Website Design Aberystwyth, Wales

Pixelwave Web Design currently has a design student from Bangor University on work placement. He is here for 7 weeks and so far has done a relatively short first week.

So far he seems fine, punctual, interested in what I do and with lots of relevant questions to ask which is always a good sign.

Unfortunately I don’t have much actual ‘design’ work on at the moment as I’ve been busy with web development and website maintenance work. I have therefore spent a bit of time devising some tasks for him to do, none of which are needed at the moment, but they may come in useful one day and they should give him something to get his teeth into and to add to his portfolio.

It’s also quite nice to have someone else in the office from time to time for a change and it forces me to take coffee breaks now and then as well! Hopefully he will gain some useful skills from the exercise. If nothing else, he will realise that a freelance website designer actual does very little website design on a day to day basis, but does do lots of admin!

Pixelwave Web Design has just added a new category to it website template shop. The brand new Photoshop templates allow you to  purchase only the photoshop PSD files and convert them into any kind of website that you wish.

Get only the graphic design source files without having to download or pay for all the extras such as html files, Flash files etc.

There are plenty of instructions online telling you how to add custom error pages to your website, but why do you need them and what should they contain?

What is a custom error page?

When you request a web page from a server, normally everything is fine, the server finds the page and your browser displays it, but if for some reason the server is unable to find the requested page then the server will provide a standard error page instead. The “404 – page not found” is the commonest error page and it simply means that the page you requested could not be found on the server.

A custom error page is simply a replacement for this standard error page.

This article will consider the custom 404 error page and what can be done to improve it.

Why would MY website need a custom 404 error page?

The main reason for having a custom 404 error page is to keep people on your website. Most people following a link to your website will simply leave and go somewhere else if presented with a standard 404 error page. Your site may contain exactly what they are looking for, but if they don’t get past the error page and into your site proper, then they’ll never know and you will have lost a potential new customer.

Why would visitors to my site get an error page?

There are many reasons why someone visiting your website might be presented with a 404 error page. It may be that the page they were looking for has been removed or replaced with a page at a different URL. Obviously if the link the visitor followed to get this error page was from your own website then that should be fixed, but it isn’t so easy to fix broken links from external sites.

If you have a good number of inbound links to your site, then there is a strong possibility that some of these will point to pages that no longer exist. Search engines too can point to pages that no longer exist. Even if your site is fairly static and pages haven’t been removed then it is likely that some inbound links will contain typos that then lead to 404 error pages, or people may themselves simply type in an incorrect URL to the address bar of their browser.

Whatever the reasons, people will get 404 error pages when trying to access your site, and if this error page is a standard 404 error page they will simply leave.

Replacing the standard 404 error page with a custom one is relatively easy and will allow you to retain these visitors and guide them to the correct place.

What should a custom 404 error page contain?

A custom 404 error page can contain whatever you want it to, but in my opinion the following are important and some, if not all of them should be on any custom 404 error page.

1. A consistent look: It makes sense to make your custom 404 error page look the same or at least very similar to the rest of your website. This allows people to know that they are at least in the right place, even if they haven’t found exactly what they are looking for. It also allows you to display your company branding.
2. Explanation: This is an error page, so explain that. Let people know why they may have been presented with this page and what it means.
3. Reassurance: It is always a good idea to reassure your visitors. Let them know that the error isn’t their fault and reassure them that you’ll soon have them back on track.
4. Options: The most important thing a custom 404 error page should do is get the visitor back on track. So it should present them with some (but not too many) options. Maybe links to the most important parts of your website will be sufficient.
5. Search Tool: If your website has a search facility then this should be a prominent addition to any custom 404 error page. The search tool will hopefully allow the visitor to find what they are looking for.
6. Navigation: I tend to include the standard top level navigation elements of a website on the custom 404 error page. Normally this helps provide some consistency with the rest of the website and also provides the wayward visitor with a means to navigate to other parts of the website and get back on track.
7. Contact / support details: Custom 404 error pages should also contain a means of contacting the webmaster. If the visitor is unable to find what they are looking for despite the options above then you should provide them with a means of contacting you so that you can point them in the right direction and help them on their way.

These simple steps can make a huge difference to visitor retention on your website but are often overlooked. Click here to see the Pixelwave Web Design Custom Error Page, I think you’ll agree that it is much more useful than the standard 404 error page and is something that every website should have.

If you would like to add a custom 404 error page to your website and need help doing so, then feel free to contact Pixelwave Web Design, it is an inexpensive addition to your site that could have a huge return on investment.

Pixelwave Web Design is pleased to announce the release of a new website for the ‘Ystwyth Mountain Biking Club’.

I’m actually part of the club so the site is still a work in progress as I’m sure new features will be requested as members start to use it. The website, built and maintained by Pixelwave Web Design, is intended as a way for members of the club to stay in contact with each other, organise rides and share photos. It is based around forums and photos galleries.

It is hoped that a good community will develop and it will not only help promote the club but also responsible mountain-biking in the area.

YMBC Screen Shot

Pixelwave Web Design is pleased to announce the release of a brand new website for SoccerTrolley.

