© Copyright Above Digital 2024

a picture of reading with text, 'who needs London? why Reading is a creative hotspot'

Historically, London has been the epicentre for creativity in the country. So why did we choose to move our digital agency down the road to Reading? 

Where you base yourself as an agency has a huge bearing on the kind of work you do and the clients you connect with. When thinking about the most exciting places to have a digital agency, naturally you’d likely think of the major cities first, so why did we choose Reading?

We chose to locate our web agency in Reading, having moved from London in 2018 and have found it to be a vibrant centre of innovation, full of creative energy. As a digital agency delivering web design and branding in Reading, we really couldn’t be in a better place!

London is undoubtedly a global superpower when it comes to creativity, there is no getting away from that. However, the idea that it is the only place to set up a serious creative agency in order to attract the finest clients is more of a myth than a reality these days.

With remote working now being the norm, and people less willing to spend hours commuting for work the idea that being physically based, 5 days a week in the heart of the city is outdated. Clients care less about seeing your fancy offices and are more concerned about the work you can do for them. No longer do you need to fork out thousands of pounds every month on a studio to be deemed credible.

This shift in expectations means that where you chose to work or set up shop can be more flexible. You can choose where to work. This fresh way of looking at things had us reassessing where we could be based.

 

So why Reading?

Over the last couple of decades, Reading has become central to the thriving M4 corridor, with it the area being known as the ‘Silicon Valley’ of the UK. Businesses including Adobe, Amazon, Dell, Cisco, Microsoft, Nvidia, Oracle and O2 to name but a few all have major centres here. That’s not to mention the hundreds of tech startups dotted around Green Park and the town centre.

Reading’s centre is littered with shiny new offices, trendy shared working spaces, restaurants and coffee shops. The town has been remodelled to reflect its new ‘tech hub’ status, almost as if it’s being custom-built for entrepreneurs.

Reading has seen huge amounts of investment pour in over the last decade. The station has been completely rebuilt after a nearly £900mil investment, and the dated old, post-war, concrete town centre buildings have gone, soon to be replaced with a £700mil state of the art development.

 

Tech hub status and the future…

According to Growth Business at last count, “The town boasts 11,656 tech companies, covering AI and data, e-commerce, cyber, digital, gaming, Internet of Things (IoT), medtech and fintech” For a town with a population of 350,000 that’s not too bad!

With that in mind we chose to move to the area and establish ourselves as a web design company right in the heart of Reading. We saw the opportunity and saw the growth, and wanted to be part of something special.

Whether you’re a web agency, fintech startup, or artisan coffee roasters, it’s a desirable area. More recently there feels as though there is a tangible ‘startup energy’ in the air. The multiple shared office spaces are filling back up after lockdown, and our web design agency housed in Spaces, shares the building with dozens of startups of all shapes and sizes.

I’ve personally been closely connected to Reading since I was young, having lived not too far away, and have witnessed the town go through a period of dramatic, positive change over the last couple of decades. The evolution of the town has built more and more momentum and shows little sign of stopping. To be positioned in the heart of it all, amongst all the diverse startups, is a great place to be as a creative agency.

In 2019 the Digital Technology Census found that Reading has the third-largest amount of tech businesses and organisations, being beaten only by London and Manchester.

With an ever-growing meet-up culture, increased collaboration between local tech firms and the University of Reading, an exciting new LEP-funded state of the art digital skills hub (the Curious Lounge) on the horizon for central Reading, together with support from the Berkshire Business Growth Hub, dedicated ScaleUp Berkshire Programme and Thames Valley Funding Escalator, the pipeline of tech talent looks set to remain as strong as ever.”

 

It’s not all about work!

We value our work-life balance and from a quality of life perspective, Reading is also great. It’s regularly at the top of the tables for the best places to live in the UK, leading the way when it comes to factors like income, work-life balance, health, jobs and environment.

The town is full of shops, and restaurants and as mentioned already, the whole place is going through a massive renovation project, meaning it’s fast becoming a go-to destination for shoppers and foodies alike. On top of that, we’re in a geographical sweet spot. On one hand, we’re connected to London, being a mere 25 minutes to Paddington, and 25 minute the other way to Oxford. On the flip side is we are right next to some seriously stunning countryside. Walk over the Thames and a short wander north through Caversham pops you out at the bottom of the Chilterns, an area of outstanding natural beauty (and a superb area for mountain biking).

