Building My Website

Introduction

When I decided I needed a website for my business I had no idea of the very many processes involved. Like most people, I thought web design meant deciding on the graphics and the look of the pages and then by some magic it would all happen.

I have a friend who is in the business of web design and website development so I approached him for a quote. As a complete novice who is computer literate up to a point, I was amazed at the depth of initial questioning required to find out exactly what my requirements were.

I had no idea about the various aspects and the structure of the site and I found it mind blowing when I learned about the amount of work involved. So I thought other people would be interested to know more about this complicated process and I have asked my friend to supply the technical information for this article.

Stages in the Process

Target Audience

Before building a website there are important questions to consider. I was asked who would be my target audience. Who are my customers likely to be? Would they be children, businesses, home owners, sales people, parents or teenagers and so on?

The objective of the website

Then I was asked, what was the purpose of my website?
Did I want to sell services on line or use it to market my business and get more leads for possible customers? Maybe I would want to use it as an online brochure to showcase products. Another possibility was to use the website to foster a community so that I was in contact with other like-minded people, with chat rooms, online discussion and being supported by advertising on the site.

I hadn’t quite realised the scope of a website but as I was asked these questions it became clear that a lot of careful planning went into the preparation before building a website.

How to be Found on the Web

One of the first questions I was asked was, ‘Do you want it to be found by Google the main search engine?’ If I did then there was a whole process of establishing Keywords. So finding the best keywords are vital if you want to be found in Google. Generally most users only look at the first page of results so you will also want to promote your website to get on this page for your chosen keywords. By using a keyword research tool you can find the single most popular keyword for your industry.

Your Domain Name

Choosing a domain name is often quite a problem because every name you initially come up with will almost certainly have been taken. Domain names ending in .com are by far the most popular and internationally recognised; the snag is that it’s very popularity means that the majority of the shorter names have already been registered.

So looking at names with endings such as .net; .co.uk or .info may be able to provide you with the domain name you are after.

When a building is scheduled for demolition part of the process is to undertake asbestos survey research which our company does, we were able to register a domain name with the word demolition in it back in 2004 because we were given good advice and this ties in quite well with the service meaning we get quite a few enquiries about it via our website, apparently these days there are less choices for really good domain names but given enough time and creativity you can usually find something suitable.

When choosing your domain name it is very important to include one or more of your keywords if possible as this can apparently help with search engine rankings. So although the name of your business is the obvious choice for a domain name, it is not necessarily the only option.

Creating a Site Map

The importance of creating a site map is to get it clear in your mind of all the pages you will have on your website so you can prepare the content for each page and begin to design the flow through the website, such as when a user adds a product to their basket, then enters their delivery and billing address and makes the credit card payment in the correct order.

The aim is to make the site as user friendly as possible so that there are no barriers to getting into the website. For that reason often user name and passwordz are set for the customer so that they are not put off making a purchase by having to register.

For a non e-commerce site things are simpler with a contact form which allows you to receive enquiries by email without publishing your email address on the website, thus avoiding junk email.Web forms can also validate the information before you receive it, so ensuring that the phone number provided does not contain words, and that the email address is in the correct format, for example. These things may sound very technical to us lay-folk but I assure you everything has to be decided in advance before starting on the construction of the site.

Copy

The next stage is preparing the copy. This is not the design of your website – just the words and visuals you want to have one each of the pages.

Having gathered all the previous information you will need to decide what imagery you want to use within the website content. As we all know, a picture speaks a thousand words and remains in people’s memory far longer than just words.

For each image you could also have a caption, as the caption of an image is the next ‘most read’ words on the page after the page title. Images and their captions need to be clickable. When you click on a picture it should take you to the next stage of the process such as the sale page or placing an enquiry if your website is for lead generation.

Navigation

Another important consideration when building a website is how you want your navigation to work. You can have links within the content of your website, in the text, so there are not just links from the menu. You will need to decide whether the links will open into a new window, retaining your original page open. Next time you go online, you will realise how much thought has gone into the way in which a website works.

Website Design

Finally we come to the design of your website. My web design colleague says that due to the subjective nature of design it is a very difficult process to get right every time.

What one person might like, another person might not like. If you are setting up a website for yourself alone then you will probably have some idea of what you want to see on the site. But if, as so often happens, the website is for a large corporation there will be inputs from many people or departments and you can be sure that they will never all agree!

There are a number of ways to approach website design but ultimately you need to create a design brief for the designer(s) to work from. Look at other websites and your competitor’s websites to find out what you like or dislike. The design brief should give reference to the logo, any existing brand guidelines or schemes and fonts and colour schemes, and should also detail which pages of the website that the designer is being tasked with creating visuals for.

