Holiday Park website design

• Cnx Web Solutions has provided two full website redesigns for holiday parks in the last few months and the success of these two projects has seen us joining the British Holiday & Home Parks Asociation (BH&HPA) as a national associate member.
• Both designs were very much client-led and so though they have a common purpose on the face of it, the two websites appear quite different. Appearances are a bit deceptive however as these sites in fact share the same design philosophy.
• Mother Iveys Bay is an exclusive and tranquil holiday park near Padstow on Cornwall's north coast. The site offers a selection of self catering Rose Award caravans as well as touring pitches for caravans, tents and motorhomes.
• The first task in designing the website was to ensure that the navigation made it very easy to access the relavant information. For this reason the hire caravans and touring sections are organised separately, with a navigation button for each section. Within the caravans & camping/touring sections sub level navigation makes it easy to obtain all the relevant information needed for booking.
• Clarity of navigation sounds like a simple concept but it never ceases to amaze me how frequently I come across websites that are an absolute nightmare to navigate. Its like walking into an unfamiliar supermarket that has taken all the aisle signs down "for a laugh". With the Mother Iveys Bay site we prioritised the order of the navigation buttons, made them very easy to spot and utilised sub navigation within sections to keep the primary navigation uncluttered.

• A similar organisational task was required to design the website for Ayr Holiday Park. The difference here was that within the overall company/organisation there are two park sites plus a holiday home letting business. the previous website design failed to distinguish between these facets of the business which was costing the client bookings when we inherited it.

• We first split The sitemap into three sections, one for Ayr , one for Trevalgan and the holiday homes . Selecting one of these sections is easily accomplished from the home page but internal navigation throughout the entire website makes moving between sections asy at any time.
• The simple expedient of colour coding the sections helps the organisation and makes the site much clearer to use. within each section we employed the same nav principles as for Mother Iveys Bay - resulting in a functioning website that is easy to use, easy to navigate and makes booking straightforward.
• The goal of each website is to create a resource that meets the vision of the client, serves the needs of the site user and generates income through booking. Both clients were very pleased with their websites and their assistance in helping us to become HP&HPA a member is very much appreciated.

Blowing your own trumpet successfully!

• A successful website sells your company, its products, and celebrates the strengths of your company. Many of our clients include a section within their website for case studies/successful contracts. It might feel like shamelessly blowing one's own trumpet but actually such information has an important function
• It's no different, really, to us including a portfolio of our designs on our own website. If you are proud of something your company has achieved, you should not be shy about advertising the fact and your website is an ideal place to do it for a number of reasons.
• Firstly, it sells your business by establishing your successful track record, not with general sales slogans but through concrete examples. This method is far more convincing then fine words which we are increasingly skeptical of in any case. It allows potential clients to see examples of your work and which other companies have entrusted work to you.
• Secondly, it is a productive way to add regular new content to your website. A case study/portfolio page, in combination with a company news page, means that you can generate relevant content onto your website quite easily. It shows visitors that your company is self assured and proud of its achievements, moving forward constantly.
• Of course regular fresh content is also something the search engines reward, particularly if you flag up the articles using Digg, redit, stumble, twitter or similar Web 2.0 applications. There really is no downside to be honest!
• In the case of Naston, this self assured positive attitude has paid off in a huge way as they have recently become part of the SEMCAN group. SEMCAN look for precisely the qualities Naston have long proudly announced on their website; innovative products, specialist knowledge and expertise, a loyal and expanding client base and a healthy order book!
• For a good example of the case study approach, take a look at Naston's project reference list list, whilst our own company news page serves to show just how much content, along with useful links, can be generateed by celebrating the regular achievements of your company.

Case Study St Ives Hotel & Guesthouse Assoc.

• This website is an excellent example of a local business sector coming together to promote a common product. St Ives is a thriving holiday destination with a huge amount to offer holiday makers of all ages and interests. The website aims to provide comprehensive information on the town, its facilities and its unique selling points.
• With Cornwall as a county firmly established as a favourite holiday destination, St Ives has taken the pioneering step of targeting those visitors directly. The website home page is bright, colourful and exciting offering links immediately to sections of interest.
• The accommodation section follows good practice in that it allows selection by preferred type of accommodation ensuring that options are relevant. Links take the user directly to the website of each accommodation provider for full details of what is on offer and the chance to make a booking enquiry.
• Visitors need to eat, so the site has a section dedicated to association approved restaurants, again with links direct to the service suppliers to aid bookings and enquiries. The site provides a sense that the businesses in St Ives are working together to provide both complimentary services (restaurants with self catering accommodation and bed and breakfast guest houses) and a common standard of quality and service across the town.
• Finally, the site provides a great deal of locality-specific information on activities and recreation opportunities in and around the town. As a resource to holiday makers, this section is certainly useful and helpful. It serves both to inform and promote; highlighting the variety of provision which includes some of Cornwall’s most popular beaches and the Tate St Ives gallery.
• Locals have something to gain from the site too, since the restaurant information is equally relevant, but specifically the site addresses the other function which tourist destinations offer all year round; that of very special venues for weddings. Information is provided on all aspects of wedding planning. You can browse venues licensed to hold wedding ceremonies, source flowers and a photographer and even order your wedding cake.
• If St Ives is your wedding venue of choice, this site can take a great deal of the hassle out of planning the big day!
• To conclude, what has been created here is a functional, informative, vibrant website reflecting the energy and enthusiasm of the businesses that have made welcoming visitors to their town a way of life. It would not be greatly surprising if other popular holiday venues follow St Ives’ lead.