SoccerTrolley is a brand new product designed for sports coaches around the world. Available now, the unique design is currently being used at Aston Villa FC.

The website will be developed by Pixelwave Web Design in the future to include more information and news and reviews but it is currently there to serve as a holding page containing some information on the product along with contact details for those interested.

We’re in the midst of an economic crisis and things have been fairly quiet with new projects here at Pixelwave Web Design, but I’ve been keeping busy despite this. As always I’ve been working on updates for Fairies World and its sister sites as well as developing a few new ideas for them. I’ve recently finished a few additions to the BabyFeet website and I’ve even had time to work on my own Forces-of-Nature website, including giving it an all new, leaner, meaner home page.

I’ve also just started work on a website for a new client and his exciting new ‘SoccerTrolley’product. Watch this psace for more details as the website develops.

On top of all this I’ve also recently started work at Aberystwyth University as a website editor for the Designing Libraries project which now has a brand new website.

The economic crisis may be biting but things are usually a little quieter at this time of year so hopefully it will pick up in the New Year as usual. No one knows how the web design industry in the UK will suffer, but it is possible that is could benefit from these hard times as businesses turn away from traditional media and advertising and spend their budgets on more cost effective and less expensive web-based projects instead. A website can be so much more than just an advertising tool and is so much more flexible than the traditional print media, especially when content needs to be changed regularly. It can be used to improve customer loyalty, customer support and cut down on admin. Web design may come out of the the economic crisis better than some other traditional industries.

Whatever happens, as a one-person web design studio I have very few overheads which allows me to keep my costs down and remain flexible in times such as these. I can adapt to better serve my clients in times of economic uncertainty and can continue to offer a service when larger companies may be struggling.

Whatever happens, I’d like to wish you all a very merry Christmas and wish you all the best for 2009.I look forward to working on your web design projects in the New Year.

Alan.

Template Monster are giving away a free Chrstmas Iconset  – (a premium $50-worth design product). Without a doubt this will be a very good present for designers and webmasters as well as for all of the rest of website design fans that use their products. This offer is open to anyone who makes a purchase from the website template shop from December 10th and all the way to January 1s.

Pixelwave Web Design has recently taken over the management of an eCommerce website selling fashionable footwear for babies, toddlers and children.

I understand that it can be difficult for business owners to choose a suitable web-developer and the initial process of developing a successful working relationship can be daunting. I like to think that I’m flexible in my approach and pride myself on my friendly, helpful nature. So, rather than ask my new client what changes he wanted made to his website and present him with a quote to do it all, we decided between us that it would be better for us both to have a more flexible approach.

A starting budget was agreed upon and the list of changes required were prioritised and I’ve started work on these changes working at an hourly rate. I shall continue working on the changes until the budget is reached and then a new budget will be set.

This seems the fairest way all round as I get paid for the time I spend on the project, my client only pays for the time it takes rather than me setting a fixed price (with some contingency built in) and best of all it gives us both chance to test the waters to see how the client-developer relationship goes. I get to see I work well with the client and the client has the opportunity to appraise my work without having to first agree up-front to a large amount of work from someone he doesn’t know.

So far it seems to be working well. Work on the site is progressing well, the relationship seems fine and judging by some of the e-mails I’ve received (see quotes below) my client seems delighted with my work.

“You’re an absolute star!
That is exactly what’s happening.  I’ve just done another test purchase,  and you are right…”

“Thanks a lot Alan, that’s great!”

“Thanks for the update.  Very happy with the work done so far and your general help and advice.  Definitely a good move on my part to have you on board!”

“If there’s a pair of shoes that you like for your son, let me know I’ll send them to you, on the house!”

Pixelwave Web Design has just finished and released a project wokjing on the re-design of a website for a landmine clearance company.

Qualissol Consultants had an existing website that lacked any real design or aesthetic appeal, and was in need of updating and . They recently commissioned Pixelwave Web Design to evaluate their site, suggest things that could be done to improve on the site and then implement these changes.

I decided that the content on the site was good as it was, so except for a few additions that was kept the same. I was however decided to completely redesign the website to make it more aesthetically appealing and easier to use. A new information architecture was devised along with a sensible navigation system that allows people to find the information they need quickly and easily. A completely new look was designed. This gives the website a professional, business-like appearance without being dull.

It was also decided to rebuild the site from the ground up using modern xHTML and CSS coding that conforms to standards. Not only did this streamline the process and make future updates easier and therefore cheaper, but it also considerably improved on the accessibility and Search Engine Optimisation of the website.

Before and after images can be seen below.

Before Re-design

After Re-design

I’m pleased to announce the release of a new website designed and built by Pixelwave Web Design for an independent pharmaceutical consultant based here in Wales.

Peter Dewland has extensive portfolio of services based on 30 years experience of early drug development.

His new website outlines his experiences, the services he offers and his strengths in his chosen field. It was built to be easy to use, conform to modern standards and to be accessible and search engine friendly. The brief was for a simple, professional looking design with minimal design elements to detract from the content.