How to Find the Best Suited Web Designer for You

If you are going to venture into a business, it's a must that you know how to promote your business in a less expense but gain more result. Start promoting it online and the most important key to its effective website design.

This is where your potential client sees the total you, what you can offer in a less commercialized way that is direct to the point and easy to understand. However, for every risk there entails a circumstance, not everybody can build an effective website if you are simply a plumber, a farmer or a vendor. So, the decision will come to hire a specialist. The question now lies on how to choose a web developer  that will not create a hole in your pocket.

I am not saying that all web developer entails a waste of money but you can decide whom to choose or hire if you know maybe just a little of what you are seeking for in promoting your business through this medium. I will not discuss about software and HTML and codes that you will definitely skip reading from; this article is more on ways or tips to help you make an intelligent decision in selecting web designer.

There is no such thing as rush, avoid those who promises so much, gives you this and that ranking in Google or yahoo giving superfluous gestures. Having a good webs design is demands well planned evaluated and tested strategies. You cannot expect having these all in a day or two. You will have to wait for the good things to come. Look for simple designs with complete and easy access to what you are offering. Second, the more flashy and glitzy the appearance the lesser they are interested to what you are really selling/offering. Have a clear vision and mission on what your web design will look like. In other words, you should express your preference well discussing every detail what you want them to do for you. Know your price. 

Another thing, do not pay too much or too little. Just give what is due. We all know how limited our resources for this, but you can have an open line of communication with them of how much you can pay for the intended services. If you are not satisfied with the outcome, better blurt it all out before accepting the design and hurt your business in the process.

There a lot who offers web design services  it's just up to you if you are really that serious of promoting your business. Cut down your leisure and sacrifice a little of your time, in selecting, bargaining and buying web design services  Finally, when you already have it in your hand, take time to update your site and offer your promotions in a timely manner. To have your site to be more interactive with your client, create a blog or forum in it so they may explore more about what it is that you offer.

The Advantages and Disadvantages of a Flash Website

On the surface, it can seem like a Flash website would be a great choice for attracting and retaining visitors at your company's website. While these types of websites can offer robust interactive web solutions  the disadvantages can far outweigh the advantages if Flash is not implemented correctly.

Flash Website Advantages

The most obvious advantage of Flash is it's motion and interactivity. Motion graphics can make your website lively and interesting, compelling visitors to come back for more.

Flash websites are also cross browser compatible which means that on any browser, your website will look good. Along with this compatibility is the relief associated with not having to deal with extensive HTML or CSS code.

These websites are like having an open canvas to place items where you wish. The way Flash works is like a movie playing on a timeline as one motion graphic. In addition to this open canvas you have a very versatile color palette so you're not confined to hex code or web colors.

When Flash is combined with Action script, the possibilities are endless. With the use of Action script, a developer can create animation sequences, and content rich websites  Action script also allows the developer to use PHP to connect to Microsoft SQL and Access databases. Flash websites can also take advantage of ColdFusion, ASPX,.Net, and ASP.

Flash Website Disadvantages

While a Flash website has many advantages, the disadvantages can be enough for you to avoid this type of website all together. Splashes of Flash here and there are fine but building a website completely based on Flash can be detrimental.

The first point to note is Flash's ability to totally screw up your search engine optimization (SEO) efforts. These days, you need SEO to get good search engine rankings. Your websites gets crawled by spiders that interpret your sites relavancy and value to determine search engine positioning. A Flash website does not contain the vital H1 tags that spiders seek to tell them what your site is all about. Without this vital information the spiders can't accurately rank your website and you will lose rankings to websites built on CSS platforms.

Another important disadvantage to note is accessibility. Have you ever visited a site that asked you to update to the latest version of the Flash Player? This can be annoying and it will cause many users to bounce as they fear any updates while searching the web. When a visitor views your websites  it's not a good idea to impede their viewing experience with redirects to the Adobe websites for updates.

So Do I or Don't I Build a Flash Website?

As stated in the beginning, using splashes of Flash throughout the websites is fine and can add life to static web pages. The key is to use it sparingly and in combination with the right tools such as javascript, mootools, or HTML5.

Why Design Websites in WordPress?

WordPress was first introduced to the internet in 2003. It grew from the b2/cafelog designed by Michel Valdrighi in 2001. It was conceived in order to improve the layout and readability of content produced frequently and often. It started with less than 10 users but since then it has grown to be the largest self-hosted blogging platform in the world. So why is it also being used as a CMS running literally millions of full blown websites offering far more than just blogging?

As a blogging tool WordPress is/was imperious and still is. However as a website management tool it excels at many of the more mundane requirements for a website in the early '10s of the 21st Century.

Take for example the templating or theming of a WordPress website  The tool has become so popular that there are literally thousands of free themes available for a web designer to use or alter to create a unique theme suitable for a client. But that, you might say, is available to many CMS's such as Joomla. It is, but the theming of a WordPress site is so much more logical than many other CMS's offer.

