Category: website of the week

It may only be Monday but I still reckon it’s time for another Website of the Week!

This time we’ve got StudentBuddies.com, an ‘essential guide to University in Scotland’. To start with, design wise there’s a lot of cohesion and continuity to this site.

The homepage directs new users to pages where they can ask questions about uni life; learn about how to apply; get help with funding; and read a guide to university life. The homepage makes great use of the HTML widget, including a Twitter feed and an RSS feed from the forum.

Even though its just a couple of months old the website has already racked up over 8,000 visitors.

Website Address:

www.studentbuddies.com

When did you build your website?

June 2010

Why did you build a website?

Wanted to create a website specifically for students studying at Scottish universities to provide information and create an online community.

What do you like best about your website?

Bright colours – i feel its very attractive and eye-caatching and easy to follow.

What is your best website building tip?

Keep it simple but fun and make sure you give your users what they want.

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If you want to be featured as our Website of the week, and get exposure to thousands of readers of the WebEden blog, visit the forum now!

It’s Thursday, I’m excited, and its time for Website of the Week!

This week is the turn of RockingVicar.com. I promise you I don’t know these guys, but I seriously think its one of the strongest sites I’ve seen. There’s great continuity and consistency in the design, and the content is engaging, interesting and fresh. It’s feature rich too – the site makes use of lots of interactive widgets. Here’s a bit more:

Website Address:

www.rockingvicar.com

When did you build your website?

August 2006

Why did you build your website?

We built it for a client who eventually handed it over to us and we haven’t looked back.

What do you like best about your website?

It’s the best way to bang on about the music we love without friends and family telling us to shut up! Users tell us they enjoy it too.

What is your best website building tip?

Less is more – don’t add anything that isn’t necessary. Space is your friend, clutter is your enemy. Make the navigation foolproof and try to look at your site as a visitor not a webmaster. Oh – and content is still king.

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If you want to be featured as our Website of the week, and get exposure to thousands of readers of the WebEden blog, visit the forum now!

Yes – my favourite day – it’s Website of the Week! I think you’re going to like this one, here comes TheKnowList.com.

TheKnowList.com is ‘a fresh new source for Legal Technology resources’. They help senior bods in legal organisations find good technology to improve their business.

When it comes to design, this website is very tight. There’s great use of the HTML snippet to bring data in from other sites. They’ve used drop shadow on images and logos with great effect. And the site has plenty of features, including social bookmarking, forms, and there’s even documents for download.

Website Address:

www.TheKnowList.com

When did you build your website?
Last month. May 2010. I spent a day sat in Green Park in London planning it out on my notepad and then a full day in Starbucks by Savile Row on wi-fi designing it. Entire site only took 10 hours from beginning to end. 4 lattes. 2 innocent smoothies. 1 marmite pannini and 3 packets of biscuits.

Why did you build a website?
We started a new company and saw a gap in the market for a modern looking high content site.

What do you like best about your website?
I built it myself, without any web design skills and I think it looks good.

What is your best website building tip?
White space, clear text and graphics – and keep the content fresh
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If you want to be featured as our Website of the week, and get exposure to thousands of readers of the WebEden blog, visit the forum now!

Time for another Website of the Week. This time we’ve got PembrokeshireBeyond.co.uk.

I don’t think that this website design is going to be everyone’s cup of tea. But what PembrokeshireBeyond.co.uk get so right is the two way interactivity between themselves and you, the visitor.

They’ve got video, polls, a Facebook Faces unit, a newsletter form, a Twitterfeed (follow @Pembsbeyond), full membership, a forum, and the donate buttons. The site gives visitors a real sense of community.

Website Address:
www.pembrokeshirebeyond.co.uk

When did you build your website?
Started in December 2009, and still tweaking and adding now.

Why did you build a website?
We needed to get the word out on our investigations and findings, a website is the most cost effective option :)

What do you like best about your website?
The community aspect, having all the members in one easy place :) I also like how easy it is to interlink it with social media sites :)

What is your best website building tip?
Take your time, experiment and have fun. Always remember the end users experience is what counts :)

I know, I know: the last website of the week has been around for two, but gimme a break, I’ve been off!

This time its ILoveMenorca.co.uk which has been put together by GrumpyDog.co.uk, the ‘one stop shop for information on the beautiful island of Menorca’.

This is another big website, with lots of information about everything from where to eat and drink, to local fiestas and car hire. There’s photos, videos, games and a forum – plenty of rich content.

Website address?
www.ilovemenorca.co.uk

When did you build your Site?
I began in February and built it slowly in my spare time.As i’m new to all this, i just took it at my own pace.

Why did you build your Site?
I used to live on the island and still have alot of contacts living there.The island has alot more to offer than your general package holiday so i thought i would set up the site. It gives me a link to the island and the site was built out of love for the island.

