About Us // Our History
No Fuss WordPress Experience
“It is not about doing ‘digital marketing’,
it is about marketing effectively in a digital world.”
Learn more about the Connected way of working, and how we have naturally evolved with one of the largest web platforms in the world, while in the process supporting 100s of organisations with their digital challenges.
Who Are We?
I have worked with many digital agencies over the years, Connected sit head-and-shoulders above them all.
—Tony Veverka, Group CEO at Transform Medical Group
Born from an idea formed in a pub one evening in London’s West End, Connected has grown to become the UK’s first specialist WordPress development and support company.
Maybe there was something in the beer, but we think it is more likely down to our founders, Martin & Jerry Pank, who had already accrued over 30 years’ experience in Information Technology.
Since that pivotal night in 1996, we have worked with companies ranging from start-ups, to billion dollar international corporations across the UK, Europe, and the rest of the world, providing them with a full-service WordPress solution:
- Custom WordPress Development
- Website Migration
- Responsive Design
- Digital Strategy
- Content Marketing
- WordPress Support
We are proud to be pioneers in the marketplace of specialist WordPress companies, and to this day we continue to build on our reputation of industry firsts.
Our Team
Everyone has their own place where they like to sit and conjure up ideas, much like our sadly demised pub in the West End; that’s why our team is a little bit different from that of your average office-based digital agency.
From Bexleyheath to Bali, Quebec to Queens Park, Sheffield to San Sebastián, you’ll find our team scattered across the globe. 24×7.
There are three reasons for this.
Firstly: We value our relationships, and love working with good people. Freedom of choice about where, and what hours you work, is a uniquely powerful force in the digital space—not to mention the access it gives us to a much wider pool of talent. All this means our team is on hand 24-7 to provide unrivalled digital services and WordPress support, and always with a smile.
Secondly: We live in the Cloud. We switched off our last physical server in 2012, and fully embraced agile delivery, responsive digital frameworks, and fast deployment. Cloud-based technology offers unlimited flexibility for us, and our clients. In a survey by InformationWeek, sixty-five percent of respondents claimed the ability to quickly meet business demands as one of the most important drivers of cloud computing.
Thirdly: We focus 100% of the needs of our clients and strive to become their most valued and trusted partner. Gone are the days of the combative supplier vs vendor relationship, we value our clients as much as they value us.
From the burst of the internet bubble to the rise of the cloud; we’ve been through it all and came out fighting.
2021 We turn 25 years old, but don’t really get a chance to celebrate as everyone is #WFH and unnecessary travel is either frowned upon or outright banned. We close our most profitable financial year ever having not only survived, but prospered under COVID.
Say hello to the metaverse, increased concerns over privacy, democratised stock trading, cyber-security issues, and a drive for hyper-automation.
2020 Our FOURTH decade in business, wow. Further investment in AI, automation, Blockchain, and remote services, yield huge advances and continued client satisfaction. We set out our stall for the next 10 years based on quality and stability.
It’s the beginning of the end of the traditional workplace, the rise of employee empowerment, and the year we leave the EU. It’s also the year when the COVID-19 pandemic hit and changed everybody’s world, some for worse, the majority for the better.
2016 We turn 20, and offer our most complete and efficient WordPress service to date, working with a select group of clients and clearing thousands of support tickets quickly and efficiently.
It’s the year of Brexit, Trump and the birth of the post-truth world.
It was also the year that our founders favourite pub, The Pontefract Castle on Wigmore St. W1, is demolished to make way for new commercial development.
2012 Our move to the Cloud, Agile, and fully responsive design is complete. We secure our place as one of the top WordPress agencies in the UK. It is also the year we move fully to a location-independent working environment.
Kickstarter makes big news after a record $3.3 million was raised on its platform to create an old-school adventure game, setting into motion the crowdfunding revolution.
2008 We jump on board the WordPress train and become known as the UK’s first 100% WordPress development company.
The world is plunged into recession – Northern Rock, MFI, Woolworths and Zavvi, all go pop. The iPhone 3G is launched.
2004 We focus on conversion rates (and tracking) and create one of the world’s first open source web frameworks, kick-starting our reputation of industry firsts.
Facebook’s domination begins, Youtube appears a year later.
2000 The internet bubble bursts and we land on our feet, prospering by delivering exceptional commercial value. We start to acquire our first multinational clients.
The Euro is launched and we celebrate our 4th birthday.
1996 Martin Dower & Jerry Pank plant the seed of building a commercial-focused digital agency. Based in London, and then Yorkshire, the business quickly grows.
Motorola invents the flip phone and England host Euro ’96.
Page updated: 2021-08-12