The very best results will be achieved by using a graphic designer, and beware – not all graphic designers are the same. A graphic designer who designs specifically for print is working in a different discipline than a graphic designer who designs for screen and specifically the web. So choose your designer carefully, look at other work that person has done and determine whether or not you like their style.

If you are working in the big time and budget allows, use multiple graphic designers who have all been given the same design brief and request three concept designs from each designer. If the client themselves also do a graphic design, even if it’s a back of the envelope scribble, you will then have 10 concept designs. The next step is to get them all together and select the preferred elements from each design. Then give the work to the selected graphic designer to work up as the final artwork.

The artwork should be finalised and agreed on by everybody before development of the site begins.

Production

Finally the preparation has been done and the site is ready to be built. Now for the more technical stuff! You will need to have decided which programming language to use to build the website. There are two main types for developing a website, one is Unix based, and the other is Windows based. Each one has advantages and disadvantages. If you are starting from scratch then it probably won’t matter, so you can go with the preference of your professional doing the work. My website is built on the Unix platform (apparently!) which is the same as many of the more well known websites such as Ebay, Facebook, Google and Amazon. Also your website hosting must be compatible with the development language with which your website is built.

Accessibility and Compliance

The website has to meet the current standards for website coding and doing so insures that disabled users, such as the visually impaired, can still access the entire website if they are using a screen reader.

Website Development

The best way to develop a website is on the web Server where the site is going to live. This way, those involved in reviewing the work can see work in progress and provide feedback throughout the development.

Unforeseen items

There are always some things that arise in any project which you suddenly realise you have forgotten, so no matter how well the web designer prepares and asks the right questions, there will always be a last minute change or addition. The main aim is to minimise the number of glitches that might arise because they aren’t calculated in and they could cause extra costs and delays on the date of the website going live.

Launching Your New Website

The moment of excitement comes when your site finally goes live and you see the results of all the thought that has gone into the whole process. I was over the moon to see my demolition website go live.

Reporting and Monitoring

Once your website is up and running, you will want to know how many people visit your website and from that number how many actually buy the products or place an enquiry. From these statistics you can work out the ratio of visits to sales and gradually make changes to improve the ratios. There are some reliable statistics packages such as Google Analytics or Web-Stat.com which allow you to collect and review website visitor data in near real time. All you need to do this is to have a small block of code inserted into each web page on your site.

Another useful service that Web-stat.com provides is to monitor the website and warn you by email or text message if the site goes down. Google Analytics doesn’t yet provide a comparable uptime monitoring service, maybe they just decided it was too much of a headache as it is an intensive service checking a website every 5 minutes to make sure it is still responding and indeed web-stat do promote this difference as one of their unique selling points but it is pretty hard to compete with free. In fact Google Analytics is not quite free, which makes it an even better marketing decision for Google because sometimes it is harder to give things away for free than it is to sell them! Google Analytics is a free service available to Google AdWords advertisers, you don’t actually have to have any AdWords campaigns running but it will cost you a one-time activation fee of £5 (or similar in your local currency) to open your AdWords account, but once you have done that you can go on to use Google Analytics for as many websites as you like.

Marketing

Once the website is live there are lots of things you can do to market your product or service. The first step is to submit it to the search engines and at the same time write articles, and press releases. Getting links to the site from forums, blogs and other social networking spaces are other options. For more on this subject ask your agency about SEO

Conclusion

Wheww. What an amazing amount of work! I hadn’t realised when I started the process of getting a website up and running, how complicated it all is and how many factors you have to consider before even designing the website. The word web design is really a misnomer, as people often think it’s just about the graphic design on the home page, and the branding of the product. Unless you are a computer buff, most people have no idea how much goes into designing and building a website and the systems that support the work you want it to do. I hope that this article will give readers an understanding and insight into the whole process of website development from start to finish.

So You Want To Build A Website?

Introduction

When I decided I needed a website for my business I had no idea of the very many processes involved. Like most people, I thought web design meant deciding on the graphics and the look of the pages and then by some magic it would all happen.I simply hadn’t had any exposure to the planning and build process which I now know to be extensive!

I have a friend who is in the business of SEO web design and website development so I approached him for a quote. As a complete novice who is computer literate up to a point, I was amazed at the depth of initial questioning required to find out exactly what my requirements were.

I had no idea about the various elements and the structure of the site and I found it mind blowing when I learnt about the amount of work involved. So I thought other people would be interested to know more about this complicated process particularly if you consider yourself a non computer person and have to get a website built. I have asked my SEO friend to supply the technical information for this article.In case you are wondering ‘SEO’ stands for search engine optimisation, and refers to the practise of getting your website ranked as close to the top of the results for a particular search term in a search engine. You see you’re learning already!

Stages in the Process 

Target Audience

Before building a website there are important questions to consider. I was asked who would be my target audience. Who are my customers likely to be? Would they be children, businesses, home owners, sales people, parents or teenagers and so on? If you are not clear on your target audience then you are not going to be able to set the tone of the site correctly so this is a very important consideration.