What do you like best about your Site?
I like the fact that for a complete pc novice , i have been able to set it up easily using the webeden tools.It allows me to learn a new skill and be in contact with the likeminded island lovers that have used the site and joined my facebook page.

What is your Website tip?
Enjoy doing it or there is no point. If you don’t enjoy it then i think it would show on you’re overall site. Experiment with all the tools and if you don’t know something ask the webeden team.

I reckon its about time for another Website of the Week!

This time its ChrissToeTappers.co.uk by Chris Rhydder. I really like this site, despite the fact that it goes against a few design conventions.

To start wih Chris has used an intro page – which tends to be less common these days. But rather than preventing the visitor from getting to the content, it gives them a taste of the fun that lies behind it.

There’s lots of content on the site. Chris (a keen Twitter-er) has added his Twitter feed; there’s music; calendars; and some use of the HTML widget too.

Website address

http://www.chrisstoetappers.co.uk

When did you build your Site?
I began thinking about building a website at the beginning of 2009, but my site was finally launched on 1st March 2009. Since then I’ve made quite a few changes and have tried lots of different things to try and improve it for my visitors.

Why did you build your Site?
After Teaching Adult Tap Dancing for 25 years we finally felt that we should launch oursleves on the world wide web!! And it was also a great way to keep all our students updated without having to ring or write to them all the time!!

What do you like best about your Site?
I like the fact that it’s easy to maintain (because I’m NO Computer genius believe me!!).
I also like the face that it was straight forward & not too complicated to set up!! Made life much easier I can tell you!!!!

What is your Website tip?
Play around, experiment and have fun with your site when you get going!! Try lots of different features so that you get a feel of what works for your site!!
I’d also say that another tip is to make sure your site is clear and easily accessible for your visitors, as if it’s too complicated then it can put people off visiting!!

Yet another Website of the Week.

This time we’ve got  jenkinsonassociates.co.uk from Chartered Surveyors, Architectural and Building Consultants Jenkinson Associates.

There’s lots to like about this site. It’s clean, crisp, and the colour palette is very restful on the eye. There’s good use of images on the homepage, and the image gallery provides an effective showcase the architectural drawings. The contact details are clear on every page, and there’s good use of Industry trust marks. They’ve also added social bookmarking buttons – a good marketing touch.

Website Address:

http://jenkinsonassociates.co.uk

When did you build your website?

Last month

Why did you build a website?

My stepfather wanted a better site than the crappy one he had done by BT

What do you like best about your website?

The fresh design and ease of use

What is your best website building tip?

Make sure you use good SEO otherwise your site will never appear in Google searches. Mine didn’t for 2 months until lots of tweaking was done.

Time for another Website of the Week!

There are quite a few surfing websites that have been built with the WebEden Website builder, and cresseyssurfacademy.com is one of my favourites. As I sit in front of my PC, surounded by ringing phones and tapping keyboards, its great to gaze on such appealing images as people surfing.

This site is really rich with images, video, maps, forms and content. The design is very fresh and engaging, just the right image for a surf outfit.

Website Address:

www.cresseyssurfacademy.com

When did you build your website?

June 2009

Why did you build a website?

To promote my husband’s mobile surf school that had just launched along the South Wales coast, following a successful year of private coaching.

What do you like best about your website?

It’s bright, funky, easy to navigate, full of information, useful videos and great photos. Plus people seem to love it!

What is your best website building tip?

Be creative – there are too many practical but dull and uninspiring sites out there. Plus keep it updated regularly to encourage people back. Create a sense of community and belonging. Be clear and informative. Use great images that speak for you. Actually that’s 5 tips!

Here’s another Website of the Week!

Here’s a bit of limelight for Plasma and LCD TV Installers oconelec.co.uk. Aside from being a big website and making great use of lots of features of our website builder, oconelec.co.uk have added in full ecommerce functionality. Its good to see.

Take a look (or if you’re in Aberdeen then why not get a Plasma TV installed!)

Here’s another Website of the Week!

This time its nickelbooks.co.uk, which is the website for a real-life bookshop in Sittingbourne, Kent. There’s a lot of work gone into this website – it has a huge number of pages featuring lots of books, along with summaries and links to paypal. Someone has been busy!

Every since Amazon rocked up, Books and Websites have been closely entwined. But NickelBooks.co.uk shows you don’t have to be an international brand to have an effective web presence.

Website Address:

www.nickelbooks.co.uk

When did you build your website?

Started in november 2008

Why did you build a website?

So that my business would have an internet presence: it’s an independent children’s bookshop

What do you like best about your website?

I like how easy it is to update, add pages, add images, and being able to use an online shopping facility is very important to me.

What is your best website building tip?

Don’t be afraid to try new things! I started with one of the Webeden templates, but i have changed it all so much as i’ve gone along. It’s so easy to change everything on the site that it’s mad not to!

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Thanks for that. If you want to be featured as our Website of the week, and get exposure to thousands of readers of the WebEden blog, visit the forum now!