Web Design Articles - Your Source For Information
How long before you should redesign your website
Due to the nature of web development new technologies and techniques are constantly evolving and previous ones are becoming nothing more than a weight holding you down from potential growth. Just because your website was built with the most up to date and advanced standards a few years ago doesn’t mean that it’s not out-dated now.
What it Takes to be a Web Developer
Working as a Web developer is something like playing a sport with a continuously changing set of rules. One minute you’re charging down the field at full throttle, and then suddenly the rules change and you need to readjust your strategy – fast – or find yourself benched.
Successful Web developers-at least, those who enjoy their work – thrive in this topsy-turvy environment, reveling in the ever-evolving nature of Web development. Web 2.0, Ajax, XML Feeds, audio and video all provide ample fodder for active brains – even if it means difficult technical skills mastered over the years may be in-demand one moment, close-to-worthless the next.
What is Web 2.0?
Web 2.0 refers to a perceived second generation of web-based communities and hosted services which aim to facilitate collaboration and sharing between users.
Although the term suggests a new version of the World Wide Web, it does not refer to an update to any technical specifications, but to changes in the ways software developers and end-users use the internet.
Many people believe that Web 2.0 is a design concept, which it is not and this is something that should be corrected. Myspace, facebook, blogs, search engine optimization, web applications, Wikipedia, tagging, podcasts, Google adsense, RSS feeds... these are what the Web 2.0 is made of, not design concepts like gradients, beveled edges, shadows, reflections, outer glows and such. So please spread the word to anybody that still thinks that Web 2.0 is a method of design because it just isn't.
For more information check out this video. Click here for the slide show.
The Importance of Blogging
Many businesses have begun to user blogs to communicate with their customers and stock holders to tell them what their thinking about and how the business is doing. I'm sure you've all met at least one person that likes to do "research" on a company before buying their product; more and more of this "research" is being done online and how better to get information about the company than from the company itself?
Google Checkout vs. PayPal
Google Checkout simply serves as a holding place for the shoppers credit or debit card information. It allows them to log in to a single Google username to shop, while hiding their valuable data and e-mail address from merchants. If you're selling stuff on a Web site, you can cut and paste some code that lets visitors shop via Google Checkout, which takes a small cut of your sales. Copying and pasting the code isn't hard but it can be very tedious if you have a large quantity of items.
Prospect to Customer
The only difference between e-mail conversion rates and website conversion rates is that with an e-mail, it is targeted at a specific person, and you know that person will get it. Websites are not as direct, people who surf the net are likely to stumble upon websites that don't even have a market for them and within 8 seconds they will leave your site and move onto another one just like with e-mails.
Search Engine Friendly Web Design - Duplicate Content
Duplicate content is when any two web pages have the same content, no matter if they are on the same website or not. Duplicate content is a very sensitive subject and if you're not careful it can absolutely ruin all chances of your site ranking well in Google. I've seen it many times, clients find information on another site that they like and they want to have that content on their site as well.
Search Engine Friendly Web Design - Image Links vs. Text Links
Why are text links so great? Link text is supposed to have something do with the page that it is linking to. This is how web pages get ranked for certain keywords with hyper links. Search engine spiders can only read, they cannot see pictures. That is why they are able to read the text links and not image links.
Search Engine Friendly Web Design
Search Engine Marketing is what many companies have done to their websites in order to get ranked well in search engines such as Google, MSN and Yahoo. This is something that should be considered seriously when creating a website for your business. Search engine marketing is even more important for businesses that wish to sell their products or services online.
