To give prospective clients and the digital world a better understanding of our organisation, we interviewed Mike Wade – founder and Director at WADEDIGITAL – to see how he began working in web design and where he feels the industry is heading next…
When did you start WADEDITIGAL?
WADEDIGITAL initially started as Mike Wade Web Design back in 2012, although I was making websites long before then! WADEDIGITAL was born as part of our revamp in 2021 to truly reflect our offering as not just a company that focusses on web design, but a web design agency that focusses on web design, digital marketing, copywriting, SEO and website hosting.
What made you want to start a web design agency?
I’ve always had an interest for all things IT related and have been lucky enough to build a career in something that I have a genuine passion for.
I made my first website back in 1999 after reading how HTML and CSS work, and from there sold a website at just 13 years old to a teacher at my secondary school. This was the beginning of the start of my career in web.
What are your favourite aspects of running the agency?
I love nothing more than delivering a project on time and seeing our teams’ skills consistently develop.
It is extremely satisfying to see WADEDIGITAL grow as we take on more team members and more clients.
Are there any projects or sites you have worked on that really stand out in your mind?
We’ve recently launched a new website for Milford Hall Hotel, a luxury hotel based in Salisbury. We’re really pleased with this websites’ truly bespoke modern design and have received great feedback on it.
What advice would you have for people wanting to start up a similar agency?
It may sound like a cliché, but – Plan for tomorrow, not for today. You must be prepared for you and your team to constantly learn new technical skills as Web Design is a fast-paced industry!
How do you see the industry changing over the next 10 years?
Website builds have changed a lot in the last decade, and in the next 10 years we are set to see further developments and changes. For example, we used to see a lot of homepage designs with image sliders, which are now generally bad practice due to speed factors being more important. Google now increasingly uses certain metrics to rank your website, and because of this, anything that is potentially bloat should be removed from a website.
I expect that over the next 10 years we will see websites optimised in ways that focus far more heavily on user experience, rather than impressive styling. One key development that I expect to see is the requirements increase for ‘voice first’ websites, as more and more people use devices like Alexa, and Google Home/Nest to power their online searches.
Thanks for reading – If you think WADEDIGITAL can help you with your website and digital needs, then feel free to make an enquiry. We’d love to hear from you!