So what, any web designer worth their pay should be able to design a theme for many of the more popular open source CMS platforms. That is true, but it is the combination of this simple process and many other attributes of WordPress that build together a compelling reason for using it as a website website CMS.

The fact that the hosting requirements are so simple to satisfy, the administration area are so intuitive, the sites run quickly and that there is a vast following of keen and skilled community members who often provide answers to sticky questions almost instantaneously cuts out so much design and development time that costs can be pared to a minimum.

 Websites that are built on the WordPress open source platform are extremely easy to build into stunningly complex  website management tools. Take for example ecommerce; there are a multitude of ecommerce  lugins for the WordPress platform. Each of these plugins has its benefits and its restrictions but it lowers the entry skill level for a web sited designer  / builder to such a level that almost no coding skills are required at all.

Of course reducing the level of coding required for a web designer  is good in one way, but it also provides problems in the future. Where will the future coders come from? Do we need to be concerned about the lack of coding skills? Maybe but yet again this reduction in work benefits both the client and the designer  in that time is money and a reduction in time inevitably reduces the cost for the website as well.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Eldred_Curwen

Stairway Navigation (A jQuery Plugin?)

On a whim the other day I thought I'd build out an idea for navigation I had. It's nothing but a visual effect in which the hovered (or active) navigation item becomes the tallest "stair" and other items before and after it step down. It's simple, but it's not something you see very often. Probably for one major reason: you can't select "previous" elements in CSS.

http://css-tricks.com/stairway-navigation-a-jquery-plugin/

The Importance of Shopping Online Websites

Both local and global business organizations have been harnessing market potential through the robust platform of shopping online websites. With much of the world depending on the Internet these days, shopping online websites offer immense potential for businesses to reach out to a global audience. According to a recent study conducted by Time magazine, the number of online shoppers have increased by leaps and bounds and the number is growing on a consistent basis.

There are many reasons why people prefer to do their shopping on the Internet. They are faced with endless choices whether it's products or services, all of which can be purchased immediately. With almost anything imaginable under one roof and available to just about anyone, it becomes extremely easy to compare offers and find the best deals. Usually online shoppers  find better deals than those who buy the same product at their local store. Shipping and refunds have also become so convenient and reliable that there is no reason not to look for what you want on the Internet.

shopping online websites fall into many different categories. The most common category is the business to consumer website also known as the B2C website, which allows businesses to sell directly to consumers. B2B or Business to Business websites allows an established business to conduct transactions with another business such as wholesaling. C2C or consumer to consumer websites allows trade between individuals, the best example of this is auction sites such as eBay.

Special mention should be made to m-commerce websites. Although they are just e-commerce websites altered to be able to display on mobile devices, it's still important to note. More and more people will shop online not through their computers, but rather through their mobile devices in the near future. There are way more people who own smartphones with the ability to go online than ever before.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Amy_B_Xu

How Can a Content Management System Make Web Design Easier?

In today's online world, it is becoming quite easy to make and put up  a web page with absolutely no knowledge of HTML whatsoever. A Content Management System(CMS) is probably something we are all familiar with, but maybe didn't realize that is what they were called. If you have ever  used a free web page designer, server, or ISP; you have used or had access to a content management system. Though these are usually rudimentary types of content management systems, there are other more involved options as well. With a CMS, you do not have to know HTML, and you can put up a page quickly and easily.

Content Management Systems  also help companies that already have a web development department. It
is important for these companies because they have the same people who are writing content for a particular section of a website be the ones to  upload to the site as well. Before content management systems, the
content writers would have to submit their content to developers who would then convert it for the website. Now it is one-step, and the content writers can have more control over their content and the integrity behind it. It also saves time because usually the content writers can upload immediately after finishing their assignments.

The advantages are endless. First of all it allows web content writers to access the web page that their intellectual property is on directly. This means that they can edit or remove content fast and efficiently on
their own time. It also allows the user to update web pages faster. Once  again, I'll mention that HTML knowledge is not required. There are no classes to take, and no mistakes in code that could mess up everything! Content management systems also provide security, as the managers are able to track user information as well as track logins and see if unauthorized users are making changes.

A CMS will also bring about  standardization because it enables content writers to upload on a template type system. Therefore, the actual format of the content usually cannot be changed by the writer; however the actual content may be edited simply. Therefore anything that the company has added before or after the content was uploaded cannot be controlled by the contributor. For example, titles, ad space, or other website content is owned by the managing company where they control the input of this content. However, this is usually how the website makes money and is reserved for another department in the company.
Now that you know a  little more about content management systems, you may wonder how someone would decide which one to use. If you are currently working with  a company with one already in place, the decision has already been made  for you. However, if you are looking for a CMS for your business or
personal gain, it is important to research the options available to you.

