Earlier this week we launched a new website for ISO Certification Online .com Ltd, a new company setup to offer cheaper ISO Certification Online.

The spec here was to create a company logo, strong corporate identity and a stylish looking website. The overall feedback from our client and those we have shown is positive, next we need to start a tidy wave of SEO work, nudging this brand new and bespoke website to page one of Google!

So to conclude, if you are looking for a logo design and branding company based in Hampshire then please give us a call, we just love getting stuck into new and exciting projects!

All UK websites will be required to offer their users opt-in consent tools to allow cookies as of 26 May 2012. With a maximum fine of £500,000 levied by the Information Commissioner for those who fall foul of the new regulations, opinion is currently divided over whether or not this legislation will be altered or amended further in due course.

Google and other web analytics pass information on regarding your browser activities to third parties. Advertisers track on-line activity in order to create a profile regarding customer actions and preferences.

Cookies can indeed present a privacy concern. However, this is backed by the fact that from 26^th May every website in the UK is required to obtain user consent before they are able to track with cookies.

Cookies are useful means of remembering user preferences, powering accessibility options and have a role to play in user testing, when new display aspects are added to a website, enabling web masters to gauge customer responses and consider improvements.

Websites across the UK will now find themselves having to justify and explain monitoring that they have perhaps taken for granted previously. A cookie opt in request will need to be displayed and the manner in which this is carried out will be all-important from the standpoint of retaining and building on customer traffic.

The law has been introduced to prevent companies using cookies for intrusive purposes. It remains to be seen what effects it will have. At Tidy Design we watch with interest as ever, to see how the new directive evolves, however as the clock ticks down to the big day, we feel it is time to assess your options:

Ok, so those are the options… If option one is your preferred route then this is your choice, we fully understand and respect this. Option two would mean us adding a script and possibly scaring away potential customers, and option three would require us to remove any cookies all together… Both options two and three would result in our usual website update rate.

If you have any questions about the New European Union ‘Cookie’ Directive then please feel free to contact us. We know the clock is ticking and I guess a part of me was hoping they would scrap this crazy law before the end of May! Sadly, this outcome does not look promising… So now is the time to act!

Are you thinking about starting a new business? Maybe you already have a business and are now considering a website to better promote the services and products you offer? If so, please download our free Job Spec doc.

Fact: The Internet has created lots of new and exciting opportunities for entrepreneurs and businesses across the globe, the power of the World Wide Web cannot be ignored, its potential for generating new business far superior to old school marketing techniques.

Whether Tidy Design is building a new website or bespoke web application, it is critical for YOU the customer to clearly define your requirements and expectations. If you are yet to pencil out your website specifications then we hope the following Things to Consider when planning a new Website download will help you plan your site.

Alternatively why not check out our Website Calculator tool.

As in-house content writer for Tidy Design, I have been asked to write advising you all about an important new update from Google… They call it the Penguin Update!

On 24 April 2012 Google announced the release of a brand new search algorithm. Aimed specifically at targeting those who spam Google’s search engine results, the Penguin Update will be aimed at those seeking to manipulate web pages in order to rank their sites higher on Google.

The change represents yet another step in Google’s efforts to target and reduce web spam and to promote high quality content on the web. Pages that try to gain better website rankings through practices such as cloaking, purposeful duplicate content, or keyword stuffing will be identified. Put simply, Google is looking at better ways to detect abuses.

Google are of course keen to allow those webmasters who already adopt SEO best practices to continue creating high quality, compelling websites that lead to an enjoyable customer experience.

Here at Tidy Design, we welcome the move towards increasing the quality and integrity of SEO work across the web. Google believe that the new update will impact on 3.1% of queries in English.

They also quoted on Google Webmaster Central:

So to conclude, I guess SEO is now all about delivering a quality user experience accompanied with quality content… Thanks for stopping by, Kerry.

I believe personal projects are good for business; they increase productivity, get you thinking differently, and can help improve / develop certain skills.

This bank holiday weekend (In between babysitting my baby boys two year old cousin) I spent some time working on one of my own personal projects, a new iPad app for kids… You can find out more about this on the Montgomery Moon blog, ABC book on the iPad.

Thinking back to when Tidy Design started out (evenings / weekends dedicated to developing this idea of a web design / SEO business) you could have called Tidy my personal project… Then, once I left the security of a 9 to 5 (back in 2007) Tidy Design quickly became 24/7, leaving no time for any personal projects or even days off! Being a start-up with no capital is bloody hard work!

Anyway, now I am older (and you could argue a little bit wiser) I do work hard to make time for family, friends and to better peruse personal projects. I don’t feel working 24/7 on one thing is sustainable (although it maybe needed from time to time), and although I still work some evenings / weekends on Tidy Design related work; this is no longer a force of habit or something I feel I have to do.

