Digital

An explanation of our online technical ethos: how we weave the web together, what goes in and what stays out.

The web can be sticky. Lots of businesses get caught in it. Some don’t make it out in one piece. But it’s nonetheless essential to virtually all businesses these days. And here at Honest, we’re better equipped than most communications agencies to navigate the pitfalls and exploit the limitless potential out there, whether it’s online locally or half way around the world.

That’s because we’re one of the very few communications agencies with a fully-integrated technical division. Lots of agencies will sell you a “website” that’s designed by creative types in funny shoes with a woefully insufficient understanding of technical matters. Lots of other companies call themselves specialist web design agencies, which generally means they’re solely populated by tech-types with no appreciation for the finer points of design. Consequently, you either get a website that looks pretty but works as often as a French dock worker or one that works fine but looks like it was designed by Ray Charles. Or you pay extra (probably without knowing it) to have your website job sub-contracted to a different company for either aesthetic or technical tinkering.

Or you get your communications designed and built here at Honest, where creatives and tech-types work together under one roof to create a website that looks nice and works well, at the same price as some of the cheapest “one stop shops.” Revolutionary we know but we believe in providing all the services you need right here, upfront.

Now, you can read more about our very own funny-shoe- wearing creative types on our design and copy pages and about our overriding creative philosophy on our brand page, and even about our pricing should you so wish, all of which, we hope, will persuade you that we’re by far the best option from a prettiness, a readability, a consistency and a cost-efficiency point of view. But what about a technical one?

Well, let’s talk tech.

For starters, we like to keep things simple so that our structures are understood, no matter the kind of computer or web-browser people choose to use. That’s why the foundations of our sites are built using HTML. This age-old technology has its restrictions but is understood by and works well with all web browsers. We then weave in other technologies to achieve additional style and functionality. For example, we’ll use the basis of a technology called CSS, which is very widely-understood by all modern web-browsers.

CSS extends the visual abilities of a website, taking design to a whole new level. Like with any technology, when using CSS we focus on the core commands, rather than the cutting-edge ones. While the more complex commands can achieve complex and fashionable features, they’re often restricted to one browser or sacrifice reliability and usability. So when a browser does need the extra code to comply with our standard command set, we’ll add it in such a way that doesn’t compromise how consistent your website looks on other browsers, or how successful its search engine performance is (search engines like clear, simple coding so we file browser-specific code separately). For extra functionality we use plenty of PHP and a little Javascript. PHP allows us to include database and other real-time dynamic information, while Javascript allows us to extend functionality of older browsers and present information in clever ways, such as with full-screen content presentation. The Javascript we use degrades gracefully, so if someone cannot access this technology, the site continues to function at a simpler level.

Most importantly (and uniquely), we test our websites on practically every web browser, new, old, popular and hens’-teeth rare. Our code is written and refined with the emphasis on maximum visual compatibility. So by getting an Honest website you’re guaranteeing visibility and functionality for every potential customer, whether they’re looking at your presence on a Mobile, PC, Mac or Table, running Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, Opera, you name it.

All of which means that when it comes to choosing a company to develop your online presence, build e-mailers, maintain your existing site, we win on a technicality.

Several actually.

So why not use the wonders of modern technology now to drop us an e-mail or phone call?

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