The Objective of the Website

Then I was asked, what was the purpose of my website? Did I want to sell services on line or use it to market my business and get more leads for potential customers? Maybe I would want to use the site as an online brochure to showcase my services. Another possibility was to use the website to foster a community so that I was in contact with other like-minded people, with chat rooms, online discussions and being supported by advertising on the site. This didn’t really apply to my business, although I did think about offering to advertise allied services!

I hadn’t quite realised the scope of a website but as I was asked these questions it became clear that a lot of careful thought went into the preparation before building a website.

Creating a Site Map

The importance of creating a site map is to get it clear in your mind of all the pages you will have on your website so you can prepare the content for each page and begin to design the flow through the website, such as when a user adds a product to their basket, then enters their delivery and billing address and makes the credit card payment in the correct order.

By creating the sitemap well in advance of building the site will also help with all other aspects of the build and promotion of the site later. Yes even your search engine optimization strategy will benefit from a well thought out site map.

The aim is to make the site as simple to use as possible so that there are no barriers to getting into the website or making a purchase. For that reason often user name and passwords are set for the customer so that they are not put off making a purchase by having to register. How many times have you gone to buy something online and then been faced with having to choose a user name and password to create an account, and fill out all of your address details and decided not to bother in the end? Well they just lost a sale!

For a non e-commerce site things are simpler with a contact form which allows you to receive enquiries by email without publishing your email address on the website, thus avoiding spam.Web forms can also validate the information before you receive it, so ensuring that the phone number provided does not contain words, and that the email address is in the correct format, for example. These things may sound very technical to us lay-folk but I assure you everything has to be decided in advance before starting on the construction of the site. This avoids delays later, and it is best if your developers can complete the work in a single sitting, rather than having to keep putting it down and revisiting it.

Your Domain Name

Choosing a domain name is often quite a challenge because every name you initially come up with will almost certainly have been taken. Domain names ending in .com are by far the most popular and internationally recognised; the snag is that it’s very popularity means that the majority of the shorter names have probably already been registered. However, you can usually think of some domain name that is available, which is much less time consuming than trying to purchase a previously registered domain name from its existing owner, most of the time just contacting them, and getting a reply is a challenge.

So looking at names with endings such as .net; .org .co.uk or .info may be able to provide you with the domain name you want. When choosing your domain name it is very important to include one or more of your keywords if possible as this can apparently help with search engine rankings. So although the name of your business is the obvious choice for a domain name, it is not necessarily the only option.

Copy

The next stage is preparing the copy. This is not the design of your website – just the words and visuals you want to have one each of the pages.

Having gathered all the previous information you will need to decide what imagery you want to use within the website content. As we all know, a picture speaks a thousand words and remains in people’s memory far longer than just words. It is a popular concept that people don’t read, and is even more true on the web today, so use as many images, diagrams, cartoons and illustrations as possible.

For each image you should also have a caption, as the caption of an image is the next ‘most read’ words on the page after the page title. Images and their captions need to be clickable. When you click on a picture it should take you to the next stage of the process such as the sale page or placing an enquiry if your website is for lead generation. All images should also have alternative text or alt tags. Alt tags will display the hover text when you position your mouse over the picture, but also they are used by screen readers to assist visually impaired users know what the image is about. See the section below on Accessibility and Compliance.

Website Design

Finally we come to the design of your website.

With web design unlike something technical, it is not black and white, it is up to the person viewing the designs if they like it or not. This can make the actual design stage a bit tricky because there is no clear right or wrong.

There are a number of ways to approach website design but ultimately you need to create a design brief for the designer(s) to work from. Look at other websites and your competitor’s websites to find out what you like or dislike. The design brief should give reference to the logo, any existing brand guidelines or schemes and fonts and colour schemes, and should also detail which pages of the website that the designer is being tasked with creating visuals for. See the Sitemap section below.

The very best results will be achieved by using a graphic designer, and beware – not all graphic designers are the same. A graphic designer who designs specifically for print is working in a different discipline than a graphic designer who designs for screen and specifically the web. So choose your designer carefully, look at other work that person has done and determine whether or not you like their style. It is also worth remembering that design is a personal thing, just because you have used a company before and liked their work, do you know the same person will be doing the work if you use that company again?

If you are working in the big time and budget allows, use multiple graphic designers who have all been given the same design brief and request three concept designs from each designer. If the client themselves also do a graphic design, even if it’s a back of the envelope scribble, you will then have 10 concept designs. The next step is to get them all together and select the preferred elements from each design. Then give the work to the preferred graphic designer to work up as the final artwork. Once you have reviewed the final visuals the artwork files will then be provided to the developer, usually in layered Photoshop files.