So as you can tell, we’re pretty happy with our decision to move here and it has had a hugely positive impact on the work we’ve been doing. It seems every week we hear of a new startup setting up shop, or network group starting up, or a restaurant opening (there are some seriously good eating locations here!).

As creatives based in Reading, we are positioned right at the heart of it all. After all, where better to be as a web designer than right in the heart of Silicon Valley?

 

Some quick facts about Reading (and why Above Digital is located here)

Reading is the largest town, without city status in the UK

Reading has been ranked 13th in a major international ranking of non-capital cities around the world. San Francisco, Montreal and Houston fill the three top spots of the FDI Tier 2 Cities of the Future ranking, published on 18 August 2020.

Reading has 8 times the UK average concentration of tech businesses according to to Tech Nation (2018)

Reading employs 44,405 people in the creative industries, the 4th highest in the UK. It also boasts 5248 creative businesses, the 5th highest in the UK, according to Nesta.  

Reading is a food hot spot with every imaginable cuisine available, and regular street food markets. Berkshire is home to no less than 7 Michelin Star restaurants!

Reading prison is famous for having housed Oscar Wilde, has recently been an art gallery and now boasts its very own Banksy on its outer walls.

Reading celebrities include Ricky Gervais, Kate Winslett, Kate Middelton, Jane Austin and superstar film director, Sam Mendes.

 

lime peel, behind the text, 'fresh web dev talent required' in advertisment of a new full-stack web developer role

Description

Above Digital is looking for a skilled and passionate Full Stack Web Developer, with at least 5 years commercial development experience within a web agency to join the team. We are a creative digital design agency based in central Reading that specialise in bespoke website design and build, branding, and digital marketing projects. Our focus is on delivering excellent digital design and online user experiences. We are a small but passionate team of designers and developers working with brands and new business startups. Our clients range from Eco products, Fintech through to some of the UK’s biggest independent London Media Agencies.

We are based in the heart of Reading in Spaces which is a vibrant and creative place to work, surrounded by other digital agencies. We are right by the main Reading railway station, so only 24 mins from London Paddington. Working from home is also fine as we are typically only in the office 2-3 days per week (max). We are offering competitive rates, a positive place to work, learn and grow your skills on exciting new projects. 

You would work as a core part of an experienced team, on bespoke website builds and online application development, across a range of new business start-ups and existing clients. Starting in the next 4 weeks (if possible). We will consider a remote (work from home) position for the right person, but you will need to be able to attend the office on occasion.

Important Skills required:

WordPress. Creating and Maintaining bespoke website builds
HTML, CSS, JavaScript and jQuery
Experience creating front end animations using CSS and JavaScript libraries such as PixiJS, GSAP and ScrollMagic
Responsive Design and Build
Basic understanding of PHP
Experience using Google’s Lighthouse auditing tools to optimise website performance and follow best working practices

Will need to either build or maintain websites using:

Experience with ASP.NET, C#
SQL
Experience with REST APIs
Vue.js

Experience required:

5+ years in a web design agency
Problem-solving and debugging skills
Regular contact with clients and providing support
Good communication skills
Will work closely with Designers to discuss build requirements and UI, UX 

Typical roles/tasks:

Website development – front and backend build
Server setup and management
Responsive web design
Technical Scoping and Specification
Ecommerce setup and payments integration
3rd Party systems integration
Setup of SSL Certificates\
CMS build and content population

Interested?:

Please send your CV for immediate consideration to [email protected]

laptop displaying new Love Sugar Science website

Another delicious new website designed and built by Above Digital!

 

We’re excited to announce our latest website is live. Love Sugar Science are an exciting Manchester based Media Agency working on media campaigns for clients including Love Island and Channel 4’s The Circle.

Their new responsive website has a clean and colourful design, with lovely animated roll-overs and transitions throughout. The site is bespoke built using WordPress, and is fully optimised for fast page loads and includes a custom-built CMS that allows the Love Sugar Science team to make content updates the site at a moments notice.

Read a little more about the project and it’s process or check out the website here. Have a similar project of your own? Get in touch to see how we can help.

laptop displaying new kingdom coffee website

We may not be connoisseurs, but we do love our coffee, so we were thrilled to be involved in redesigning Kingdom Coffee’s Magento 2 eCommerce website.

 

As a fellow Reading-based business, Kingdom Coffee are the sector’s leaders with Fairtrade certifications and ethical credentials that are second-to-none. Kingdom Coffee came to Above Digital looking to improve their online shopper experience, as well as the brand messaging that surrounded their fairtrade and ethical values. A major part of the project included the backend product database migration from their old site, built in Magento 1, to Magento 2 so they could benefit from all the latest updates, improvements and new features.

