What is a Sitemap in Web Design?

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A sitemap is one of the most crucial aspects associated with developing and designing a website, but what is it exactly and why is it so essential to creating an effective, user-friendly site?

Sitemaps explained

A sitemap is akin to a blueprint or road map for a website. It’s a visual representation created by a web developer to detail the layout of a website and its contents before it gets produced.

Usually drawn on a large piece of paper, a sitemap consists of boxes to represent each web page, set out in a hierarchy, with the most important at the top. The boxes for each page will detail what content will be included, with arrows to show how each page connects to each other.

A web design company will also list on the sitemap what the goals and functions of the website will be, so close collaboration between the website management company and the client is key to creating a successful sitemap, and, therefore, an effective website.

Easier collaboration

Since there are often lots of parties involved with creating a website, including the client, developer, designer, web hosting company and, possibly, an account manager, having a sitemap that everyone agrees on before the website is created ensures it can be developed smoothly and seamlessly, with fewer problems along the way.

By creating a website’s layout on paper before it gets put together for real, the website design company can make sure each part of the site will flow together and function effectively so that no costly or time-consuming changes would need to be made once the site is in the actual design and development stages

Improved user-experience

A sitemap also provides benefits for anyone visiting a website, as it allows a user to see how the pages are organised in a hierarchical structure, to enable easy navigation and an improved user experience. Since the sitemap includes details of what will be included on the website, it also ensures there’s no room for any duplicate or superfluous content. This promotes a high-quality website that will be favoured by search engines.

Indeed, search engines and web crawlers look at sitemaps when determining the ranking of a site, so it’s a good move to have an effective sitemap as part of your SEO strategies.

If you’re looking for effective web design services in the South West UK, contact us at Real Internet today.

What is a Web Design Company?

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Having a top-class website is a must for digital marketing in the modern age. To create a great website, you’ll need to work with a reputable web design company, but what are they and what do they do?

What is a web design company?

In simple terms, a web design company is a company that designs and builds websites for businesses, public bodies, charities, and personal use. During your first consultation with a web design company, they will sit down and find out more about their client. They will also dig deeper into what the client needs their site to do, how they want it to look and what features they need on it. Once this consultation phase is complete, their team of expert web designers will build the site according to the client’s wishes.

Web hosting

Although designing and building websites is their prime service, many web design companies also offer web hosting services. This makes it convenient to find reliable hosting in the same place you have your website built.

In addition, some can bring existing WordPress sites into their hosting plans, even if you do not want a new site built. Some web design companies also specialise in areas such as graphic design and branding, which can be useful if you need help in sourcing the best marketing materials to stand out from competitors.

Why hire a web design company?

Some business owners may wonder why they should spend money hiring a web design company. After all, could you not save money by designing and building it yourself? While this is possible, it is likely that the site you end up with will almost certainly not be as responsive, stylish, and practical as one built by professional web designers.

Contact Real Internet today

At Real Internet, we have many years of experience in building websites that are not only feature-heavy and fast, but great to look at too. We also offer a range of additional services to clients in South West UK, from web hosting to graphic design and branding. Get in touch with us for more details.

 

 

What is a CMS in Web Design?

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If you’ve ever tried to build your own website, you might have come across the term ‘CMS’. CMS stands for Content Management System, and it’s a type of software that can be used to build and manage a website. Building a website using a CMS is a cost-effective and practical way to create a website that can be edited by anyone in your team for years to come.

What is a CMS website?

A CMS is any specific software that is used to create a website. Inside the CMS dashboard, users can edit website features, tweak the website design, and add and remove content to webpages. To manage websites at this simple level, most CMSs do not require any programming knowledge.

Some examples of popular CMSs include:

  • WordPress
  • Drupal
  • Magento
  • Duda
  • Joomla
  • Wix

While all CMSs are designed with the goal of creating easy, accessible website building and editing, they all look and work a little differently under the hood, which is why many people prefer a particular CMS over others. Here, at Real Internet, we tend to use WordPress, but we also have experience in using other systems.

