Creative print and digital
services for your business.
Having a successful website depends on how well your site is planned.
The most important things to consider when planning a website are the purpose, design, content, structure, coding, SEO and hosting.
These “seven steps” to a successful website are outlined below.
The most important function of any website is it’s purpose. A successful website must have a function in the day-to-day operation of your business otherwise there is little point in spending your time and resources in building and having one.
Before building your website take into consideration what it’s primary function will be. Examples of the types of purposes that a website can have are online sales, business promotion, news portals, customer retention and lead generation.
Once your website has a purpose, the next step is the look and feel. To ensure your website is successful you have to take into consideration things like colours, font styles, page layout and graphics.
Have a look at your competitors websites to see how they present their business. Think of websites you regularly visit – which designs do you like and which ones do you dislike. Another idea is to type something like “great website design” into Google and see what the search turns up. Remember that a law firm’s website will look different to a plumber’s – but if you are a plumber you want your site to stand out from the crowd.
Anyone who knows anything about about building a successful website will tell you that content is the key. Every page on your site needs to talk directly to your target audience and potential clients.
Understanding your market is the only way to be successful here – so get acquainted with your target audience is and know what it is you want to tell them. Information must be appropriate and follow through with a meaningful call to action.
Remember to include a contact form and your relevant contact details, like phone number, address and opening hours.
It is very important your pages and content are organised in a structured manner. Navigation through your site must be intuitive and easy for your visitors.
Similar to your website’s design, remember that the structure will differ depending on the type of business that you run and that to make sure your website is successful your content should be structured with this in mind.
HTML (& XHTML) is the coding language that allows your website to be seen on the internet and as such needs to be well written and accessible. It must be readable by different web browsers (Explorer, Firefox, Safari, etc) and different versions of these browsers.
Not everyone who visits your site has the latest software or the latest plug-ins. Other considerations are slow internet connections, people with disabilities and corporate users who have their internet access limited at work. Knowing your target audience and their browsing habits and capabilities will help you here.
Use a service like The W3C Validation Service, which validates multiple versions of XHTML and HTML to ensure your website has been coded correctly and will be accessible across multiple platforms.
Search Engine Optimisation is not difficult, it just takes experience and planning. The basics of SEO include regular updated content, search engine friendly URLs, descriptive page titles, the use of heading tags, relevant metadata, valid code, careful directory submission and being linked to by external sites. If your website has all this going for it then you are off to a good start to having website success!
Many people choose cheap hosting options as a way of saving money and while there are some good inexpensive options out there remember to do your research first.
Questions to ask are:
For more information about planning, designing and building a successful website contact us today.
Since 2003 Red Ant Media has been providing design, development and production services to our clients in the areas of print, desktop publishing and web development. With over 15 years experience working in the creative industry we are experts in delivering bespoke communication solutions from concept to production. Whether it is design & layout, pre-press & print production, Microsoft Office & desktop publishing or custom coding & website development we always consistently deliver the best results for all our clients.
What are the project requirements? What is the desired communication outcome? Who is the target audience? Are there any existing brand and style guidelines? What existing frameworks can be incorporated to deliver the best results for the budget?
Supply of concepts and variations to address all outcomes as defined by the initial research. Development of these concepts into working designs, working together with the client and in consideration of the production methods for delivery.
Application of content to the approved designs. Ongoing proofing, testing and tweaking as required. Build of production final artwork for press, desktop publishing or online / digital applications as per required specification.
Delivery of finished art as per project outcomes. Printed collateral supplied as per production specifications, Microsoft Office and DTP solutions as documents templates or editable files and digital applications as code repositories or hosted online solutions.
Red Ant Media offers a number of services to our clients including Graphic Design, Web Development, Desktop Publishing, Illustration, Photography and Web Hosting. We can either charge by the hour, week or month for ongoing work, or offer you fixed price quotes for supplying either a single service or combination of our services.
Logo design, bespoke graphics, branding & style guides, business cards, postcards, posters, flyers, brochures, annual reports, booklets, lanyards, media walls, print advertisements, signage and promotional products.
Microsoft Office Suite, including Word Documents, Powerpoint Presentations and Excel Tables and Charts. Adobe PDF Documents and Interactive PDF Documents.
SEO implementation, mobile friendly responsive websites, content management systems, Wordpress, Google Maps, YouTube & Vimeo, eCommerce, online bookings, membership sites, landing pages, intranets and EDMs.
Custom traditional (pencil, pen & ink and paint) and digital (graphics tablet and stylus) illustrations for business promotions & events as well as weddings, children's invitations and editorials.
Destination, product and studio photography. 35mm, digital, long exposure, landscape, travel, scanning and image retouching & manipulation.
Affordable and reliable Sydney based LAMP Hosting (Linux, Apache, MySQL & PHP). Shared and standalone customisable hosting solutions with optional G-Suite for business integrations.
Strata Membership Website (Wordpress)
Mobile responsive membership for Breakfast Point Commmunity Association. The site provides community information, as well as providing an online members section for each of the stratas within the precinct. After logging in, users can access Strata specific documents, minutes, news and forums.
Illustration
Illustrations for the Lions Eye Health Program used as Stickers, children's Colouring In sheets and Find-A-Word puzzles
Google Maps Website (Wordpress)
Pathfinders NSW is a responsive website exploring the history of the trackers (Pathfinders) who worked with the NSW Police Force. Built in Wordpress with a customised dashboard the site is integrated with Google Maps and includes a timeline built in jQuery.
Online Booking Website (Wordpress)
Custom Wordpress development for a responsive website, 5 Star Sydney Tours. The Wordpress interface was tailored specifically to the products and services provided by a tour business and includes an online booking system with Google Calendar integration.
Graphic Design & Printing
Examples of various reports and brochures designed and printed by by Red Ant Media.
Graphic Design & Branding
Examples of various logos designed by Red Ant Media
I have worked with Ant and Red Ant Media for almost three years now over a range of design concepts and his work always exceeds expectations.
The ideas are fresh and creative and he always manages to interpret the hardest of briefs with incredible results. Ant's designs have been so successful that they will continue to be used for years to come.
Thanks so much for all the hard work Ant, I would recommend you to everyone.
Happy clients, happy me!
Ant built the website for my company, 5 Star Sydney Tours, and I am very happy to recommend his services to anyone in need of a graphic designer or web developer.
The Wordpress platform used to add content to the site was customised specifically to my services, making it very easy to use, and includes a calendar based booking platform that allows customers to book tours directly through the site.
He continues to integrate other online platforms into the site for me as the need arises.
When I was starting up Ant designed the logo, business card and posters for me. In such a competitive industry his take on my business identity was very unique and had people noticing and remembering my company straight away.
Since then he has designed a number of other things for me, including my van graphics and the waterproof stickers used on the premises I look after.
I have always been happy with his work!
I was very fortunate to work with Ant in the development of the Pathfinders website about the history of Aboriginal Trackers in NSW.
He took on board the stories that I wanted to convey to the public and created a website that looks attractive and is easily accessible.
Ant's imagination and technical skills brought an historical website to life. I look forward to working with him again.
Studio 32. 23 May Street
St Peters NSW 2044
Australia