company at their convenience?
Wouldn't you be able to sell more? or improve your customer service?
Customers would be able to view your products and services in full colour, browse your price lists and catalogues and request information from you, without you even being there. Time zones become immaterial on the internet, your web site is always open for business.
A web presence will enable you to have the equivalent marketing potential as the largest mega-corporation. Whether you have dealings with customers and clients from overseas, or just your local area it is up to you to decide, how far afield you will let your business take you.
If you use printed material, i.e. brochures, price lists etc. you can alter these, even on a daily basis if required, without the cost and hassle of having everything reprinted.
Company size doesn't matter on the web, you have as much chance of gaining new business as anyone else. Being on the internet shows potential customers that your organisation is professional and forward looking, and at the forefront of modern technologies.
A web site will give you a competitive edge over your competitors who have not yet established their Internet presence.
Any business already trading in a specialist or niche market would quickly benefit from a business web site. A personalised web address i.e. http://www.yourcompany.co.uk/ (for UK-based companies) or http://www.yourcompany.com/ (for companies looking to a world-wide market) not only looks impressive but tells your customers and potential customers that you are a forward looking company, giving them a convenient way to view your products and services.
PhotoLens will help you in designing and promoting your web site, enabling you to maximise your presence on the World Wide Web.
Client Strategy
Protect your Company Name Today
Today, the number of companies developing a web presence is staggering. The registration of domain names alone is about 250,000 per month. If you think that your company may need a web presence in the future, now is the time to secure your domain name (i.e. www.yourCompanyName.com or www.YourCompanyName.Co.UK).
PhotoLens can help you secure that domain name today. If You Don't Have A Web Site You Could Be Losing Business
More and more, individuals and companies look for your web site before doing business with you. It's not much different than asking for a company's brochure or written material before talking to a sales person. In today's information packed world, your web site can provide the facts needed to interest your potential customers.
Imagine that a company or individual is about to make a significant purchase and just before doing so performs a search on the Internet to look at alternatives. Your company's web site is seen, your product or service is explored and enough interest is generated to cause the individual to complete your form for more information. You or your staff respond with the appropriate information on a timely basis and you end up with the sale.
In addition, many people look to the web first to find the company with which they want to do business. A good example of this is the property market. Individuals looking for their next home, in the next town or across the country, use the Internet to see what is available and who is available to assist them.
Your store is always open. With your web site working 24 hours a day, 365 days per year. Your physical office or store hours of business will not result in lost sales from the person seeking information when the shop is closed. With forms, an e-mail link, and a phone number listed on your web, a potential customer can leave a message (or an order) while the iron's hot allowing you or your staff to respond the next business day. Keep Your Marketing Material Up-To-Date
A well-designed web site can act as your always-updated brochure to which you and your sales staff can continually direct new and current customers as a reference for your company profile, latest product or service offerings, new marketing campaigns and test marketing. In fact, one of the great things about your web site is that it is constantly working for you on a 24/7 basis. Keep Your Customers and Staff Informed
Your web site allows you many possibilities including showcasing new products, news events and can be used to disseminate company information to your staff across the country on a secure basis. Geographic Expansion and Affordability
The cost of a web site can be less than what you currently pay for a Yellow Pages ad. Also, the majority of the web cost is a one-time fee unlike the Yellow Pages' monthly charge. Other advantages of the web versus the page ads are:
The web can be seen globally while the page ads are local. Changes to your web can be made in a day versus the next printing of the page ad. More information can be displayed on the web about your services, products and staff, and, at a lower cost.
If you want to expand your business to other geographical areas, your web site can help enhance and introduce your presence before your sales team arrive. Recruitment
Also, consider the savings on employee recruitment. Qualified employees can find you on the Internet - sometimes saving your company pounds in recruiting cost/fees. But Please Remember
A web-site is not a replacement for all your marketing tools. In today's market, it should be a part of your overall marketing plan.
Site Development
There is a vast difference between web site production and web site design.
The production of a web site is the laying down of technical requirements to instruct a web browser to display information in a pre-defined manner.
The design of a web site is the 'creative' synergy of client requirement with technical capability - and utilises time-served past experiences and technical knowledge.
Yes - you can create a web site yourself, using any one of a number of web site generators - but discover below the all important differences. Web Site Generators
There are a number of WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) website production packages available on the open market. But they basically contain pre-defined formats and will not in themselves produce anything 'original' or 'unique' for your site. Our Web Site Development Philosophy
At PhotoLens we work closely with the client (that's you) throughout all stages of the design and production stages to ensure your requirements are presented in the best possible manner with the (tried and tested) technology available.
