26th April 2022
Can you count how many times you’ve mentally used the word ‘crisis’ to describe what’s happening in the world in these past few years? COVID, various fuel crises’, climate change, global wildfires, energy shortages, wars, to name a few....
5th April 2022
Understanding the need for Responsive Web Design Do you remember how we engaged with the internet 20 years ago? How about even just 10 years ago? Haven’t things changed dramatically? Since our founding in 2002, we have witnessed 7...
12th January 2022
User Engagement and Return on Investment It’s a common misconception that well-performing websites have been designed and built, then left alone to run on their own. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Websites need ongoing support to get...
6th January 2021
A Focus on Newcastle Web Design Projects When it comes to web design in Newcastle, look no further than Urban River. We’ve spent the last 18 years mastering the art of designing and building amazing websites for organisations across...
16th December 2020
Web Design & SEO: How They Work Together The best web design projects incorporate SEO from the very beginning. Every site must have key technical elements in place to enable them to flourish in search – otherwise, even the...
22nd September 2020
Ecommerce Web Design Tips: How To Build A Website To Sell Stuff Selling products online is a lucrative industry for those who do it right. But doing it right is a task in itself. With so much competition and...
22nd September 2020
Web Design Vs Web Development: Why User-Centric Design Matters In a world that’s already dominated by digital technologies, it seems strange to still have confusion over the terms web design and web development – are they the same thing?...
22nd September 2020
Web Design Tips For Accessibility Accessibility is a non-negotiable part of web design in 2020. When you are designing a website, it’s vital to recognise that not all visitors will use your website in the same way. In fact,...
22nd September 2020
Web Design Project Stages Whether you are considering investing your SME Restart and Recovery Grant in a new website or you are simply curious about what a web design project entails, this article is for you. We think it’s...
28th July 2020
Generate more leads for your service-based business – web design hints & tips Your web design plays an important role in your lead generation strategy. If your website is slow to load with inconsistent branding, poorly written copy and...
28th July 2020
Web design tips to reduce your bounce rate and keep customers engaged If you check your website’s Google Analytics regularly, then you will be familiar with the term “bounce rate.” Your bounce rate is the percentage of visitors who...
17th June 2020
Web design tips to optimise your homepage conversions While we recommend building campaign-specific landing pages to optimise conversions, don’t forget about the sales power of your homepage. Transform passive homepage visitors into engaged customers with these easy web design...
10th June 2020
5 easy web design tricks to improve your loading speed When it comes to web design, your page loading speed should be at the top of your agenda. The time it takes to load your website, on any device,...
19th May 2020
Digital marketing checklist While it may not be clear when exactly businesses will reopen, there’s no time like the present to get your digital marketing strategies in order. Digital marketing should play a role in every layer of your...
6th May 2020
Digital marketing tips during the pandemic Whether you’re rushed off your feet supporting key workers or you’ve shut up shop for the foreseeable future, one thing’s for sure: your marketing strategy needs to change. Even now, there’s so much...
6th May 2020
Should you focus getting your business online during lockdown? Whether you run a brick-and-mortar shop or you’re looking to sell your leftover supplies. An eCommerce website is a great way to keep your business running online during the lockdown....
11th December 2019
Want more sales and enquiries for your website? Your website should work like another member of the team – bringing in sales, enquiries and other forms of interest that are useful to you and your business. If you feel...
20th November 2019
Millions of consumers worldwide have disabilities which interfere with their use of the world wide web. When websites choose not to be accessible, they’re cutting off a significant number of people from gaining knowledge, entering online communities and taking...
19th November 2019
With so many options to choose from, it can be difficult for students and parents to pick the right school for them. One household may well have several schools in their catchment area and if one school in particular...
29th October 2019
What’s so scary about creativity? Creativity need not take the form of an attention-grabbing publicity stunt or an expensive piece of advertising. Neither should it deter from the founding values of your business. Creative thinking should embrace the aims and...
28th October 2019
With marketing budgets suffering in recent years, it is more important than ever for companies to look after their customers and introduce customer retention strategies. In order to explain the importance of customer retention, marketing agency Urban River gets...
9th October 2019
Looking to create an engaging school website? Have you been tasked with revamping your school’s website? It can be tricky to know what features you want, especially if you have no web design experience. Urban River are here to...
9th October 2019
Instagram is making preparations to hide likes from posts on the platform. Users will be able to see how many people have liked their posts, but they won’t be able to see the number of likes on other user’s...
9th October 2019
If we had a penny for every time we were asked that question… The truth is, the cost of a website can vary wildly depending on your needs. There’s no size fits all for a website! Let’s take a...
10th September 2019
A great marketing strategy requires everyone on board and supporting your vision. When all employees support a brand and a marketing strategy – it comes through in how they communicate with clients and each other. You can’t bear the...
3rd September 2019
The thinking behind UX web design goes further than you might think – there’s a deeper process that looks at how we think and what effect that has on how we perceive and use a website. UX web design...
3rd September 2019
The thought of running a marketing campaign aimed at Generation Z would make even your most seasoned marketeer hesitant. They’re young, technologically advanced and the usually tried and tested techniques simply don’t resonate with them. At all. Where do...
26th June 2019
You built your website with the hope that it would be a lead generating machine. If your website seems to be doing very little to help your business grow, it isn’t doing its job. It’s time to take a...
