Bendigo-based Kim and Sophie are very busy people but recognised the need for a fresh, modern and professional ‘shop window’ to promote and illustrate their increasingly popular fitness related services. Enter Bendigo Web Design.

We started from the ground up with a cost-effective content management system based website, threw in a multimedia gallery and social media integration and wrapped it up in a dark but very modern design. It looks high-tech but we didn’t have a great deal to do in order to meet the brief, which was to better the previous design and introduce a content management system.

Check out their new website now!

If you are someone who enjoys a late night Tweet, a game of Call of Duty under the stars or you simply must check your business email while on a camping holiday, you will certainly identify with this annoyance.

Well, help is at hand in the form of an innovative new WordPress plugin memorably named Bugger Off! Developed by Bendigo Web Design, this simple to use plugin enables any WordPress website to emit a high frequency noise to keep those pesky flying critters at bay.

The beauty of this unique plugin is that it works even when viewing non-Wordpress websites. How? The noise, inaudible to humans and other non-winged creatures, permeates the entire Internet from those sites where the plugin is installed. The more WordPress sites that employ Bugger Off!, the quicker the signal spreads and loads, and the more effective it is for everyone.

The Bugger Off! plugin operates by emitting short wavelength, high frequency sound waves too high in pitch to be heard by the human ear (all frequencies greater than 20,000 Hz). This is due to limitations in human hearing. Humans can not hear ultrasound because the eardrum does not vibrate fast enough, but some animals such as dogs, bats and rodents can hear well into the ultrasonic range. Some insects, such as grasshoppers and locusts can detect frequencies from 50,000 Hz to 100,000 Hz, and moths and lacewings can detect ultrasound as high as 240,000 Hz produced by insect-hunting bats.

Insects detect sound by special hairs or sensilla located on the antennae (mosquitoes) or genitalia (cockroaches), or by more complicated tympanal organs (grasshoppers, locusts, moths and butterflies).

Bugger Off! was conceived by Creative Director of Bendigo Web Design, Bill Hearne, while on a recent fishing trip.

I was Skyping the kids telling them how easy it was to catch crabs and the bugs were coming in thick and fast, attracted by the laptop screen light. I remembered reading about this Welsh guy who invented a device that emitted a high frequency sound to deter loitering teenagers and thought that I could do with something similar.

Research eventually led to a collaboration between Bendigo Web Design and the Institute of Sound and Vibration Research, Universtity of Southampton, United Kingdom.

Initially, a portable device seemed like the obvious choice but then it occurred to me that everyone had access to the Internet in some shape or form, home computers, laptops or mobile devices and maybe this could be the ideal delivery solution.

The plugin is available on general release now. Use the link below to download Bugger Off! now.

The next ten customers to sign up for a content management system-based website will receive 100 (one hundred) shares in the Internet. Together with a free domain name and a year’s free Australian hosting, this is undoubtedly our sweetest deal yet.

Widely considered as rare as hen’s teeth, these cyber-shares rarely surface and are a desirable addition to any serious portfolio.

In fact they are as rare as…

Today Bendigo was announced in NBN Co’s 3-year rollout plan. Some 29,000 premises, more than half of Bendigo, will be connected to high speed fibre broadband by 2015.

More than 660,000 homes and businesses in Victoria were included in today’s announcement, including the following Bendigo communities:

Bendigo, Ironbark, Golden Square, Golden Gully, Big Hill, Spring Gully, Quarry Hill, Flora Hill, Kennington, Strathfieldsaye, Junortoun, Strathdale, East Bendigo, North Bendigo, White Hills, California Gully, Long Gully, and West Bendigo will receive NBN fibre in the next three years.

NBN4Loddon Mallee Working Group members from across the region were present at today’s announcement and are excited by the win for Bendigo, seeing it as a great sign for future announcements across the region. The Group will continue to campaign for the rest of the region and look forward to the rolling 12 month announcements.

NBN Co is set to announce their fixed wireless rollout plan in the coming weeks.

For more information on the rollout visit the NBN Co website and read the Minister’s Media Release

With their existing developer holding their domain name and website to ransom, threatening to pull the plug if his extortionate demands were not met, we were approached and tasked with creating an all new web presence which was a functional and aesthetic improvement on this…

After

…it wasn’t a difficult job to be honest! The problem was having this alternative web presence live before the existing one was pulled.

