Absolutely, it’s our core business !

Spade has been developing websites on various media since 2011, and has so far supported companies and organisations of all sizes, with the most diverse challenges and ambitions.

We make simple and complex sites, multi-sites, intranets and extranets, site takeovers; we know how to integrate a design on an existing site or, on the contrary, how to develop a site on which a design that we did not create will be applied; we know how to make applications; how to manage very large flows of simultaneous visitors; we can conceptualise, develop and accompany your project from A to Z or intervene only punctually according to the needs.

In short, we know how to adapt (to you), and we do it with pleasure.

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First of all, what is an eco-responsible website?

It is a site that is resource-efficient from its design to its operation. In the face of current environmental concerns, digital pollution is also being called into question. Indeed, for a while, it was claimed that the ecological impact of many services was reduced by dematerialising exchanges, transactions, etc. Recently, however, we have realised that if we no longer send a document on paper, for example, or if we no longer print this document, we will instead store emails on a server which represents a far from insignificant energy expenditure and pollution impact. This is just one example among many to underline the fact that the web is not left behind in the current trend, and that mentions of eco-responsible, sustainable, green sites, etc. are multiplying.

Several search engines explain how they ‘offset’ their energy consumption by sponsoring associations or sustainable actions. You will also find a number of sites that allow you to rate the eco-responsibility of your website, providing advice and some good habits to reduce your impact. The main points observed are the following

• page complexity (i.e. the number of elements to be displayed on a page)
• Bandwidth requirements (a high definition video requires more bandwidth than a standard block of text for example)
• server load (i.e. the number of HTTP requests sent by the site to solicit connections to third parties, information, etc.)

Is it possible to have a full eco-responsible site?

Not really. Despite what you may read here and there, the web currently consumes energy, both for the manufacture of the devices that allow access to it (smartphones, computers, tablets, etc.) and for the storage and transfer of the data that make it interesting (cables, servers to be designed and then cooled, etc.). Let’s not even talk about the end of life of all these materials and the waste production that this causes – that’s another subject.

Being aware of this is important. But it is already a good thing and with this in mind, action is possible. While it is a lie to claim to produce a “green” website, it is indeed possible to reduce its energy consumption – and thus make it more energy and environmentally friendly.

A first and not least important step is to work on the accessibility of its pages. Having a standardised and good-sized typography, simple elements with little interaction, strong colour contrasts, etc., are key elements to make a website accessible. The good news is that these are also positive points for reducing consumption.
Limiting the number of plugins, reducing the weight of images, not multiplying useless elements and superfluous developments, emptying your caches, are also important elements – and which, beyond the “ecological” aspect of your site, will quite simply improve its performance (accelerated page loading speed, for example) and readability.
Remember that any digital action is polluting (sending an email, making a LinkedIn post or entering a search in an engine). So, when setting up your strategy, focus on quality rather than quantity. If you’ve already read this somewhere, it’s because it’s also the basis for effective communication.

We would like to stress one point: it is only about reducing, not greening, a practice that does not know how to be green – at least at the time of writing this article. Finally, note that all the advice on reducing the impact of your site is also advice on improving the quality of your architecture, your campaigns, the performance of your pages and the relevance of your tools.

A number of web professionals are trying initiatives to develop more “responsible” sites, hosting sites on less energy consuming machines, etc. At Spade, we work to develop efficient and effective tools for you, we make accessible websites, which we want to be sustainable, without unnecessary frills. As an agency, we see ourselves as prescribers of these good practices, we want to continue to strive for an ideal website. We are doing our best, and have for example recently joined the professional ambassadors of responsible digital, by signing the Charter of Responsible Digital. It’s a signature on a piece of paper, of course, but it’s a step we wanted to take to motivate us to continue in this direction!

Of course!

We have code geniuses who can talk to machines… More seriously, data migration is indeed a possible operation and one that we carry out from time to time.