We can help you take your products and services from where they are today to where you want them to be tomorrow.
At PhotoLens, each customer is seen as unique. Your web development needs are different to that of any other client and as such we will use an interview process to mutually determine your internet needs.
Background Information
Good web sites don't just happen; they develop through the use of an interactive process that is concerned with meeting the needs of our clients, whilst maintaining the high standards of design and performance we set for ourselves.
A large amount of a site's design is influenced by experience and knowledge of how the site will 'behave' once it is registered on the world wide web. Below are a number of basic points that should be taken into consideration.
Due consideration is, of course, assured through the use of PhotoLens About Domain Names
Domain names are your identity on the internet.
PhotoLens can register domains for virtually any country or organisation type in the world.
Just like a physical address or a mailing address, your company needs an address on the internet. Most companies choose a domain that reflects their company name and location. For example, photolens.co.uk is one of our domains. It has our company name (PhotoLens) which is a company (co) and we are based in the United Kingdom (UK). Other countries have their own 2-letter code, for example, .se is Sweden .to is Tonga! You may want to also consider a domain in what's called the top-level. These are domains like .com or .net.
Once you own the domain, you need 2 computers on the internet which store information about that domain. This is known as delegation. If you have your domain registered and delegated you can then basically do whatever you like. For example, you would most likely organise to have email of the form anythingoyourdomain.co.uk delivered straight to your mail server. You could have www.yourdomain.co.uk point to your own website, or maybe a parent companies website. If you need to, you can set up sub-domains, like sales@yourdomain.co.uk or research@yourdomain.co.uk.
Once you own the domain, you can do pretty much anything you want from the left of the @! About Splash Pages
"A web site is a web site to which everyone can come!" - unfortunately that's not true.
Most people only find web sites by using a search engine (or several engines - see later). Any specific search engine is only as good as its (own) directory of web sites, which is usually maintained by an associated web 'spider' which trawls the world wide web looking at web sites, their pages and content.
Thus if you are seriously trying to track down that illusive piece of information - don't rely on only one search engine.
Whilst most 'spiders' can be informed of a new site to be visited, the elapsed time to visitation can be as much as several months.
The 'spiders' can be assisted in their work by the site deliberately including helpful information via meta tags but most 'spiders' still interpret the site content themselves (in their own unique way) and index accordingly.
This usually means that a site is indexed by a prime set of keywords, which whilst (hopefully) correct, may not be the total sum of the site.
Thus the use of 'splash pages' attempts to rectify this situation.
A 'splash page' is like a header web page to the site, but concentrates on only one or two aspects of the site's focus. There will of course be a prominent link to the main site. Thus the search engine 'spiders' will index this page using the prominent information and thereby offer more success to the would-be web surfer of finding the site. It is not unusual for a large web site to have 3 or 4 associated 'splash pages'. Loading Pages
Fairly often we leave a page before it loads, grumbling to ourselves that we could build a better web site than this oaf. Most of the time it isn't the "oafs" fault. One of the primary concerns of a site designer is to have pages that load fast. Small image file size (limited quantity), simple back grounds, no multimedia and no frames are a few ways to speed up the loading process. Modem speed, line activity, call waiting, slow server speed, power spikes, telephone lines being serviced in the area are among the "hiccups" that are beyond the "oafs" control that contribute to the speed at which a page appears on your screen, if it appears at all. One method i use is the "to see or not to see" method. That is to say, that if the page seems to be taking longer than it should to load I'll interrupt the transfer (loading process) by clicking on my browser's stop button followed by a click on the refresh or reload button. Local hard drive activity can often "distract" your browser, doing this stop and refresh, often "reminds" the browser what it was supposed to be doing. Sometimes this doesn't even work and breaking connection and dialling back in is your only option. Viewing Pages
This is rather frustrating to site designers, since it often forces us to choose a browser to design for. The tendency is to design for the two most common browsers, Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator. Doing this essentially feeds the rich, but keeping up with all of the browsers and how they interpret html would take all of our time leaving no time for site design.
A large degree of how a site "appears" to the user is determined by the user's browser settings. As a user you control these and the settings on your monitor resolution and colour display. All of these settings directly effect how the site looks on your monitor. If you have your displays setting to 640 x 480 pixels and the site is designed for the current "industry minimum" 800 x 600 pixels you are going to have to scroll sideways (a big drag). If you have your font size set large or small, to over-ride the site author's settings, you will have to deal with some text and picture alignment issues. Several other settings can effect the way a site looks. So, before giving the "oaf" a session of verbal abuse, check to see if your local settings are taking precedence and showing you the site in a way not preferred to the site author. These settings are all controlled in different menus on different machines so check your help menus of your browser or operating system. Frames
Some people find a framed site to be very annoying (you are not viewing one now). Frames can be very useful as long as you are aware that you are using them and how to use them effectively.
