We expect to launch the new website in the spring of 2012, for full updates follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

We cannot wait to share this with you!

• Twitter encountered 16,000 tweets per second in January 2012, almost doubling that of the start of 2011
• 38% of adults say they use search engines to search for businesses
• Coldplay became the top page on Google+ with 618,356 followers
• Users spend a total of 6.7 billion hours on social networks towards the close of 2011
• 82% of the worlds online population are using social media networks, boasting 1.2 billion users
• For the first time ever, Wikipedia's website went offline in a protest

Social media is becoming more powerful day by day and when used correctly, will increase your online exposure. For information on professional social media management contact us today.

The emails themselves are not virus infected, this not triggering any virus protection software which are out there to protect you from attacks such as this one. Security experts have labeled the development as 'particularly dangerous' as it can effect users who would never open an unknown email or attachment. This current wave of emails will be labeled 'Banking Security Update' and to stay free of the virus, security experts are advising users to set their email software security settings to maximum and to update all web browsers to their latest versions to ensure maximum protection.

With the internet growing at a dramatic rate more and more people are choosing to do their shopping online, rather than visit the high street.  It is quite simple, if you sell products - you NEED to have an online shop.

John Lewis, for example, reported a 45% rise in sales on their website this Christmas:

"The multichannel retailer reports a 45% rise in sales at johnlewis.com last week, while across the group the company said it had smashed records to take £121m in a single week. The total sales for the week to December 11 represent an 8% rise on the retailer’s previous biggest ever week in 2009, of £112m. It’s also 10% up on the same week last year and 16.7% up on last week."

There are also a lot of e-commerce websites on the internet that simply do not do the job properly.  A combination of poor design, complicated navigation and an 'un-trustworthy look' about an online store can put people off buying.  People shop online due to how easy it is and of course, that it is cheaper than the high street on most occasions.  If your website makes any aspect of the buying process complicated for the buyer, they will simply give up - leaving you with no sale - and a competitor who has a better website some well earned cash.

So why not start 2012 by looking into one of your most important assets - your online shop window.  Contact our Manchester Web Designers today and we can give you the advice you need to give your shop a well deserved face lift.

Here at PixelPulse Media, Web Design Manchester, we take pride in our work. We have an excellent reputation for the service we offer and never cut corners. To get a free, no obligation quote from our Manchester Web Design team, contact us today.

The importance of effective web design

Businesses often underestimate how important their website is, but in a world where an online presence is becoming increasingly important, effective web design really is vital. It can mean the difference between gaining customers and losing them and in the long term it can have a huge effect on your profits – without a high-end website you could easily lose out to the competition, so don’t run the risk. Make sure to always opt for bespoke web design, ensuring you make the right impression and securing your future success.Bespoke web design – your site tailored to you.

Opting for bespoke web design really is the only option in the competitive arena. If you stick to a generic template you won’t have the desired impact on potential customers, because if you want to attract and keep clients you need to show that you’re different from the rest. The only way to achieve that is to go for bespoke web design that produces a site that’s been tailored to you and your unique business objectives, letting you stand out from the crowd in the best way possible.Tailored Manchester web design shows brand continuity, keeping your image tightly focused and communicating your own unique values in a voice that’s entirely your own. Bespoke web design can ensure you can maintain and even expand upon your image, and a strong presence really can make all the difference.

Web Design in Manchester you can count on

Now all you need to do is find the bespoke web design service that can provide that level of functionality, and if you’re in Manchester or anywhere else it’s vital that you choose wisely. You need Manchester web design or web design in Cheshire that you can trust to provide a bespoke solution to your requirements, working with your business and its unique facets to offer web design in Manchester that lives up to expectations. If you’re looking for web design in Cheshire of that calibre, you need to get in touch. Manchester web design by PixelPulse MediaHere at PixelPulse Media, we provide bespoke Manchester web design that works. Whether you’re looking for web design in Cheshire, web design in Chester, web design in Manchester or indeed anywhere else we’ll be able to accommodate – we’re based in Manchester but can cater to clients nationwide, offering tailored and top-quality web design in Manchester that’s sure to meet your requirements.

