Some of the sites we’ve been working on recently.
Boogie Woogie, Keith, Moray
CUSTOM WORDPRESS CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
Boogie Woogie wanted a website to match their slogan - colourful, imaginative, quirky
Boogie Woogie is ideally placed halfway between Inverness and Aberdeen on the A96 in Keith.
For many, it’s the ideal stopping-off point for a coffee and lunch, but it also has a range of gifts and clothing.
For us, their motto said it all – colourful, imaginative, quirky – that was the challenge we were set to provide a website that echoed the motto and set the scene for the in-store experience.
The brief was to provide a site that was design-led and focussed on the visual aspects of the establishment.
They wanted a site that could be adapted at a later date to provide ecommerce functionality, and we used WordPress to provide content management.
We also helped them integrate Facebook and an email mailing list with Mailchimp.
Link: Boogie Woogie
Facebook: Boogie Woogie
Cluny Bank Hotel, Forres, Moray
BESPOKE WORDPRESS CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
Cluny Bank Hotel is a four-star restaurant and rooms and we wanted to reflect that in the website.
Cluny Bank Hotel was a very exciting project for us. As one of Forres’s top hotels, and with an already impressive search ranking, it was important to instill a feeling of quality and service, while maintaining their existing search ranking.
We worked closely with owners Julia and Lloyd to get a real feel of how they worked and how the residents experienced the hotel.
Built on a WordPress CMS, it uses a design which we built exclusively for the hotel, and a picture slider that shows off the impressive interior and exterior of the Victorian building.
A new portfolio of photographs were taken for the website, following the renaming and redecoration of many rooms.
The colours reflect the decor and so provides continuity of experience for visitors who book through the website.
Link: Cluny Bank Hotel
Moray Hydrotherapy Pool
CUSTOM WORDPRESS CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
Moray Hydrotherapy Pool has had a website charting the progress of its fundraising campaign to build a hydrotherapy pool in Forres. They came to us when the facility opened and they needed a more professional image to be presented.
We established that, although site content would be mainly static, they needed to update their prices and timetables regularly. So we built the site on a WordPress platform and built a custom template.
Link: Moray Hydrotherapy Pool, Forres
QR TAG
WORDPRESS CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
QR TAG helps businesses manage QR code campaigns
QR TAG is a new service that allows people to manage QR code campaigns. QR codes are small, two-dimensional codes that can be used to load videos, web pages and special offer coupons right into someone’s smartphone.
The site provides a gateway into the QR code management console, which has been developed elsewhere, and provides information on how they work, etc.
The brief for this website was specific. The customer wanted a WordPress CMS and had a detailed design requirement. We created a logo and customised the site to meet the brief.
Link: QRt.ag
Outfit Moray
WORDPRESS CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM with ECOMMERCE
Outfit Moray in Lossiemouth is a registered charity providing outdoor activities and courses, mainly for young people. Their mission statement is ‘Actively developing potential’.
They came to us following an administrative decision to take their booking facilities and payment system online. They had an existing content management system but felt it was not as flexible as they would like.
Outfit Moray needed to know they could rely on us to provide support.
We recognised that Outfit Moray didn’t just need a technology solution, but actually needed support to understand how they could use their website to develop their own potential.
When we were invited to pitch for the work, we made it clear that we would be on hand to support them once the site had launched. Their budget was tight, so they wanted to be sure they weren’t suddenly faced with unexpected costs.
We have been working with PHPurchase, a new ecommerce module for WordPress, so this was an opportunity to build payment processing functionality into a low-budget site that didn’t break their bank.
It was flexible enough to allow product variations, live stock control, and other features you’d expect from a high end system.
More importantly, we worked closely with staff at Outfit Moray, Caroline and Ross, and gave them hands-on training before their site went live, and helped them tailor the sytem to meet their, and their customers, needs.
In particular, we built a system for users to fill in a parental consent form and submit it online without the delays associated with the printed forms they had been using.