26th June 2019
Your website’s blog is out of date and you haven’t added to it for quite some time. You may have put together a ‘Happy New Year’ post back in January to ease you into your first day back, but...
2nd April 2019
The bane of every online retailer’s life – cart abandonment! We’ve all done it – clicked add to cart and then walked away. Why? There are so many reasons, and sometimes it can just be a simple, unavoidable error,...
26th March 2019
What is tone of voice and why does it matter? Tone of voice, confusingly enough, refers to the written word and it’s all about how we communicate with our audience. Our tone of voice changes depending on the product...
26th March 2019
What is an SSL Certificate? An SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) Certificate is how your website communicates to customers that they can browse, shop and share secure information without fear of it being intercepted. It is signified by a small...
3rd October 2018
An online presence is vital to the success of any business but merely having a website is not enough. Your website needs to be user friendly across all devices and provide a simple way for your customers to buy...
25th September 2018
Bespoke web design – what are the advantages? First impressions matter and we all know that an online presence is vital to the success of a business. With so many off the shelf solutions available at a reasonable cost,...
12th September 2018
Website principles – Web design basics for your website When building a website, what is necessary and what isn’t can get lost amongst your brand vision. You want it to look good, have a professional feel and be at...
31st July 2018
There are many affiliate websites out there, some far better and more successful than others. So, what are affiliate websites and what makes them a success? Price Comparison Sites We all know of the big price comparison websites due...
24th July 2018
Opening and running a nursery can be an expensive business and whilst experience and a love of working with children are the major ingredients, a well thought out marketing strategy could make the difference between your business being a...
17th July 2018
How aviation design is changing in the next 10 years The world of aviation is constantly changing, and the next ten years could see significant developments in the whole aviation experience. What aviation design changes could we expect in...
16th July 2018
How do you create a strong, effective, engaged team who work well together? It probably won’t surprise you to know that the answer is to make them happy. Happy workers are more productive, less likely to change jobs, have...
2nd July 2018
It’s easy to think of WordPress as a simple blogging platform however with 30% of the web powered by WordPress, it is far more than that. The world’s most popular content management system is used by some of the...
25th June 2018
With so many issues to deal with when an Ofsted visit is imminent, the last thing you want to be worrying about is whether your website is compliant or not. Your website will be the first thing the inspectors...
19th June 2018
When asked to name the world’s most successful retail company, most would say Amazon. With nearly half of all US online sales going through their website it’s hard to disagree. When asked why, there are a variety of reasons...
12th June 2018
Hate smartphones, love books? Love social media, but hate picking up the phone? We get it – you’re either an Internet devotee, or you love to keep it real with more traditional media. Here at Urban River, we’re a...
5th June 2018
Does your company need an online booking system? How easy is it to create one? Will an online booking system benefit your company? It wasn’t that long ago that ordering tickets meant phoning a premium rate number, navigating...
29th May 2018
Any estate agent will tell you that time is money and using that time well is key to making sales and increasing profits. So how do you improve efficiencies in an estate agent? All in one approach You probably...
14th May 2018
Ok, so you’ve got a great product – now what? It’s time to get out there and start making connections! Put yourself in front of your target market by going to the places they hang out, and become part...
14th May 2018
When deciding to sell online, your choice of ecommerce platforms is one of the most important decisions you will make. Whilst your site looks great and you provide fantastic content, ultimately you want the customer to buy and if...
30th April 2018
Challenges in marketing engineering firms Unlike companies that have a product to sell, engineering businesses are offering services and concepts that are possibly expensive and require extended sales cycles. The traditional approach of professional networking, conferences and event sponsorship...
16th April 2018
Marketing and sales aren’t the same – and shouldn’t be treated as such. They’re two very different departments that have been known to have issues with each other, but it doesn’t have to be this way. By ensuring the...
10th April 2018
Database reporting systems can save you time and money. Reports are vital to any well-run business; however, it sometimes feels like we spend more time processing, manipulating and reporting data than we do delivering the activities the reports relate...
5th April 2018
SEO Law Firm – get to the top of the rankings Over 90% of people who need the services of a Law Firm will use a search engine. Every self-respecting Law Firm will already have a website but how...
29th March 2018
Electric cars are the future. We seem to have been saying this for decades but now it is actually coming true. Ford has doubled its investment in electric vehicles (EV) to £8bn. Ford promises 16 fully electric vehicles and 24...
23rd March 2018
We’re in exciting times and there’s no better time than to future proof your brand. Disruption is turning markets on their heads, and technology is moving so fast that no one can begin to predict what amazing solution will...
20th March 2018
We’ve previously discussed whether you have the time for e-commerce. The next question you need to ask is ‘Which e-commerce solution is right for me?’ With WooCommerce having nearly 2m customers worldwide and Magento 250,000 they are the two...
20th March 2018
With so many consultancies out there, how do you make your business stand out from the rest? To effectively promote your consultancy business, you must first understand that you are now the brand. Everything you do, both online and...
12th March 2018
Social media platforms can be a minefield, and for a business it can be a costly mistake if not handled correctly. How do you know which platform is best for you? How do you know that you aren’t wasting...
12th March 2018
Print media – is it still relevant ? When you can reach large swathes of your customers in seconds with a single Facebook post, when a photo taken on your smartphone can be viewed by thousands on Instagram, when...
21st February 2018
How much time do you spend online? Can you remember a time when you weren’t browsing websites, posting on social media or clearing notifications from your phone? Do you need a digital detox? The digital revolution has been an undoubted success...
