Our Blog

In the dynamic world of WordPress development, the Agile methodology has emerged as a beacon for teams aiming to deliver projects that not only meet but exceed client expectations. Unlike the traditional Waterfall model, which often proves too rigid in the face of change, Agile offers a flexible, iterative approach that can significantly accelerate the design and build process of custom WordPress sites. This guide delves into the Agile methodology, offering insights on when to employ this strategy, its benefits, and how to tackle common challenges that may arise.

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Launching a WordPress site marks the beginning of an exciting journey in the digital realm. However, the real work begins post-launch, ensuring your website remains robust, secure, and speedy, delivering the optimum user experience you’ve painstakingly crafted. This comprehensive guide outlines essential maintenance tasks to keep your WordPress site in peak condition, from security enhancements to speed optimization techniques.

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Capturing the attention of potential customers has become increasingly challenging. With WordPress powering over 40% of all websites, leveraging its capabilities to craft content that not only resonates with your audience but also compels them to act is more crucial than ever. This article reveals the secrets of SEO copywriting, the power of multimedia in engagement and sales, the importance of a well-structured content calendar, and the magic of user-generated content in transforming browsers into buyers.

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In the current digital era, where the demand for interactive and dynamic web applications is surging, Vue.js emerges as a prominent player among JavaScript frameworks. Designed to be incrementally adoptable, Vue.js offers an exemplary balance of integration capabilities and robust features, making it a go-to for start-ups aiming to build high-performance, innovative web applications. This article explores the essence of Vue.js, its impact on enhancing user experience, and why numerous start-ups are choosing it over other frameworks, providing a glimpse into the future of web development with Vue.js.

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In the dynamic world of e-commerce, Shopify has emerged as a leading platform that enables entrepreneurs to carve out their niche in the digital marketplace. Boasting an intuitive interface and extensive customization capabilities, it’s no wonder that a multitude of start-up giants have leveraged Shopify to catalyze their success. This article delves into the behind-the-scenes strategies of successful Shopify stores, highlights the importance of user experience (UX), discusses indispensable apps for Shopify start-ups, explores the benefits of cross-channel selling, and underscores SEO’s pivotal role in augmenting sales.

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E-commerce is a dynamic, rapidly evolving industry. With a rise in online shopping, businesses are constantly seeking innovative ways to scale andmeet the increasing demand. WooCommerce, a robust e-commerce platform for WordPress, is at the forefront of this revolution, offering a variety of tools for growth. This article delves into some advanced techniques leveraging WooCommerce extensions, smart inventory management, AI for personalized shopping experiences, mobile optimization, custom checkout blocks, and the pivotal role of analytics in e-commerce strategy refinement.

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WordPress has come a long way from its origins as a simple blogging platform. Today, it stands as a powerhouse for digital content, underpinning a vast spectrum of websites, from small boutique shops to massive e-commerce conglomerates. This evolution is not just a testament to its adaptability but also to its ever-growing suite of features that cater to modern businesses. (more…)

In the expansive world of digital marketing, content writing stands as a cardinal pillar. It’s not just about filling up web pages with words. The essence of content writing lies in crafting narratives that tell your story compellingly and engagingly, enticing the reader to become a customer.

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Entering the digital arena can be an exciting yet challenging phase for startups. It is where they make their first digital impression, and quite essentially, it’s a make or break situation. With Heer Digital’s design services, startups can develop a compelling logo and effective branding strategy that resonates with their target audience and establishes a robust digital identity.

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Jetpack – For Comprehensive Website Security

Website security is a non-negotiable aspect for any business. Jetpack is a top-tier WordPress plugin that provides a comprehensive range of security features including brute force attack prevention, spam filtering, and downtime monitoring. It also offers content tools that can enhance engagement and increase the overall performance of your website.

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Written by tech entrepreneur, futurist and GE Alumnus – David Dawkins, “The Emergence of the Quantum Age” is a deep dive into the dawn of a new epoch in human consciousness and society, intertwined with the principles of quantum physics. The book explores the relationship between quantum mechanics and human consciousness, proposing revolutionary insights into the nature of reality, free will, and our societal structures.

