Web design and development

For examples of our work, see our Case Studies
Your website's visual appeal and its ability to communicate the right message clearly to your potential customers will make or break your online presence. Whether a brochureware (passive) or database driven (dynamic) or ecommerce site with lots of functionality, it must be easy to use, intuitive and deliver results to the visitor as efficiently as possible. Internet users are impatient. See our portfolio for example work.

You can download our FREE 5 minute guide for business on creating or upgrading your website here; or read more about how we work with you below.

Quotation

We’ll provide a fix priced quotation, detailing the recommended structure and content of your new website or rebuild. For some projects we will also provide a visual draft of what your new site may look like.

Planning

The key to a good website is in the planning. For a small site this might only take half an hour, for large highly functional sites it can take hours of discussion and the collation of the subsequent decisions into a concise specification. Many websites fail because insufficient planning is done at the start. We’ll help you think through what you are trying to achieve and if necessary provide a way to integrate your new Internet strategy into your existing business plans, for marketing, re-branding and/or expansion.

Usability

We focus on making websites that are easy to navigate and use, without compromising aesthetic quality. Flash animation and fancy graphics have their place, but not at the expense of usability or function. We’ll help you decide the right balance to deliver the service or message that your business needs to project online.

Function

Our experience and knowledge in a variety of web related technologies ensures we will use the technology best to achieve the success criteria that we will help you set when we first discuss the development of your website. Technology for technologies sake is no good – we will develop a site for you that is economic but stable, effective and future proof. Our experience is broad, from ecommerce shopping baskets to bespoke ebusiness solutions.

Success and growth

The success criteria we’ll help you allocate to the project, will subsequently dictate how your website developers in the coming years. We’ll help you along the way, providing advise – more often than not free advice – whenever you need it, regarding all manner of subjects connected with your website and the Internet. We pride ourselves that we very very rarely lose customers – and once we’ve got you, we’ll work hard to keep you on that list of long-term, satisfied clients.

Technology

We develop using graphics, HTML, DHTML, Javascript, XML, Flash, Flash scripting, CFML, PHP, CGI, Java and JSP, using PostgreSQL and MySQL databases on Apache and Tomcat/JDO Linux servers. More information on production techniques.

Support

We provide support for many web sites and web based applications. Each support contact is different and is built around the individual requirements of the site and your business needs.

Support can range from content management of your website, to technical support, disaster recovery, to complete fulfilment management.

For simple questions and queries we charge no ongoing support. Our hosting packages include free telephone support for hosting/email related issues. Because our support is not provided by some faraway offshore call centre, we do not offer 24/7 support except in the unlikely event of hosting downtime. However, we are always contactable during office hours, and 9 times out of 10 contactable all hours of the day and night outside of those times and you will have the direct mobile number of the Urban Horizon team member who is your primary contact.

Training

We can also provide onsite training for clients. Talk to us to discuss your requirements.