19th February 2018
Following on from the bold redesign that both Skype and Dropbox websites went through in 2017, the question on everybody’s lips is ‘What will the Website Design trends be in 2018?’ We will not only see a big shift...
12th February 2018
Colour gurus Pantone have announced their Pantone colour of the year – Ultra Violet. They describe it as “A dramatically provocative and thoughtful purple shade…Ultra Violet communicates originality, ingenuity, and visionary thinking”. Quite an ambitious statement to make about...
8th February 2018
New staff wanted – want to be a name and not a number? Following a busy few months, we are further expanding and looking for two new members to join the team. We currently have a Junior Web Developer...
28th December 2017
Have you ever visited a website to look at a pair of shoes or shirt you are interested in only to see the very same item in an advert on another site you visit? Have you put an item...
18th December 2017
What is a user journey? A user journey is a step by step map, usually in the form of a flow chart, of how a customer will navigate your website to achieve their goals. These are used to analyse...
12th December 2017
When do you start celebrating Christmas? Is it Christmas Eve or 1st December or is it when John Lewis unveil their Christmas advert? As much of a tradition as Grandad’s post lunch snooze and as eagerly anticipated as Christmas...
1st December 2017
As a web design agency, it may seem like we’re crazy about the online world. We are, but we know that isn’t the be all and end all. Whilst it’s important to have a strong online presence, it’s equally...
19th November 2017
A great B2B doesn’t just convert visitors into customers – it also tells the story of a company and brings it to life. We’ve hand-picked our top seven B2B websites: Grammarly Grammarly is the world’s leading automated proof reader,...
11th November 2017
According to the Office of National Statistics, in September 2017 the average weekly spending online was £1.2 billion; an increase of 14% compared with September 2016. This accounts for approximately 17% of all retail spending. You may think that...
31st October 2017
By implementing a tailored SEO strategy to your business you can expect to see effective results providing a return on your investment. Here’s a list of 5 reasons why your business should consider investing in SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)....
31st October 2017
6 simple tips for successful networking Successful networking is often misunderstood, striking fear into some, and with others, they see it as an excuse to shout about themselves from the rooftops. Whether you are a small business, a creative professional...
26th October 2017
School Website Design Websites are a challenge for any school. It’s hard to find the time to consider a school’s web presence. There are so many other pressing issues to focus on. We’ve worked with colleges, schools and nurseries,...
23rd October 2017
As we look back on our 15th year of business, it’s been busy times for Web Design Newcastle agency Urban River. We’ve had 12 successful new website launches this year so far, so we thought we’d share the news.....
6th October 2017
Should it be part of your marketing mix? One of the latest social media networks to skyrocket to success, Snapchat is a serious competitor for Instagram and other image based apps. Brands are starting to take more interest in...
22nd September 2017
Ecommerce websites – tips on which colour to use to ensure sales We know colour is important when designing ecommerce websites – but just how important is it? It can account for up to 85% of the reason why people...
18th September 2017
A guide to using stock imagery A lot of us use stock imagery for our website (ourselves included) but let’s be honest – we would all rather have an image bank of our own photos to choose from. However,...
4th September 2017
Voice search strategy – top tips Do you have a voice search strategy? If you’re reading this, you probably don’t! And who could blame you – when was the last time you asked Siri for anything? Probably when Siri...
29th August 2017
Tackling cart abandonment 67.45% of carts are abandoned – it’s a big deal for any online retailer! There are a variety of reasons behind cart abandonment. It’s worth looking at how you can make it less likely. Making some...
11th August 2017
It’s happened to all of us. You’ve clicked a link and…you’ve ended up in the middle of nowhere, the dead end – the 404 page. I know you probably think your visitors never see a 404 page when browsing...
11th August 2017
We’ve all heard that User Experience is crucial to ensure customers have a positive experience on a website. But how true is this – and is it really worth investing time and money into? User Experience increases conversions You...
1st August 2017
Creating a clean website design Crisp, Clean website designs are in, and everyone wants one. Flashing buttons, neon colours and cartoony mouse pointers (remember them?) have absolutely had their day. If you are still sporting some of those features, you...
25th July 2017
Top tips to keep your website secure In a time of advancing technology, it’s vital you keep your website secure. Hackers are constantly developing new methods of getting hold of personal data and destroying your website. Follow our tips to...
24th July 2017
Top tips of using social media Social media can be a fantastic tool to get your business out there for everyone to see. When used right, it can bring more visitors to your website than ever before. However, for...
21st July 2017
There seems to be an app for everything these days. For shopping, banking – even ones to keep track of your sleep! You name it, there’s an app for it. It might feel like you’re being left out in the...
20th June 2017
Boost your website sales Why do you have a website? There could be lots of reasons, but your main reason is to get new customers and retain your current ones! We want that for you too, and to help...
13th June 2017
The latest web design trends Web design is a rapidly changing world, with new trends coming to the forefront all of the time. It can be difficult to keep up! So, we’ve put together some of the latest web...
19th May 2017
Why are 15% of Google searches new and does this affect your SEO strategy for your business? Google have recently announced that 15% of their yearly searches have never been seen before. They’re entirely unique. 15% doesn’t sound like a...
15th May 2017
A responsive website is a must Your website is looking great…but only on a desktop computer. In fact, on mobile it’s pretty much unusable. But that doesn’t matter, right? Wrong. You could be missing out if your business hasn’t...