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Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is not a new term in the digital world. However, implementing effective SEO strategies on WordPress websites can often seem like a daunting task, especially when diving into advanced on-site technical SEO techniques. But worry not – with the right approach, unlocking these secrets can indeed be a game-changing move for your WordPress website’s search ranking.

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The digital marketplace is crowded and competitive. For creative agencies looking to stand out, choosing the right technology stack for web applications is critical. Vue.js, an open-source JavaScript framework, has been rapidly gaining recognition for its ability to enhance web application performance, as well as enriching user experience.

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Taking the first step on your ecommerce journey can often seem like a daunting task, particularly when deciding between powerful platforms like WooCommerce and Shopify. Both offer a suite of impressive features, allowing for scalability, and providing diverse cost options for startups. Understanding the distinctive qualities of each platform is crucial to making an informed decision that aligns with your business needs.

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Navigating through the myriad of WordPress themes available can be an exciting yet overwhelming experience, especially for ambitious start-ups. The theme you choose plays a significant role in shaping your brand’s online identity. It’s much more than selecting a visually appealing design; the theme is a reflection of your brand vision, its uniqueness, and the story it intends to tell.

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The ever-evolving world of ecommerce has been remarkably transformed by the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI). These cutting-edge technologies are no longer the future – they are the now, particularly in the realm of SMBs (Small and Medium-sized Businesses). With platforms like WooCommerce and Shopify leading the ecommerce industry, understanding how to harness the incredible power of AI can revolutionize customer experiences and streamline operations. (more…)

In the wake of significant retail transformations, the recent closures of numerous Boots stores across the UK present a unique opportunity for innovative players in the health, beauty, and wellness sector. This article explores the potential for a venture capital-backed start-up or an ambitious entrepreneur to capitalise on this shift, particularly by leveraging the robustness of this sector against economic downturns and the burgeoning trends in omnichannel retailing. (more…)

In recent times, the intersection of machine learning and graphic design has paved the way for innovative tools capable of automated logo creation. With a Chat GPT-4 Plus subscription, one can now harness the prowess of Dalle-3 to generate logos. This article delves into the pros and cons of this approach, and the subsequent steps for optimizing and repurposing the generated logos for web and print.

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In recent years, the digital presentation landscape has evolved, blending the realms of web content and slide-based storytelling. The advent of innovative platforms like Gamma, Pitch, and PowerPoint’s AI augmentation are leading this change, offering a blend of traditional presentation crafting with modern, web-based interactivity. This article embarks on a journey through these platforms, exploring their features, recent advancements in artificial intelligence, and how they compare with each other in the broader scope of digital content creation. (more…)

In a market teeming with endless competing products for every conceivable category, how does one carve a niche? The answer lies in robust eCommerce branding. As digital markets burgeon, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) are realizing the power of distinctive branding in navigating the competitive eCommerce landscape.

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In the ever-evolving domain of artificial intelligence, a groundbreaking integration has taken place. Dalle-3, an advanced image generation model, has been seamlessly combined with the textual prowess of ChatGPT-4 Plus. This merger is not just a fusion of two models but a leap towards generating more intricate, context-rich images for articles, enhancing the visual storytelling experience.

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Off-the-shelf themes from the Shopify theme store offer a great way to get started with ecommerce although ultimately will have some limitations in terms of creating a truly differentiated proposition. As your business expands it is important to create a unique store experience and there are two paths to achieve this: Custom Liquid Themes and Headless Shopify. Each has its merits and could suit different businesses depending on various factors. Let’s dive into an analysis of the costs, pros, and cons of these approaches, and explore the profiles of companies typically drawn to each.

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Heer has recently launched a new suite of services, meticulously crafted to elevate your digital presence, drive organic traffic, and convert more of your visitors into loyal customers.