Quality web design in Cheshire

We believe that web design in Chester, web design in Cheshire and elsewhere should have one focus above all others – quality. That’s exactly what you can expect when you come to us for Manchester web design. We’re proud to offer web design in Cheshire, web design in Chester and web design in Manchester that will meet and exceed your expectations, working to your unique specifications to result in web design in Manchester you can be proud of. Our high-end skill set means you’ll be left with the website that you want, and with our expert designers you can be confident in getting bespoke web design solutions that work for you and your business.Why choose us for web design Chester?Whether you want web design in Chester, web design in Cheshire, web design in Manchester or indeed anywhere else in the UK, we’ll be able to help. We’re a local company with a national presence and can provide bespoke web design services to clients throughout the UK, creating high-end solutions that are tailored to your individual requirements.

We only ever offer web design in Manchester and beyond of the highest quality and never use templates – the website you’re left with will be totally unique, built around your needs to ensure you stand out from the crowd.We use the latest technologies and are trained in all aspects of web design to ensure superior results, and no matter what your website is for we’ll be able to accommodate. And, we don’t stop at the design stage either – as well as providing high-end web design in Cheshire and web design in Chester, we can help with all aspects of web management to provide the complete service.Bespoke web design - for the complete package.

Our Manchester web design packages can include everything from online marketing to web hosting, and we can even offer tailored e-commerce solutions to ensure you’re free to trade at any time of the day or night. We’re committed to taking your company to the next level with web design in Cheshire, web design in Chester and everywhere else that delivers, so get in touch today and experience the difference of our bespoke Manchester web design services for yourself.

Recent statistics show that a massive 46% of the worlds population use a social media network every day with this figure increasing significantly year by year. With networks such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn and most recently Google+, social media offers a fantastic opportunity to raise awareness and generate a social relationship with your clients and future customers.

Submit posts, messages, offers, images, videos or whatever is on the brain and share your thoughts with the world.

Here at PixelPulse Media we provide a full setup and maintenance service over a wide range of social media accounts ensuring your social media accounts not only look the part, but they are handled professionally to increase your company awareness. For further information visit http://www.pixelpulsemedia.com/services/social-media-management or contact us on 0161 850 2210.

You can also follow us via our social media accounts which are listed below:

Twitter

Facebook

Google+

Scheduled for release on 14th October, the iPhone 4S looks identical to the current iPhone4, but its what is deep inside the 4S that separates the two devices.

iOS 5

iOS 5 is the new operating system for Apple mobile devices. Offering a huge 200 new features iOS 5 has took another large step into the future. The introduction of iMessage allows users to send unlimited text messages via Wi-Fi or 3G on iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, even allowing users to begin a conversation on one device and continue it on another.

Notification Centre is where all notifications are stored and organised enabling the user to locate and track notifications all in one location. Stay on top of life's news at the swipe of a finger.

Are you a forgetful person? Well theres no excuse anymore as Reminders is iOS5's better way to do to-do's. Organise your day to day life in to-do lists, set due dates, times and locations and your iPhone will do the rest and send you a reminder.

iOS5 offers hundreds more features, such as detailed Twitter integration for all the tweetaholics out there, Newsstand and more advanced features with the camera and photo editing.

New 8 megapixel camera

The iPhone 4S hosts an 8 megapixel camera for you to take high quality shots of life at the push of a button, even from the lock screen.

With the increased features and capabilities of photos, you an now take a high quality photo, edit it, save and share it to the world in a matter of seconds. All this on a PHONE!!

Dual Core A5 Chip

This is the most powerful iPhone processor ever, boasting amazing game graphics and speed, HD video camera, outstanding photographs and a lengthy battery life. Now you can do what you like, when you like, for how long you like on the iPhone 4S.

