New IT Consultancy [Archive] - UK Business Forums

Ian Jones

20th July 2005, 10:24

I'd like to introduce everyone to ILJ Consulting, ILJ Consulting are a small IT consultancy based in Harwich Essex. The company was formed to service the IT needs of SME, SOHO and charitable organisations based primarily in North Essex and South Suffolk .

In a nutshell, our business aims are to help small businesses make effective use of IT and be seen as a trusted adviser by all of our clients. We want to develop long term business partnerships not just sell hardware and software.

I would appreciate comments on whether our web site http://www.iljconsulting.co.uk gets our message across

Regards

Ian Jones

Richard Conyard

20th July 2005, 10:26

Ian,
Welcome to the forums. In regards to the site your colour scheme has to change, the neon blue is shocking and the blue on blue navigation can't easily be read.

Richard.

Ian Jones

20th July 2005, 10:34

Thanks for your comments. I think you may be right about the neon blue, I wanted it to standout but it is properly a little to shocking. Any suggestion for a colour?

Richard Conyard

20th July 2005, 10:48

I'm afraid I have about as much taste as a kleptomaniac magpie with both eyes and tounge removed ... might try for a white, or off white, change your page background to a light grey for offset or something like that.

The most importnant part would be to change your navigation text colour to white or yellow (should contrast with the blue), to make it stand out. The last thing you want when someone visits the site is for them not to be able to get around because they can't read your buttons.

MinuWeb

20th July 2005, 11:00

I would start by going for a new design, as you are in the IT business your site should look alot more professional than it does....

The content reads ok, but the site itself looks like a "first time frontpage user" site.

I don't know what kind of budget you have for your site, if not alot then you might be better of looking for a template that you can modify.

If you want some help feel free to PM me for a few ideas (it cost's nothing to ask :) ) and I could put together a couple of pages for you so you can see the difference. Iam sure a few others on the forums would be willing to help out as well

Webstuff

20th July 2005, 11:00

I'd suggest some light grey-blues, with some pastel colours to accentuate specific site features.

Welcome to the site!

webit

20th July 2005, 11:22

Yep change it. No question. Good starting point is find a site you like the look of and download it to your hard disk and use is as a template.

Ian Jones

20th July 2005, 14:46

Thanks all for the comments on the look and feel of my website. I have taken onboard your comments and will be changing the layout shortly.

In the meantime if any one has any comments on the content it would be appreciated

thanks

Ian

top-click

20th July 2005, 15:29

Ian welcome along,

The site is a bit on the *bright* side!

Rob

top-click

graham

20th July 2005, 16:43

Just a small thing. I would try and get your domain email up and running and avoid using free web mail i.e. yahoo. Just adds to your professionalism ....

epiphany

20th July 2005, 17:55

Hello :) The graphics used to create the rounded edges and the logo are amongst the worst I have ever seen. It just destroys credibility, forget content just now and get that stuff fixed asap, people wont even read the content the way the site is just now. Sorry if I am being harsh really i am doing it for your own good :) If you have created the site yourself and you are not familiar with anti-aliasing then contact me and I am sure I can give you some free help to sort it out :)

Ian Jones

22nd July 2005, 17:48

Thanks all for your constructive comments. I have tidy-up the site I hope that it looks better! www.iljconsulting.co.uk

Cornish Steve

22nd July 2005, 18:39

In the meantime if any one has any comments on the content it would be appreciated.

Ian,

While your text contains no glaring typos or grammatical errors, the wording is too dry. The use of the word therefore, for example, makes your narrative read like a thesis, not a marketing piece.

I recommend sitting back and thinking carefully about your main message. Right now you touch on several topics but you don't highlight any one of them:

- Local
- Friendly and approachable
- Trustworthy
- Informal
- Customized
- Cost-effective
- Secure
- Reliable
- Predictable
- Using the latest products

Which of these attributes really characterize your business? What makes you different from your competitors? What image of your company are you trying to craft? Emphasize these points and discard the rest.

I hope you find these comments useful.

Ian Jones

23rd July 2005, 09:40

epiphany

23rd July 2005, 10:08

Well it's a template :) But it looks 1000 times better than the last site! :)

Richard Conyard

23rd July 2005, 10:17

Thats 1000 times better, how did you find mambo?

webit

23rd July 2005, 10:24

Agreed - much better

Ian Jones

23rd July 2005, 11:39

how did you find mambo?

I think it's excellent! It took just a few clicks to switch from my aesthetically challenged home grown template. Once installed, I spent no more than an hour or so tweaking the CSS file to get the result you see now. I would totally recommend Mambo.

Cornish Steve

23rd July 2005, 14:59

Thanks Steve for your very constructive comments. I can see from your comments that I am not sending out a clear signal. What I want to send out is that I am different, my passion is business not IT. I see IT as a tool to help business achieve its objectives.

I firmly believe that the best business solutions (IT Systems) are built when effort has been put into understanding the business.

I want to develop long term relationships with my clients not just sell software.

I get the most satisfaction when clients use me as a sounding board for ideas they have for improving their business processes.

It's business first computers second.

Ian,

Now you're getting there! Now you need to encapsulate that message at your website. It's a little rushed, but here's my attempt at blending this new message with what currently appears on your home page.

********************

At ILJ Consulting, our passion is business. We take pride in offering personalized IT consultancy and computer services to small businesses and charities in north Essex and south Suffolk.

Your company’s business needs are unique, and it’s essential that your IT partner understands those needs. That’s where ILJ Consulting comes in. We are not just another Information Technology company looking to sell equipment and software. We are trusted advisers who work with our clients to deliver lasting business solutions.

Whether you need comprehensive IT support or occasional friendly help to complement your existing skills and resources, you can count on ILJ Consulting to offer prompt and professional service.

********************

I hope this help.

webit

24th July 2005, 10:46

The invoice is in the post... ;)

Cornish Steve

24th July 2005, 17:06

The invoice is in the post... ;)

Air mail - so it may take time. :wink:

I really don't mind helping at all. It's exciting to be getting my own business off the ground, and I'm glad if my occasional contributions help others to realize the same goal. Isn't that the intent of this forum?

Of course, I'm hoping that readers will realize what a big difference the acquisition of solid communication skills can make to the success of a business. If, as a result, one or two people subscribe to our interactive online courses, it will be a nice bonus... but that's not my reason for offering help.

Ian Jones

24th July 2005, 17:51

Thanks Steve, for all of your help, your rework of my home page has helped to give my site more focus. I have also changed the menu order and have made minor changes to the other pages to emphasize my main message business first computers second.

I am planning to add a 'links section' to my site and would be more than happy to include your site.