Embarking on a new business venture in the UK? Establishing a robust online presence is pivotal in today’s digital age. Heer Digital, a renowned web development company, introduces an affordable yet comprehensive 1-page starter package website for just £650, ensuring your business makes a compelling digital debut. (more…)

E-commerce businesses often find themselves needing to switch platforms to better serve their customers and stay competitive. Whether it’s a desire for better functionality, improved user experience, or simply a need for a more scalable solution, the decision to migrate can be daunting. Enter cart migration service specialists like Cart2Cart, Next Cart, and Lite Extension. These experts have revolutionized the migration process, making it more affordable and efficient for businesses to move to popular platforms like Shopify and WooCommerce.

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In the e-commerce landscape, the balance between acquiring new customers and retaining existing ones is a delicate dance that determines long-term success. While many businesses focus heavily on one aspect, often neglecting the other, the true path to sustainable growth and profitability lies in giving equal importance to both. The Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) approach, which emphasizes this balance, is crucial for e-commerce businesses aiming for longevity and consistent profitability.

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Embarking on an e-commerce venture is exciting but also fraught with risks. One of the best ways to safeguard your investment and ensure a favorable return is through informed decisions backed by robust market research. Even without a pre-existing store or customer data, entrepreneurs can employ a blend of qualitative (qual) and quantitative (quant) research to make educated choices.

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Starting an ecommerce business means navigating through many decisions including the optimal Minimum Order Value (MOV) to ensure a feasible store. This article unpacks the process of setting an appropriate MOV while ensuring profitability and customer appeal. We’ll also discuss how preparing your audience in advance can lead to savings and better decision-making.

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As e-commerce platforms continually evolve, integrating sustainability with smart retailing decisions based on the physical weight of products can be a recipe for financial success. Here’s why prioritizing lighter, sustainable products through the Physical Weight to Profitability Ratio (PWPR)  makes undeniable business sense in an ESG-conscious world.

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DocsBot is a powerful AI chatbot that can be used to answer customer questions, automate documentation analysis tasks, and generate go-to-market strategies. It is built on top of Open AI’s GPT-4 large language model, making it capable of understanding and responding to complex queries.

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The importance of supporting local businesses and sustainable practices is more apparent than ever. As we strive to achieve the sustainability goals set by Agenda 2030, promoting responsible consumption has become a collective responsibility. Fortunately, advancements in technology and the evolution of platforms like Shopify have paved the way for innovative solutions, such as AI chatbots and multi-channel selling options, that can revolutionize the way we connect with local suppliers offering eco-friendly products. In this article, we will explore the potential of these localized omnichannel businesses, their impact on the retail landscape, and the exciting possibilities they present for a greener future.

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The U.S. frozen pizza market size was valued at USD 6.62 billion in 2022 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.9% from 2023 to 2030.

Mass Customization is a significant trend in the food industry attributable to busy lifestyles, convenience-oriented consumption patterns, and the increasing popularity of frozen food among consumers. Differentiating through an automated, customisable,  locally sourced frozen pizza production model can provide an ecommerce USP.

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In today’s ever-conscious world, consumers are not only looking for quality products but also for environmentally responsible brands. With the rise of e-commerce platforms like Shopify, businesses now have the opportunity to integrate sustainability into their operations. This article will explore ways you can utilize Shopify to drive your e-commerce business towards eco-friendly practices.

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As the e-commerce landscape continues to expand globally, catering to a diverse and international customer base is more important than ever. Shopify, a popular e-commerce platform, offers several options for creating multi-language online stores to help businesses reach a broader audience. In this article, we will discuss the multi-language options available on Shopify and explore the features and benefits of using Weglot for your online store.

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The eCommerce landscape is fiercely competitive, with businesses vying for customer attention and conversions. Optimizing user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) design is crucial for increasing customer engagement and streamlining the buying process. In this article, we delve into key UX/UI optimizations that minimize friction, enhancing eCommerce customer conversions by focusing on efficient designs for filtering products and adding items to the cart without visiting product pages.

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Creating a wholesale store using WooCommerce can be an effective way to cater to B2B customers and offer them a seamless shopping experience. While there are several plugins available to help you achieve this, three premium plugins stand out for their comprehensive features and flexibility. These plugins enable store owners to offer personalized pricing, streamline the ordering process, and manage wholesale customer accounts with ease. In this article, we will explore the three best premium plugins for creating a wholesale store with WooCommerce, along with their key features that can help you differentiate in various markets.

