You may have noticed, if you’re familiar with our website, that it’s taken on a new look. We’ve also introduced a new branding tag line – ‘Online since ’99′ and I thought I’d take you on a trip down memory lane, embarrassing though it may be given some of the earliest models of our website. Call it our timeline if you wish but, like those “established since…” plaques and logos that provide greater assurances to buyers, we’re proud of our online heritage.
Ok, let’s begin that journey on the cobbled steps…… back in 1999 (50 “web-years” in the “dog-years” way of thinking), when I first thought ‘this Internet thing’ may be a good move for my business and on learning that the domain, fittedkitchens.co.uk had already been scooped up I decided that the name kitchensfitted.co.uk was to be the title of the first generation of my online presence.
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The debut of Kitchensfitted, pictured here, (come on, cut that laughter out now), came at a time when I was still ‘on the tools’ so to speak. I had been a qualified plumber since 1982 before entering kitchens in 1985 as an installer fitting residential kitchens all over the country.
By 1999, I was a Contractor, leading a team of fitters around the country fitting out new kitchen showrooms. I decided that the website would not only serve to generate more business but it would also act as a means of passing on insider tips and advice that I had gathered after spending many years fitting both good and poor value products. Quite how we were visited by 45 people a month at that time is beyond me given my obvious talent for poor web design.
After two years of that first generation model it was time to step up a gear, or down, dependent on how you view Kitchensfitted Mark 2, shown here. (yep, yet another source of fun for you…..).
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This, Mark 2, was, believe it or not, created by a web designer in 2002, or at least that’s what he told me he was at the time and in 2001, “I am a Web Designer” was the “Snake Oil Salesman” of the day. Looking at it now I rather think this bland, uninviting waste of cyberspace was actually uploaded by a pleb designer masquerading as the real thing. I would liken it to a boil on your bum but the boil had the edge because at least you’re saved the suffering of having to look at it. To be honest I wished I’d kept the old one that I’d created with good old Microsoft Publisher and at least it was more entertaining, albeit howls of laughter.
Within the year I’d decided enough was enough and realised that my input was necessary for any future design despite my comical first attempt.
Now at this point, before you’re introduced to Mark 3, I have to say that I’ve surfed the Internet for many a long time now and I’m the first to admit that we’d never win any accolades for the design of our website models over the years but style on the Internet comes way behind substance, ask any Internet user and they’ll tell you likewise. Fancy, flash, perfectly quaffered websites may be pleasing to the eye but if they don’t match that with what’s informative and entertaining, a visitor will quickly move on in search of worthwhile info and sound advice.
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2003 saw the introduction of our website forum to accompany Mark 3 and it was the first time our visitors were exposed to our logo which we still use today. I was fully involved in the process of the Mark 3 creation and remain proud of the resulting increase in traffic numbers that it generated.
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The website brought us to the attention of a much wider audience and it was around this time that we were contacted by ITV, whose initial e-mail was in praise of such an informative website. I was invited to a become Project Consultant during the final series of ITV’s Better Homes. My work on Better Homes led to further TV work, notably as Project Consultant on a Tonight with Trevor McDonald 2 part special and on a new concept after being invited to Granada TV, for a meeting with a producer who asked me whether it was possible to renovate four rooms in 60 minutes, thereafter 60 Minute Makeover was born and having my moniker on the credits further helped boost our traffic rankings.
Still on the tools, in early 2004, I’d noticed an upsurge in the number of appliance retailers selling over the internet and having worked in the industry for many years previous I was all too aware of the huge margins being made by retailers on products such as appliances and, more pertinent to this website, bespoke Worktops such as Granite, Corian and Silestone. It was then that I decided we could offer these Worktops at a far better price to visitors to our website which by now were numbering around 8,000 a month.
And so began our relationship with Kitchen worktops, it’s a strong connection that has lasted to this day yet we have never forgotten our true remit and how we got to the stage, today, of welcoming over 20,000 monthly visitors to our website. Information, discussion, conversation and answers is what made this website top of the rankings for Kitchen and Bath websites in the UK and today our information sections such as the blog, forum and our articles remain the most visited pages on our website.
Since 2003 and up to the beginning of April 2012, our website changed very little in it’s appearance and our latest generation of Kitchensfitted is a radical aesthetic departure from the past.
Who knows how our site will look in another 13 years time as visitors take out their “fold up webnet boards” from their pockets and press the “view in 3D” button – maybe a hologram of the team and myself will appear in real time…….. it’s all a long way from the cobbled steps of 1999.
Tim Foley