There  are many different options when it comes to choosing a Content Management System. Some of the most popular platforms are WordPress, Joomla, Drupal and Concrete5. They have increased in popularity because they are backed by large communities of developers who create "plugins and extensions" to further enhance their functionality.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7355467

How To Make Your Website The Best

If you are looking to create a website that will really engage with your audience then it is a good idea to learn how to make a website that is able to do that.

The skill of web design is not only in meshing together different technologies but also in making sure that the overall user experience is good.

There is very much a balancing act with websites between making them better and spending time on areas that don't really need it.

Establishing where the difference between those two lies is of course where having a good web designer can really help, because if you spend your time on areas that are not really needed then in effect you are wasting your precious resources that would have been better spent elsewhere.

Some of the ways that you can make a website better are also in tune with how to create a website, such as:

- Improving the content
- Having more images
- Making it more compatible with smartphones
- Making the design of the site better
- Making the site more accessible

Improving the content of a website is one of the very best ways to get started if you are looking for a website makeover.

Content is a nebulous area that many people pay lip service to when they are creating their sites. They may outsource the content and not really pay it the level of attention that they should.

And yet, in reality, of all the areas, content is the most important because that is the foundation of the web, and the main reason why anyone is bothering to visit your website in the first place.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Elijah_James

Five Key Questions to Ask Before Designing Your Website

As with many things, good web design begins with careful planning and attention to detail. Before you even commit a line of code to your site, you should think hard about the type of website that will best suit your company and its goals. The answers to these five simple questions should help you get a much better idea of what your finished website will look like and aid in its design.

#1 - What is the primary purpose of the website?
Are you establishing a website as a source of information for interested web users? Do you wish to showcase what your company does and its expertise in doing so? Or is the main purpose of your website to funnel web users towards buying a product they want or need? The main purpose of your website will have important implications for its structure, navigation layout and overall design, so it's essential to be clear on this from the start.

#2 - Who will its core users be?
Are you trying to appeal to and accommodate young business professionals? Teenagers? The older generation? Whoever it is, be sure to create a design that will speak to them and fulfil their needs.

#3 - What colour scheme best suits your image and purpose?
Don't underestimate how important the psychological impact of colour is on your visitors. Your colour scheme should be planned out beforehand and remain consistent throughout the entire site. Think about the image you wish to project - i.e. slick and modern, friendly and welcoming, or offbeat and unique.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jonathan_Celeste

Good Navigation System Is Key To A Good Website

New age information seekers are an impatient bunch. They hop on hop off various website to get the most appropriate answers to their questions. If the information they seek is readily available for them and meets their search criteria, they will applaud the website and return to it time and again. However, if the information is absolutely what the web surfer needs, but is hidden within the many folds of the website and is not easily accessible, it will take the website down in popularity. It can be effectively established that website navigation is one of the most crucial aspects that dictate the popularity of a website.

What really is an effective navigation? For a website to be liked and appreciated for its worth, it must make sense to an average person. While designing a website  one must not get carried away and lose sight of the basic purpose of the website. Also, the thing that one must bear in mind while designing a website is that 'the customer is always right'. While designing your website and deciding the navigation layouts, you must keep in mind the intended audience of the website. This will help you attract the right clientele to your website and ward off random visitors who would make no purchases, add no worth and only increase the bounce rate of your website.

Most websites exist to either inform the visitors about a product or service or actually sell the product or service. Thus, the navigational elements must be aptly positioned. All pages in the website must be properly linked. There must not be any open links and dead ends in your website  This tip will go a long way in enhancing the user's experience and would also help your website climb the 'favorites' charts. Standard conventions must be used for the links, such as buttons, menus, underlined texts or changed fonts or color of text. It is prudent to resist the temptation of using fancy names for links. This might just end up confusing the visitors and they might even give up on your website and skip to the next.

However, if you absolutely cannot avoid using a non-conventional link, make sure you explicitly tell the visitor that this is a link. Always keep in mind the time tested 'three click rule'. A visitor to any website does not prefer clicking more than three times to get the relevant information that he is seeking. Thus make sure that every bit of information that you provide on the website can be accessed within three clicks from any page on the website.

Provide the links to all pages effectively in the top menu of the website. The left side and right side navigation can be specifically set aside for blog, company news, company tidbits, etc. this would make the website interactive. The bottom menu can contain the policies of the company website  The links to internal pages must be effectively highlighted. It is proper for you to mention the size of a file if it is a downloadable item. This would enhance the user experience. In case of e-commerce websites, the shopping cart option must be clearly given and defined.

A site map is an excellent option for giving a user an insight into the working of your website. It can be given on every page, and thus help make sure that, at any time during browsing through your website, a user does not feel lost or clueless. A good navigation system quietly increases sign ups, customers, sales, clients, etc. through your website by working its unmistakable magic.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Franke_Mor