Classic Mercedes Benz dealers (Cheshire Classic Benz) had been running their own WordPress site for some years but it was looking somewhat dated and they were struggling to achieve good search engine rankings, so contacted me to see what I could do both to improve the overall look of the site and also the SEO (search engine optimisation).

First step was a brand new, modern but classic design which was also responsive (ie. looked good on all screen sizes) – especially important as this is something that Google now takes into account when calculating how highly a website will rank in the search result listings.

I also restructured the data to make it easier for the site owners to add details of which cars they have in stock or have been sold, as well as a more user (and search engine) friendly way of adding/editing their news and events pages.

Last step was to add a sophisticated search facility allowing visitors to the site to search for cars available (and/or sold) based on model number, body type etc with the added advantage that this will also help the site to score more highly with Google et al.

See the result here – Cheshire Classic Benz

On a more general note we had intended to write to you to say how absolutely delighted we are with the work you have done for us and the results you have achieved. We couldn’t have hoped for a better, faster or more cost-effective outcome if we had been standing over your shoulder while you did it! We will be singing your praises to anybody who cares to listen, and if you ever need any references for potential customers please don’t hesitate to give them our contact details.

Looking for something similar for your business? Why not contact me and let’s chat.

The Client

A private, members-only social club.

The Brief

The client wanted a website which could accept membership payments from new and renewing members, allow members to sign up for events and also offer a “Facebook-like” area where users could create their own profiles and interract with each other ie. making friends, sending private messages, posting status updates, uploading their own photos etc.

The Design

The client’s existing site was looking very dated, lacked many of the features required and was difficult to use on smaller mobile screens.  The design I came up with was fresh and contemporary with a clean white background (much easier to read than the white text on black they’d had previously).

As many of the members are not particularly technically-minded, it was also vitally important that the site should be as easy to use and this was achieved with, amongst other things, the use of user-friendly icons as well as helpful hints for trickier aspects such as updating profiles, and thorough user-testing to ensure that finding one’s way around the site was as intuitive as possible.

On the technical side, the site needed to be able to accept and record credit card payments, as well as having a simple “admin dashboard” giving designated committee members access to view/edit membership data, event information and also act as moderators in the discussion groups.

Privacy was important to the client and therefore built into the design to restrict access to non-members.

Once signed-up members have access to the main activity feed (showing status updates from other users) and are able to create their own profiles, upload photos to their own albums for sharing with others, participate in group discussions etc.

The site also features an “Admin’s blog” for sharing news etc, a members’ directory, photo galleries and event listings.

For more thoughts about community websites generally, see also my recent blog post here – When is a website not (just) a website?

This was a challenging but fun project and I’d love to create more websites along similar lines.  If you run a club or business that could benefit from its own social network – think Facebook but with greater control, more privacy and the ability to add other features such as membership payments, event listings (and bookings), user photo albums etc. Why not contact me and let’s chat.

Having Cassia construct our new web site was so easy. She made all our potential software options clear and concise which enabled us to make the right informed decisions. She delivered exactly what we wanted both efficiently and within the quoted time frame and budget. I would unhesitatingly recommend Cassia for new websites or for existing site upgrades.

 

The Client

(Not surprisingly!) a leisure-wear company specialising in a wide range of t-shirts, sweatshirts, outdoor and sports wear for adults and children.

The Brief

As a start-up company, The Leisurewear Company (TLC) not only needed a brand new website to help them stand out from the crowd but also needed assistance in importing product information (images, descriptions and prices) from their wholesaler and setting up of their shop to enable them to sell their products quickly and easily online.

The Design

A quick survey showed that many websites selling similar products were quite “busy” ie. lots of clashing colours, adverts and special offers which tended to distract from the items actually on sale.  We therefore took the decision to keep the design of the TLC site as clean and simple as possible, allowing the images of the clothes to stand out and also making it easier for visitors to find those items of interest to them.  The addition of “hand-drawn” style lettering and icons added a little extra character, helped to prevent the site looking too minimal and also added a friendly, casual feel in keeping with the nature of the business.

With the outline design agreed upon, the next step was to manipulate the data provided by the wholesaler to put it into a format suitable for use on the site. With some 2,000 different products & 40,000 different variations ie. colours, sizes etc. and each with different product images, colour swatches and prices, this was quite a challenge but was undoubtedly time, money and effort well-spent as it saved having to pay someone to input all the data manually and once complete, the site was pretty much finalised and ready to launch.

Some additional development work added the option to automate ordering direct from the suppliers – thereby saving still more time and money on a daily basis.

This was probably one of the largest online shops I’ve developed in WordPress and although I was ready to switch to another platform if it proved unsuitable, both I and the client were pleasantly surprised at how well, with just a few additional tweaks along the way, Woocommerce and WordPress have been able to handle things.

See the result here – The Leisurewear Company

Feeling inspired with ideas for your business? Need your own online shop, WordPress or Woocommerce site?  Why not contact me and let’s chat.

Cassie is an excellent designer, conscientious, diligent and a pleasure to work with – DP, The Leisurewear Company