CMSs are designed to make website building and editing simple and accessible to everyone. Web developers and designers build websites using CMSs because it’s fast and effective, and because these sites can then be passed on to clients who can update, edit, and re-arrange website content without any input from technical teams in the future. Reasons why CMSs are popular include:

  • A CMS enables non-technical teams to manage and update their own websites without input from developers. This is cost-effective, efficient, and allows content teams to retain control of their own data.
  • A CMS keeps web design and content separate. If you want to redesign your website, you can do so without having to rewrite or re-enter all your existing content.
  • Many CMS packages include additional tools for marketing, SEO, and analytics that can help you track website traffic and improve visibility.

Content Management Systems are designed to be affordable, simple, secure, and ideal for use by businesses of all sizes. Different systems will have their own strengths and weaknesses, but almost any web project can be successfully completed using contemporary CMSs.

Get in touch

At Real Internet, we offer an affordable web design service in the South West UK. Our web design service combines our expertise and experience while allowing you to retain complete control over your website. To find out more about our services, get in touch today.

North Bristol RFC and Real Internet

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At Real Internet, we are passionate about supporting and helping small organisations and businesses. We work with one-man bands to national businesses, and we believe that every business deserves affordable and adaptable website design. We love all things digital, but we don’t talk tech; at Real Internet we live in the real world!

We provide complete website design, creation, and hosting packages – which means that we can build your site and keep it running smoothly and securely.  Whether you want to improve your ranking, generate more sales leads, reach new markets, or show off your services, we can build you a site that will make it happen.

We’re passionate about providing the best possible websites at affordable prices.  We’re techies, but we’re approachable and friendly!

Our small, experienced team are based in Wotton-Under-Edge, Gloucestershire and our clients are from all over the South West.

When the opportunity arose to sponsor a preseason friendly match for North Bristol RFC, who are based at Oaklands, Almondsbury, we were delighted to be asked to support a local team.

North Bristol RFC is known across the County for their outstanding Minis and Juniors sections. The quality of players and coaching across all age groups is second to none.

On Saturday 4th September, we were honoured to be match day sponsors for the Men’s preseason friendly at Oaklands against Yate RFC. It was a wonderful day and the sun shone! It was an exciting match and NBRFC won 56-28, a thrilling match for all who watched. We cannot wait to see how the team get on in the League this year.

#OneClubOneLove

Real Internet Managing Director Andrew Reynolds with members of North Bristol RFC.

If you would like to find out more about Real Internet, contact us now or call 01453 806570

 

What is a Child Page in Web Design?

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Websites are key in modern business and give companies an effective digital marketing tool to build their online presence with. Of course, the key to this is great web design which focuses on speed, responsiveness, and user experience. One web design term you might have come across before is a child page. But what are they and why should websites use them?

What is a child page in web design?

In short, a child page is a page on your website which is found underneath another page. The page it is underneath is usually referred to as the parent page. A good example is a ‘Company History’ page on a website which is accessed via the overall ‘About Us‘ page. In this case, ‘Company History’ is the child page as it is placed underneath the parent ‘About Us’ page.

Why are child pages useful in web design?

One major advantage using child pages in web design brings is easier site navigation. It allows you to form relationships between relevant web pages and makes it easier for people to get around. The knock-on effect of this is that your site becomes more user friendly and enjoyable to spend time on too.

What else makes child pages worth using in web design?

Child pages also help to give a professional look to your website and make it obvious to users that you have invested time in creating a quality site. This is great for your brand image and may help persuade consumers to shop with you or hire you. Using child pages is also a good move for SEO. Search engine robots who crawl websites usually look more favourably on those who make navigation simpler with features like this. It will be a lot better than having masses of individual pages to crawl which exist on a standalone basis.

Let Real Internet help you get the most from your website

While the above points set out what a child page is and why they are worth using, you may not know how to implement them. If this is the case, contact Real Internet today on 01454 806570 for assistance. Based in Wotton-Under-Edge, Gloucestershire, we are a web design company that serves the whole of the Southwest UK.

Get in touch today, so can we unleash the power of child pages on your website!