Case Study; Eflo

• Eflo International commissioned a new-look website from us which was launched this month. This UK based company is a truly international concern in the field of waste water management. A fresh, accessible website is, therefore, a key asset in terms of attracting potential customers and providing them with information on products and services.
• Our web design team gave the site an uncluttered look using blue as the main colour – an obvious choice. Information on the different products and business areas can be easily accessed through more than one link on the home page.
• Individual sections provide both general and technical information whilst each has a rich selection of photographs of the company’s products in action. The inclusion of pictures of water treatment products – not the most photogenic of things one would have thought– was important as it livens up what could be a drab, technical website by offering tangible examples of the processes and equipment in action. The imagry is also an important way of quickly establishing Eflo’s expertise in their field for any potential client.
• EFLO is a well-established company which has been in business since 1970. Its expertise has never been in greater demand with environmental considerations for waste water management a significant factor now in both industrial and domestic developments. An example of this would be recycling of grey water – domestic waste water excluding toilets. Eflo’s systems can treat and recycle grey water for re-use ensuring it is free from clouding, odour and contaminants.
• EFLO’s industrial waste water systems offer significant savings to companies by pre-treating waste water to reduce levels of contamination. Further processing can produce “boiler quality” water which can be re-used.

Case Study Coastline Surveys

• The Coastline Surveys website is a good example of a corporate "information" website that introduces the services and skills of this specialist marine survey company. The site provides easy to find opportunities for visitors to contact the company directly either by email, post or telephone. Sufficient information to serve as a good introduction to the services and capabilities of the company is available on the website with a view to eliciting conatact by interested parties.
• Layout, prsentation and general attractiveness is no less important for an engineering type corporation as any other though in this case we opted for a more pastel palette. Nonetheless images and the use of sea tones create a design that is smart and professional.
• The absence of flash elements is by choice of the client. This is a static page site though with dynamic potential for the client to add new content through the company news section when they choose. What the site also offers the client is the facility to create pdf downloads, something that allows to offer detailed technical specifications to those who are interested yet still keep pages of the site easy to read and navigate.
• We have provided general navigation beneath the main image/company logo whilst also providing clear "quick links" to sections within the more general sections at the foot of each page. This enablres users to move quickly to the key sections of the website without going through more general navigation. In this way the site serves those looking both for specific service information, such as marine surveys or charter of their workboats, or those wanting to understand the breadth of expertise the company has in more general terms.
• This website serves Coastline Surveys well as their "web presence" acting as a professional first point of call for online clients both existing and potential.

Newquay Hotels

• These two hotels share a website; www.newquay-hotels.co.uk. The stylish and modern appearance of the site reflects the standard of accommodation on offer with both hotels looking fresh from recent interior designed refurbishment.
• The Espanade caters for a variety of guests including young families. The breadth of appeal is reflected in the accommodation section which offers a variety of room styles to suite different needs and tastes. The website is very easy to navigate with information presented clearly. Images are integrated with a visually attractive style of page formatting which presents guests with a highly favourable impression of the accommodation and holiday experience on offer.|The site also provides information on using the Esplanade for functions, such as weddings and business conferences. You can contact the hotel through an enquiry form on the contacts page which also provides phone, fax and postal address details.
• The Esplanade is a 93 bedroom hotel situated at the southern end of Fistral Beach. The hotel boasts a spacious dining room, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a ballroom, cabaret bar and childrens’ play area.
• The Bay Hotel’s website details an impressive array of business conference, function, spa and gymnasium health facilities. Maintaining the same style of layout and user navigation, the Bay Hotel’s website is both informative and visually stunning; exuding class and style. Clearly catering for the active, health conscious holidaymaker, the website offers details of facilities and services on offer in a clear context. The site succeeds in selling the hotel as a quality venue for business conference events.
• The 97 bedroom Bay Hotel is situated at the very southern tip of Fistral Beach. Linked to this hotel is the Bay Bar and Fistral Spa.