KMD Consultants - website design, strategy & management

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Welcome

KMD Consultants Ltd is a website design and development company based in Brighton, UK.We offer:

• creative design
• extensive commercial experience
• expert contribution to the development process
• cost-effective solutions
• a friendly and straightforward approach

If you have a project you would like to discuss with us please call 0845 123 2699.

What we do:

• Website design & development
• E-commerce
• Usability testing & research
• Search Engine Optimisation
• Website management
• Business Presentations

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Services

Website Design & Development

We design and develop fast, efficient and attractive websites that communicate our clients' products and services clearly and effectively.

Our projects include:

• Designing and developing creative, logical, usable websites for a wide variety of clients
• Redesigning existing sites
• All-in-one packages for start-up businesses
• Developing microsites for existing sites
• Adding functionality, such as data collection or e-commerce to existing sites.

We are experienced in:

• developing database-driven sites using a variety of technologies
• providing custom-developed updating and content management systems

For clients who want to outsource day-to-day site management we can provide a complete maintenance service from writing regular copy to answering queries and processing online orders.

We also provide:

• domain name registration
• fast, reliable business web hosting
• secure server accounts
• email set-up

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E-commerce

We have integrated a variety of e-commerce solutions into our clients’ websites. For smaller and start-up sites a shop-in-a-box package, such as Actinic Catalog, can be the most efficient choice and can be set-up within a matter of days. For larger, more complex projects we prefer the flexibility of developing a tailor-made e-commerce facility.

Payment Providers – whether or not you have your own merchant account, it is a relatively simple process to integrate your e-commerce facility with a third-party payment gateway such as WorldPay or PayPal. These facilities allow you to collect secure and verified credit card payments from your customers.

Secure Server (SSL) - SSL creates a highly encrypted connection between the user’s web browser and the web server on which your site is hosted. This ensures that any data transmitted cannot be monitored and is especially utilized for providing security when accepting personal or payment details from your customers. We can provide robust and cost-effective secure hosting if your site requires this additional protection.

Product maintenance – a number of our clients have regularly changing product/service offerings that require frequent updating. We can provide a straight-forward and user friendly online stock management system that allows them to add, remove and amend items via their web browser.

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Usability Testing & Research

We firmly believe that the easier your site is to use, the longer your visitors will spend using it. Sounds pretty straightforward doesn’t it? However, it isn’t until you get some independent feedback on your site that you really start to understand what users think of it.

A relatively small investment in usability testing can provide you and your site designers with vital insights into potential problems or possible improvements which could prove invaluable.

During testing the following key factors will be examined:

• First impressions
• Navigation
• Page structure and visual hierarchy
• Content vs clutter
• Testing can be carried out within your offices or we can source premises with suitable facilities. Similarly, we can recruit a cross-section of individuals to be ‘tested’ or we can recruit a sample based on specific criteria of your target audience.

If you have an existing site that you would like to be independently appraised, or if you are currently in the development process and would like to include research as part of the project then call us 0845 123 2699 to find out how we can help you.

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Website Promotion

Search engine optimisation (SEO) and marketing is a low cost, effective way of driving additional traffic to your site. Up to 90% of people use a search engine as a first point call when looking for information on the Internet.

The cost of promoting your site will depend upon your objectives and the investment you want to make. There will be an initial cost for site analysis, optimisation and/or pay-per-click account set-up and a monthly fee based on the level of reporting and management you require.

We provide a range of site promotion packages:

Site Optimisation

Our detailed site optimisation service involves in-depth analysis of your website objectives, target market and competitors. We provide you with progress updates throughout the optimisation process, and guarantee that your site will be achieve top 10 listings in at least 5 of the major search engines for the agreed search phrases or words.

This service includes:

• Recommendations Report - based on target market, competition, website structure.
• Agreement of search phrases.
• Optimisation of key pages.
• Registration with over 20 major search engines (view list)
• Monitoring of registration at 2 and 4 weeks and monthly thereafter.
  

Pay per Click

Pay per click search engines allow you to bid for top ranking positions on certain search engine and portal sites by bidding on specific keywords/phrases.

When carrying out a project we will optimise your web site for the current top-rated search engines and directories, including Google, Yahoo!, AOL, MSN, Ask Jeeves, AltaVista, Lycos, Netscape, All The Web, Dogpile and The Open Directory.

This service includes:

• Recommendations Report - based on target market, competition, website structure. Includes research into relevant keywords/phrases, the cost of each keyword or phrase.
• Opening your pay per click search engine accounts.
• Preparing your title and description listings and registering them with the pay per click search engines to attract targeted traffic.
• Reviewing the performance of each of the keywords and phrases.
• Making any changes to the bids to maintain the desired ranking.
• Changing the titles and descriptions where required.
• Providing monthly reports showing the usage of each keyword and the relevant costs.