15th May 2017
Branding basics How do you know it’s time to revamp your brand? We’ve put together some reasons why it might be a good idea to take a look at your branding and make some necessary changes. 1. Your brand...
4th May 2017
Website features essential for a successful website So you’re looking to set up a website. That’s great, but where do you start? We’ve put together a list of essential website features your site should have, therefore helping you to focus...
20th April 2017
Investing and improving in customer retention Nothing beats the feeling of a new order coming in, or a new client walking through your door. But when so much time and energy goes into getting new customers, is there a...
7th April 2017
Print marketing still matters Digital, digital, digital. It’s all we hear these days. We’re living in a digital world, where only social media, apps and websites matter. Even books can be downloaded, dictionaries come in app form too and...
24th March 2017
The avid LinkedIn user out there will have noticed that things don’t quite look the way they used to – LinkedIn has delivered an update with very little warning and no guide to get you through it. So, we’ve...
23rd March 2017
You’ve read up on what branding is or isn’t, you’ve designed a great logo and your website is fantastic. You’ve done what you can to create a brilliant brand; but how can you truly know if you’ve developed a...
13th February 2017
February 14th is upon us once again and as people around the world indulge in spoiling the target of their affections in the name of Saint Valentines, marketing agency Urban River takes a look at some of the facts...
24th January 2017
Starting a blog seemed like a great idea at the time – you were full of ideas and couldn’t wait to create content. But a few months have passed, the inspiration has dried up and your blog is gathering...
12th January 2017
Fair fa’ your honest, sonsie face, Great chieftain o the puddin’-race! Whether you’re settling in for the traditional Burns Night Supper of haggis, neeps and tatties, or have something grander planned, marketing agency Urban River’s mascot, Urban Rover, takes...
16th December 2016
2017 is almost upon us, and we are all looking towards the New Year and a fresh start. You will probably be giving your home a spring clean – why not your website too? Here are a few tips...
9th December 2016
It has been a big year for the Urban River team. Let’s take a look back at what we’ve been up to as we review 2016. If your business needs some design inspiration, let us create infographics like the...
9th December 2016
If your small business is booming at the local market, and you’re doing well with your Etsy orders – why do you need a website? You know a website is an important thing to have, but you need to...
25th November 2016
Leading North East art and entertainment venue, The Customs House, has gone live with their brand new website, designed and built by Newcastle web design agency Urban River. The new website is aimed at providing a smoother, quicker way...
25th November 2016
Urban River is a well established North East agency working with a range variety of clients. To support our recent project wins, we are looking to recruit a talented new web developer to join our friendly digital team. Not...
11th October 2016
Aside from looking at all of the pretty pictures, the main reason a user visits your website is to read through your content. Providing them with an effortless, efficient and pleasurable experience is essential to keeping them interested in...
6th October 2016
M-Commerce is one of the most rapidly expanding areas in digital. Generally speaking, m-commerce covers any purchases made on websites or apps, as well as transactions made in-store using a phone’s near field communication function (NFC) or contactless payment...
12th September 2016
For many years Social Media was thought of as the place for the younger generation. For them to spend time chatting and taking photos of every thing to share with their friends. Now the amount of people part of a Social...
14th June 2016
A Hexham based charity is looking to build on the special relationship between dogs and people with the launch of a new website. Wag and Company, became a registered charity in March 2016 and enables volunteers and their dogs...
26th May 2016
At the second meeting of Design Network North’s Web Interest Group, Newcastle web design company Urban River presented a talk on how to choose the right web design agency. For those who couldn’t attend a copy of his presentation...
16th May 2016
A lot of link building strategies can backfire, causing more damage than doing good. If you want to improve your ranking in the long term using a holistic SEO strategy, you should definitely avoid certain link building tactics. In...
9th May 2016
It is fair to say that SEO has had a tough time. Forever linked with unscrupulous practices used to game the system and an industry littered with stories of miss-selling and broken promises. Things became so toxic; companies were...
3rd May 2016
Newcastle Marketing Agency Urban River, had a great time at the North East Expo last week at Kingston Park. We were also fortunate enough to be asked to host a seminar at the event. For those that weren’t able to...
26th April 2016
A national organisation with global aspirations, North East based SnowShock is one of the UKs leading retailer of premium quality iced drinks and state of the art slush machines. They have seen their revenues increase 4 fold in the...
14th April 2016
Over the last 14 years Newcastle marketing agency Urban River has built hundreds of websites and experienced firsthand the benefits of selling online. With UK online spend having risen by 11% in 2015 to over £114 billion; things don’t seem...
24th March 2016
Web Design Newcastle company Urban River, were approached by leading UK driving school Pass’N’Go, with the ambitious brief of taking their traditionally offline based business online. By building advanced custom functionally, integrating a bespoke payment gateway system and allowing customers...
21st March 2016
With some 20000 marketing agencies in the UK, choosing the right fit for your company and even the process in general can seem a daunting one. Marketing Agency Newcastle, Urban River, have put together our clear guide on not...
16th March 2016
Marketing Agency Newcastle Urban River, presented today at Design Network North‘s first Web Interest Group. Our Digital Marketer, Shaun Causer, talked through the latest changes to Google and what it means for your website. For those who weren’t able...
4th March 2016
A County Durham based packaging company is looking to boost ambitious growth plans with the launch of a brand new website from Newcastle web design agency Urban River. Founded in 1989, Durham Box has grown to employ over 50...
