What exactly goes into building a website?

In a world where digital is king and people spend a large amount of their time online – Ofcom’s Communications Market Report 2016 reckons we spend 25 hours a week plugged in – a decent website is one of the most important investments a company can make. And a bog-standard one just won’t do anymore.

More consumers and businesses are making decisions based on their online experience, meaning appearance, content and usability are more important than ever. A website is an extension of a business and its staff, a chance to highlight values and show off unique offerings. It can help to generate media interest, enhance a brand and open a company up to more local and global business – the list goes on!

Here at Wardour we understand the power of a website – that’s why we put our all into building a site that meets a company’s every need – and this year we’ve been working on some particularly special projects.

First up is one of our longstanding clients Royal London. Last year they asked us if we could create a members hub, promoting the benefits of Royal London membership and housing valuable, stimulating content ranging from insightful articles to videos and animations.

The challenge? As the hub couldn’t sit on the main company site for development reasons, we were tasked with creating a separate microsite that seamlessly blended with the existing one in terms of branding and style, but that still retained its own identity. Challenge accepted.

We spent months working on logistics, planning, content strategy and segmentation, design concepts and development to come up with the perfect solution: an engaging, colourful and user-friendly microsite. Check it out here.

Next in line was Kayrros, an energy sector data provider who came to us earlier this year for help with refining their brand and developing a new company website.

As a recent start-up with a truly unique offering – tracking data along the entire energy supply chain – and input from the biggest names in the industry, they needed a site that would position them as both a disruptor and an authority. Again, another challenge accepted by the team.

The next few weeks were spent on brand consultancy, establishing the company’s offering, content creation and key messaging, researching imagery, conducting photo shoots, and working on design, layout, navigation and development. With so many employees providing input, based in countries around the world, we had to work incredibly quickly, responsively and collaboratively at every stage of the process.

But it all paid off in the end. The result was a sleek, energy-focused design with simple, accessible site navigation that truly lets the messaging speak for itself. Take a look for yourself.

If you’re looking to improve or overhaul your website offering, enhance your brand and make a real impression online, we’d love to help you. Get in touch at: hello@wardour.co.uk.