Siri

The most mind blowing feature of the new iPhone 4S is most definitely Siri, the intelligent assistant on hand to help.

With Siri, you can literally talk to your iPhone, although you may want to avoid this in public places to avoid the strange looks fired your way! You need directions, ask Siri, you would like to find resteraunts to dine out, ask Siri, your driving along and would like Siri to read out and reply to texts, just ask and your requests are granted in a matter of seconds.

Siri will even check your schedule and book meetings and events for you if asked, it will browse the web and search for what you ask for and then provide you with results. No matter how you phrase your question, Siri listens, understands and answers!

October 14th is going to be one expensive day!

iCloud

Apple also introduced iCloud in more detail on Tuesday, following on from its brief appearance at the June WWDC.

iCloud stores your music, photos, documents, and more and wirelessly pushes them to all your devices. Automatic, effortless, and fantastic.

What will they come up with next?

You see a lot of companies out there offering "websites for £99".  You have to ask yourself, realistically, what am I going to get for that £99?  Your website is your shop window and these days many businesses will suffer if they do not have a website.  

It is not a case of 'just getting a website' however.  A bad website can and will portray the wrong image about your company as many people will think "if they have no pride in their website, what does that say about their service/products?".  Websites work in the same way as real shops do on the high street.  

Imagine a row of shops.  3 shops are dull, boring, untidy and unappealing - but the other shop is bright, well designed and easy to find what you need, attractive and draws you in.  Which one would you walk into??

The same applies to your website, and anyone looking to have a website built should bear this in mind when they gather their quotations.  Paying more for a website is not a bad thing as this will reflect the skill, pride and quality of the work you will get from your web design company.

Here at PixelPulse Media, web design Manchester, we quote fairly for our work.  No, you will not see us quote £99 for a website, nor will you see us quote over the odds for your project.  But we strongly believe that people should get what they pay for.

A lot of companies that call themselves "web design companies" often use templates for their designs, which means your website will never be truly bespoke.  Yes, it may take them 2 days to get your website live - but is that money well spent?  We design all our websites from scratch, no templates are used.  Yes this takes longer but your website is unique to you and it can be adapted in any way possible.

So, when you are gathering your quotations - always bear in mind the term "you get what you pay for".

Nominations are provided to websites that demonstrate high levels of creativity, originality and overall design competence.  Our new website was launched on 23rd August 2011 and in a short period of time has received a huge amount of positive feedback.

To vote for us, please click the link below!  

Vote Now

With training locations all over the world including Europe, New Zealand, Australia, Singapore and India their website is a key factor in global advertising and online success.

A clean, modern and professional image was crucial to the design of the website, with CTC working with the worlds leading airlines such as British Airways, EasyJet, Thomas Cook and JetStar and our graphics team created a complete bespoke design providing CTC with the professional image they required.

Providing a stunning design is one of many aspects of the website which were considered, discussed, planned and finally implemented. One area we focused on at length for CTC was the functionality of the website, providing not only an outstanding visual experience for their users and clients, but a simple and enjoyable experience throughout the entire site.

Another feature added to the new website which enhances user experience is the ability for users to sign up to courses, open days, public or private events and book a place by simply filling in a few details. With CTC hosting events all over the world on regular occasions it is importnat for them to be able to add these events and open days to the website, blog and news as and when they require.

A fully interactive course assistant was designed and developed for CTC which provides detailed assistance to any potential cadets browsing through specific courses, seeking a successful career as an aviation pilot. With a range of courses and cadet programmes on offer, as well as a host of partner airlines, the course assistant is a welcomed feature for any user.

With the new website, a significant increase in page 1 listings in search engines as a result of our SEO work and an outstanding client base and interest CTC Wings received an outstanding 10,000 hits within the first 36 hours of the new site launch date. These figures have maintained as CTC are taking full advantage of their new website, here is what they had to say:

"We are most grateful for all of your help in achieving the near impossible timescales that evolved, not least with the multitude of last minute changes.  You have put in 150% to make it happen and indeed made it happen very impressively. We are delighted with the results and most grateful for all the hard work that has gone into the production.  The website looks great and it is credit to your company. We’ve had lots of positive feedback so far and look forward to working together on our next project."

