New Website for Retro VW Camper Holidays in France

Many years ago, we provided SEO advice on a new website for SunHatFrance, run by Jeff and Liz, who rented out a small number of mobile holiday homes in Provence, France. Some of the mobile homes have now been replaced by fully restored and refurbished retro VW camper vans, available to hire for holidays travelling around Provence from 2015.

A new website for the new venture is now live! New photographs of the two remaining mobile homes, 'Style' and 'Traditional' have been included as well as initial images of the first VW campervan to be completed, 'Cassie'. Over the next few weeks, more photos of Cassie will be taken and uploaded and, as the other campervan 'Joe' is completed, a selection of photos will be snapped and uploaded!

The holiday website is ready to view now, with image galleries showing the accommodation, booking availability calendars for both mobile homes and campervans, testimonials from 'happy campers' (families and couples), contact information and forms plus a section Places to Explore, which will be added to regularly.

So far Places to Explore include:

• Aix-en-Provence
• Verdon Gorge
• St. Tropez
• Local Villages of Provence
• Vineyards of Provence
• Monaco / Monte Carlo
• Beaches of the Côte d’Azur

Hopefully, these hints and insights will help you to plan your holiday.

The website has been built using the WordPress Content Management System, which means that website owners, with a modicum of training and support, will be able to edit content and update information, such as Places to Explore around Provence and the Côte d'Azur in the South of France. We've also added a translation option for a number of languages.

We can also provide SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) and/or include an SEO tool to assist with Google ranking. We can include Google Analytics so that you can see how many people visit your site (and much more!) and we'll set up and link your social media.

Contact The BPc for further information.
Visit our client's website www.SunHatFrance.com.

New Website for Hertfordshire Cleaning Company

Millers Property Services is more than just a cleaning company. They aim to provide a complete service for property letting agencies, property developers and similar companies that require thorough cleans between tenants or after building work.

Based in Welwyn Garden City, Herts., Millers' founder has worked hard to build a strong business, with high standards demanded of all staff. It's paying off, with some household names on their regular client list!

The BPc designed the first website www.hertfordshirecleaning.co.uk in 2006 and recently completed the new website www.millerspropertyservices.com, which Millers are able to update themselves. The new site was designed and built using the WordPress-based content management system, which enables website owners to keep their content current without having to pay coding experts for every small update.

Take a look at their website and contact Millers to enquire about property cleaning services or to ask them if they are pleased the website services from The BPc...

Product Showcase Movie: Party Supplies (Halloween)

Novelties Direct has 1000s of Party Supplies stored in their warehouse, available from their online shop. They decided to 'show them off' in a short advertising video for Halloween.



Creating a short advertising movie is not as expensive as you might expect (although big ideas can cost big money!). The finished video can be uploaded to YouTube/Vimeo, embedded in your website/blog and displayed in Social Media with links to your website.

Depending on your business, movies can be informative, a demonstration of how your product works or just add a bit of fun. SEO tip: add YouTube to your Social Media timetable!

The BPc specialises in CMS* websites, SEO and social media for small-medium businesses. Contact us if you would like to discuss your requirements... why not use FB or Twitter to get in touch?

Twitter.com/BPcUK
Facebook.com/TheBPcUK

*Content Management System - websites that clients can update themselves, created with WordPress themes.

Technology Help for RSI and Disabled Users

Adapt-IT is an established business that provides technology products and training to people who need help using hardware or software. The owner has a thorough knowledge of assistive technology products and offers consultancy and advice for people with disabilities, whether they are permanent or temporary, including repeptitive strain injury (RSI).

There is a full range of computer aids for children, too.

ABC or QWERTY keyboard options

Adapt-IT's products and services:

• Ergonomic assessments for individuals, corporates, care homes, etc.
• Assessments and advice on computer hardware and software for special needs or disabled users
• Supply of special needs and ergonomic computer equipment, accessories and furniture
• Specialist software Installation services 
• Product training on supplied hardware and software 
• Expert Witness service

Start with their on-site blog for some free useful information.

Vehicle Wrapping Service

There's a lot of fun to be had with the new Vehicle Wrapping service from our client, Signcraft.

Just to clarify, this is not a gift-wrapping service for the lucky recipient of an extravagant birthday present but a new and powerful alternative to traditional vehicle graphics applications. It enables complex designs to be created for printing and application onto commercial vehicles and customised cars.

Another alternative for your Bugatti Veyron.

Small UK Company First To Develop Innovative Door Technology - Again.

Our client, SunSeeker Doors, has been manufacturing bi folding doors from its factory unit just off the M1, 30 miles North of London, for more than ten years. The company designed a slimline bi-folding door-frame in aluminium and they powder-coat the frames at their premises, offering a selection from hundreds of colour options.

In the past five years, they have added other door styles to their product range, notably single-glazed Frameless Glass Doors with tempered glass, suitable as internal room dividers or external doors on out-buildings (e.g. swimming pool); this was followed by Frameless double-glazed and Ultra-Slim patio doors, all of which are opened using a slide and pivot action, all of which are fully retractable.

Door designers had all but given up on reducing the frame-widths on bi folding doors. They said it couldn't be done. Until SunSeeker Doors announced their 2cm SuperSlim Bifold, this week.

When two doors are together, the combined frame-width where they meet is known as a sight-line. Sightlines on other bi-folding doors are usually 160mm or more. On SunSeeker SuperSlim bi-folds (and on their UltraSlim slide-and-turn and their double-glazed Frameless Glass doors) the sightlines are 38mm - only 25% of traditional frame-widths.

You see less door and more view with SunSeeker Doors.

Community Blogging

Congratulations to The Welwyn Festival Group on another successful week of events. This was the 40th consecutive festival in its current format and the 13th year that The BPc has produced the full programme, as a community project (free) since we used to be based in Welwyn.