The system records all orders, customers and consent form submission from one simple control panel.
As they went live, we provided telephone support to make small customisation to the system.
We built Outfit Moray just days after a new release from WordPress, so they were first to benefit from some exciting new features at no extra cost.
Link: Outfit Moray, Lossiemouth
Laughter Yoga Training
CUSTOM WORDPRESS CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
Manda Stretch teaches laughter yoga in the UK and India.
Manda Stretch teaches laughter yoga throughout the UK and in India. Laughter Yoga is the process of generating laughter artificially, to bring health benefits. She is a qualified trainer and holds two-day courses to train Laughter Yoga leaders to run their own classes. We built her a website on WordPress so she could update it easily while on the move.
Link: Laughter Yoga trainer, Findhorn
Embers Fireplace Centre
CUSTOM WORDPRESS CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
Embers wanted to display their vast stock catalogue online
Embers Fireplace Centre came to us after they outgrew their first website. They have a large selection of fires, fireplaces and accessories and wanted to display them for their customers to browse.
The website was built to complement their shop in Inverness, which has a range of models on display. We chose a WordPress CMS system as Embers wanted to continuously update their online catalogue.
Link: Embers Fireplace Centre, Inverness
QR Coders, Scotland
WORDPRESS CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
QR Coders will focus on managing creative campaigns
QR Coders is a collaboration between Canary Dwarf and Dutch businesman Daniel Ketelaar. We chose a WordPress CMS for ease of use and rapid deployment, and used a variety of off-the shelf plugins to aid social media integration. An unusual feature of this site is the ability to generate QR codes on-site. This was achieved through a ready-made plug-in from Qurify.com, saving hours of development time. The WordPress system was ideally suited to the format, which is largely news reporting and blogging.
Content management was an important aspect of RaptorTrack's requirements.
RaptorTrack, Cairngorms, Scotland
WORDPRESS CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
This is the second site we have built for local naturalist Roy Dennis. RaptorTrack follows the progress of birds of prey that are nesting in the Cairngorms. Roy wanted a simple site with powerful editing features and WordPress met his needs precisely. Due to the nature of the website’s subject matter, it was important to get the site up and runing quickly. We installed and hosted a WordPress site within 48 hours, allowing Roy to update the position of his birds immediately. This is a fine example of how our WordPress product is proving
British Moorlands. Aberlour, Moray
CUSTOM WORDPRESS CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
British Moorlands can now update their own content.
British Moorlands is a Grouse Moorland Management company based in Moray serving customers all over the UK. They came to us to regenerate their website which had become tired and out-of-date. They particularly wanted to be able to add and update content, so we specified a WordPress 3 CMS (content management system).
We customised this to suit their image and provided training through written notes and screencasts.
They launched the site in August 2010, shortly before being judged for a national conservation award.
We also provided them with a hosting package to meet their needs.
W A Smith Joiners, Nairn
BROCHURE WEBSITE
W A Smith is an established joiners and carpenters in Nairn, and owner Robin came to us following a recommendation by one of our existing customers.
W A Smith Joiners wanted to convey the high quality in their work through their website
Robin takes a lot of pride in his work and he showed us round some of the properties he had refurbished recently.
We could see quite clearly that his work was finished to a high standard and we wanted to reflect that in his website.
Robin gave us free range on the design and we decided a large image on the front page would show off his work well.
To keep the site contained within the image, we used javascript and CSS to build sliding image gallery.
Robin had just one word to say when we showed him the site for the first time: “Beautiful,” he said.
Textology, Forres, Moray
BROCHURE WEBSITE
Canary Dwarf is delighted to announce the launch of a new service with its own dedicated website.
Textology makes integrating SMS into your marketing strategy easy and powerful.
Textology deals specifically with SMS text messaging as a business marketing and information distribution tool.
Marc Hindley of Canary Dwarf, said: “SMS is still a powerful medium. Despite the huge rise in popularity amongsth social networks, we are still experiencing a rise in the use of text messaging.”