The artwork should be finalised and agreed on by everybody before construction of the site begins.

Navigation

Another important aspect when building a website is how you want your navigation to work. You can have links within the content of your website, in the text, so there are not just links from the menu. You will need to decide whether the links will open into a new window, retaining your original page open or just change the page to the one clicked on. Next time you go online, you will realise how much thought has gone into the way in which a website works. You will may also have some ideas for improving how some of them work after reading all of this!

Production

Finally the preparation has been done and the site is ready to be constructed. Now for the more technical stuff! You will need to have decided which programming language to use to build the website. There are two main types for developing a website, one is Unix based, and the other is Windows based. Each one has pros and cons. If you are starting from scratch then it probably won’t matter, so you can go with the preference of your professional doing the work. My website is built on the Unix platform (apparently!) which is the same as many of the more well known websites such as Ebay, Facebook, Google and Amazon. Also your website hosting must be compatible with the development language with which your website is built.

Work In Progress

The best way to build a website and be able to monitor work in progress is on the web server where the site is ultimately going to live. This way, those involved in reviewing the work can see work in progress and provide feedback throughout the development process.

Going live

The moment of excitement comes when your site finally gets launched and you see the results of all the thought that has gone into the whole process.

I spent many hours working with the web agency to get the demolitions site just right for our company before taking it live, and when the day came to publish it I was really pleased at all our hard work.

As soon as the site has gone live there is no substitute for real world testing though, so ask as many of your friends and colleagues to view the website from their own offices and give feedback..

Accessibility and Compliance

The website has to meet the current standards for website coding and doing so insures that disabled users, such as the visually impaired, can still access the entire website if they are using a screen reader. It is also a good idea to also discuss conformance moving forward, particularly if you have a web content management system, because and accessible of compliant site may become un-accessible after six months of being edited by you if you do not add or edit the website content in an accessible manner.

Unforeseen Items

There are always things that arise in any project which you suddenly realise you have forgotten, so no matter how well the web designer prepares and asks the right questions, there is bound to be a last minute change of mind or addition to the site. The main aim is to minimise the number of glitches that might arise because they aren’t calculated in at the start and they could cause extra costs and delays on the date of the web site going live.As a general rule it is always a good idea to get he site live to the original plans and then look at an update after it has gone live, unless it is a very small deviation from the initial plans.

Reporting and Monitoring

Once your website is up and running, you might like to know how many people visit your website and from that number how many actually buy the products or place an enquiry. From these statistics you can work out the ratio of visits to sales and gradually make changes to improve the ratios. There are some reliable statistics packages such as Google Analytics or Web-Stat.com which allow you to collect and review website visitor data in near real time. All you need to do this is to have a small block of code inserted into each web page on your site.

Another useful service that Web-stat.com provides is to monitor the website and warn you by email or text message if the site is offline.

Marketing

Once the website is live there are lots of things you can do to market your product or service. The first step is to submit it to the search engines and at the same time write articles, and press releases. Getting links to the site from forums, blogs and other social networking spaces are other options. For more on this subject ask your agency about SEO, remember that’s search engine optimisation.

How to be Found on the Web

One of the first questions I was asked was, ‘Do you want it to be found by Google the main search engine?’ If I did then there was a whole process of establishing Keywords. So finding the best keywords are vital if you want to be found in Google. He says there are two main types of keywords. The first is the trophy, or generic, keyword for the industry which in my industry is simply ‘demolition’. The second kind of keyword is the long tail keyword. These are not searched for as frequently but if you can get a match then they are much more likely to convert into customers. A good example of this in my industry is ‘factory demolition company Derby’. So it is very important to do a lot of research on keywords to find both those that are the most popular and the most specific. Generally most users only look at the first page of results so you will want to get your website promoted so as to get on this page for your chosen keywords.

Conclusion

Wheww. What an amazing amount of work! I hadn’t realised when I started the process of getting a website up and running, how complicated it all is and how many factors you have to consider before even designing the website. The word web design is really a misnomer, as people often think it’s just about the graphic design on the home page, and the branding of the product. Unless you are a computer whizz, most people have no idea how much goes into designing and building a website and the systems that support the work you want it to do. I hope that this article gives you an understanding and insight into the whole process of website development from start to finish.

Http://www.yahooadsense.info

Important Guide For A Better Nights Sleep

Your current Life is frantic, high-speed and full of tension, so a nourishing night’s rest has even greater substance and significance. Although there’s immense significance in obtaining a full night of rest too many people continue to go wanting and put up with a life of sleep deficiency. Do not consider that just since your eyes are shut and you get many long hours of rest, it isn’t true that the form of respite you realize is the sort of rest your body truly requires to feel regenerated.