List of Search Engines your site will be submitted to: All the Web, Alta Vista, AOL Net, Ask Jeeves, Ask Jeeves US, Looksmart,
Espotting.com, Euroseek, Excite UK, Excite US, Google, Overture, Go.com, Iwon, Lycos, MSN UK, MSN.com, Open Directory, Search UK, Teoma (Direct Hit), UK Directory, UK Plus, Webcrawler, Yahoo UK

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Website Management

We provide a number of website maintenance and management services, ranging from quarterly site statistic reports to daily performance monitoring.

We can provide these services for sites that we’ve not been involved in developing as well as those which we have produced. Our expertise and productivity enable our clients to use us as an effective, flexible and efficient external resource.

Services offered include:

• Content provision
• Link checking
• Site statistic reports
• Search engine reports
• Competitor analysis

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Business presentations

Our sister site, Powerful Presentations provides the easy way to get the best possible presentation for any occasion, from a simple PowerPoint slide show to a complex multimedia experience.

For more details see www.powerfulpresentations.co.uk

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Clients

Airstrike UK
Assurix
Bath Racecourse
Berrick Associates
Brighton Bears
Brighton Racecourse
Business Link
Capital Radio Group
City College Brighton & Hove
CDC
Chepstow Racecourse
Covance Inc.
Crash Training
Driver Theory Test Service (Ire.)
Events Team
Execucon
Fontwell Park Racecourse
Golden Egg Training
Great Yarmouth Racecourse
Greenway School
Hereford Racecourse
Hardings Catering
International Tea Committee
Juicy Awards
Mandalay Bay Promotions
Martin Hamblin GfK
MediaBusiness.net
Mercantile Building Society
Microtec Training
Newcastle Racecourse
Northern Racing Group
Osprey DEEPCLEAN
Passionet Books
Pink Fruit
Pod Media
Protenix
Sedgefield Racecourse
Silverdale Transport
Small Business Show
St James’s Teas
Sussex Enterprise
The Swan Group
The Village Marquee Company
Vitesse Media
You 2003

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Case Studies

Airstrike

• Business Stationery: Letterheads, Business Cards
• Marketing Brochure: 20 page full colour brochure
• Website: Currently in development, the site will feature details of the services offered as well as background into the partners, and detailed information about the reasons for installing lightning protection systems.
• CD-Rom presentation: A Flash-based presentation demonstrating Airstrike’s services and client list.
• Proposal and report templates: We designed Word templates to allow Airstrike to produce a consistently high standard of proposal and after-project reports.
  

Results:
Airstrike is due to launch in July 2003.

www.airstrikeuk.co.uk

Brighton Bears

The client:
Brighton Bears Basketball Club are one of the UK’s premier professional basketball franchises.

Objectives:
To promote the Bears organisation to potential sponsors, corporate hospitality clients and fans.

What we did:
We designed and developed a website to appeal to a number of different target audiences, which despite consisting of over 500 pages is intuitive to navigate. The site includes the following features:

• Automatic updating of time-sensitive content
• Online content management system allowing various authorized users to add and maintain site content
• Secure online ticket and merchandise sale
• Multimedia – streaming video and audio clips
• Statistics database containing information on every player ever to have appeared for the club
• Fans forum and online chat facilities

Results:
The website contributed to Bears being widely regarded as the model franchise for UK professional basketball. The club increased it’s sponsor base to include organisations such as Unilever, Learning & Skills Council, and Specsavers, and also hosted a number of successful corporate hospitality events. Crowds reached record levels with a number of home games selling out.

Site shortlisted for Best Business Website in 2003 VF Web Awards.

www.brightonbears.com

City College Brighton & Hove

The Client:
City College Brighton & Hove (CCB) is a further education college that has offers a full range of full and part-time courses, along with a broad selection of Adult Education courses and corporate partnership opportunities.

Objectives:
To promote courses and opportunities offered by the college, and to integrate the website with colleges newly introduced corporate identity makeover.

What we did:
We have been responsible for developing and maintaining the CCB site for the past 3 years and in this time we have twice redesigned the site to reflect changes in the college’s corporate ID. The site features:

• A clean, clear, bright, modern design allowing logical navigation of many sections and sub-sections
• A full search facility that searches all the sites pages and relevant course material (Word and PDF format)
• Regularly updated News and Jobs sections
• Downloadable course application forms
• We also provide regular site statistic reports and feedback, and we have produced a number of PowerPoint presentations for the college student recruitment team.

Results:
The website is fast and intuitive, and gets over 210,000 hits per month (up from under 60,000 in 1999). Further planned developments include online course applications and secure course fee payments.

Testimonial:
" It has been a pleasure working with you. I will recommend your service as much as I can." Judy Parkes - Marketing Director

www.ccb.ac.uk

Mandalay Bay Promotions

The Client:
Started in 2002, Mandalay Bay is a promotions company who specialise in distributing neoprene ‘Can Coolers’, an innovative promotional item from Australia.

