Launched in 2003, WordPress is one of the world’s most used content management systems (CMS) powering 32.5% of ALL websites. It’s a firm favourite with Speed for website development and design. Find out why WordPress is our go-to choice for website design, user experience (UX), SEO and bespoke development.

Although WordPress is not suited to every single web design project, this Content Management System (CMS) is great for professional web designers and users alike. Here’s why…

Custom pages

WordPress is an open-source CMS, which means it’s frequently updated by developers. WordPress receives thousands of updates and plugins through customisable coding – so the possibilities are endless. That saves our developers time, as we don’t need to deliver bespoke coding from scratch. It also means we can meet the needs of many different clients and their customers.

Most clients want a website that’s unique and different from their competitors. Here at Speed we’re brilliant at both bespoke coding and customising off-the-shelf solutions. Our knowledge of WordPress together with skills in HTML, CSS, Javascript and PHP allows us to tweak and extend pages to really push the boundaries.

That way, we can vary web structure layout and personalisation to meet and exceed every client’s expectations.

Fast Timeframes

Many clients want their websites up and running super quick. Building a website from scratch requires heavy planning from website design, deciding on content, navigation, menu layout, images, and much more. That’s time-consuming, so costs can quickly stack up.

WordPress resolves those challenges and allows us to create a great-looking site quickly and cost-effectively.

Control

WordPress allows fantastic reliability and management from an easy-to-use back-end.  It gives clients amazing control so they can make changes in-house.

WordPress has a simple layout, and once your site it built it’s very easy to add or edit content. You can add pages that look great without needing to get your agency to help.

SEO

WordPress is search engine friendly. It offers built in optimisation tools and third-party plugins like Yoast to help you optimise your content, including page titles, descriptions and keywords.

When developing a client’s website, we make it as SEO friendly as possible to make it easy for your target audience to find you.

Our WordPress successes

• Vivacity – The Great War Peterborough

We used WordPress to create a website for Vivacity, the cultural service in Peterborough, bringing to life the city’s role in World War I. Thousands of soldiers, signed a guestbook as they passed through Peterborough en-route to the front line. Our role was to create digital version of the guestbook showcasing the servicemen’s entries page by page.

The content of the book was digitised by a group of volunteers. We used JavaScript to create a page-turning function. HTML and technical bespoke coding created a virtual book with clickable areas on each page.

Our client loved the site and it attracted national attention as part of World War I centenary celebrations.

• Teach Peterborough

Our client needed a website that promoted Peterborough to teachers as a great place to live and develop their careers. Using WordPress, Speed created a digitally designed website that centred on recruitment.

Speed’s in-depth knowledge of WordPress meant that we were able to make Teach Peterborough a very user friendly website, that enables potential applicants to find the placement they wanted, quickly and easily. Applying for a jobs is generally a long and complicated process, but we made it easier. With Teach Peterborough candidates fill in a form once then submit their details to multiple vacancies.

The website acts as a portal which brings everything teachers need together in one place. It successfully drew more teachers into the area. Teach Peterborough also won regional campaign of the year at the CIPR awards. 

Fintech is big business around the world. Financial technology is a growing area of expertise for Speed too, particularly in financial services website development and the marketing of financial services. The main priority for most Fintech initiatives is to improve customer experience.

The UK has become a global hub for this activity, and London is home to more than 2,000 fintech companies. Jobs in fintech have grown by 61%.

The speed of change is lightning fast. The first consumer banking app was only launched in 2011, yet today every bank has an app and ‘digital-only’ banks with no branches have hit the mainstream. More than a quarter of the UK population now have an account with a digital bank and 54% of UK adults use mobile banking apps.

Online innovations to boost customer experience

Starling, Monzo and Atom Bank are well established digital-only brands that frequently win customer experience awards. These banks use clever techniques to engage with their audience – for example by allowing consumers to personalise the entire experience. ANNA bank even decided to produce a debit card that miaows.

However, traditional financial providers are fighting back and investing heavily in their technology to make sure they can keep up with the challenger brands. Money Saving Expert compares different apps from digital and traditional players, and has found that apps from Barclays and Lloyds are rated well by customers for useability and features.

Top priorities for Fintech

Making payment easy

Fintech delivers faster, easier payments for people and businesses. Debit cards make it easy to buy online, and 64% of people have used online payments such as PayPal, Apple Pay and Google Pay in the past 12 months.