If you are receiving the right amount of sleep but you feel surprisingly worn-out after you wake up, there may be a good explanation as to why you are not getting as good a night’s sleep as you possibly can. There are some ways and tips on how to sleep better that will point out some clues you will ought to put into place in order to get a complete night of valuable sleep. Purchase designer futon cover for your futon here.

The first step in figuring out what is causing your sleep tribulations is to look hard at the daily routines you’ve gotten into just preceding to going to bed, while sleeping on the couch and when you awake in the morning.

A routine allows the body and the mind to relax, unwind and prepare itself to drift off to sleep. There are a number of things that you can do to construct a solid cornerstone for acquiring a deep, restful slumber. An hour ahead of going to bed, you should look at working on a comforting assignment, taking a lukewarm bath or turning up some moderate tunes that that will loosen you up.

Refrain from eating right before bed, as it is ideal to eat your last meal no less than three hours before laying down. This let’s your body fully absorb that final meal so that your body is not in a state of high activity before bedtime. Aside from putting your body in a condition of rest it is also essential to consider the room itself.

Learning how you can improve on your sleep is not tricky, and as the human body thrives on routine then having a routine works greatest for any person who is looking to get a fantastic night’s sleep. Keeping the body in a relaxed state is the principal factor in having superior sleep patterns but additional things to consider are the room and bed itself. It is easy to have trouble sleeping if you are sleeping on a mattress that is too old or not suited for you or if there is too much light in your room. Add the right furniture to your room for a more relaxed room.

Allowing your body to have a full night of rest is important to being able to face the day with all of your abilities while having your faculties at your immediate disposal. Take note to your body and help keep it rested so that you can handle the ups and downs of this crazy world that makes up every day life. Read more about different different sleep disorders here.

This should not be considered medical advice as we are not doctors. Always consult a doctor if you are having trouble sleeping.

Best Deal

Large dogs are exceptional additions to the family

Dogs are good pets, always delighted to see their owners with this showing by the wag of their tails; they do not complain and are a way to relax from everyday life. Many owners find walking their dog one of the most relaxing things they can do and will enjoy the physical exercise as much as their companion will. They are a loved and valued member of the family, one that doesn’t get annoyed because they have lost their favorite shoes or that they haven’t had that bath you promised.

You can buy quality dog beds that you and your dog will love. Choose from orthopedic dog beds and designer dog beds for a more custom look.

Considering all these facets of a pet it is our duty to ensure that we try and show our pet some of the care and concern that they feel for us and dog insurance can be one of the best ways to show that we care. Pet insurance providers know how essential pets are to people and can arrange a big number of health plans that can cover nearly every type of position. Dogs of all breeds and ages can benefit and avail the advantages of such dog insurance policies as it is not only simple on the pocket of the owners but also helps to provide the best care for the dogs as such medical attention becomes easily affordable with the insurance.

Advances in medical science even for pets has advanced so that numerous situations that only a few short years ago could not be treated, are now routine but they come at a high price. It is not uncommon now to hear about a pet that has undergone an organ transplant procedure or one that has had their hips replaced. Some dog conditions are genetic like heart enlargement, epilepsy and even hip dysplasia.

Many diseases that dogs are prone to suffer from do not occur until they reach middle age and of course by then, the dog is a member of a close family and loved by everyone. Some individuals feel guilty when they have to make a decision about their pet’s health when a dog policy would remove this strain for the entire life of your pet. Dogs, irrespective how well looked after do require regular checks for the numerous other problems they can be prone to: like mites, worms and vaccinations plus having their teeth cleaned for example.

Most policies will cover these costs as part of the maintenance plan which should make the situation easier financially speaking and the peace of mind knowing that your companion is looked after. If you love your dog and want them around for as long as possible, this is the way to ensure it will happen. You may find that your local veterinary is the best person to ask about dog insurance as he in all likelihood has contact with numerous providers and can recommend an insurance company.

Software For Networking Security

The Stages of Website Design

Introduction

The term ‘Web Design’ creates a lot of confusion and misunderstanding. The word design suggests graphics and layout so many people think that’s what designing a website is all about. Most people think that website design is very simple, all you need to do is install the company logo, add the relevant wording, decide on the arrangement of the pages and that’s it.

Well I am about to shock you by outlining the many complicated processes involved in web design. Think of it this way; when an architect designs a house all we see is the way he lays out the rooms, how the available space is arranged. We normally do not concern ourselves with the amount of technical detail that goes into the design. The architect has to work out the stresses on the walls and the weight of the roof. If there are fireplaces he has to know about draughts and the shape of chimney for it to do the job. He has to plan heating systems, plumbing systems, drainage and sewage, what type of windows to use, door fittings and many other details so that when it’s finally complete the overall effect is pleasing and suitable for the purpose intended. Web design is similar. A customer may have an idea of the layout of the website but will need the services of the Web Designer to make it all happen.