Using frames allows site navigation to be simplified by using the same frame as the source of your main navigational tool. If you load this into a frame and don't need to reload it for each page, load time speeds up. You can also increase your site's usefulness by easily displaying relative linked information on the same page as the text that provides the link. The most inconvenient thing about a frame is book marking the page. If you are in a framed environment and you use the tool bar to "mark" your spot you face the possibility of "marking" the wrong spot. The best way is to single click in the area that contains the information you want to get back to, this establishes focus on the area. Then use your normal method for book marking the spot (right click and "add to favourites" in ie or "add bookmark" in Netscape). This 'establishing focus' also applies if you wish to print some information from a framed environment. Search Engine Use
The hardest part about surfing the web is finding what you need. In order to bring those two together co-operation is the ultimate necessity. Getting your page to rank high is a tough job, people submit false home pages, spam the index with repeated keywords that blend into the back ground and various other unethical ways of false promotion. You are probably saying what does this have to do with me as a surfer?? A lot.
Ever typed in a word and had results returned that don't even come close to dealing with what you asked about??? This is largely because of the practices used by several sites to be found first. It also has a lot to do with the vast amount of information present on the web. Getting the results you want can be narrowed down to-a couple of key issues.
Be specific....the more pointed you can be (about what you want to know) the better your results will be. For example, you want to know about "scuba diving", more specifically you want to dive in Queensland, Australia and you want to dive from a boat that you live on for a few days at a time. If you just type "scuba diving" you will fetch somewhere around 3 million results, a lot of information to process. On the other hand, if you type in "Queensland Australia live aboard dive boats" your results will be much closer to what you want.
Usually typing information in all lower case will get you the best information, this returns anything in lower case and anything in upper case, specifying upper case tends to return only those that matches case. Enclosing your keywords in quotation marks typically lets the search engine know that you want results that match all words within the quotes. Follow the rules...each search engine provides a spot labelled "tips" somewhere close to the text box you use for entering keywords. These tips are quite useful, and often specific to the search engine you are using. Check it out on your favourite search engine for more ideas on narrowing your search.
We can help you take your products and services from where they are today to where you want them to be tomorrow.
At PhotoLens, each customer is seen as unique. Your web development needs are different to that of any other company's and as such we will use an interview process to mutually determine your internet needs.
Design & Production
Web design in general changes constantly. Each web site created by PhotoLens is custom designed to meet your unique needs. We will provide you with a variety of possible options, but ultimately the site will be your vision - not a copy of another.
Your needs are unique. Your web site should be as well.
However, custom design does not mean expensive design.
Remember: Good web sites don't just happen; they develop through the use of an interactive process that is concerned with meeting your needs, whilst maintaining the high standards of design and performance we set for ourselves.
We offer a range of possible Web Sites:
Standard Commercial Web Site This may be a first or subsequent Commercial Site. The costings depend on requirement, but a guide is available HERE.
Standard Personal Web Site This may be a first or subsequent Personal Site. The costings depend on requirement, but a guide is available HERE.
All design and production costs will be mutually agreed before commencement of work, and are guaranteed through to completion.
PhotoLens is a commercial trading business established for financial profit. However we recognise that there exists a number of organisations in and around Yorkshire which would benefit from internet presence - but are without the necessary funding. If you think your organisation would gain from Internet presence or you are a part of a support group where the information you wish to broadcast is to the benefit of individuals or a community, then please contact us to see how best we can help.
Design & Philosophy
Good web sites don't just happen; they develop through the use of an interactive process that is concerned with meeting the needs of our clients, whilst maintaining the high standards of design and performance we set for ourselves.
Web sites that meet PhotoLens's expectations and those of our client only result from a collaborative synergy between our client and us. A synergy that grows as the site develops. At PhotoLens, we work closely with the client throughout all stages of the design process, ensuring that the best possible outcome is achieved.
These results are assured through the use of PhotoLens. Web Site Development Methodology. Assess Requirements
In this first stage we aim to fully understand our clients' requirements for a world wide web site. The basis of this stage is a shared understanding of the client's web site 'needs' (usually defined in terms of a "business case"). PhotoLens will work closely with the client towards the development of a business case, as the structure and design of the site will depend largely on our understanding of the client's requirements and expected benefits.
