Web site design and development can cover a multitude of industry sectors and uses. Whattheysee design and develop every web site to meet our individual clients needs, whether it be a basic brochure site, e-commerce or database driven.
Whattheysee have experience in developing sites for a wide range of businesses, from industrial, property rental and online shops, to events and business services.
The internet has become the second most used advertising media next to television and is a very powerful marketing tool. Most people looking for a service or an item to buy will check the internet first to obtain as much information about that company as possible.
If your web site doesn't look good or function properly, you will immediately lose the interest of any potential customer, and they will likely go elsewhere.
Our job at Whattheysee is to ensure that your web site looks good and functions properly, ensuring that you don't lose any potential custom.
E-commerce
Depending on your budget, we can provide you with a solution to help sell your products online. We are experienced developers of the industry leading Actinic software as well as Open Source software, OSCommerce and ZenCart.
We also have the ability to custom build your shopping cart experience using various coding such as PHP and ASP.
Want to sell digital files through your web site? No problem! We can develop your site using any of the above methods, giving you the ability to sell digital goods on your web site.
An example of an E-Commerce site we have developed recently is Bumblebee Blinds. This site was built from the ground up using ASP. We are continuing to add new sections to this web site at regular intervals, matching the type of products that are made available for sale.
What do you need to start an online shop?
Have a look at our E-Commerce checklist below to see what is required to set up an online shop.
Products
To start with you need products. Once you have decided what products you want to sell on the site we can then develop the site around these products.
Budget
Work out how much you can afford to spend on your E-Commerce development. Remember the saying - "You get what you pay for". This doesn't mean Whattheysee will provide you with a service to match the amount you pay. We provide the same level of service for all our clients. It means, depending on budget, you will be restricted to certain services and software that we can use to develop and run your site. This includes cost for domain names, hosting, web site development and which method we use to develop the shopping cart and payment gateway you use.
Domain Name
Make sure you have the right domain name. Choosing a domain name is as important as choosing your company name. From a marketing and search engine point of view it is the most important element of your E-Commerce development. If your customers can't find your web site, you aren't going to make any sales, thus making the entire project a waste of your money.
Hosting
It is important to ensure that the hosting company you use for your web site is reliable and provides the service that you require. For example, if your shop is developed using certain types of script, we need to ensure that these scripts will run on the hosting. If you are taking client details on your web site rather than a Payment Gateway you need to have SSL (Secure Socket Layers) set up on your web site so that you can securely take these details (this lets the user see the padlock in their browser which ensures them that any information they enter on that page is secure).
Web Site
Of course you need a web site to sell your products on. Ideally it shouldl be built around the products you wish to sell.
"I already have a web site."
No problem. We can also "bolt on" a shopping cart facility to your existing web site.
Payment Gateway
If you want to be able to take payment for goods online you need to have a payment gateway set up. This can be either a professional payment gateway provided by SECPay or PROTX which require you to obtain an online merchant ID from your bank or you can use an online service like Paypal or NoChex. Whattheysee can advise you on the best option for your business.
Database driven sites
What is a database driven site and why do I need it?
First of all database driven web sites allow for your content to be "dynamic" and used as a sales tool rather than just a sales brochure.
As technology develops and the internet gets faster the end user demands more. Using a database driven site will allow your clients / customers to interact with your web site. Examples of this are customer login sections where clients can register their details and be provided usernames and passwords to access restricted area's of information.
Depending on the type and amount of information you require to store, you web site can be developed using either PHP with MYSQL Databases or ASP using Access Databases. We would advise you on the best option to suit your web site needs
Whatever information you wish to capture or provide, we can develop a solution to meet those needs.
What happens next?
Stage 1 - Call us now on 0845 869 8913 for a no obligation chat or contact us using our online form and someone will get back to you.
Stage 2 - We have a meeting to discuss your requirements in more detail.
Stage 3 - A quotation will be sent out to you for your approval.
It has cost you nothing to get to this stage.
Stage 4 - We meet again to confirm site map, allowing us to proceed to the design stage.
Stage 5 - Design stage. Once we have put a design together we will meet again to confirm the design.
Stage 6 - Your web site is built to a point when it is ready for text content to be added.
Stage 7 - Text content added to the web site and it is uploaded to our test servers for approval.
Stage 8 - Once you have approved the web site and signed it off as complete, we go live!
The tools we use
To build professional web sites, you need to use professional tools. Whattheysee use industry leading tools provided by Adobe. These are Dreamweaver for the building and development of web sites, Flash for animation on both web and cd/dvd media and Fireworks for image editing. Web sites can also be developed to use Contribute which allows our clients to update their own web sites.
For E-Commerce we use Actinic Catalog, OSCommerce or Zen Cart depending on requirements and budget.
And finally, we use Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop CS2 for the design stage of our web sites.
0845 869 8913