Objectives:
To introduce ‘Can Coolers’ to the UK promotional merchandise market and to establish Mandalay Bay Promotions as the UK’s number one supplier of these items.

What we did:
We designed a compact website that delivered detailed information on the ‘Can Cooler’ product including pricing, available colours and ordering information. The site also includes product FAQ's and contact details.

Results:
We produced a site within a short timescale that delivered the Mandalay Bay message clearly and effectively.

Testimonial:
" The site looks fantastic, we are really really pleased with it. I would like to thank you for such a friendly and professional service you have given us and I look forward to a long working relationship between us." Kevin Borrer - Partner

www.mandalaybay.co.uk

Northern Racing Group

• Online ticket and merchandise sales
• Automatic updating of time sensitive fixture information
• Online content management system to allow course staff to maintain frequently changing sections of the site
• Virtual tours of main hospitality suites and conference facilities using 360 degree images
• Details of latest ticket and promotional offers
• We have also produced multimedia sales presentations for Brighton Racecourse and Fontwell Park, and have designed promotional postcards for a number of the courses in the Group.

We provide monthly management and statistic reports for each individual course along with regular maintenance checks.

Results:
The courses have benefited in a number of ways from the introduction of the new websites – ranging from increased revenue through online sales to reducing the number of phone enquiries about going and weather by having this information readily available via the web.

From Jan-Mar 2003 the sites received in excess of 1.8 million hits (an increase of 37% on the previous quarter).

Testimonial:
" When Brighton's website won an award, we decided to work with its creator, KMD, on all of our racecourses. KMD provided a seamless transition from eight independently managed web sites to eight sites - managed centrally.

Whilst each website site still reflects the uniqueness of the particular racecourse, the theme of the site makes it user friendly, accessible and functional. KMD have provided us with practical, jargon-free advice, a high quality of service and very smart sites." Rod Street, Managing Director, Northern Racing

www.northernracing.co.uk

Passionet Books

The Client:
A start-up company selling books, cards and calendars to black consumers in the UK. Passionet.net is the first website in the UK specializing in black books and is due to launch in July 2003.

Objectives:
To design and develop a complete e-commerce website selling black books, calendars and cards.

What we did:
The initial stage of the project involved designing a micro site to collect information from site visitors during the pre-launch marketing campaign. The main site is currently being developed and will include the following features:

• Secure online ordering via WorldPay
• An online inventory control system
• Order tracking
• User registration and account details
• Banner Ad Management system
• We have also produced a multimedia PowerPoint launch presentation for Passionet, and a selection of banner ads and buttons.

Results:
The main site is due to launch in July 2003.

www.passionet.net

The Swan Group

www.theswangroup.co.uk

The Client:
A women’s networking group based in Sussex, the Swan Group has over 100 subscribing members.

Objectives:
To redesign the existing website to incorporate a members only area, online registration and payment via PayPal.

What we did:
Designed a site to encourage new users to register and to encourage existing members to visit the members only area. The site allows registered users to update their own members directory entry and to add entries to the event and advertisement listings. There is also a private members forum.

The site is maintained using Macromedia Contribute which allows the site administrator to make changes to the content without compromising the site design and layout.

Results:
The site is constantly used to update its members about upcoming events or news stories of interest.

Testimonial:
" This website is a vital communication and information tool for the Swan Group. The site is easy for me to maintain, and many people comment on the simple usability and clean design. KMD contributed greatly with design and functionality ideas, and are always on hand to help if required." Diana Horner - Founder.

www.theswangroup.co.uk

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About us

KMD Consultants Ltd
PO Box 3482
Brighton
BN2 3NX.

Tel: 0845 123 2699

Our Approach

We provide a professional, experienced and friendly approach. We produce websites that are fast and logical, based on designs that are clean and uncluttered. We use established technology to ensure that your site is compatible with virtually all browser and operating system combinations, and try to avoid using technology that requires the user to download additional software, wherever possible.

To ensure that we manage our projects professionally and efficiently, we assign an Account Manager to each project. This Account Manager is the first point of contact for any enquiries the client may have, and will always aim to grasp a thorough understanding of the clients business and project objectives.

We encourage feedback from the client at all stages of the project process and clients can view our work in progress via www.clientpreview.co.uk – our dedicated development server.

Management team

Matthew Horner, Strategy Director
Background: Capital Radio Group, Bertelsmann.
matt@kmdwebdesign.com

Kevin Browning, Creative Director
Background: Virgin Group, Monoxide Recordings.
kevin@kmdwebdesign.com

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Contact

info@kmdwebdesign.com

Tel: 0845 123 2699

Postal address:
KMD Consultants Limited
Preston Park Business Centre,
36 Robertson Road,
Brighton,
BN1 5NL 

Registered in England No. 4354283
VAT Registration No. 786 8712 68

Registered address as above.

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