Web Design and Search Engine Optimisation

Using a combination of HTML, Flash, Javascript and the latest highly accessible CSS techniques, I've developed some of Scotland's top online destinations.

HeraldScotland.com
The latest news site from the Herald & Times Group, replacing the previous theherald.co.uk and sundayherald.com sites. This site was developed using the Atex Polopoly CMS to seamlessly integrate with our existing Atex Prestige newspaper publishing system. It allows journalists to file copy directly to the web from systems they're already using such as Prestige or InCopy. For more details see this blog post.
s1jobs.com - Scotland's no.1 recruitment site
I have worked on s1jobs since 2000, developing it from an initial concept to its current position as Scotland's no.1 recruitment site. In Scotland we out perform all other recruitment sites -- even the likes of Monster, Total Jobs, Careerbuilder, etc -- by a long way. In October 2007 we attracted over 440,000 unique users, that's 1 in 5 of Scotland's working population visting the site in one month!
The Herald
Developed a new version of the newspaper site in 2004 using then cutting-edge CSS techniques to provide a three column layout that better reflected the look and feel of the newspaper. The site attracted praise from industry titles since as Poynter for its innovative, newspaper-like approach.
British Fantasy Football
Our fantasy football site was the first to offer a unified UK league including players from both the SPL and English Permiership in the same game. It attracted praise from groups such as FISO for its simple, attractive layout and ease of use. This site is no longer online.

Technical Innovation

I'm always looking out for innovative new uses of technology. I recently developed this UK's first (possibly the world's first) mobile jobs site to allow job applications directly from your mobile handset. Extending the concept further, I added an SMS interface to allow people to apply for any job using their phone - even if that job wasn't advertised on our site. Both services have proved incredibly popular. You can read more about these new services here.

Search Engine Optimisation

A large part of my job at s1 has been Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). I have developed a number of techniques and strategies over the years to ensure our recruitment, property and entertainment listings sites all perform well on search engines. In addition to targetting key competitive terms, I've developed methods to target the "long tail" -- the thousands of different search terms that attract only a few users each, but together add up to a large proportion of search referrals.

In the Press

Popular sites

s1jobs.com
Scotland's no.1 recruitment site

s1jobs mobile
For mobile phones and PDAs

Site Awards

Nomination: Best Scottish Brand Ever
Scottish Advertising Awards

Best Regional Jobsite 2003
National Online Recruitment Awards

Best Regional Jobsite 2004
National Online Recruitment Awards

Best Regional Jobsite 2005
National Online Recruitment Awards

Best Regional Jobsite 2006
National Online Recruitment Awards

Best Regional Jobsite 2007
National Online Recruitment Awards

Best Regional Jobsite 2008
National Online Recruitment Awards