Stages in the Process

There are many items to be decided on before even starting to build a website. Some of the important questions to consider are:

Once the webmaster has the answers to these questions then he can start the process of designing the site to give you what you want.

Target Audience

What sort of people are going to use the new website? Are your customers likely to be businesses, sales people, home owners, parents, teenagers or children and so on?

Objectives of the Website

Is the website to be used to sell products on line, or to market your business to get leads for new customers? Maybe you wanted it to be an online brochure to showcase your products. Balloons for trade have a website for resellers only so that they can look up the products before placing an order. Because there is no selling on line there are no contact details on the site. You may want to use the website to foster a community to be in contact with other likeminded people. You would need a design that incorporates a chat rooms and online discussions.

Being found on the Web

One of the first things to consider in web design Nottingham is how you want your website to be found on the web. This involves a whole process of establishing keywords for your products or services. The first step is a search of key words in the industry. Finding the best keywords is vital if you want to be in the top ten listed in Google. By using a keyword research tool you can find the single most popular keyword; the one everyone puts in. For example people looking for a vacuum cleaner might type in Hoover although this is in fact a brand name.

Domain Names

Domain names can be the hardest part of setting up your website, because nearly every name you come up with will most certainly have been taken already. By far the most popular are domain names ending in .com as they are internationally recognised. For that reason alone the majority of shorter names will already have been registered.
Choosing names with endings such as .net; .co.uk .org .info may provide you with the domain name of your preference. When choosing your domain name it is a good idea to include one or more of your keywords. Although the name of your business may be the obvious choice for a Domain Name, it is not necessarily the only option.

So as you can see choosing domain names and keywords right at the beginning of the process will determine how the site is constructed so that it is suitable for the purpose required.

A brand new domain name space has just been launched.

Companies can now apply for their name in this brand new .tel name space and it is intended to replace the telephone directory. When the domain name is viewed in your web browser it will provide the companies details and telephone number.

Creating a Site Map

It is very important to have a site map to outline the pages on your website, e-commerce website or forum space. It shows the design and flow through the website so that when selling on line, items work in order such as; adding product to basket, entering delivery and billing address and on to making credit card payment. The site map helps to identify how user friendly the website is so that there are no difficulties in getting onto the site. Often the user name and password are set for the customer so there is no hindrance to achieving the initial sale.

Non e-commerce sites are easier because it is possible to receive enquiries by email, without publishing the email address on the website. By using a contact form you will avoid spam and also validate the information before you receive it. The aim is to create a balance between discouraging junk mail, and making it easy for the enquirer to use the site.

Links

An important consideration when designing a website are links. These can be links to other pages of content within your website, and links within the content of your website in the text, as well as links from the menu. Consideration has to be given to whether the links will open in a new window so you still have your original page open or will the new window replace the previous one.

The Copy

The copy is the words and visuals you want on your website. Having made decisions about the target market and relevant links, along with the keywords and using the site map information, the next stage is to decide what imagery you want displayed. A picture speaks a thousand words and remains in people’s memory far longer than just words. So images are important to reach your audience. Each image needs a caption which is the ‘most read’ words on the page after the title. The caption of an image need to be clickable so that when you click on a picture it takes you to the next stage of the sales process.

Design

The final design of the website is often the most difficult stage of the process because it’s subjective. In a large corporation, many people from various departments will have an input for their division. Everyone has their own ideas of what they think the site should look like and trying to gain a consensus can be a nightmare because nobody will ever agree.

If you are setting up an ecommerce web design project for just yourself then you will probably have some idea of what you want to see on the site. But even then unless your ideas are workable in the medium, you may have difficulty getting something you like. Firstly to achieve a good design it is recommended you review other websites and find out what you like or dislike about them. Look at competitor’s websites to make sure your design will be an improvement on what is already in the market place.

Once you have done that you will need to create a design brief. The design brief should have a reference to the logo and any existing brand guidelines, colour schemes and fonts adding in any other relevant material.

Having done a design brief look for a suitable graphic designer. Choose your designer carefully, finding one who designs specifically for screen and the web to achieve the very best results. Beware of choosing a graphic designer who designs for different discipline such as print as they are very different processes. Look at other works the designer has done and decide whether or not you like their style.

Using several graphic designers is the best option if you are working in the big time and budget allows. Give each designer the same brief and request three concept designs from each one. The client might also do a design, even if it’s a scribble on the back of an envelope, there will then be ten concept designs. Get everyone together and choose the preferred elements from each design. Once the items you want are selected choose one graphic designer to do the final artwork.

All parties need to agree on the final artwork before construction of the site begins. Consideration should be give to the fonts used for the titles and buttons etc. Fonts have to be licensed so if the designer has not supplied something then the developer will need a copy of the fonts to achieve the task. Professional graphic designers will usually provide the artworks in a layered Photoshop file so if titles are not going to be in plain text get the designer to also supply the fonts.