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Email marketing is essential for eCommerce businesses aiming to connect with customers, boost sales, and build brand loyalty. WooCommerce and Shopify, two prominent eCommerce platforms, offer seamless integration with various email marketing services. In this article, we will explore the top 3 email marketing platforms for WooCommerce and Shopify: SendPulse, Campaign Monitor, and SendGrid. We’ll highlight their key features, easy integrations with WooCommerce and Shopify, and Capterra ratings.

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Effective inventory management is essential to the success of any ecommerce business. Selecting the right inventory management platform can optimize your supply chain, streamline operations, and improve your bottom line. This article explores various inventory management platforms suitable for both startups and larger businesses, focusing on multi-warehouse, multi-channel, and multi-language options. We’ll also discuss the internal effort required to set up these platforms and the potential advantages of hiring a consultant. Lastly, we will compare popular options, including Cin7, inFlow Inventory, Zoho Inventory, Linnworks, Odoo and Xentral, outlining the pros and cons of each to help you make an informed decision.

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In the competitive world of ecommerce, businesses need to harness the power of social media platforms to reach new audiences and drive sales. Social selling, a strategy that leverages social networks to build relationships with potential customers, has become increasingly important for online stores built on Shopify and WooCommerce. In this article, we will explore the basic social selling tools and techniques for Shopify and WooCommerce users to maximize their reach and boost sales on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.

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The e-commerce landscape is fiercely competitive, and one crucial factor that can make or break your online business is striking the right balance between customer acquisition costs and average cart value. This article will delve into the significance of understanding acquisition costs across various marketing channels, highlight the advantages of low-cost acquisition strategies, and share practical tips for boosting average cart values and customer lifetime value.

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When it comes to setting up an online store, two most of the most popular e-commerce platforms are WooCommerce and Shopify. Both platforms have their own set of advantages and disadvantages, and it is important to choose the one that best suits your business needs. In this article, we will compare WooCommerce and Shopify in terms of custom development requirements, usability, and costs within the context of small businesses and start-ups.

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When it comes to creating an online store on Shopify, one of the most important decisions you’ll make is choosing the right theme. A theme sets the foundation for your store’s design and functionality, and can greatly impact the user experience and overall success of your business. However, with hundreds of themes available on the Shopify theme store, it can be overwhelming to choose the right one. In this article, we’ll discuss the importance of selecting a versatile theme that future-proofs your store, and how design choices can impact the success of your store.

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Shopify is a leading e-commerce platform that offers businesses of all sizes the ability to create and manage online stores. One of the most significant advantages of using Shopify is its checkout and Shop app, which offer high sales conversion rates that can help businesses drive more revenue and grow their customer base.

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As the world of education moves increasingly online, Learning Management Systems (LMS) have become an indispensable tool for educators and learners alike. And LearnDash is one of the most popular LMS platforms out there, offering a user-friendly and customizable experience for both content creators and students. In this article, we’ll walk you through the steps to set up an LMS website with Learn Dash.

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Shopify Subscriptions is a powerful ecommerce tool that allows businesses to easily create and manage subscription-based services. With Shopify Subscriptions apps, businesses can offer recurring payments, recurring billing, and automated customer management. It’s a great way to create a stable source of revenue for your business. It has a simple user interface that makes it easy to set up and manage your subscriptions. You can also customize the look and feel of your subscription page, as well as manage customer accounts.

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Many business owners struggle to find the time to write content for their businesses.  GPT-3, the latest artificial intelligence technology from OpenAI, is revolutionising the way businesses create content for their websites and online stores. With GPT-3, businesses are able to generate content with unprecedented ease, accuracy and speed. (more…)

Shopify is an incredibly popular e-commerce platform, offering businesses a great online store with a range of features, including a range of paid themes available from the Shopify theme store. However, it is important to remember that it is not a good idea to make code edits to paid Shopify themes purchased from the Shopify theme store. There are a number of reasons why this should be avoided.