So to conclude; I feel we should all make time for personal projects and to pursue new and exciting adventures in life! Please feel free to post your comments and thoughts below…

…Wishing all an awesome bank holiday Monday!

Does your business promote events, local attractions, sporting occasions, concerts, gigs or theatrical events? Whatever the occasion we can help you to generate instant revenue with our online ticketing system.

Our bespoke online ticketing system is already being used to great effect by our clients at Clarence Pier

Just take a look at the key features of our online ticketing system. With easy display formats, enabling customers to choose preferred dates, times and ticket requirements online, an email is sent to each customer in swift response confirming their booking details. Customers then simply attend the event with their email confirmation, saving time and effort queuing to purchase tickets by conventional means.

What’s more the online ticketing system is located on your own website in a manner that automatically helps to actively promote your business, encouraging repeat visits from your customers.

Another tidy online booking system has already been used to great effect by hoteliers, too, enabling them to receive commission free bookings by removing the need for a separate booking agent and cutting commission costs. With an extensive range of features enabling customers to easily and effortlessly book room nights or tickets online our Hotel Booking Reservation System provides you with the only instantly accessible advance booking system your company will ever need.

At Tidy Design we pride ourselves on incorporating online ticketing systems or booking systems seamlessly into your existing business website, adding instant value to both you and your customers. We can arrange facilities enabling you to generate daily reports on ticket sales, helping you to track progress of online bookings accurately and efficiently.

Fact: Customers will find booking for your event or attraction an effortless enjoyable process. It offers them convenience and ease of booking in advance.

Just imagine the benefits your business or organisation could gain from having an online ticketing system? Set happily alongside all your visitor information, news updates and attractions, our online booking system is the perfect addition to your business website.

Why not contact us today to find out more about developing a bespoke online ticketing system for your business; we look forward to hearing from you!

Lots has been going on at Tidy Design in recent months, so much so we are re-structuring and re-thinking our business model, looking to improve and expand on the services we offer! This is just a quick post to introduce a couple of new faces:

Firstly we have Alan Hollis. Alan is no stranger to Tidy Design, building us a bespoke commission free booking system, which subsequently gathered the attention of hotels worldwide.

Alan is a huge fan of travelling and has recently returned from an 8-month trip around the world, encompassing countries such as China, Singapore, Australia and Vietnam.

We are delighted to announce Alan’s return and look forward to enjoying his innovative creative input into our Tidy Design business.

I would now like to present the wonderful Kerry McPhail. Kerry is a highly talented SEO writer and published author based in Southsea, Portsmouth.

Passionate about creative writing, marketing and social media, Kerry is looking forward to helping our Tidy clients enjoy greater visibility online via her SEO content writing service.

Kerry adores books, playing guitar, art and all things creative; we feel she will fit in well.

That’s it for now Tidy Blog readers, more news to follow as we work our way through a number of new web design and SEO projects… Keep the espressos coming!

In-between web design projects, client updates, SEO campaigns, interviewing for staff and some biz development work, I somehow found time to design a couple of flyers this week!

If you are looking for a flyer designer based in Southsea, Portsmouth then please drop us an email with your requirements. At Tidy Design we love putting our creative hats on and working with fellow businesses to deliver quality results… Be it a flyer design, bespoke website or brand development project, we enjoy it all!

And on that note, lets get back to work! With lots on the to-do list this week I think it’s going to be a tough one…

… simply not enough hours in the day!

After a weekend of thinking, “Mammamia! I have sooo much to do next week!” it is now Monday morning and time to act! So… Are you a web developer based in Portsmouth, Hampshire looking for P/T work with the possibility of a F/T web developer job?

Tidy Design is a small family run business with lots of amazing clients on our books… We aim to look after new / existing clients as best as possible by delivering a quality service day in day out, as primarily a service based business this relies on ‘available time’ and the overall quality of work / ideas we produce.

So to conclude; I am looking for a web developer in the Portsmouth area with a good understanding of PHP, MySQL, jQuery, HTML, CSS, Java script, and some knowledge of Photoshop to join our team! You will need to think on your feet, deliver quality results and help in the overall development of our business and brand.

If the above sounds of interest then please send your CV and a cover letter telling us how you would benefit Tidy Design? Also, any links to past web design / programming work would be awesome!

With this to-do off my list, lets move onto the next!… Have a great day!

Yippee, look who just arrived! To be honest; these tidy little capsules of productivity arrived just in time!

This is a short but very busy week for Tidy Design, and on that note, as the caffeine starts to kick in, it’s back to work! … Roll on the weekend and some well earned chill time with my family :)