Production

At last all the preparation has been done and the site is ready to go into production. This is where it gets technical! You may not want to go into the detail in which case leave it to your Web Master to choose for you. There have to be decisions about what language to use, either Unix or Windows based, to build the website. Each have advantages and disadvantages with multiple variants but sites such as Ebay, Facebook, Google as well as other well known websites are built on Unix. Your website has to be built with the development language of your web host provider so that they are compatible.

Accessiblity and Compliance

These are current standards for website coding to insure that disabled users, such as the visually impaired, can still access all sections of the website.

Development

Development of the website is best done on the web server where the site will reside. Those involved in reviewing the work can then monitor work in progress and provide feedback throughout the development.

Unforeseen Items

As the site building progresses the customer suddenly thinks of something they must have. No matter how well the web master prepares and asks the client the right questions, there are always some last minute adjustments to the programme. The main aim is to minimise last minute additions because they aren’t calculated in and will generate extra costs and cause delays to the date of the website going live.

Going live

At last your site is up and running and you see the results of all the preparation that has gone into the whole process. There is no substitute for real world testing so as soon as the site is live ask your friends and colleagues to view the website from their own computers and give comments.

Marketing

Once the site is up and running it’s time to turn your attention to promoting your products by submitting the site to the search engines, writing articles, and press releases and generating links from forums, blogs and other social networking spaces.

Reporting and Monitoring

The value of monitoring and reporting on your web design project regularly is not to be ignored. Use a reliable statistics package such as Google Analytics or Web-Stat.com to collect and review website visitor data. All you will need is a small block of code inserted into each web page on your site to collect visitor information to help you assess the success of your products in near real time. Web-stat.com also monitors the website and alerts you by email and text message if the site goes down.

Conclusion

The title ‘Web Design’ is a bit misleading in that people often assume it means the graphic design on the home page and the branding of the product. Unless you are a computer expert, most people do not realise the amount of work that goes into designing and building of a website. Clients are not aware of the amount of complicated technical work necessary to build the systems that support what they want the website to do. In such a complex process anything that gets tacked on at the end will end up incurring more cost to your budget.

The depth of initial questioning is an indicator of how competent your Web Master will be. Every aspect of the construction has to be decided upon before you even start the design. These things may sound very technical to us non techies but it is essential for the Web Master to find out exactly what is required so that everything can be costed accurately and built into the design from the beginning.

http://www.best-internet-marketing-info.com/

Web Host With Unlimited Bandwidth – How Much Do We Need

It seems that nearly everybody you come across runs their own web site. If not for business, your friends may want a simple personal website where they can communicate with friends and family, make new friends or just share pictures. So how does one set about finding a unlimited bandwidth web hosting? It all depends on what’s needed in your blog. If you’re looking to do business on line, you should consider such items as shopping carts, merchant accounts, computer languages and other add-ons with which to conduct your online shop.

Do you need to take on a designer to build your web page in order to start selling? If so, you must consider more than mere bandwidth. host unlimited bandwidth on its own may not meet your needs. On the other hand, should you only wish to have a presence on the world wide web, a spot where your friends and admirers can log on to and see what you are doing, hosting with unlimited bandwidth should be utmost on your list of must haves.

For personal web pages usage, most unlimited bandwidth web hosting providers provide a ready to go packages where you can list your profile, pictures and a ‘friends’ list. Some offer message forums and private IM conversations also. Therefore if your need is primarily chat based with simple web presence, this kind of Internet hosting maybe the one you need.

On the other hand, if your need is business-related, low-priced Internet hosting may not suit your needs. When offering a product or service on the net, there’s nothing detrimental than promoting your web site only to find out, too late, that your provider cannot fulfill your bandwidth needs. Consequently, you’ve simply exhausted your cash. Certainly, you’ll have a web page, but your customers will be turned off when they can’t spend money on your website because your host are unable to handle the necessary bandwidth for you to do transactions and make those sales.

It boils down to this, if you’re running a business on the web, you must seek advice from someone technically competent to advise you on what’s needed to handle web sales. If you need to pay a little more, it’s well worth doing so. If you’re not running a business, use the search engines to help you dig out reliable cheap hosting unlimited bandwidth providers.

Although you are simply in the market for a web site that makes you available for friends to look you up, check out that host unlimited bandwith providers to confirm that they provide the services they state. Log on to Live search and type, ‘scams service provider name’. If the webhost has not delivered to other customers, this search will show up complaints to alert you to a less than reliable service provider. Bad reviews gets around quickly online.

Once you locate a hosting site that get good reviews from others you know and don’t return any negative results from your review search, it’s likely you have located a dependable unlimited bandwidth hosting.

Miracle Ball Method Review – The Whole Truth About The Miracle Ball Method

It is highly likely that your anxiety is the  effect of you not finishing all the duties on your to-do list. I am usually blameful of this.