Working alongside their systems team Aptania, Above Digital helped scope out, designed and built a new Magento 2 responsive front-end that now provides Kingdom Coffee with a much-improved eCommerce website that will attract more customers, help convert more sales, and help their business grow.

Read a little more about the project and it’s process or check out the website here. Have a similar project of your own? Get in touch to see how we can help.

lime peel, behind the text, 'fresh digital talent required' in advertisment of a new designer role

About Above Digital:

We are a creative digital design agency based in central Reading. Our focus is on delivering excellent design and user experiences. We specialise in website design, branding and ongoing digital marketing. We are a small but passionate team of designers and developers working with brands and new business startups that range from smaller Fintech start-ups through to bigger London Media Agencies, so we’re looking for someone who has a broad range of design experience. We are based in the heart of Reading in Spaces which is a vibrant and creative place to work surrounded by other design agencies. We are also right by the main Reading station, so only 24 mins from London Paddington.

You will need:

– A minimum of 3 to 5 years digital design experience (preferably website design and working within a digital design agency)
– A strong portfolio of your work that demonstrates multiple examples of your creative thinking, design ability and exceptional attention to detail
– Experience with Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and XD
– A strong understanding of responsive website design
– A passion for typography, composition and branding
– Experience using CMS platforms including WordPress (Umbraco would be helpful)
– A can-do attitude and great communication skills. We want someone that gives us energy
– A desire to stay up to date with digital design and current marketing trends!

A bonus if you have:

– An understanding of user-centred design (UX/UI)
– Experience in creating Wireframes, Prototypes and Visual Mockups
– An understanding of marketing and ecommerce websites including within social media
– Experience with email marketing platforms (such as Mailchimp)
– Experience with XD, Premiere Pro and After Effects

What we offer:

– Competitive salary (dependant on experience)
– 25 days holiday per annum
– Rewarding work and the scope to grow creatively and professionally

Start Date:

– September 2019

We’ll need from you:

– Your CV and examples of previous design work.
– Any work submitted must clearly demonstrate your creative/design abilities.

Note: Example work needs to include website design, branding, interface design, and marketing materials (supply as a PDF or link to online portfolio)

graphic of man with a computer for a head using a hola hoop

So, your shiny new business website is finally ready, you’ve launched it to the world and it’s looking great! Your staff and customers love it but there’s a slight problem, you now need to attract new website visitors and lots of them!

Whether you’re a startup or growing business, a common choice at this point is to focus purely on online advertising or paid social campaigns to drive traffic. This can deliver great results very quickly, however, it can also be a very expensive exercise. Luckily there are other options to help grow your business website traffic other than just buying it.

As an experienced web design agency based in Reading and London, we have built many, many websites for startups and businesses over the last 20 years and one of the most common questions we get is “how do we improve our Google ranking and attract more organic visitors?” It’s a great question but not one that’s answered easily. There are many factors to consider and strategies we could suggest but the things we would recommend that you try first is keyword research, ongoing optimisation and basic content marketing.

70-80% of search engine users are only focusing on the organic results.

(Source: Martech)

 

Keyword research

The main thing to focus on for any business website is that when people search online, you want them to find you. I know it sounds obvious but there can be huge differences in the number of searches people make for different keywords and phrases, even though they might appear to be similar. For example, we are a digital agency based in Reading and London with expertise in web design and digital marketing. When you search for ‘digital agency reading’ on Google, we appear on page one because of the relevance and authority of our content along with various other SEO factors.

Some digital agencies in our position would be happy to appear on the first page of Google for a target keyword, however, through keyword research and looking at search volumes, we are able to see that ‘web design reading’ actually receives almost five times more search queries on Google than ‘digital agency reading’. This is only one example and the simple point here is that keyword research will provide you with the visibility and insight to focus your website content and SEO strategy on the keywords and phrases that are delivering the highest search volumes rather than just guessing at what sounds most relevant.

Organic SEO is about 5.66 times better than paid search ads.

(source: NewMediaCampaigns)

 

When you are researching your target keywords, try not to be too ambitious to start with. If you are looking at ways to grow your business online and have little or no ranking authority on search engines, then you might want to start by trying to rank for long tail keywords first. For example, ranking for the term ‘web design reading’ will be easier to rank for than ‘web design London’. The search term ‘web design’ will be harder still. Over time, with the right content strategy, you can create more and more content around a key topic and work towards ranking for the shorter, more difficult keywords.