22nd February 2016
After being spotted in the wild for a few weeks now, it now seems we’ve seen a big shift in how Google displays its AdWords results. As of the 19th February, Google has ceased showing ads on the right...
11th February 2016
With Valentine’s Day falling on a Sunday this year, many couples will be settling down for a romantic night in. Whether you’re looking to spoil a guy or a girl, Creative Design Agency Urban River, have come up with...
10th February 2016
If you’re looking to increase leads and sales by engaging with a results driven marketing agency like Urban River, there is now funding support to help you do just that. Through the new North East Business Support Fund (NEBSF)...
5th February 2016
Award winning childcare providers Kids 1st, have been working with Newcastle based creative agency Urban River for many years now. After being named ‘The Highest Quality Childcare Provider in the UK’ by Nursery World for an amazing 5th year...
28th January 2016
Most engineering company website designs are uninteresting, hard to navigate and just plain messy. With 13 years experience in engineering web design, we know it doesn’t have to be that way. We scoured the web for the best in...
22nd January 2016
As we enter our 14th year of business, things have never been busier for Newcastle marketing agency Urban River. 2015 ended on a real high. November saw Shaun Causer joining the Urban River team as a digital marketer. With...
18th January 2016
Behold the Urban River A-Z Marketing Jargon Buster! We always promise to cut through the jargon and give you the facts, but unfortunately the marketing sector is rife with buzzwords and industry speak that only serves to bamboozle its...
13th January 2016
This is the infographic you’ve been looking for. The Newcastle marketing agency Urban River team have been to a galaxy far, far away and back to come up with these fun facts about the Star Wars universe. Whether you’re...
12th January 2016
No one likes web spam, particularly when it clouds your ability to make accurate decisions. Having been asked by 2 clients recently about how to tidy up their Google Analytics and remove unwanted traffic, we’ve put together a quick...
12th January 2016
A Leicestershire based catering company is on a mission to revolutionise workplace lunches with the launch of a brand new website. Love Lunch was founded by best friends Zoe Furber and Jo Finch based at home in Shepshed, with...
6th January 2016
How do you take yours? The perfect cup of tea is the source of much debate; whether you adhere to the school of milk first, enjoy a proper builder’s brew, or prefer a good old cup of English Breakfast...
30th December 2015
There’s a lot more to Newcastle than Geordie Shore and Gazza. We like to see ourselves as the original Northern Powerhouse, contributing to science, engineering, popular culture and helping to shape our national identity. For our latest infographic, The...
24th December 2015
It’s not long until Christmas, so to get Urban River in the festive spirit we’ve been looking at all things Christmassy. We came across some unusual tree decorations and we’ve picked out some of our favourite alternative Christmas baubles...
21st December 2015
Given the explosion of social media marketing in the past few years, you’d struggle to find a company that’s not on Twitter. This is all well and good right? Well, that depends. Ask yourself this question, “Why should we...
17th December 2015
This year’s pantomime at the Customs House in South Shields is sure to draw the crowds, thanks to the help of a local Newcastle marketing agency. Urban River, a full service web and marketing agency based on King Street,...
17th December 2015
It’s fair to say that the new LinkedIn app has divided opinion. Comments vary from those complementing the new UI for its cleaner usability, to the more abrupt, “THIS IS NOT FACEBOOK!” On the later, I would agree with...
10th December 2015
It has been a big year for the Urban River team. 13 years young, over 300 happy clients and to top that off we re-branded and launched our new website. Let’s take a festive look back through time at...
10th December 2015
Be it for a geeky guy or girl – techies are notoriously hard to buy for at Christmas. To prevent you from the shrugs of indifference on Christmas morning, the Urban River team have come up with our ‘must...
8th December 2015
“Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse”. Your customers may well be stirring though. As great swathes of business shutdown for Christmas week, many are still operating...
30th November 2015
So you want to start a company blog? Firstly, well done you! You’ve made a great decision. Companies that blog generate 67% more leads per month than those that don’t. Deciding to engage with your audience and create a...
9th November 2015
It is important for schools to have a professional and useful website. A school’s website can be used for keeping school staff, parents and pupils up to date with what is happening within the school community. Your school’s website...
6th November 2015
If you run your own driving school, you need to make sure that potential customers can easily find your business. Having a professional looking website is the first step of having an online presence. This is where your customers...
5th November 2015
Remember, remember the fifth of November! How are you celebrating Bonfire Night? Our mascot Urban Rover has gathered some important rules for you to follow to ensure you have a safe and enjoyable night. Enjoy the fireworks!
3rd November 2015
We have been busy updating our portfolio with examples of some of our best work. We have recently added portfolio pieces for NIFCA, NorSCA and Choice and Medication. NIFCA We built NIFCA a brand new website to raise general awareness, and a bespoke...
6th October 2015
As a service business, good customer care is essential and we wanted to put a few words together about what it means to us, and, more importantly, what it means to our clients. Earlier in the month we spent...
5th October 2015
Let’s face it – there are hundreds, possibly thousands of web design agencies to choose from. It makes the decision for companies to select their creative agency partners a lot more difficult and can result in false promises, customer...
1st October 2015
We’re thrilled to share with you the results of one of our biggest digital projects in Urban River history – moving nationwide driving school Pass’N’Go’s entire business system online. We’ve been creating bespoke web design for 13 years for over 300...