“It’s a handy, fast communication service. It doesn’t require software, expensive phones or technical nous. Everybody has a mobile phone, and everybody knows how to send a text message.”
The text messaging platform will supply information on demand, on subscription, on location and on schedule. It’s flexibility allows us to work with any requirement. We are able to build applications specific to business needs or use ready-made service for tight budgets.
Businesses can use it in high profile marketing campaigns, or just to fix problems in their workflow. For example a five-digit number can be advertised that will allow users to ‘subscribe’ to updates. Or a business could use it privately amongst customers to have an automated appointment reminder service, “potentially saving them lost revenue from missed appointments, he added”
“We have partnered with a leading infrastructure provider with a robust connection to all UK mobile phone networks.”
Seaforth Windows, Lhanbryde, Moray
“Excellent in a word. Page 1 on Google in areas I aimed for from the day site went live and phone and enquires flowing.”
- Alan Duncan, Seaforth Windows
BROCHURE SITE WITH FEEDBACK MODULE
When Seaforth Windows came to us, they had a long list of problems with their existing website. It was difficult to update, it wasn’t listed in Google and, worst of all, owner Alan Duncan wasn’t getting much business from it.
Seaforth Windows shot straight to page one of Google search for desired keywords
Seaforth Windows prides itself on an excellent reputation for customer service, value for money and quality of products, so it was our priority to make that clear on his website. We proposed a brand new build with semantic code for search engine friendliness, usability and accessibility. We rewrote all the copy, added some proper images, and made contact easier with tailored ‘calls to action’.
We built an online review system so customers could leave star ratings and reviews as Alan has built a solid reputation from reviews left by his existing customer base.
We were delighted to learn that Seaforth Windows was listed on page one of Google for Alan’s desired keywords when the site went live and that Alan was beginning to receive calls and emails from his new site.
Canary Dwarf proprietor Marc Hindley said: “Working with Alan was refreshing. He is clearly committed to providing really good customer service and quality workmanship.
“Within the budget, we created a product that proved its worth within the first week of going live.
Alan left a glowing report for Canary Dwarf on
Free Index, a web business directory: “Excellent in a word. Page 1 on Google in areas I aimed for from the day site went live and phone and enquires flowing,”
He also gave us five stars for Customer Service, Value for Money and Quality.
UK Marine Services, Buckie, Moray
“The expertise of Canary Dwarf would be a great asset to any business requiring this type of service to promote their business. – Ken Wood, UK Marine Services
CUSTOM WORDPRESS CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
UK Marine Services needed to impress clients in major oil and shipping companies
UK Marine Services is the trading name of Ken Wood in Buckie. He has an enviable CV which lists most major oil companies, and a list of certification longer than your proverbial arm.
Ken’s website was launched in February to meet demand from the oil industry as it prepares new tenders for marine services.
We prepared a customised layout using WordPress CMS and installed it on our award-winning webserver platform.
Ken told us the website was an ‘instant success’, and wrote the following email to us following the launch of his new marketing tool:
“Many thanks for helping me to create my website which has been an instant success due to the professional manner in which you have set it up.
“Canary Dwarf was my first choice because i was impressed with their experienced response, flexibility and timescale along with competitive costings.
“The key points of success is to their excellent performance standards and established business experience which introduced a lot of business avenues and ideas.
ScrubVac Cleaning Equipment, Forres, Moray
“Canary Dwarf offer a one-to-one experience that big companies cannot match” – Jeff Bradford, ScrubVac
VPASP ECOMMERCE CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
They came to us in late 2009 looking for a new ecommerce website. They had been running their own ISP-hosted solution for a while and had uploaded thousands of products individually, some of them many times! It was true to say that they had seriously outgrown the capabilities of their site.
ScrubVac needed a site that would help them manage their catalogue of over 40,000 products.