There are various tools that you can use to carry out keyword research and one of the most popular is Google’s Keyword Planner. Although its primary function is to analyse keywords for Adwords, it’s an effective tool to help you plan your organic keyword research, and it’s free.

 

Create compelling content

Once you have your list of target keywords and phrases and you have crafted your web design and content for SEO, you can start to monitor your website traffic, user journeys and search effectiveness. Google Analytics is a favourite for many Startups and growing businesses because not only is it free, it’s actually very good. It becomes even more effective if you link it to Google Search Console because this will allow you to see what people search for when they find you. This includes how many impressions you are receiving from search queries, what your conversion rates are and your Google ranking for each keyword search query. Together this can provide huge amounts of insight into how effective your business website and content is on Google. As you adapt, optimise and create more content, you can monitor the results.

It’s all very well talking about the technical basics and tools to help you start to master SEO but the most important point to remember is that your content needs to be great. It sounds obvious, but if you create content that your audience finds useful and interesting then there is a greater chance it will be read, enjoyed, shared and potentially linked to. Links to your content from external websites (or backlinks) are valuable for SEO and should be built into your SEO and content marketing strategy.

B2B marketers that use blogs get 67% more leads than those that do not.

(Source: Hubspot)

Backlinks are where other websites reference, or link to your content and many believe that it’s a key factor when search engines are determining the authority and rank position of your content. The more relevant your content and the more authority it has, the better it should rank on Google and other search engines. Our view is that Google is always trying to surface the best, most relevant content, so if your users find your content relevant and useful, there is a better chance that Google will as well. Another big benefit of creating great content is that it will help to build your reputation within your industry and position you as a thought leader.

 

woman working on her laptop

If you decide to adopt this approach to grow your business website, you’ll probably begin with good intentions and start producing regular blogs and content. However, you will undoubtedly be busy with lots of day-to-day activities or other issues that can distract you from writing blogs and developing content but you need to persevere. It will take time to start ranking on search engines but every piece of content you create should be considered as an investment and as you start to link your business content together and build your authority through backlinks, you should start to rank. If you are looking for inspiration, this article reinforces why content marketing and business blogs are good for business and even helps you write the perfect business blog.

Websites with a blog tend to have 434% more indexed pages.

(Source: TechClient)

It’s important to develop a content plan so that you never run dry of ideas for blogs or content and it’s even more important to then stick to it. Creating great blogs or original business content can be time to consume, so some businesses prefer to outsource the planning, development and writing of content. This ensures a constant and steady supply of quality content that will keep improving your search rankings and attract more visitors to your website.

If you adopt these basic principles and start to attract more visitors to your website, the next stage will be to convert the visitors into leads and sales. This is a huge topic in itself and when we get a moment, we plan to write another blog, but in the meantime, you can read this interesting article about B2B lead generation.

If you find yourself anywhere near Reading or London and would like to talk more about web design, content marketing or lead generation, please get in touch.

google secure search with clock icon

Do you know your HTTP from your HTTPS? With data protection and cybersecurity firmly in the spotlight, a big change to Google Chrome means there’s now another step you need to take to ensure people continue to use your website with confidence.

 

What’s changing?

We’re used to website addresses starting with HTTP. It has been a global standard since the internet began and, unless you’re really passionate about all things web-related (we are!), you probably don’t really know – or care – what it means (“Hyper Text Transfer Protocol” if you’re interested i.e. how information is shared around the web).

When we’re looking for extra reassurance that a website is going to look after our data, most of us know that a padlock in front of a website address is a good thing: it means the website is genuine and will encrypt our data, keeping our information secure and encrypted. We can shop or share details with peace of mind.

Now – bear with us while we get technical for a moment – that little padlock indicates that a website has an SSL Certificate and the website address will start with HTTPS. Until now, the extra layer of encryption this provides hasn’t been relevant for many websites but thanks to our friends at Google, that’s about to change.

 


“But my website doesn’t capture data”.

You’re still going to need a SSL Certificate. Here’s why.

In a bid to help users stay safe on the web, Google has introduced a major new feature in its latest Chrome 68 update. From July 2018, Chrome will mark any HTTP website as “Not Secure.” Visitors to your website will see a prominent warning that any information shared with your site is at risk and you are not to be trusted. And if Google doesn’t trust you, why should they?

Does this matter?