Online Security

With high-profile banking security breaches in recent years, keeping customers’ digital identity secure is one of the main challenges. However, Fintech are pioneering new approaches to verify and manage identity. Facial and biometric authentication are already becoming the norm in consumer banking apps.

Reducing costs

Many Fintech innovations focus on making services more accessible. Not only can customers manage their money and access special tools from the tap of their mobile or tablet, Fintech makes services more affordable by lowering costs. Removing the need for high street branches is a major saving that can be passed on to the consumer.

The marketing efforts of any financial organisations have always focused on two goals: to raise brand awareness and engage customers in their financial services. We have many financial services marketing clients that seek our support in achieving these goals.   

The finance sector is one of the most fast-moving industries we specialise in. Here are some of the key trends of the moment…

Consistent customer experience

Financial services marketing is more complex than ever. Customers can interact with your brand via many channels – your website, in person, via an app, with your email communications, printed collateral and advertising.

Keeping your brand messages, tone and visual identity the same across all channels is challenging, but it’s crucial in reassuring your customer of your reliability and trustworthiness.

Acting responsibly

The tide is turning on sustainability and companies big and small need to demonstrate that they have an ethical approach to business. 77% of consumers are now more motivated to buy from a company that has a clear Corporate Social Responsibility pledge.

In addition, new sustainable finance rules are coming in from regulators. All financial organisations need to make sure that they have clear policies around investments, carbon reduction, environmental impact and community involvement.

Security and fraud support

Security breaches, hacking and ransomware are very real threats to financial services brands. Not only must you invest in defences against these risks, but you must also reassure customers that their data is safe.

Similarly, customers need constant education and reminders of the risk of fraud, as scammers develop ever-more convincing ways to target people.  The way you handle customers who have been exposed to fraud is also challenging. A perceived lack of support could have serious impact on your reputation.

The financial sector is ever changing – which is one of the reasons that the marketing of financial services is such a fascinating part of the work we do.

Everyone has some awareness that branding is helpful to an organisation and, as a branding agency, of course we want clients to understand its purpose. But brand development is not an exact science. So how are you supposed to know where to focus your efforts and investments?

The main purpose of branding is to create a competitive edge for your business. Your brand identity is what makes you stand out from the crowd and communicate the value of your company.

What’s involved in creating a brand?

Branding is much more than creating a great logo and displaying it across your marketing collateral. It is the process of defining who you are, what you stand for and what you offer your audience. Most importantly it’s about how customers view you as a business. People don’t have relationships with products, they are loyal to brands.

Whether you want to create a new brand from scratch or develop an existing one, brand development covers a wide area including:

• Logo design
• Brand image
• Brand guidelines
• Brand story

At Speed Agency our job is to create an identity that resonates with you and your customers. We have a tried and tested brand process to create a unique brand model for any business. We develop new brands for new products and services every day – from corporates to start-ups, in all kinds of business sectors.

As part of the brand development process, we review the following:

Personality and leadership: We start by asking questions about your motivations and experiences. We consult with stakeholders, existing customers, potential clients and any other influential players. We will often carry out brand workshops with a cross section of audiences to gain key insights to what everyone is actually looking for.

Vision and strategy: Vision is one of the first things you need to articulate for your brand. What do you want to stand for in the eyes of internal and external stakeholders? A visual brand is only half the story – we need to work out your positioning, values, messaging and culture. Agreeing a shared vision is a crucial step in mapping out brand strategy.

Appraisal and creativity: Creativity in developing brands is what makes us tick. We explore what’s shaped the brand so far, what has worked in the past and what hasn’t. That process allows us to create original ideas, backed up with sound creative rationale. Creativity is at the core of everything we do and we brainstorm ideas to create effective and unique brand images for products, services and organisations.

At Speed Agency we have created brands for the financial, medical and educational sectors. Examples of brands we have developed include:

Why branding is important

Having a brand that resonates with you and your customers gives everyone clarity. Once we have developed the right brand identity, it is rolled out across everything you do.

Your brand acts as the face and personality of what your organisation does. So you need to represent the same consistent, reliable characteristics at all times. We’re here to make sure that your customer has the same experience with you whether they visit your premises, use your website, buy your product or read your communications.

Building your brand builds long-term customer trust.