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Sheer offers both custom WordPress development and paid themes – the two most popular options for building and customizing a WordPress website. Both have their advantages and disadvantages, and the choice between the two ultimately depends on the specific needs and goals of a website owner. In this article, we’ll explore the differences between custom WordPress development and paid themes, and help you determine when each option is the best choice for your website.

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Now in our 10th year, Sheer Digital continues to serve Clients with Shopify design and development services in the UK and globally. We love working with Shopify to create custom themes and customising paid Shopify themes for small & medium-sized businesses, start-ups and agencies. We listen carefully to our Client’s commercial objectives and leverage Shopify’s technology and wide range of apps to help them achieve their goals of financial independence and freedom. (more…)

Sheer has added Elementor theme customisation, and the design and build of custom Elementor themes to it’s WordPress offering. If you’re looking for the lowest possible cost for a website, Elementor could be a good option.

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Over the years we have met some imaginative founders whose ambition exceeds their pockets. Often they have an embryonic idea, some starter slides for a pitch, a lot of energy and some [limited] personal capital to invest.

Rather than remortgaging / maxing out personal credit we recommend putting ideas to the test with seasoned investors. The rationale is that if an idea passes muster with Investors this offers partial mitigation of the risk of bootstrapping and allows the tapping of more substantial funding for scale (as opposed to winding up homeless!).

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Sheer is expanding its development team with a brand new Internship! After exhaustive testing, interviews and practical challenges we selected Ayo to join us and help create all things #Digital for Life. (more…)

We have been donating each month to Share the meal, a fantastic app which enables you to contribute to the UN goal of ending global hunger. Well thought through and super easy to use, the app provides updates on where your money is spent – even sharing the details of the food that is bought and the families who receive the food. (more…)

Sheer Digital has been serving Clients with design and development services in the UK since 2012! We create informational websites, e-commerce platforms, international multi-language websites, and web applications for small & medium-sized businesses, start-ups and agencies. We listen carefully to Client’s commercial objectives and leverage technology to help them achieve their goals of financial independence and freedom. (more…)

Sheer has been helping start-up businesses grow for nearly 8 years. During this time many people have come to us looking for ways to fulfil their dreams of financial independence and freedom. Many of these individuals have had very good ideas, and some with relatively detailed plans. However, one of the most common misconceptions is what we call the Field of Dreams – “Build it and they will come” mentality.

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Our recent re-design of a customisation interface for Cubbies (a customised toy retailer) has delivered a 3x uplift in ecommerce sales conversions. The result proves that Sheer simplicity trumps convoluted functionality every time.

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If the headlines are to believed then most national supermarkets do not have the capacity to cope with demand for online deliveries.  Some supermarkets are only meeting 10% of demand so if your future prospects are uncertain setting up an online supermarket in your local area could be a good opportunity.

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We live in uncertain times and many of us face the challenge of finding new ways to generate income as social distancing forces fundamental changes to the nature of work.  Sheer Digital was founded under similar circumstances during the previous financial crisis. 100% remote for over 7 years, the company was born out of a need to straddle geography and to allow our team the freedom and flexibility to work as they choose.

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Now in our 7th year, Sheer Digital has successfully created a broad range of digital experiences which help our clients grow their businesses. Our creative team includes UX experts, developers, and project managers working together in a small and agile agency. This allows us to provide our clients with the level of attention and care they deserve.

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Creative agencies are often faced with the challenge of keeping overheads to a minimum as they negotiate irregular demand patterns. In addition to this struggle, working with larger clients can mean long payment delays with a negative impact on cashflow. Hiring a full time developer knowing that delays in approval to build can lead to significant downtime is therefore an expensive luxury.

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Buried in the news from Apple’s Developer Conference yesterday was the advent of something really big for e-retailers. Iphone and Mac users will be able to pay online in Safari using a “Pay with Apple Pay” button, and authenticate their purchase using Touch ID on their phone or watch. (more…)

Picture the scene: you turn up to a job interview – you arrive on time (check),  you smile and greet the interviewer (check),  you look down at your feet and realise you’ve forgotten to put your trousers on – oops!, major faux pas – right? It’s been nearly 14 months since Google updated its search algorithm to favour mobile friendly sites, yet still there are stalwart laggards who believe that it’s perfectly acceptable for the above scenario to happen every day! (more…)

With a myriad of website options for your newly minted business, your eye is caught by the cheap prices of the do-it-yourself variety of website builders. Let’s put aside that you may not be a creative genius and work on the assumption that the do-it-yourself option has some form of AI or a huge range of templates, which will create a website which will wow your prospective clients. What’s not affordable and to love here?

