Laser Technik Ltd

Providing Internet services for over a quarter of a century 

Website design and build

When we first started building web sites back in the early 1990s it was basic hand-coded HTML, it had to be super efficient in order to load at a reasonable speed using a dial-up modem connection.  Photographs would slowly build, line by line, as a page loaded.
How things have changed in the ensuing quarter century!  Most broadband connections are now 1000 times faster.    The emergence of Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) Javascript (program code embedded in a web page and which runs on the web site visitor’s computer) PHP (a programming language that runs on the web server) and MySQL (a database on the web server) have all combined to deliver the feature rich dynamic web sites we see today.  Dreamweaver, the once ubiquitous (and expensive) web design program widely used by professionals a decade or two ago has now lost it’s relevance, WordPress is now king being used on approaching 40% of all web sites.

WordPress makes extensive use of PHP, Javascript, CSS, HTML5 and MySQL and enables a designer to make changes to those underlying technologies to overcome some of the limitations of standard WordPress.  That calls for a much bigger skill set – the ability to code in all those tools and languages.  Most new projects we now undertake use WordPress, it’s quicker and cheaper to create a web site, the finished site can be updated by an end user with only moderate IT skills and we have the broader skill necessary set to go beyond the limitations of standard WordPress implementations.

Is this site a good example of what Laser Technic can do?  NO! We kept our older web site running too long, our focus is on looking after our clients’ needs.  A couple of quiet days at Christmas provided an opportunity to throw something together.  The old site looked very dated and didn’t work well on mobile phones.  With this framework in place it will be a lot easier to make improvements when time permits…

What about your requirements? We believe web site development is a team effort, the client is a vital member of that team.  You know your products, you know what is important to your business and your target market, you know who your competitors are, their strengths and weaknesses.  We will do as much or as little of the task as you wish.  If you want to write your own text, commission your own product photos, propose colour schemes, typefaces, layouts we can work with those.  Alternatively we can contribute to all or any aspect but the ideal is that both parties play to their strengths.

Any new client has two common questions: what’s it going to cost and how long is it going to take.  We aim to provide a price and timeframe and expect to deliver on time, to specification and in budget. Much of that depends on you, the client.  Do you have a clear idea of what you want?  What raw materials do you have to facilitate the process (e.g. images and descriptive text)? Only once we have a firm understanding of your wishes can we indicate how we can address those wishes.  To meet the costs and schedule you need to be ready and able to respond to queries; to approve work in progress promptly; and to understand that any changes to your original specification may impact cost and timeframes.

For a new organisation we can create a one-page initial web site with domain name, email and hosting within a couple of days for a small fee. That enables you to start online operation promptly, you can briefly tell the world what you are offering and how to get in touch and is far better than a “new website coming soon” announcement. Once we’ve undertaken that task and been paid we’re happy to continue to build your final web site, but there’s no obligation. That allows you the freedom to spend a few weeks finalising your requirements and maybe speaking with other designers to see whose proposals best suit your needs.