With a customer base that spreads across the industrial, commercial and household sectors, ScrubVac’s ecommerce site needed to be user-friendly and adaptable. Customers needed to be able to locate products easily, and staff needed to be able to manage their online stock with ease.
We specified our affiliate ecommerce CMS (content management system) from VPASP which proved to be an ideal solution. Comfortably serving all 40,000+ products, with additional facilities such as discount codes, gift vouchers, multiple payment options, European VAT rates, worldwide shipping calculation, secure SSL shopping cart and much more.
Behind the scenes, ScrubVac have the facility to control their catalogue through the comprehensive but easy-to-use control panel, which allows them to edit their stock and their content with ease.
Asked why ScrubVac chose Canary Dwarf for their ecommerce project, managing director Jeff Bradford said: “I wanted to have a local company do the project, i did get prices over the web from other companies initially just for a guide, but in the end price was only a small factor in my decision.
“I explained to Marc what I wanted and how much control I needed myself. We required an unlimited categories and products with a fresh clean look. Marc made my old site seem like a car boot sale, compared to the fresh new approach he has brought to the site now.”
Marc Hindley of Canary Dwarf, said: “We were delighted to have the opportunity of working with Jeff and his team at ScrubVac. Like us, they take great pride in customer service and that was clear from time spent in their office and depot.”
CuddlyBums, Forres
“I’ve been delighted with every aspects of Marc’s involvement in the building of the CuddlyBums website and can’t recommend him highly enough” – Mandy Gillies, CuddlyBums
CUSTOM WORDPRESS CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
Mandy Gillies has been Moray’s official cloth nappy advisor for two years. She wanted a website that would increase her business and allow her to showcase her products professionally.
We built a customised WordPress site that will allow Mandy to update her content easily. We added plugins to enhance searchability and installed analytics software to measure traffic and performance. We helped Mandy set up a Facebook page to build a parent community and seek informal advice from her. We also organised a photo shoot and two of her seven kids feature in the masthead design.
CuddlyBums wanted a professional image for their cloth nappy business
Mandy said: “Marc came to me on personal recommendation. We met in my not-so-quiet home for a photo shoot with my rather uncooperative models but he worked tirelessly till we had the perfect photos.
“I was very impressed with his choice of background and layout for the website. He has been on hand to help with all the questions I’ve had on what to put in to the site, what not to put in and even gave me a personal training session on how to upload my own photographs and information to the site.
“I’ve been delighted with every aspects of Marc’s involvement in the building of the CuddlyBums website and can’t recommend him highly enough.”
Highland Paper and The Papershed, Forres
Highland Paper uses two sites to serve the wholesale and retail arms of their business
BESPOKE CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
Highland Paper is a well-established stationery supplies family-run business serving the Highlands and Moray. It is run by Peter Dick and his son Stewart and Melanie Redican.
Peter has worked in the paper industry for over thirty years having been managing director of Bunzl Fine Paper and chairman of Donald Murray Paper.
Stewart specified a catalogue-type site for his trade clients to view his range of stock. We advised on various usability issues and wrote a bespoke content management system so Stewart could add his own products and photographs at his convenience.
We built the site to be compliant with search engines and added a module to post special offers to the front page.
Stewart recently opened a retail shop on Toolbooth Street in Forres, and he wanted a separate site for this.
We built a mini brochure site, with a design which complements the Highland Paper site.
Highland Paper have a growing mailing list, and to service this we designed a newsletter template and gave him access to our CreateSend newsletter application, a tried and tested which makes creating and sending a newsletter easy and professional.
Highland Foundation for Wildlife
Highland Foundation fo Wildlife wanted to be able to edit their website when following migrating birds.
BESPOKE CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
The Highland Foundation for Wildlife came to us when their website grew too large to manage themselves. Over several years it has recorded some of Scotland’s key wildlife progresses, such as the introduction of sea eagles and the GPS tracking of osprey and golden eagle.
Website owner Roy Dennis had built up a large online resource of animals and birds. His work includes attaching satellite transmitters to migrating birds and tracking their migrations around the world.