Oh yes. Consider the experience of your website users. If Chrome is advising you that your data is at risk if you visit a website, you’re going to head to a competitor site pretty swiftly.

Your website visitors need to trust you to engage with what you’re offering. This perceived lack of care for their security has the potential to lose you sales, damage your brand and risk your reputation. Your competitors are mere clicks away: don’t make it easier for them to steal your traffic.

 

You need to take action now!

A lot of websites are going to see a huge decline in visitors: make sure yours isn’t one of them. Check whether your site has an SSL Certificate and take steps to ensure you don’t jeopardise trust in your business. Where Google goes other browsers will certainly follow and there could be an impact on how Google ranks your website.

 

What’s the process for switching to HTTPS?

If you are familiar with the backend of a website, then switching to HTTPS is fairly straightforward in practice. The basic steps are as follows.

  1. Purchase an SSL certificate and a dedicated IP address from your hosting company.
  2. Install and configure the SSL certificate.
  3. Perform a full back-up of your site in case you need to revert back.
  4. Configure any hard internal links within your website, from HTTP to HTTPS.
  5. Update any code libraries, such as JavaScript, Ajax and any third-party plugins.
  6. Redirect any external links you control to HTTPS, such as directory listings.
  7. Update htaccess applications, such as Apache Web Server, LiteSpeed, NGinx Config and your internet services manager function (such as Windows Web Server), to redirect HTTP traffic to HTTPS.
  8. If you are using a content delivery network (CDN), update your CDN’s SSL settings.
  9. Implement 301 redirects on a page-by-page basis.
  10. Update any links you use in marketing automation tools, such as email links.
  11. Update any landing pages and paid search links.
  12. Set up an HTTPS site in Google Search Console and Google Analytics.

In terms of the setup of the SSL certificate — points one and two above — this is fairly straightforward, and your hosting company will be able to assist you.

Also bear in mind that for a small website this will be fairly straightforward, as some of the above points won’t apply in scenarios such as code libraries and CDNs. However, for a larger site, this is hardly a non-trivial event and should be managed by an experienced webmaster. That’s where we come in!

 

Let us help you…

Above Digital can help you understand what your current security protocols are and make sure you have the right certificates in place.

We’re passionate about helping our clients interact with the people that matter to them online: contact us to find out how we can increase the impact of your brand.

a heart and banner showing thanks for above digital's 1k instagram followers

Thanks!

Huge thank you to everyone in Instagram who’s followed and supported Above Digital with follows, likes, comments and design discussion! From designers to small brands, business and startups, we appreciate every one of you – wherever in the world you might be.

 


About Above Digital

We are a small but passionate team based in West London, focused on delivering great design and user experience. We specialise in websites, branding and ongoing digital marketing for brands and new business startups. Our studio is shared with several other design agencies so the environment is vibrant, fun and creative. We are located in in Shepherd Bush so just 15 minutes tube from Oxford Circus (Central line).

What we are looking for

We are looking for a talented and enthusiastic web designer with minimum 4-6 years digital design experience to join our team. We want someone who loves design as much as we do, and who can consistently produce high quality work that stands out. Our client base is varied so we’re looking for someone with a broad range of design experience including; website design, branding and logo design, video/animation and online marketing. You will be entrusted with maintaining relationships with clients who love us.

You will need…

A bonus if you have

What we offer

Start Date

How to apply?

a group of people sat outside residential property west London

In designing and building the latest website for West London property agents Coopers Residential, Above Digital has been reminiscing over Coopers’ history from its startup days in 1986 to receiving two gold Sunday Times Lettings Agency of the Year awards in 2016. It’s a success story that Above has been proud to be a part of. It started three years ago with Above Digital providing Coopers Residential with the branding, design and build of two regional websites. Three years later and a third website, encompassing all 8 Coopers offices, is now live!

Above Digital worked closely with Coopers to ensure their online presence reflected the vibrancy and energy of every office located around West London. Above Digital rebuilt several tools – previously pulled from third party programs – with up to date branding and lighter weight code, such as the Stamp Duty Calculator and property search engine which integrates with central business databases across all 8 Coopers offices. Continuing to aid in unifying the Coopers offices, Above Digital evolved the brand identity, issuing new brand guidelines across the business for a consistent look and feel across all West London locations.

These comprehensive brand guidelines, streamlined page count and SEO optimised page content allowed Above Digital to build a website that not only stands up next to competitors, it takes the gold medal that Coopers as an agency have grown accustomed to.

To find out more about be Coopers Residential website design and build, check out our full case study.