We have a reputation for ‘going the extra mile’ for our customers and even though this project was no exception, there was a little more urgency and so we gladly pulled out all the stops to minimise the inconvenience caused by the previous web developer’s unethical stance. We created a modern portfolio-style site which was visually attractive yet quick and easy to load and simple to use. We also integrated a live accommodation booking feature and image gallery.

We are proud of the fact that we managed to do all this in a matter of days, not weeks!

To celebrate Wales’ win over Ireland in this morning’s 6 Nations thriller at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, we are offering this huge discount to all new clients.

The offer is applicable to any new website build ordered before Wales kick-off their second match of the championship against Scotland at Cardiff on Sunday 12th Feb at 3pm GMT (Mon 14th 2am AEST).

This special offer includes a top-notch professional design, a Content Management System based website, Search Engine Optimisation and submission to the major search engines, maintenance and support.

This business package normally costs $1299 but when you take advantage of this great offer, you pay just $899. If that wasn’t enough, we are even including a free .au domain name and fast Australian hosting for the first year! That’s a saving of an extra $250!

So if you have been considering getting your organisation or business online, now is the best opportunity to go ahead. Just call 04670 47692, ask for Bill and quote this blog post for the discount to apply.

Enjoy!

Just so that we are clear, SEO stands for search engine optimisation and is something web developers (should) consider during the process of creating your website in order to assist in positioning your website favourably in search results. I won’t bore you will the technical details of SEO other than to say it helps you get found in search engines.

I could have got the URL from his email address but I wanted to see his skills in action by searching for his business, after all, this is supposed to be his bread and butter.

Do you think I could find this guys website after using some very obvious search strings; ‘SEO services sydney’ being one example. I even scoured the first dozen pages of each search.

Take it from me, if you cannot find a particular Sydney-based SEO service provider’s website by using ‘SEO sydney’, don’t bother asking them to help you get your site ranked in any search engines.

The business had no doubt been developed over years and marketed using the domain name in question. Signage, business cards, advertisements, brochures and a other marketing materials all bare the business’ domain name. Furthermore, in addition to the huge quantity of happy customers who return religiously, a plethora of related industry websites list it. To change it would be time consuming, costly and ultimately confusing.

However, it was discovered that the domain name and website were not specifically mentioned in the business transaction, although one might reasonably assume that it would be.

It further transpired that the previous business owners did not, in fact, own their business domain name. Apparently, a ‘friend’ had registered it on their behalf and along with the website, maintained it for them.

Can you see where this is going? No? You wouldn’t be the only one but it still happens with alarming regularity.

The official ‘owner’ of the domain name and website is the aforementioned ‘friend’, as it was he who registered it in his own name. The business simply paid this character for the services he offered.

And so we learn that this unscrupulous web design/domain/hosting provider/cowboy has spotted a way to make a few more bucks by holding the domain name to ransom and demanding an outrageous sum for it’s release.

The dodgy practice of cowboy web developers using their own name when registering domain names for their clients, stinks, plain and simple. It should be illegal. If there is ever a fall out or dispute, your online presence could disappear overnight and with it your business.

Domain names are so cheap these days and very simple to register that there is no reason not to register it yourself. Even if offered a free domain name, ensure that you will be the registered, legal owner. Here at Bendigo Web Design, free domain names are offered to new website clients but are always registered in the client’s name. For those of you who need a domain name and would like assistance, we are always willing to assist in the process.

To give you an idea, the recent Raytronics landing page is a typical example of a one-page Webvert but there are several professional designs to choose from.

Each page acts as a clean and concise promotion for your product or service and serves to encourage the visitor to contact you. You can add your logo, images and a list of products and services, including all your contact details and a contact form.

Already have a website? Why not take advantage of this special Christmas offer to promote a new product or service and direct visitors to your existing site?

Don’t need a website? Why not treat a friend, family member or colleague?

All you need to do is contact Bendigo Web Design and quote this post. Any questions regarding this offer should be made by telephoning Bill on 04670 47692 or via our contact form.

Offer remains open until close of business Christmas Eve (24/12/11). Payment must be received by close of business on Christmas Eve.

Remember, this special Christmas Offer is reserved for the first 20 customers to contact Bendigo Web Design and quote this post!

Good luck and Merry Christmas!

Building on the ever popular and award winning WordPress content management system, the website has the ability to grow and develop as their business does. The site includes a DIY installation guide, a FAQ section and comprehensive quote/contact form.

We also developed a simple turf cost calculator which can be viewed here.