The deliverable for this stage is a written proposal with recommendations for the development of a web site. Site Plan
With our client's requirements as a basis, PhotoLens will proceed within stage two to plan the layout (structure) of the site. At the same time, PhotoLens will prepare draft graphics options for consideration at the first client project meeting. These graphics will form the basis of the home page design and the page templates for the other sections and pages of the web site.
The deliverables for this stage are an agreed site structure and approval of the draft graphic design for the home page and template(s) for the rest of the site. Site Construction
PhotoLens will now work towards the completion of the site. Opportunity to review the site as it develops will be available, and changes to the site will be made in response to written feedback (usually by e-mail or fax). PhotoLens has a secure on-line demonstration and testing area - enabling the client to view progress at any time over the web.
The deliverable for this stage is a prototype site. Client Evaluation
Towards the end of the construction stage, PhotoLens will provide the client with a completed web site, within our secure on-line area. The client can test the site at their convenience and provide PhotoLens with details of any final enhancements for incorporation in the site.
The deliverable for this stage is an approved world wide web site. Loading
The completed site is loaded onto a web server on the internet. This may be a server belonging to the client's organisation or a server supplied by a suitable internet service provider (isp). The loaded site is then tested to ensure all features proven on the prototype site function correctly on the host server.
The deliverable for this stage is a fully functional world wide web site. Registration
To enable web users to locate a client's site, it is necessary in this final stage to register the site with major "search engines". In close consultation with our client, PhotoLens will prepare a set of descriptions & keywords (meta-tags) to be used in the registration process.
The deliverable for this stage is a web site registered on the search engines. Site Maintenance
Following completion and registration of a site, clients can opt for on-going minor maintenance (1 hour per month) or full site maintenance (as per an agreement).
We can help you take your products and services from where they are today to where you want them to be tomorrow.
At PhotoLens, each customer is seen as unique. Your web development needs are different to that of any other company's and as such we will use an interview process to mutually determine your internet needs.
Standard Rates
Web site work done by DA d AT Solutions is charged on a by-the-hour basis. Current hourly rate is £30, unless otherwise noted. Below are some typical time "frames and charges that might be assigned to certain tasks. Typical time :needed for task completion is a variable number, the times quoted below are a rough estimate and may fluctuate based upon individual circumstances. Task
Description
Time
Fee*
Initial Consultation
First scheduled meeting between client and PhotoLens representative to discuss web site concept, target market, and expected result from establishing a presence on the internet.
1 hour
no charge
Home Page Creation
Designing the general appearance (theme) of the site. Establishing host for site and initial search engine submission. Page creation with customer supplied text and images.
3-4 hours
£30/hour
Additional Pages
These pages will be based upon a particular design that follows with the general theme of the site. Page size is best defined by the amount of information that can be contained on a standard a4 sheet of paper. Typically there are 1 - 2 images included on the page. Image preparation is not included in page design time. Page creation with customer supplied text and images.
1-2 hours
£30/hour
Scanning
Printed images or photos can be scanned into a digital format. Image quality is evaluated on a case by case basis, prior to scanning. Image is scanned and retained in digital format by PhotoLens.
¼ to ½ hour per image
£20/hour
Digital Photography
We will photograph your images for use on the internet or reproduction.
Various
£20 setup £30/hour
Image Rework
Images will be touched up, re-sized and optimised for use on the web. PhotoLens will maintain image quality while reducing file size for faster image download time.
N/A
£30/hour
Database Design
Database integration into your web site allows for various future upgrades to your site without major upheaval in your site design. Pages that draw from the database to-be created on the fly allow you to provide up-to-date information simply by updating the database.
Various
£30/hour
Coding Pages to Draw Information from a Database
Each page that relies upon a database for the information it displays needs to "talk" to the database to get the necessary information based upon the user's request.
1 hour per page
£20/hour
e-mail Setup
Establishing, registering and setting up a suitable email handler, with on-site hands-on practical training.
N/A
£20/hour
Data Entry
Data entry from your printed material to a digital n/a format for standard web pages. Text is transferred verbatim from supplied material (unless changes are agreed upon before hand). This rate also applies to entering data into a database if your site is database driven.
N/A
£15/hour
Service Contracts
PhotoLens also offers service contracts with several options tailored to the needs of your business. All contracts include the option of helping keep your page found on the internet. With thousands of pages being created daily keeping yours as one that is visited is crucial to the success of your web site. Contact us now for more information about contract pricing and other options.