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We were recently approached by one of our agency clients to convert their client’s existing Umbraco site to be 4-way multilingual (English, Simplified Chinese, Spanish and Portuguese).  We’ve got plenty of experience of multilingual using Umbraco, so we worked with them to understand their requirements, and then chose the best approach from the many different options available to them.  In conjunction with their translation agency, we ensured a smooth transition from initial idea to finished site. The Problem  The key factors in this implementation of multilingual Umbraco were that the client was starting with 4 languages but this may be…

On Wednesday 21 May we’re running a workshop in conjunction with the great guys at Zurb, the makers of Foundation. This all day workshop will be a practical opportunity for you to learn more about Responsive Web Development using the Foundation framework. In the morning the guys and girls from Zurb, the makers of Foundation will be running a session introducing Foundation, how it works and how it can be used. This will be followed by a short session from Orcare talking about how wev'e used Foundation over the last year, how it affects our workflow and some of the…

Recently one of our existing customers in the Education sector asked us to investigate options to to improve the integration of their customer systems.  Currently we manage the web applications that Tutors and Learners use to access learning resources, which we developed using Umbraco. Tutors also have access to an online customer portal developed by a different agency which enables them to register courses and learners.  While this is also a .NET based system it currently has little integration with the Umbraco site.  For example, users have two separate log-ins and passwords, and when logged into one application they…

Following last week’s look at what makes a good landing page, the next step is some hints and tips for building a killer page of your own. How do I build a landing page? Having established that a landing page is the right move to boost your conversion rate, we now need to consider what should be on that page – because get that wrong and you have wasted all of your work so far. Simplicity is key here. Bearing in mind that we have already stressed the need to guide the potential lead through the action you want them…

Have you got a website, but still have a nagging feeling you should be doing more to reel in people who search for or stumble across you online? The information below should help you wonder no longer, as Orcare’s friendly team explain just how you can make your website as appealing as possible and increase the number of leads and customers you get through it. I’ve got a website – isn’t that enough? A good website is crucial for any business, whatever product or service you offer, but having a striking site is not the be-all and end-all of web…

Swiss Style, also known as International Style, upholds the less is more maxim. Most Swiss Style craft work and artists are devoted to the minimal elements of style such as typography and content layout rather than textures and illustrations. The impact of these styles on the web is that they are naturally very user-friendly interfaces, as any message is conveyed clearly, with minimal artistic clutter around it. Key features of this style include uniform design and strong geometric shapes, as well as deliberate use of whitespace and grid systems. If you think your site could benefit from some Swiss…

Good copy sells products, draws clients in and acts as your window on the internet world, so learning to write effectively is time well spent. But it’s not some mystical art unveiled only to a chosen few - anyone can do it if they take on board some basic simple rules and processes. Basic Rules of Copywriting Research - both in terms of knowing your own product or service plus how the competition sell themselves - is a step you can’t skip if you want to write effective copy. Once you know why people buy the product or service,…

Whether you write in the first, second or third person affects the reader’s perception of your subject matter - and few things are more confusing than switching around in the same paragraph. But many people are confused about when to use 1st person (I/we), the 2nd person (you) or the 3rd person (he/she/it/they) in their writing, so here are some tips to bear in mind. First person is best used to indicate personal experience or opinion, while second works best to instruct or address the reader. Third person generalises an experience or situation, and is the one most commonly…

Content is king on the web, and being able to explain a product or idea more easily or clearer than other sites is one of the keys to commercial success. Many web pages have been written, but few make a compelling read; one that lures you in from the first sentence and keeps you hooked, possibly even for the duration of the whole article. While we can’t promise every reader who finds you will stay, or even make a purchase, there are certainly a few key things that you can do to make your web copy as interesting and…

SEO matters hugely to websites and you very much get out what you put in. But something is always better than nothing, and there are three quick and easy steps you can take to make sure you’re at least meeting SEO minimum requirements. SEO Fundamentals  Using Google webmaster tools, make sure your site is actually being indexed - without this, no-one will be able to find you. Check how many pages are indexed versus how many pages your site has - if there’s a big difference, click the advanced button to find out why so you can address it.…