30th September 2015
Did you know you can receive up to £2,800 of business grant funding to support a range of marketing activities including branding, website design and marketing support? It isn’t often you get the chance of free money, but virtually...
28th September 2015
Branding is so important to your business. It’s not just your logo and it’s not just what your business looks like. It’s all about representing your core values as a company and includes logo, style, tone of voice, customer...
25th September 2015
Newcastle web design agency Urban River has been in business since 2002. We have recently launched our new website and to celebrate, we are looking to recruit a talented Digital Marketer to join our friendly team. Not afraid of hard...
22nd September 2015
South Tyneside – the proud home of the legend that is Catherine Cookson, the Arbeia Roman Fort and…us! But there is so much more to South Tyneside than the visitor attractions, the seafront and the fish and chips (seriously,...
16th September 2015
A branding is very important, especially to us as a Newcastle web design agency. It is normally the first point of contact for most of your customers/clients and forms a recognisable face to your business. In truth however, your...
10th September 2015
“We have thrived in business for almost 13 years by listening to our clients, creating great design ideas and developing stand out websites. Our new branding reflects our experience and expertise as we grow”. Carl Buckley, Urban River Managing...
10th September 2015
As we’re celebrating our new website launch and re-brand, we thought we’d create an insightful infographic to highlight what we’ve been up to for the last 13 years. We hope you enjoyed our brief history in numbers as...
8th September 2015
Our clients over at SnowShock tasked us to create a new look for their company – contributing to SnowShock’s best summer sales on record! The Newcastle slush products provider approached Urban River with a simple brief – to help...
7th August 2015
The football season is back and we thought we’d celebrate by looking at some of our favourite football badge designs and brands of all time. We’ve tried not to be too biased to our North East teams, honest! Liverpool...
5th August 2015
Creative web design – it’s something that doesn’t have many limitations nowadays, and thanks to higher resolution screens and increasing internet speeds, web designers are coming up with stunning visual ideas that make the most of their online space....
20th July 2015
The Summer season is well and truly here for most of us, and whether you’re off on a caravan holiday to Whitley Bay or jet setting off to Coco Bay, the Urban River team have come up with a...
3rd July 2015
Hi everyone, I’m Sophie, Urban River’s newest member of the team! In April 2015 I saw the Digital Marketer vacancy posted on Linkedin and after reading the description, I knew it was the job for me and I had to...
21st April 2015
Google recently announced that it is making a significant change to its search algorithm for ranking their mobile search results. “Starting April 21, we will be expanding our use of mobile-friendliness as a ranking signal. This change will affect...
27th March 2015
Here at Urban River we have decided to list some of the key web design trends that you can expect to see more of on the web this year. Professional custom photography Using inexpensive stock photography on your website...
20th March 2015
How did you become a web developer for Urban River? I attended Northumbria University from 2007 – 2011 gaining a First Class BSc (Hons) in Multimedia Computing. I was also awarded the Northern Film and Media Prize for Outstanding Contribution...
13th March 2015
Red Nose Day is here! It’s the day when the whole of Britain gets together in a bid to raise money for Comic Relief. People up and down the country will be doing something funny to bring in money...
16th February 2015
How did you become a developer for Urban River? I Studied Creative Digital Media at Teesside University, after graduating I began working for a online printing company called Sense Creative. While working in my previous job I created, maintained...
18th December 2014
We’ve been very busy over the last couple of months with some great website launches for some great clients: Hannays Solicitors and Advocates An established and successful solicitors based in South Tyneside, Hannays’ website was in need of updating. We...
5th November 2014
The digital world is still a comparative baby when put up against other major industries. As such, buying a new (or replacing an existing) website can be a step into the unknown for a business owner. Over the years,...
26th September 2014
We’ve recently completed a number of great projects for our clients. Here are a few of them: Thorne & Derrick website A clean professional looking website for one of the largest specialist distributors and worldwide exporters of Electrical, Mechanical,...
16th September 2014
Premier Hardware Supplies – Marketing Campaign Premier Hardware Supplies is a retail store selling a range of hardware products to both trades-people and individuals. Newcastle web design agency, Urban River, were approached to develop a full portfolio marketing campaign to...
15th September 2014
In today’s digital-dependent world, making sure your website works for you is important for your business. So to help you decide if the time is right to get a new website we’ve put together some handy tips to watch...
4th September 2014
NHS Website – Brief A partnership between three statutory organisations responsible for the planning and buying of local NHS care across Newcastle and Gateshead, the Alliance required 4 new NHS websites (Alliance, Gateshead, Newcastle North East and Newcastle West)....
27th August 2014
Importing information can save you a lot of hard manual work when combining and revamping websites or building new ones. But with Importing we can skip the whole process of manually re-creating all the old content with hours of...
20th August 2014
What is a Website Wireframe? Once you engage with your chosen website developer, they will produce a wireframe to help you visualise what your site will look like. If you feel comfortable with the concept, you may even show...
19th August 2014
Every now and again you will come across the need to either backup your website data or move to a new hosting provider. When this happens you will need to export your WordPress data; and WordPress has an easy...
6th August 2014
If you have recently launched a new website using WordPress, you may have received emails notifying you of trackbacks and/or pingbacks on your site. If so, you might have the following questions running through your head: What is a...
29th July 2014
Brand Identity Introduction ABCO are a leading company in the supply and distribution of dispensed soft drink syrups throughout the UK. They needed a strong brand identity to represent the ABCO organisation. Brief ABCO approached Urban River to create their...
