Web Development
I offer my services as a freelance web developer. I design personal sites (such as this) as well as websites for small businesses and organisations. My services are very affordable at less than half the industry standard.
My websites are compliant with the hightest standards set by the World Wide Web Consortium (and as of January 2010, the cutting edge work-in-progress standards - HTML5 and CSS3) which means efficient coding, speedy loading of pages, and Search Engine Optimisation. I code my sites in HTML and CSS using Adobe Creative Suite 4, writing the site code in Dreamweaver and drawing my graphics in Fireworks.
The main sites I run are www.bennuttall.com (this one!), www.mmucanoe.co.uk (my University Canoe Club) and www.woodseatsventureunit.com (my Venture Scout Unit). See my portfolio for other sites I have made.
Hire Me!
Features
Complete website in HTML5 & CSS3
Fully tested cross-platform and cross-browser (including mobile & handheld devices)
Search Engine Optimisation Services
Details
(Click a point in the list to expand to view more detail - I've explained them all so you know they're all valid points and I'm not just hyping myself up with technical jargon! Expand all / Hide all)
- » Complete website in HTML5 & CSS3
- The World Wide Web Consortium set the standards for the web. HTML5 is the latest cutting edge standard of markup langauge (a work in progress) and, likewise, CSS3 is the latest development of the style sheet langauge used to describe the presentation and formatting of the markup.
These web standards have different versions, some older ones now depreciated, some currently under development and only in draft, whereas I use the latest ones currently under recommendation; XHTML 1.0 Strict and CSS 2.1. Such standards are important in many ways: search engine optimisation (high ranking in Google); cross-platform access (different operating systems and web browsers); disability access (restricted sight or colourblidness); mobile access (mobile internet, handheld devices, etc.); and ranges in display sizes (different size monitors, different screen resolutions). - » Graphically designed website logo
- I design graphic logos using Adobe Fireworks CS4, the logo for a site is usually consistent throughout, so if you would like any extra graphics making this will be extra.
- » Graphically designed favicon
- A favicon is the small 16x16 icon which is seen by the address of a website in the address bar of the browser, and when the site is bookmarked, this small icon is what is seen, and is also seen in each tab in modern browsers. This is very important as when a site without a favocon is bookmarked, it is unmistakable for others, and has no uniqueness to separate it from other bookmarks. The favicon for this site is:
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- » Search Engine Optimisation - to drive traffic to your website from Google searches
- SEO is very important for your business's website - your traffic depends on a high ranking in search engines such as Google. SEO is achievable with hard work in several areas (although much harder in a competitive market) such as: the presentation and layout of the content of the site using headers, emphasis, boldness and such appropriately; links to the site from other sites (the more quality related sites linking to a site, the more important it appears to be); keywords used appropriately; metatags used appropriately; etc.
- » Testing using various browsers, operating systems and screen resolutions
- Because people use different web browsers and operating systems and have varying display sizes and screen resolutions, it is important to ensure that a website appears the same for everyone. I test my websites using Windows and Mac OS; Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome and Apple Safari; widescreen 16:9 and standard 4:3; and screen resolutions of 1024x768 and above.
- » Search bar for users to search your site using the power of Google
- I can add a search bar to your site so that your visitors can Google search your site and find any pages within it that contain the words they enter.
- » Personal meetings arranged if geographically feasible
- I am available for personal meetings if you are based in, or can get to, Manchester or Sheffield. Personal meetings are important, especially in the early stages, in attaining the relevant information from you as to what you want from the site, what you want it to look like, what you want it to do, how you want it to feel and how you expect it to benefit your business. If personal meetings are not geographically feasible, I am available on Skype, on the phone and of course by email.
- » Mobile contact with me at all times throughout design and implementation
- It is important for the designer and the client to keep regular contact to ensure they are moving forward together and getting the expected results. I am available on the mobile if you have anything to say/ask, and you can email ideas, questions, opinions and content over to me.
- » Easy edit mode if required
- If it is a requirement of yours to be able to edit the website yourself, and you have little or no knowledge of markup langauge, this can be easily achieved if I set up a system which allows you to edit the website content (maybe just a single news page, a blog or regular updates) so that you can easily edit or add content without the use of markup.
- » You decide the time frame
- At the beginning you can tell me when you wish for the site to be finished by, and we can confirm a date between us - if you wish for the site to be put together quickly this can be done, or if you wish for a lot of time to be put into making sure every single element is exactly where you want it - how you want it, how big you want it, and so on - then this is possible to you. It's completely up to you how long we spend on the development and I will do my very best to aim to have the site completed by the date set at the start.
- » Excellent spelling & grammar throughout site
- I am a stickler for correct spellings, good grammar and the appropriate use of puctuation and I always thoroughly check my websites for this so you needn't worry about spelling mistakes or typos.
- » The benefits to your business considered throughout development
- I have a background in business studies and business-ICT (upto A-level) and completely understand the necessity that, as a web designer, my mindset needs to be businesslike rather than that of an artistic designer - you can be assured that your business and its aims will be at the heart of my design.
- » Bespoke PHP Email forms
- If this is a requirement of yours, I can write a PHP script that will allow your site visitors to enter their name and email into a form (as well as any other details you wish to take, e.g. phone number, booking date, ) along with a message and this will send the message as an email directly to you.
- » Webhosting package and domain registration dealt for you
- If you do not have a webhosting package set up already, I can take care of this for you and deal with the domain registration.
- » Email setup for your domain
- If you do not have a domain email service set up (i.e. yourname@yourdomain.com) I can set this up for you and any other employees or partners.
- » phpBB Forum set up and integrated into the site template
- I can set up a phpBB forum on your website and integrate it into the site design so it looks the same. I can set the forum database up, get the forums up and running, set the permissions and such and even administrate it for you if required.
- » Javascript for dynamic features
- There are many useful features which can be written using Javascript, such as a current date/time fuction, scrolling text, hidden email addresses, hidden text, and many more.
- » Integration with Facebook, Twitter, Blogger, Flickr, etc.
- If your business has a social networking profile, or would benefit from having one, I can integrate this into the website: updates from Twitter; a facebook badge/link; a facebook page/profile; Flickr badge for integrated picture randomiser; integrated Blogger/Wordpress blog; etc.
- » Continued upgrade available
- If you need me to continue to upgrade and update your website (even if I didn't design it myself) once it is completed, I can do this at a monthly or quarterly rate.
» Call me or send me an email for more information.
Portfolio
Here are some sites I have made recently - click the images to view the live website:
Bonkers Bouncy Castles - 15 pages using SSI, 2 PHP email forms, JavaScript-powered horizontal scrolling news ticker, satisfied customer (testimonial coming soon)
MMU Canoe Club - 7 pages using SSI, integrated phpBB Forum, integrated Blogger blog, integrated Facebook fan page fan box, integrated email system & documents for admins
Woodseats Venture Unit - 15 pages using SSI, integrated PHP Mailing List, several pages rendered from Blogger (makes for easy updates for other users), 2 different integrated dynamic Flickr badges, site search bar, integrated Facebook fan page fan box, integrated Twitter update in styling speech bubble in banner
bennuttall.com - Version 3 (current) - 8 pages using SSI, 2 integrated Blogger blogs, integrated Twitter updates, PHP email forms, site search bar, 'share this article' gadgets & 'email to a friend'
bennuttall.com - Version 1 (black) - heavily modified Blogger template with 2 pages, integrated Blogger blog
bennuttall.com - Version 2 (blue) - heavily modified Wordpress template with 9 pages, 2 integrated Blogger blogs, integrated dynamic Flickr badge, integrated Facebook badge