We also help to maintain their blog www.welwynfestival.blogspot.com. It is difficult for some voluntary committees to update their own websites or blogs as committee membership is often transient and the skills and available time required are inconsistent, typically when the focus group is linked to children of a certain age group, such as primary school, guides and scouts; as children move on, so do their parents.

Increasingly, though, people are able to manage blogs and social media. We are happy to help them acquire the appropriate skills and support them, as we have done with a number of organisations. However, our time is also limited as we have to fit in such projects around paid work, primarily: website design, website optimisation, blogging, social media management and pay-per-click ads management. Maybe, if we stopped getting involved in the fun stuff, we'd get round to our own website!

Re-rendering of old Logo for Client

Clicking on the logos to see their larger versions will emphasise the difference between the old gif and the re-rendered, editable, scaleable version we have just created.

The client, SunHat France, wanted to keep the established logo but needed it to look smarter. The BPc is happy to improve (or redesign) your logo at a very reasonable cost.

Just add your enquiry as a comment and we'll get back to you!

p.s. we've since removed the ugly blue lozenge and added some more rays to the sun because we were asked to re-design the whole website! You can see the splendid re-designed logo on the new SunHatFrance website - and book a touring holiday of Provence while you're there!

First Novel from Local Author

It is said that we all have a book within us - the real difficulty is getting it out! Plotting a story, committing hours to writing it, having it proofread, considering any feedback, finalising the manuscript and then publishing your work can take weeks or years.

As hard as it is to create a good book, traditional publishing methods can mean than most potential writers' books will never be printed. For would-be authors who have a very limited budget, self-publishing via e-books provides opportunities that many would otherwise never have.

The growing number of readers who have already discovered kindle and similar devices understand the advantages of keeping 1000s of books on a device the size of an extremely thin novel. A double-edged sword for book readers is that, although there is a wide choice of books costing very little money, there is virtually no quality control over novels that are published. For this reason, it is important that everyone who downloads and reads an e-book should take a few minutes to leave an honest review (note that a review may include an opinion but should not be comprised wholly of an opinion - well, that's my view!)

Approached by local first-time author Colin Lord, a self-confessed "non-techie", to design a cover then prepare and upload his novel to Amazon's e-book section, we are pleased to report that the task was not too overwhelming and "When the Odds are Evens" is available to download for (currently) £2.99 including vat.

Colin is writing a sequel to the book and working on a script for an unrelated radio play.

A Beautiful Site for the Bereaved

We have been helping a client ready the Cremation Urns Company  website for its recent launch. It features some beautiful memorial keepsakes and ashes urns.

In addition, the News/Blog menu on the website links to posts sharing other people's stories plus a Poems section that may be helpful when planning a service.

www.cremationurnscompany.com

Catering: Royal Tea with Royalty

Our client, Hanson Catering of Watford, recently catered for an unveiling of a plaque, with guest of honour Princess Eugenie, daughter of the Duke of York and grand-daughter of Queen Elizabeth II. The event was to commemmorate the opening of the Children's High Dependency Unit at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in Stanmore.

Hanson's cater for businesses, weddings and events within the London, Hertfordshire and the north-western home counties. They have an impressive client list and a delicious selection of suggested hot and cold menus; they also specialise in hog roasts and barbecues.

A hard-working, friendly and professional team... if you're looking for a caterer, call them!

Psst! take a look at their client feedback.

Caffè Nero Opens its UltraSlim Doors in Lymington

Grade 2 listed, Georgian façade

Caffè Nero has become well established in Lymington over the past eight years. The popular high street café has a large window frontage but the rear of the building was a little gloomy on a nice day. It was often crowded, too, as a number of 'regulars' used to vie for seats.

Planning permission was sought to build an extension that would extend the ground floor area and open up to a new south-facing patio area, by installing a bank of glass doors across the back of the building. This would this provide more light and easy access to additional outside seating.

SunSeeker UltraSlim, fully retractable slide-and-turn patio doors, were chosen by the owners of the Grade 2 listed building and "provided a cost effective, attractive solution". Building work was recently completed and a selection of photographs taken.

UltraSlim sliding doors pictured wide open

Natural light streaming in through the UltraSlim patio doors

Taken from the front of the café, showing brightness at the back

Thanks to Toadhole Investments Ltd., owners of the building, for supplying photographs and additional information.

The Year Of The Horse

The Chinese Year of the Snake began on 10th February 2013 and will be superseded by the Year of the Horse on 31st January 2014. Not only that but the Chinese calendar is heading towards the year 4712.

Hmm, not a 365-day year then. This is because the Chinese calendar is based on lunar cycles of 28 days, rather than the time it takes the Earth to orbit the sun.

People born in the Year of the Horse are "Very hardworking and independent. Will work on and on until a job is finished. Very intelligent, ambitious and expect to succeed. Can cope with several projects at once. Easily fall in love." You can work out your Chinese animal characteristics here.

In China, red is considered lucky and gold represents prosperity, colours that feature in Chinese New Year festivities, which last for fifteen days. Dragons are also considered lucky, friendly creatures, representing long life and wisdom.

Our client, Novelties Direct, can supply a range of items for Chinese New Year celebrations from lanterns, dragon decorations and flags to Mandarin/Coolie hats and Giant Panda cut-outs. Some items are ideal for primary schools wanting to engage children in a lesson about Chinese culture.

"Kung Hei Fat Choy!" (Happy New Year)

Searching for Commercial Property to Rent in London W1

The Langham Estate - a prestigious address in London's West End, is home to a number of companies: UK head offices, restaurants, bars and retailers.


Commercial properties in the boundaries of The Langham Estate are available to rent via www.langhamestate.com