The team at PixelPulse Media would like to second the last sentence, as we also look forward to working with CTC Aviation on thier next project.

We are now under the name of PixelPulse Media and our new website can be found on www.pixelpulsemedia.com.

Boasting an outrageous 250 new features, the team at Pixelpulse Media are now enjoying a new experience with the upgrade from OS X Leopard to Lion.

We continue to update all systems to maintain the latest, most efficient technology to continue to provide a reputable service for our clients.

We have been working with GBS closely for a number of months and have now provided them with a fantastic new fully content manageable website. The website can be found here at http://www.situationalleadership.co.uk.

iOS 5

Starting with iOS 5, which includes over 200 new features for the iPhone and is Apples most extensive software update to date. Apple have really gone to the next level on this update with new features such as:

Notification Centre - you can keep track of emails, text messages, friend requests, reminders, calendar schedules and much more all in one location.

iMessage - Users with iOS 5 on iPhones, iPads and iPods can now send unlimited messages via Wi-Fi or 3G from their device and all is listed in a conversation similar to text messages.

Newsstand - iOS 5 organizes your magazine and newspaper app subscriptions in Newsstand: a folder that lets you access your favorite publications quickly and easily. There’s also a new place on the App Store just for newspaper and magazine subscriptions. And you can get to it straight from Newsstand.

Twitter Integration - iOS 5 makes it even easier to tweet from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. Sign in once in Settings, and suddenly you can tweet directly from Safari, Photos, Camera, YouTube, or Maps.

PC Free - With iOS 5, you no longer need a computer to own an iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch. Activate and set up your device wirelessly, right out of the box. Download free iOS software updates directly on your device.

Wi-Fi Sync - Wirelessly sync your iOS device to your Mac or PC over a shared Wi-Fi connection. Every time you connect your iOS device to a power source (say, overnight for charging), it automatically syncs and backs up any new content to iTunes.

For more information on iOS 5 go to http://www.apple.com/ios/ios5/features.html.

Mac OS X Lion

With the majority of our technology here at PixelPulse Media being Apple, Mac OS X Lion is something we are really exited about. With our current systems running on Mac OS X Leopard, we cannot wait to upgrade to OS X Lion.

OS X Lion boasts a phenomenal 250 new features for its users. Here are a few of our favourites:

Mission Control - Mission Control brings together full-screen apps, Dashboard, Exposé, and Spaces in one new feature that gives you a bird’s-eye view of everything on your system.

Launchpad - Launchpad is a new, full-screen home for all the apps on your Mac. Just click the Launchpad icon in your Dock. Your open windows fade away, replaced by a full-screen display of all your apps.

AutoSave - It’s time to stop worrying about saving your work. Because now your Mac automatically saves what you’re working on so you don’t have to. It’s not just an improvement for OS X, it’s an improvement for anyone who’s ever lost hours of hard work after forgetting to press Command-S.

Airdrop - A quick and easy way to share files with people nearby wirelessly. No hassle of emails, simply dragging and dropping the file to the user and waiting for them to receive it.

Upgraded Mail - OS X Lion introduces a whole new take on email. Mail puts your entire display to work with a gorgeous widescreen view featuring a full-height message and a message list that includes snippets. Conversations presents messages from the same thread in an elegant timeline showing each communication as it was sent while hiding redundant text. Mail also features search suggestions and search tokens, which help you find the messages you’re looking for fast.

For a full list of the fantastic new features coming with Mac OS X Lion go to http://www.apple.com/macosx/whats-new/features.html.

iCloud

iCloud stores your music, photos, apps, calendars, documents, and more. And wirelessly pushes them to all your devices — automatically. It’s the easiest way to manage your content. Because now you don’t have to.