29th July 2014
It’s been 4 years since WordPress 3.0 was released and it has continued to expand both as a web platform and in its usage by the wider community. So four years on and we are looking at WordPress 4.0!...
23rd July 2014
Introduction The Customs House in South Shields is one of the North East’s premier centres for arts and entertainment. They approached creative design agency Urban River to produce the design for print on a wide range of supporting materials for...
23rd July 2014
How do I buy a new website? Changing your website, whether it’s a refresh or commissioning a completely new site, has the potential to become an expensive, time consuming and frustrating experience. So how should you buy a new website?...
22nd July 2014
Spam, unfortunately, is just another part of the web’s circle of life but there are quite a few reasonably easy steps to counter the problems that come with comment and email spam. Some of the solutions come with WordPress...
21st July 2014
If you don’t have the expertise in-house to carry out design tasks here’s no doubt that enlisting a creative agency to help with your marketing strategies can pay dividends, but how can you be sure you’re taking on the...
15th July 2014
You’ve written your article, added your imagery and optimised it for search engines as best you can. Now all that’s left is to launch your mini-masterpiece onto the world wide web – what things should you take into consideration?...
8th July 2014
The WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) editor is a powerful tool that helps you manage and style the content on your website quickly and correctly. It comes with plenty of functionality but does have a few...
2nd July 2014
10 Creative Direct Mail Campaigns Traditional direct mail often gets ruled as the ‘golden oldie’ of marketing, especially in this digital age where news is real-time, markets are crowded and content sharing is aspired to. Introducing yourself to ideal...
1st July 2014
One of the great things about using WordPress for your website is the wealth of plugins that are available. By using plugins you are able to expand WordPress’s functionality in the click of a button. I’m going to talk...
26th June 2014
Top Ten Branding Tips Branding is one of the most important aspects of a strong company when it comes to securing the goodwill and trust of your customers. Newcastle Branding Specialists Urban River provides Ten Branding Tips advising how...
25th June 2014
With major version releases scheduled every 3-4 months and small patches almost weekly, WordPress does a good job of keeping itself up to date. There are many reasons for this; some are for security reasons and others are for...
23rd June 2014
The latest installment in our once-weekly WordPress series focuses on imagery, and gives a step-by-step guide on how to add them to your post. 1: Upload your image Once you have written your text content and added it to...
22nd June 2014
Responsive web design is when a website automatically responds to the device your customers are using to view it. This means that whether your current and potential customers are browsing your website using their laptop, netbook, PC, tablet or...
18th June 2014
You may or may not be aware that WordPress comes bundled with its own basic image editing facilities. This week our WordPress Weekly blog is covering editing images in WordPress Any images which you use on your WordPress website...
12th June 2014
WordPress is the Urban River CMS (content management system) of choice and many agree with us; 20% of all websites created in the last 5 years have been built using it. It has a lot to offer as a...
12th June 2014
Greatspace Architecture Website – Brief Greatspace are a young architectural practice based in Northumberland. They approached Urban River to create a new website which would be an improvement on their existing site from both a design and structural point of...
12th June 2014
Overcoming Theatre Website – The Brief Overcoming Theatre is an educational theatre company established in the north east of England. Via workshops and sessions in schools, they teach the 5 main techniques and theories of acting – notorious in...
10th June 2014
The 2018 FIFA World Cup is the first to be held in Eastern Europe. For the first time the tournament takes place on two continents – Europe and Asia. It is the most expensive World Cup in history with an estimated...
16th April 2014
For this blog post we wanted to cover a few of the most common questions we get asked by e-commerce store owners. The following tips and advice are only the tips of the iceberg and it’s important to remember...
6th February 2014
Urban River is an established creative design agency and being a service based organisation ourselves we understand the difficulties financial firms face when marketing and selling services. We have experience of working with financial organisations and have come to...
4th December 2013
Stand out with a Creative Exhibition Display Sick of the using the same old boring exhibition stands at events? Want a creative exhibition display and need some inspiration for how to stand out for your next marketing campaign? If...
7th November 2013
Ten Website Tips For most businesses a website is the focal point for providing information to customers and acts as a vital tool for generating leads and enquiries and ultimately new business. Is your website currently performing as well...
3rd September 2013
Newcastle Design Agency Urban River provides you with ten easy to follow SEO Tips to help your rankings in the search engines. Information on Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) can often be contradictory making it confusing and difficult to understand...
3rd September 2013
According to a recent Nielson research survey, 90% of customers want to receive print design marketing collateral related to promotions and sales. Print design agency Newcastle based Urban River has a look into the Top Ten Benefits of Print...
9th August 2013
With companies around the UK and worldwide feeling the pressure to get a mobile website, the digital team at Urban River made an executive decision back in July 2012; for all the websites they build to be responsive design...
23rd July 2013
A lot of companies have moved away from direct mail in recent years and focused their marketing activities online. However the opening rate for direct mail is still high which means it is an efficient tool for drawing in...
23rd July 2013
Email Marketing is a cost effective tool for promoting you business and building loyalty, trust and brand awareness. Newcastle web design agency Urban River takes a look at Ten Top Email Marketing Tips to help you get the best...
13th July 2013
Top Ten Blog Tips At the end of 2011 there were 181 million blogs reported around the world. (source Nielson). It’s no surprise that number is constantly increasing because blogs are an effective online marketing tool that gets information...