Only from time to time, because when you want a new site, you generally want to modify, move things around, change the shape and look of the containers, and therefore the contents.

Thus, recovering old articles as archives is of course possible (and often desirable). But before trying to recover all the information from your old site, take the time to think about the new one: do you want to see the same turns of phrase? The same blocks of text? The same images in the same places?

Maybe there will be some rewriting, maybe you’ll want to change everything. Having a new website is a bit like moving house: there are things you take with you and keep for the long term, and then there are things you’d rather leave in your old flat because they’ll look out of place in the new one.

There’s no need to worry too much about this part in any case, the question of content and its migration only comes later in the process of creating a site. Let’s start by discussing the new medium you need!

If we could answer this question in two words, we would either be liars or powerful soothsayers!
Being neither, we can only play the honesty card: it depends.
A website is like a house. You can have a small bungalow or a huge villa with all the comforts. It’s still a house, but it doesn’t have the same price.

It’s not so much the number of pages that makes a website expensive, but its complexity and the level of interaction/animation that is desired.
Does it require links to external platforms or servers? What type(s) of information and data must pass through, and what interactions are expected with them?
What is the complexity of the modules that will have to compose it (do you want a simple photo or should it be animated with effects? Do you want a simple list or a filtering system with several entries? Etc.).

To give a very broad range (which would then look more like a rake), a team of professionals can start providing a functional website (very basic, but with a clean design) from 3,000 euros. Some particularly complex sites will cost between 10 and 20 times that amount.
The average, however, for a website that is ergonomic, aesthetic, well thought out (with workshops in addition to design and development), with simple animations and built with a Content Management System that allows you total autonomy in managing it and building new pages, is around 15,000 euros.

Please note that these are only averages, estimates, all estimates are different. The best way to find out how much a website costs is to ask us the question and describe your wishes. Then we can give you a good answer. And only then can you make a good decision.

Why make specifications ?

The specifications are a document that sets the framework for the realisation of any project (writing, building, design, development, maintenance, etc.). Writing one allows the person/service provider to whom you entrust the project to have all the cards in hand to carry it out according to your expectations. The more precise it is, the closer the result will be to your expectations.

Note, however, that the more precise it is, the more confident you should be: too much precision prevents the professional you call upon from proposing alternatives that might in fact be more interesting / better thought out / more practical. It is not for nothing that you call on an external person to carry out this or that, so remember to give them the opportunity to express their suggestions and alternative proposals (with reasons, however).

How do you draw up specifications?

Work on the specifications necessarily begins with a stage of introspection: rethink who you are, what you do, what you aim to achieve; why you are asking for the creation/design of such and such a tool or service; what you expect from this tool or this service; etc. These elements are essential.

Sometimes the specifications stop there, adding only administrative and legal information: who to contact; location of the service; requirements for submitting a bid and conditions for its acceptance; methods for selecting the service provider; intellectual property mentions; etc.

Most often, however, it goes on and lists the expectations. In the case of a website or mobile app, you will then specify the technical and practical functionalities desired. For example, you want to have a map to show several points on it; have a specific animation effect; you need keyword search, filters; you want users to be redirected to such and such a place; you need there to be a link to such and such a database related to your business; you know you will need to load a certain type of media; etc.

Detail the environment in which the product/service/website must fit (other parent sites? Social networks? Existing extranet / intranet? Etc.)

You can then compare with the blocking or missing elements of your current platform if it exists – making comparisons or proposing references is always a plus and allows you to refine your proposal even more. So if you have seen a feature or effect on another platform that you like, put the link in your CDC, to show what you are talking about.

After the features, you should indicate whether there is already a logo and graphic charter developed and to be integrated, or whether it is to be created from scratch, or whether, as an alternative, these elements exist on paper but need to be adapted to digital (which will require a redesign).

