“If you’re looking for a web designer for your new website, then look no further. Sean was brilliant, from start to finish I can’t praise him enough. Being a complete novice with technology and websites, Sean was very quick at responding to my queries and quick to make changes and suggestions. I highly recommend McLeod Digital Services”
– William Parker, Owner: Concealment Furniture
After a negative experience with another website provider, William was down £750 and 3 months of time. With nothing to show for it. Due to a pressing need to get his website functioning as soon as possible, he reached out to MDS.
Following our consultation with William, we were able to quickly reach an expedited plan for getting his website and web-store up and running. This involved extensive collaboration and iterative design for each page, but we were able to get a quick and functioning outline ready within two weeks.
Once the outline was ready, we then quickly got the online store functioning. Before running a series of tests on the website. Then all that was needed was to ensure that everything was to William’s vision. Which included making sure that everything looked great on mobile browsers as well as desktop browsers.
With our work being done at a rapid pace, William is now able to sell his concealed furniture online without any issues. You can see his full range of products on his website here.
“Sean’s help has been invaluable in fixing many issues around user experience on my existing website. He has also been very pro active in identifying issues which needed attention that I wasn’t even aware of”.
– Georgenna Paton, Owner: Hey Sugar Cake Studio
Located right in the heart of Fyvie, Georgenna has certainly been kept busy by her business. Not only does she have to handle all of the baking, but she also maintains an online store, teaches classes and hosts the occasional birthday party for customers with a sweet tooth! Unlike some of our other clients, she was also capable with managing her own website but had a few niggling issues that she just couldn’t get resolved.
Once we had a quick chat with Georgenna, we provided a list of issues that her current website was facing. Including links-to-nowhere and problems with how some pages were appearing on mobile browsers. During this chat, she also gave us a batch of requests including better support for her gallery page and resolving problems with her contact form.
While working with her at each stage of the process, we were able to not only resolve all of the known issues but also spot and correct a few that were hitherto unnoticed. All of this was done rapidly, and we were even able to provide some bespoke CSS code (with instructions).
After sampling some complimentary fudge, we were able to confirm that her website is looks as good as her cakes! You can see Georgenna’s website here.
“With years of experience grooming dogs, I wanted my website to look as good as my best work. After a quick and friendly consultation with MDS, I was able to quickly and easily get my own website with all the features I wanted”.
– Diane Gray, Owner: The Grooming Station Fyvie
With years of practice running her own business, Diane had become a local favourite for dog owners in her area. She had her own successful Facebook page and Instagram feed. Yet having her own website seemed like a daunting prospect. both from a technical standpoint and due to the seemingly large investment that would be required.
Once Diane got in touch, we quickly worked together to ensure that she would be able to have her own website, at a reasonable price, with multiple features that would help her business. Not only did MDS help with choosing a web host and domain, but we also laid out a sensible website plan that would showcase her best work, give customers a way to get in touch and break down her pricing model.
As part of this work, we implemented a series of efficient website galleries. Then we optimised all of the photos we received from her. We even added the ability to showcase “before and after” photos for some of her services. Which have to be seen to be believed! Finally we setup not only a contact form with spam protection, but also integrated her WhatsApp with the website. So anyone can send her a message with the touch of a button. Oh and we helped her with GDPR compliance too!
Once all was said and done, we turned a ruff (pardon the pun) idea into a fully functional and feature rich website. You can see Diane’s website here.
“After trying to establish my own online school and e-courses, I found that the bills kept adding up and threatened to turn my vegan dream into a nightmare. MDS helped me to significantly reduce my online running costs and start getting a profit, instead of a headache!”
– Carrie Louise, Owner: Vegan Online Academy
Following her graduation with a Masters in Education, Carrie Louise pursued a career in teaching. At the same time however she wanted to share the benefits of the vegan lifestyle with the rest of the world. To do this she used her past experience to create a series of online courses. They’re suitable for anyone, at an affordable price to ease people into an unfamiliar lifestyle.
After contacting McLeod Digital Services, we built her a bespoke website with the ability to sell, run and manage her courses. This involved helping her choose a website hosting service and domain name. Alongside all development of her website and migration of existing content. Part of our work included restoring all episodes of her podcast after the original files were lost. We also helped her source dozens of royalty free images for her website.
The result? We reduced her hosting costs by 80%, restored Carrie’s original content that was thought lost and made sure that her online school is profitable for the long term.
Whether you’re curious about the work we did, or are interested in a free introductory course to Veganism, you can find her website here.
“When it comes to my website, much like my property, I’d rather get my boots dirty than be stuck on the sidelines. Thankfully MDS agreed and not only gave me a great website, but also gave me the confidence to update it with new case studies as our business develops”.
– John WF Harrison, CEO: The Sandwood Group
After years managing a business that produces environmentally friendly pollution cleaning materials related to the oil industry, John wanted to invest in something sustainable closer to home. This ultimately led to the founding of the Sandwood group of companies. Which specialise in the development of Eco-conscious residential and commercial property located in the Scottish countryside.
When John got in touch with MDS he knew exactly what was looking for. Namely a clean, professional website detailing the activities of his business to reassure potential clients. Once he’d sent over a style guide, we immediately got to work. This included: helping him choose a web host, register his domain, create email accounts for everyone in his company and implement a site-wide content plan that would cover every aspect of his business. We then added his existing case studies so that they’re readily available for downloading by prospective customers. Plus we helped his company with GDPR compliance.
Following this work, the Sandwood Group of Companies website has had no noticeable downtime during business hours. Making it “as safe as houses”. You can visit this website by clicking here.
“A journey of a thousand websites, begins with a single blog”.
– Sean McLeod, Owner of MDS & a Gaming Blog
I’ll be the first to admit that including my own websites in my portfolio is a tad cheeky. Yet I have to be honest and note that they’re where I got my start. Initially I created a basic, free WordPress blog to build up my writing portfolio during the COVID-19 Pandemic. After getting to grips with WordPress, I realised that I’d rather be working on websites. Especially as the alternative was to be stuck as a freelance writer discussing subjects I didn’t find interesting.
As a blogger, the initial process was overwhelming. I also noticed that most of the pathways available to me involved paying considerably more than would otherwise be reasonable. There were so many add-on fees, restrictive contracts and convoluted processes to come to terms with. Instead of paying a huge premium, I decided to do my own research. After a few months I was able to build up an extensive price comparison list. Which compared all the major providers and all of the services they offered.
After doing this, I was able to get my own blog and my own website setup. As a bonus it cost much less than I had initially thought it would. This included: my own backups, anti-spam protection for comments, my own email server, my own SEO tools and optimisations for every page and everything else you’d need (such as GDPR compliance) for a modest business website such as this one. As someone who has “walked the walk”, I’m in a good position to recommend others on the best available practices. Particularly as I’ve always been driven by a desire to keep costs as low as reasonably possible.
If you’re curious to see where I got my start. Then feel free to check out my irreverent gaming blog here.