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You’re an established small or medium sized company, or a start-up and you need a new website. There are a multitude of competitors to choose from – thousands of agencies and freelancers  (literally)  – so where do you start? what is affordable vs cheap? (more…)

It’s been a long a challenging journey – perfect UX, page speed optimised, SEO and SSL all done. Your brand new WordPress website is Live, so now it’s time to relax and forget about it for a while? Wrong! WordPress is an open source platform, which is often exploited by hackers. Putting your website in the back drawer and forgetting about it could cost you big. Here’s our top 5 reasons why you should regularly back-up and update your WordPress CMS and plugins: (more…)

So you’re planning an international expansion and need your products or services to be communicated in languages other than English. With international websites there are a number of things that influence your search engine position requiring careful consideration.

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Apple made their first move into the IoT (Internet of Things) with iBeacons over two years ago. A number of forward thinking retailers and others have been experimenting with the technology with mixed success.

For those who are not aware, iBeacon’s transmit a unique ID via Bluetooth, which can be picked up by phone with the appropriate app installed within a 15m radius. So far, the predominant use-case is beacons broadcasting contextual information and offers for products in-store. Of course, there are many other innovative ways to deploy them. (more…)

A cursory search and you will find a huge amount written about how content marketing and how it’s going to turbo charge the growth of your business. Marketers have now for the most part bought in, but often face the challenge of who should be responsible for writing their content? (more…)

After a January full of new-year-new-you, it may be hard to stomach, but is it time to look at that tired old website and give it makeover? Sheer have just undertaken some renovations and we are proud to launch our new look – but it’s more than that, our site reflects the changes that have occurred in our business strategy over the last year. (more…)

Ever wondered how retailers make their decisions on what to sell? Sometimes it’s the result of savvy professional buyers capitalizing on trends, occasionally it’s down to good luck, but more often than not its based on data i.e. if sales are growing, then let’s do more of the same. (more…)

For Internet users in the UK wanting a fast connection at home, there’s cable, BT or, well nothing actually! If you don’t have fibre to your doorstep, or just want a broadband connection you are going to have to pay the BT tollkeeper some £10+ per month. (more…)

A picture speaks a thousand words, but when you add in a voice and great music, the effect is transformational. Adobe Voice is an app that allows you to tell your own animated stories with great templates, icons, music, images – and not least, your own voice. (more…)

Apologies in advance to Guy here – this article is nothing personal. I just noticed that Guy is based in the US and yet his Linkedin updates and Tweets seem to march on regardless of whether he is sleeping or working or otherwise. (more…)

The global expat community is attractive to many businesses not least because it comprises some 40 million high-income earners (Source: OECD). Until recently, reaching expats could be patchy and involve joining various online communities in different cities. (more…)

Adobe, Salesforce, Oracle, IBM – all offer derivatives of what has been termed the marketing cloud. There’s little doubt about the logic of creating an integrated platform to bring together all aspects of web and digital marketing – it’s a marketers dream. (more…)

So, you have a website, and maybe you have some data to tell you how many people have visited. But how can you leverage this data to generate leads? The great news is there is now a free tool out there that can really help. Leadfeeder (www.leadfeeder.com formerly Wanapi) connects to your site via your Google Analytics account. (more…)

Is your Digital Marketing agency a Supermodel? Won’t get out of bed for less than £10k? Fear not there is salvation ahead – Sheer Digital aims to level the playing field with a more democratic approach to digital. (more…)

Many entrepreneurs and newly formed businesses realise they need get online but want to keep costs down. With so many single page offers available Sheer wanted to break the mould with a complete package fulfilling every possible need to get started on the Web.

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