Finally, and ideally, specify the desired post-launch maintenance time and the lifespan of the project. Will it be an event-related site – so with a limited lifespan, or a corporate site for the next 10 years? Do you want to take care of the hosting or leave it to your future provider?

Depending on the project, a CDC can be long, very long, or even very very long. Don’t be afraid to list all the background information, questions and expectations – the providers who will respond to your CoC are there to answer your questions and provide solutions. The more specific you are in your request, the more concrete and relevant what will be presented to you will be (both in terms of functionality and in terms of the budget and schedule announced).

If, however, you are still nervous about the idea of starting this project, we can also help you establish what you need to put in the CDC so as not to forget anything. Just contact us!

The User eXperience (UX) of your platform is a subtle mix of ergonomics, aesthetics and usefulness of what you offer to your users. In other words, it is one of the elements that will make them come back to your page with pleasure or not, recommend it, cite it as an example, or avoid it as much as possible.

As consultation practices evolve regularly, one cannot judge that a UX is definitely the right one and never touch it again.

There are, of course, some basic precepts and some unavoidable elements (a button must look like a button, for example, whatever its position or the ease with which the user clicks on it). But precisely, will what will seem obvious to someone who is very familiar with your environment be obvious to someone who is more distant from such and such a practice? Not sure, and that’s where the UX Design experts come in.

Indeed, improving the UX of your platform already means asking yourself a number of questions about who the main users of your site/app are, what they are looking for, and what you expect from them in terms of interaction and action. For example, if it is imperative that people on your site read the 4 lines of explanation before clicking on the “next” button, then this button should be placed below the 4 lines, not above.

This may seem like a no-brainer, but it’s a thousand little details like this that make your platform UX friendly, or not.

To test and improve the experience on your tool, there is nothing like calling on professionals who will have an outside view and the right ideas to improve the existing one!

Web accessibility means access to web content for all people (including those with visual or hearing disabilities, etc.), regardless of the media (mobile, tablet, etc.) and the environment  (noise level, lighting, etc.). The challenge is therefore to take into account all the conditions of consultation when creating the website and its content.

The very definition implies that a good accessible site is designed with this in mind from the very first stages. In fact, the accessibility of a site will be determined at various levels:

• in the structuring of the navigation and the architecture of the website in an easily understandable way (sitemap)
• in the choice of colors and shapes of elements, buttons, content blocks, graphic designs, etc. (UX and UI design)
• in the way text content is written: the shorter it is, the easier it is for any user to understand; adopt a clear hierarchy of titles, subtitles, body text, etc.
• in the detail given to visual media (images and videos): avoid illustrations with text included (unreadable for both a browser and a visually impaired person); fill in
• alternative texts for images, insert subtitles in videos, etc.

To judge the accessibility of your site, think of extreme situations – a person with foggy glasses on a crowded and noisy public transport, reaching out to try to read your latest news on their smartphone with a broken screen. If your page passes this test, you’re there!

In Belgium, the AnySurfer label distinguishes accessible platforms. To obtain this label, you have to apply for it and then, depending on the diagnosis, make the necessary adaptations.

Bonus: having an accessible website seems complicated to you? It’s a trick you’ll have to take, and you’ll see: an accessible site is a site that the search engines will find more easily… so it’s also a guarantee of a better SEO!

The CMS (Content Management System) is a software that supports the content of the website. It allows the design of the site itself, then the management and production of the content that makes it up.

There are a certain number of them, among which we find the best known such as Joomla, Drupal, Wix or WordPress. In 2021, WordPress was considered the most widespread CMS in the world, used for about 43% of websites. (Source)

Since its inception, Spade has developed an expertise in the WordPress CMS, creating an additional layer in the working environment for this CMS that facilitates its use and further increases its usability – this space, its features and its modules is called Minotaur.

This affinity with the WordPress environment does not prevent us from working on projects using other CMS – either directly or via the intervention of partner specialising in other solutions.

In short, as long as a site can be coded in PHP and using a MySQL database, we can support you.