Roy needed a better system of managing his website. We specified a bespoke content management system to allow him to login to his website on a daily basis, but he also wanted to update his website when travelling.
Pure Rush, Forres, Moray
Pure Rush wanted an ecommerce solution that would expand with their extreme sports catalogue
CUSTOM VPASP ECOMMERCE CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
When Pure Rush sealed a deal to import and distribute the Zooter land yachts, they turned to us for an ecommerce website which could handle their stock control and take payments securely.
We presented them with a tailored solution which enabled them to log in and edit their catalogue.
Our shopping cart softare allows them to give gift cards and discount coupons which can used at checkout, and we integrated the system with their chosen payment processor.
Pure Rush asked us to meet a tight deadline, which we did. Once the site was live, we helped them set up a social media strategy to spread the word in the extreme sports community.
Pure Rush are the sole official UK distributor for the UK and Ireland. It is owned and operated by husband and wife team Brendan and Illana Vickers, who are both keen land sailors and extreme sports fans.
As U Like It wanted to be able to sell their cupcakes, greetings cards and scrapbooks online
As U Like It, Forres, Moray
CUSTOM VPASP ECOMMERCE CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
As U Like It are a small craft bakery in Forres. They supply bespoke gift cards and cupcakes, as well as a line of personalised scrapbooks.
They came to us when they decided to sell their products online. They needed an attractive website and an effective ecommerce set-up.
Canary Dwarf specified its partner shopping solution, VP-ASP and configured it to allow products to be re-organised by the customer to co-incide with special promotions or dates.
We integrated it with their preferred payment provider and hosted it on one of our stable server platforms.
Before launch, we provided offline marketing to get them local press coverage.
Moray Firth Live
Moray Firth Live won a national award for its use of social media.
CUSTOM WORDPRESS CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM WITH SOCIAL MEDIA
Moray Firth Live is an internal project. It is built on the WordPress blogging platform, using a three-colomn customised theme and several WordPress plug-ins.
It uses social media sites such as Twitter and bit.ly to distribute news and Flickr and YouTube to host videos and photographs.
It hosts news, events and information from the Moray Firth area.
Because it’s based on WordPress, it can be edited from anywhere with an internet connection, and we are integrating new technical features which will make it a model news distribution platform.
Fonthill Bed and Breakfast, Nairn
Fonthill wanted a simple website that said it all in one page.
SINGLE-PAGE BROCHURE WEBSITE
Fonthill is a small bed and breakfast in Nairn and wanted a simple one-page website that that said it all.
Although there are a few other pages, the main content is indeed contained on one page, and this is an increasingly popular format.
As website owners lose their fear of the ‘fold’ and consumers prove their happiness to use the scrollbar, single page websites are scoring high in usability tests.
Fonthill also uses a simple web-based bookings record, where each enquiry and contact details are recorded into a database for future reference. This makes it easy for them to expand on their infrastructure to form a fully-fledged customer response management
Cairngorm Auto Repairs, Aviemore
BESPOKE CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
Cairngorm Auto Repairs is a garage in Aviemore. It services and MoTs cars and vans and has a smal selection of vehicles for sale.
Garage owner Ronnie Alexander wanted an internet presence for his garage, and wanted to be display the cars he has for sale on his forecourt.
We designed a simple front page for the service centre and wrote a bespoke CMS for the car sales department. This allowed them to add, edit and remove his vehicles from his computer at home.
We also optimised his site to make the site findable for ‘car sales aviemore’
Stuck in a Doorway
CHARITABLE SOCIAL NETWORK
Stuck in a Doorway is a self-help resource site for sufferers of Obseesive Compulsive Disporder, or OCD.
The people behind it came to us to form a community after being unable to find anything on the internet where they could discuss their embarrassing disorder.
We researched the ‘market’ for the committee and implemented a vBulletin message board.
The message board received plaudits from sufferers and professionals and is now often referred to by clinical psychologists and publications.
