Design
The design phase began with the creation of wireframe sketches using Balsamiq Mockups, showing the primary navigation and content structure of each page.
Wireframes and Mockup | Almond Valley Property Centre
The next phase of the design was to create a mockup using Adobe XD, which shows the final imagery, colours and fonts. The typeface used on the website is Noto Sans, which is used in headings and body font. Noto Sans is a strong and simple font, which builds trust with the user. The font is also easy to read, which lends itself well to passages of text. The colour scheme is predominantly black and white as this ensures easy readability of the text.
Red is introduced in background colours as well as button and element active states, as this ties in with the company logo colours and improves website branding cohesion.
The designs were showcased on Adobe XD, which allowed the client to be involved in the design process and provide feedback whenever they wanted to.
Digital assets were also created for the company’s social media so that the user has a consistent experience on the new website and updated social media account.
Development
The website was developed using WordPress so that the content can be easily maintained to keep content fresh in the future. Some of the main plugins used include ACF Pro and Yoast.
Rental Property Application | Almond Valley Property Centre
One of the main features of the website is the latest properties application, which provides customers with available properties. The data is pulled in dynamically from the Zoopla API and this allows the client to maintain the properties on their portal and the company website automatically updates.
The raw data was provided in JSON format, which I then processed and turned into an attractive and easy-to-use application. The data can also get filtered by property type, rent per month and the number of bedrooms to allow customers to find a property that is perfect for them.
Home, Tenants and Landlords Mobile Mockups | Almond Valley Property Centre
The Tenant / Landlord Services were designed to explain the tenancy process in bite-sized chunks. The content is broken down into tabs, tables and slideshows so that the customer can be guided through the process.
The website is optimised for all device types, meaning the user has a great experience on mobile, tablet and desktop. The website also makes use of an SSL security padlock, meaning it is safe and users can trust in the security of the website.
SEO and Analytics Report
I was responsible for the implementation of the on-page and technical SEO – some key considerations include mobile-friendliness and page speed optimisation. A content delivery network (CDN) and image optimisation tool, Twicpics, were used to optimise assets and improve loading times.
Sample Analytics Report | Google Data Studio
Disclaimer – The analytics report shown above is a sample report that highlights the potential insights that can be obtained. Any client data is collated privately and is not shown to the wider public.
Custom events are tracked on the website using Google Tag Manager so the company can track the performance of contact enquiries such as contact forms, emails and telephone calls.
After the launch of the website, I created an analytics dashboard so that the performance of the website could be monitored. Almond Valley Property Centre have a better understanding of their customers and how they use the website. Therefore, the client can make better-informed business decisions for their online strategy.