1. Google has a separate index for mobile content.

Ranking on mobile is easier because Google has a much smaller index of content under mobile, as this segment is still in its infancy. Therefore, if businesses get a mobile site today, they stand a very good chance of being highly ranked.

2. One out of every five Americans is on the mobile web every day. As the percentage of mobile web users increases rapidly, businesses should not miss the opportunity to capture this audience and preempt the competition.

3. 20% of all households are now “mobile-only”.

With these statistics, it is a foregone conclusion that the mobile web will overtake the desktop. In the near future, most of the visitors to a website will be through mobile. Mobile devices such as the iPhone and Android have revolutionized web surfing, enhanced the experience dramatically, and continue to drive more consumers to use mobile devices for browsing the Internet.

4. £1.1 billion purchased from mobile devices in 2009.

Purchasing from mobile devices is on the rise, and studies indicate that buying confidence levels are also increasing, paving the way for an exciting new platform for e-Commmerce.

5. Mobile marketing and advertising is exploding and is going to hit £2.1 billion by 2012

Advertising spend gives analysts a good indicator of where an industry is headed. Given this rising estimate, it is quite clear that the Mobile segment is going to be highly significant. Moreover, a recent Comscore study reveals that 25% of mobile phone users participate in at least one (and up to 10) SMS (text) marketing program monthly.

6. Mobile vouchers are growing rapidly.

Consumers are increasingly looking for offers and coupons in this fragile economy. Mobile vouchers, via texting, are convenient, easy to access and redeem. They have become the latest ‘hot’ killer app, providing businesses with more reasons to consider a mobile presence. Bar coded mobile vouchers, another new trend, are now becoming a significant practice amongst bigger businesses. In the next two years Juniper Research predicts that approximately three billion mobile coupons will be issued to phones.

7. Big (and small businesses) are embracing the mobile segment.

Big brands are going to make mobile a serious part of their spend in 2010. In the last two years, fast food joints like Burger King, Subway, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and MacDonalds’s have launched texting programs, mobile sites, and iPhone apps that enable a consumer to order food for pick-up.

Big companies such as British Airways built mobile sites and iPhone apps in the last year, allowing passengers to check in, or even buy flights on their mobile.

The mobile segment is set to explode as the next frontier for providing consumers with the power to instantly access, review, and purchase products and services. Savvy marketers are recognizing the potential of this relatively untapped segment and are building strategies to create a solid mobile presence for consumers on the move

By being realistic with your expectations and making sure your web company understand them, you can deliver a solution that offers you value, and improves over time to deliver sustainable results.

Here’s our guide on creating a web strategy that delivers success – both in the short-term and, more importantly, sustainably into the future.

Purpose

Websites are sales tools and need to offer value to your business. A good website offers a route to market for your information (and products) directly and quickly.

So, with that in mind, your website needs to be built for the user, but, with your clearly defined business goal in mind.

Whether you want them to buy there and then, sign up for a newsletter, contact you, etc.; your website needs a defined purpose and the appropriate build to fulfil that purpose.

What is your most important “Call-To-Action”? ie. What is the button you want them to press, the action you want them to take?

All website paths and call-to-actions should lead to delivering that goal.

Useability

A website needs to be usable, not by you, but by your customer and every visitor to your website will be different.

If you pick up a book you start at page one. But you can not guarantee the entry page or the path through your website that a visitor will take, especially if the navigation is not logical and your purpose (see point 1) is not clear for the user.

What you can do though is smooth the path of ‘logic’ that each of your unique visitors chooses to take through your site. Can they find what they want, when they want it? Is the call-to-action in the right place?

Your web pages need to be built for your audience in terms of design, content; even down to size of text.

Design

Design goes hand-in-hand with function and content.

Not only design as in branding, but also design of your web interface. Your website needs to look good and be compelling.

Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) enable us to have more control in the design of a website and help us apply styles and branding across every web page.

This makes it consistent and leaves the visitor in no doubt which website they are on.