9th May 2013
North East creative design agency Urban River is celebrating 10 years in business. As a Newcastle design agency we create brands, creative campaigns and websites and after a decade in the industry we are still going strong. Although ten...
14th February 2013
A lot of organisations are now focusing all or most of their attention on online marketing activities and completely forgetting about their offline marketing presence. In The Marketing Budgets 2012 Report, published by Econsultancy in association with Experian Marketing...
14th February 2013
ITV have a new logo, which obviously makes headline news in our world. This should be easy as no one was in love with the old one, but of course it isn’t. Just like the Olympics logo, the general...
31st January 2013
Drupal, an open source content management platform which powers millions of websites and applications, came into the world back in 1999. A developer called Dries Buytaert first put finger to keyboard building a messaging board, but shortly interest started...
25th January 2013
There were 181 million blogs (source Nielson) around the world reported at the end of 2011 and as that number constantly increases it’s no surprise that more and more businesses are using blogs as an effective online marketing tool....
3rd January 2013
Viral marketing is basically an idea that spreads which helps market your business as it continues to spread. There are various mediums you can utilise to create a successful viral marketing campaign and the best campaigns are the ones...
8th October 2012
Over the last few years Urban River have worked with Kids 1st, who were named as the highest quality childcare provider in the UK by Nursery World in 2011, as well as a large number of youth and education...
18th September 2012
Beware of bespoke content management systems, a can of worms If adopting a bespoke CMS works for you and your business, that’s all well and good but we have heard time and again the horror stories of bad CMS...
31st July 2012
When was the last time you actually looked twice at a business card? Can’t remember or are you looking to be inspired? Check out our top 25 cool business cards. Metal, mini, useful and weirdly-shaped – you’ll find a...
26th July 2012
This summer a variety of companies featured the Olympic branding on both product packaging and on the products themselves. We take a look at our favourite selection of Olympic-themed design for everything from sweets to stamps! 1. Haribo New...
16th July 2012
The arrival of the London Olympics 2012 has caused a snowball of sports-themed TV advertisements popping up on our screens and capitalising from the events media coverage. To celebrate the countdown to Olympics we have selected our favourite Olympic...
12th July 2012
Newcastle based design agency Urban River looks at the most important 6 ways to generate new customers on a budget! 1. Use your old ones. If your firm maintains its current income levels through Word of Mouth and referrals, make sure you...
25th June 2012
A bad brand is what marketers and designers would say is one of the most vital pitfalls to avoid! Most people acknowledge that making a good first impression is vital. For most companies that first impression is made by...
13th June 2012
Having a Facebook page for your business is a great way to extend your online presence from your website! We’ve chosen our 15 favourite Facebook for businesses examples so you can see how the big brands are adopting social...
20th April 2012
On 27 July 2012, the Olympics come to London. We all recognise the Olympics rings logo but what other logos have represented the world famous sporting event? We’re glad you asked. Check out the Olympic logo history and the...
15th March 2012
When construction of the tunnel began in 2008, the day when both tunnels were in full operation seemed a long way off. But on 21st November 2011 that mission was completed and 2 lanes of traffic (40,000 vehicles) freely...
1st March 2012
There’s no doubt that enlisting the help of a creative agency to help with your business’s marketing strategies can pay dividends if you don’t have the expertise in-house to carry out such tasks… but how can you be sure...
21st February 2012
“The internet will be mostly browsed using mobile devices by 2015”. Believe it or not this prediction by the International Data Corporation is proving to be correct as 2011 Knowledge Network studies show “Tablet owners are spending most time...
25th August 2011
Thinking outside the Box When X Factor returned to our screen as well as the music moguls raking it in, it gave the TV big-wigs an excuse to rub their hands together at the thought of this year’s advertising charges (which emptied...
26th July 2011
So you may or may not be aware that we have a mascot. Yes, Urban River the design agency in Newcastle has a mascot! Why is that? You could be forgiven for thinking mascots are something you would associate...
15th July 2011
What a catch! National award-winning seafood deli Latimers approached North East design agency Urban River to help them catch a bigger share of the market. Latimers Seafood, based in Whitburn, Tyne and Wear, wanted to reach clients old and...
15th July 2011
Are you on the map? As you know, your website is the online shop-window of your business. It looks good, features some of your products and services, and you have invested a lot of time, money and effort into...
10th June 2011
WordPress was initially launched as an open source blog tool and publishing platform, but since then it has transformed into a fully fledged Content Management System (CMS) which can be used to manage virtually anything. Here are a few...
18th February 2011
Changing your website, whether refreshing an existing one or commissioning a completely new site has the potential to become an expensive, time consuming and frustrating experience. With solid planning and thought, you can expect the process to be simple,...
15th February 2011
A Mobile Web Experience Mobile is not a maybe… It’s a MUST! User Friendly mobile sites are becoming increasingly more necessary. This is due to the fact that in 2013, 10.44% of the world’s web usage is trafficked from...
22nd November 2010
How to make your brand memorable Your company’s brand and image is one of the most important yet often overlooked areas. A truly great brand identity can increase sales, confidence and create a lasting relationship with your clients. Brands...
28th October 2010
graze.com A few months ago our good friends bought my wife and I voucher for graze.com. (Thanks again Carly and Big Neil!) I wasn’t sure what it was if I’m honest, but was intrigued to try it out. Considering...