Much like smacking a cushion when you’re mad, the conventional stress relief ball allows you to squeeze, smack and virtually abuse it in whatever way you want for somehow to minimize the stress you are sensing. This oddly shaped stress gadget aids you relieve your stress} in a fun and liberating way…

Stress relief balls are always at hand to help reduce your stress and tension. Many of these toys can be bought on the internet.

The true value in the stress balls lies in using it as a way on which to focus your attention to and in taking ‘time out’ to work on it. It is this diversion of your attention and clearing of your mind, even just for a few minutes, which allows you to move things you’ve ignored back into center, and to see things more clearly.

Stress relief balls are terrific in minimizing your worries. You will not get much resistance while you work out on them, but the special feel good sensation, will get rid of your anxiety.

Stress relief balls make an awesome option if you are looking for something fun that also reduces anxiety. These balls are formed to release your pressure from your body into the balls.

The “Miracle Ball Method” is not a usual squeeze ball, but two grapefruit size balls which you just put under your body, breathe, and calm while your muscles discharge their tension into the ball.

The designer of this system, Elaine Petrone, was told she could never walk again after injuring her leg. She tried many methods to heal herself until she invented her own program that not only treats injuries, but also a source of anxiety reduction and a way to reshape your entire body.

The two main reasons for you to get The “Miracle Ball Method“: A. They deliver. B. They’re absolutely easy and enjoyable. All you have to do is arrange them in strategic places under your body, breathe, let yourself unwind, and stay while your muscles overcome their tension. You can watch a movie, solve crossword puzzles, nap- it doesn’t matter, since your body does the work. And trust me, it’s wonderful!

Click here to read the full Miracle Ball Method Review.

Christian Audigier Clothing

Christian Audigier is a French fashion designer and entrepreneur. Widely considered one of the most meteoric rises in fashion history, Christian Audigier has parlayed his design experience and business acumen to become a true fashion icon and entrepreneurial sensation in less than four years.

He has launched nine popular brands with over sixty licenses through his collection of international companies. He oversees an international conglomerate of his designer brands, including Ed Hardy, Christian Audigier, SMET, Crystal Rock, most recently C-Bar-A, Savoir Faire, Evel Knievel, Rock Fabulous, and Paco Chicano; this includes US and international wholesale distribution, as well as US and international retail stores. Christian made his mark throughout the fashion industry after a fortuitous start at MacKeen Jeans. He has contributed to successful brands such as Diesel, Fiorucci, Bisou Bisou, Levi’s, NafNaf and American Outfitters. Christian’s style is so distinctive that he is known as the ‘King of Jeans’.

His charismatic and colorful approach to fashion, fueled by Christian’s ebullient promotional strategy, allowed him to bring tattoo art, from legendary tattoo artist Don Ed Hardy, into the fashion world to create Ed Hardy by Christian Audigier, one of the hottest brands worn by celebrities and by the world. Stepping up the pace, he rolled out his eponymous street wear line, Christian Audigier, reflecting Christian French-California perspective and drawing inspiration from his everyday lifestyle influenced by rock & roll and glam on the streets of Los Angeles.

Christian now launchs his newest store on Melrose ” Christian Audigier”. The line has been seen on the likes of, Madonna, Mariah Carey, Jessica Alba, Pam Anderson, Adrien Brody, David Beckham, Carmen Electra, Hulk Hogan, Kelly Clarkson, Mya, Naomi Watts, Tony Hawk, Ewan McGregor,  Jessica Alba, Jamiroquai, David Charvet, Mickey Rourke, Orlando Bloom, Jared Leto, Rick Fox, Jack Black, Nick Cage, Paris Hilton,Dave Navarro, Usher,Brad Pitt, Christina Aguilera and Jamie Foxx. Give a look to Christian Audigier hoodies

Christian Audigier trade mark & charismatic personality make Christian Audigier the man of the moment. In just two years has made Ed Hardy Clothing a household name and has led him to become the king of the designer T-shirt. Christian Audigier first received recognition when he put Von Dutch Originals on the map 4 years ago.

Christian Audigier clothing is now respected as one of the biggest names in Street wear fashion. Christian Audigier clothing has been worn by some of the biggest celebrates in the World like Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, Justin Timberlake, Hilary Duff & Madonna to name just a few.

World-renowned clothing designer Christian Audigier is known for his distinct style and daring designs. His colorful approach to fashion allowed him to bring tattoo art, from legendary tattoo artist Don Ed Hardy, into the fashion and fragrance world to create Ed Hardy by Christian Audigier. Today, Ed Hardy is recognized as one of the hottest brands worn by celebrities and the world. The fragrances, released in 2008, have proved to be wildly popular with strong notes that offer a rock’ n’ roll experience in a single spritz.

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