Web Standards

Web standards allow for choice. Your can visit your website using different platforms (PC, Linux, Mac, mobile phones, Hand-Held Organisers, etc.).

Mix into that the different browsers available and you have thousands of combinations. This will only increase over time.

By sticking to web standards you can translate your message to more people, including disabled users.

W3C (The World-Wide Web Consortium) gives us those standards so there is no excuse. You end up with a better built website, coded correctly with relevant labelling. This helps the user and it also helps you. Devices (including search engines) are able to read your website faster and more accurately because your website speaks the same language.

Content is KING

The Internet has billions of web pages of content, how can you compete for attention?

For a start, you must have a message worth reading. Not just what YOU think is great, but what an audience would regard as worth reading. Your page content needs to be compelling, offer value and it needs to offer a consistent message.

If you want to go off on a tangent, build another web page relevant to that content. The more search engines can understand the subject your pages are about, the easier and more appropriately they will be indexed.

Think about style of writing – Is it readable? Is it friendly? Does it make sense? Also, don’t assume that someone understands your industry terms – it could make them feel stupid and it makes them work harder to understand your message. Write for your audience and tell them what they want to know.

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)

Search engine optimisation isn’t a dark art. Stick to the basics. Start with quality content that is already compelling for your audience. Does it send a message? What is that message? More importantly, is the message consistent and specific?

What words are you using? Do they match up with what people may type into a search engine?

There are keyword tools available to help you, but you need to understand what words to use on your page and test them eg. “web site” or “website”, “nail polish” or “nail varnish”.

Search engines are getting cleverer and the rules keep changing so, just stick to creating clear content and make sure they understand what your page is about. SEO is just part of the story, it is not the “be-all-and-end-all” of your website.

Measurement

You could argue that a website has one statistic that matters – return. Is it making money, getting leads, etc.?

If not there may be a bottleneck, one page that restricts the next step in your process. That’s why you need to measure your website traffic.

The better you become at measuring the right things, the more successful your website can be. You can measure traffic into your website but you also need to measure what happens when it gets there.

Sit a novice down and physically watch them use your website. Are they doing what you expect, what you want? If not, why not?

Make changes… then measure them (over time)… and repeat. The bottleneck should start to clear.

Online Marketing

Marketing your business using the Internet is one of the most cost-effective ways of getting your message to your audience. Niche markets are becoming more effective because they are so specific. Your potential market could be fragmented but by applying all the other rules here you have a website that is findable and worth reading with specific content.

If you can truly engage your audience they will come back. Better still, they will tell other people about you. Blogs, Social Networking and Article Marketing can get you attention, but you have to work hard to keep that attention.

Pay-Per-Click campaigns (Google Adwords, Yahoo, Livesearch) can also be effective (cost and return) if you create effective adverts.

The most important thing is to not isolate your marketing: Offline can work with online, e-mail can work with web; mix it up. The entry level from a cost point-of-view is so low you can afford to experiment.

Flexibility

Your website, and your attitude towards it, needs to be flexible.

A good website needs to be updated regularly to attract attention so it needs to be easy for you to manage.

However, if your website is built with a restricted number of pages and the linking is shoddy, it will be much harder for you to go back to your website and amend it.

Also, adding new sales messages across a well built website becomes easy. Your website can grow with you.

You need to take this flexible approach to your flexible website because things do change – very quickly.

Return on Investment

Running a website, even for a small business, can be a full-time job. Does your website merit that?

Does it drive enough business to pay for the investment as a marketing tool? It’s actually a hard one to quantify but why spend more than you make, unless you have a longer-term plan?

You could get more benefit from a £100 a year Blog, than a £10k web site. The Internet is becoming more about quality over quantity.

Also, why put all your eggs in one basket? Experiment. What is your competition doing and why can’t you do the opposite? It’s a case of smarter spending of less money. But, if it works in a positive way, don’t scrimp, run with it and invest; but be prepared to be flexible and switch if you need to.