ti9r5PtRWbLgv10J1Ptf0DR5BAIC2h

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

WordPress Vs Static Sites

Building a website should always start with a simple question - what do you want to do with it? This question will inform everything else you want to do, so it should be carefully considered. When asking this question, you may also want to figure out whether you would be better served by a static site or a WordPress site.

Static Sites: The Traditional Answer

To be perfectly honest, there is nothing wrong with using a static HTML site. In fact, it is still the way that most sites are built. If you use this traditional option, you will certainly not have to learn anything new - if you have kept up with web design for the last five years, you already know everything that you need to do. These sites are also quite useful for those who want to merely clone a site or use a script to create a new site, a process which can be done far more easily than with WordPress.

Of course, this sort of site creation is not quite as easy as WordPress. WordPress is often easier to use, and does help you to keep your bits and pieces together more efficiently. If you are looking for a site that will be easier to change around for SEO purposes, you might want to avoid static sites - there are simply better alternatives available today.

WordPress Sites: The New Toys

WordPress is perhaps the most popular content management system available today, and it is the backbone of most popular blogs. This handy set of tools makes it easier than ever to customize or edit a site, and the countless plug-ins and tools available can make web management far more easy than it has ever been in the past.

WordPress is far from perfect, though. It tends to require a great deal of room, making it more difficult to host multiple WordPress sites than it is to host multiple traditional sites. It can also be difficult to learn - you can always hunt down one of the dozens of guides on the internet, but those who are used to traditional sites will have to do a great deal of work to catch up.

At the end of the day, both types of sites work quite well. If you want something that is easy and comfortable, you probably want to choose a static site. If you want to use something with a bit more versatility, though, WordPress is the best choice. If you take your time and think about your needs, your choice should be easy.

Factors To Be Incorporated By A Website Design Company Growing Usage of Mobile Application Development Services Websites Are Effective Marketing Tools For Tradesmen Get Your Best Web Site Design for Small Business Designing a Mobile Website: What To Consider

Your Company Needs An Online Presence To Thrive

To make it in today's competitive business world, your company needs a website. Customers have come to expect an online presence where they can look for more information, products, and discounts. Making a site for your business is a little more involved than making a personal site. It has to make a good impression or it will cast your business in a bad light.

Small business web design in a job best left to professionals. There are many things to take into consideration. Your site has to look professional and be easy to navigate. It should have the ability to sell products and services directly to your customers. You also want your site to collect email addresses so you can stay in touch with your site visitors and send them special offers and inform them of sales and new products.

All of those features require complex coding. You will need a shopping cart and a form for capturing data. They have to work properly 100% of the time or you will lose out on business. It is fairly easy for individuals to create blogs and Facebook pages. Those are easy to maintain as well and play a role in your online marketing campaign.

Nothing can totally replace a website though when it comes to establishing an online presence. Even a small site with just your contact information is better than nothing at all. Of course, the type of site you need will depend entirely upon what function you want it to perform. Will you be selling numerous products from your site, or will you merely be posting information for your customers?

A professional web designer is very helpful in your decision to create a site for your company. He can advise on the best type of site for your business. He will also be abreast of the latest trends in web design and online marketing. Having a reputable professional at your side can mean the difference between success and failure for your website.

Remember, that once your site is built and accessible online, you have to drive traffic to it. That is where blogging and social media come into play. Driving traffic to a new site isn't always an easy thing to do, but it can bring new customers to your door. Having an online presence isn't just about obtaining new customers though. It is also about building relationships with existing customers so they return to you and buy again.

Small business web design may need a professional to bring together all the technical details, but ultimately, your online site should reflect the values of your brick and mortar store. Providing good customer service and offering good deals will keep your customers happy and have them complimenting you through various social media outlets.

The world of business has changed considerably now that the internet and social media plays a significant role. Word-of-mouth advertising has been taken to a whole new level. You can use these new tools to your advantage by using good business sense and keeping up with the latest technologies.

The Three Concepts Behind Responsive Web Design

Responsive web design (RWD) is one of today's practical solutions on website development. The term responsive pertains to the ability of this web design to be flexibly viewed on most Internet capable devices. The programming codes behind it allows responsive design to adapt to the screen size and resolution of any computer platform such as desktops, laptops, netbooks, tablet computers, smart phones and other mobile devices.

There are many difference in the programming language used on designing a responsive website. The traditional use of pixels, for example, is replaced by percentages and "em" when resizing graphics. Interface design of a responsive site automatically refits and aligns the user's display according to the device's screen size and resolution.

The functionality behind responsive web design can be attributed to three web design concept: fluid grids, flexible images and media queries. These three determines the final output of a particular website design when viewed on different devices.

Fluid Grids

Grids are defined as a set of intersecting vertical and horizontal lines creating enclosed square areas of uniform sizes. The idea behind grids is they can be used to layout a webpage placing content s such as texts, images, videos, logos, banners, etc. according to importance and sought overall design. Fluidity among the website's grids means it can adopt the overall design according to the gadget's screen size.

A desktop computer running on a 16 unit grid can fully view a web page because of its larger screen size, while a tablet computer may have an eight unit grid. When viewing a particular website on both devices, it does not necessarily equate that all contents from the desktop version are resized to the tablet version simply by dividing its measurement by two.

Fluid grids reshape the website design by optimizing the use of spaces and the minimalist concept, which primarily displays only the necessary elements of the website. Contents and elements of second importance are loaded later should the user opt to view them.

Flexible Images

Images can be resized passively through the use of responsive web design. To make an image flexible programmers use units different from pixels such as "em" or through percentages. Some of the responsive techniques employ the use of resizing the image without breaking its length-width ratio.

However, there are also responsive techniques that resize the picture through cropping where only a part of the original image is seen. Cropping is normally done when a website primarily designed for a desktop is made responsive through a smaller screened device such as mobile phones.

Remember, the concept of grids? Usually images resize themselves according to them in responsive web design.

Media Queries

Cascading style sheet (CSS) has a media dependent support called media queries. What this support feature does is verify the media type or gadget while gathering limits to one expression such as height, width, and colour.

Media queries helps in the reshaping of the website design in terms of spacing, layout, and other conditions on the present platform. Data from these inquiries help the programming language optimize view-ability of the web pages.

Web Design, Websites and Starting Your Own Business

Making money online is a dream for many people. With the way that the economy has taken a turn for the worst, many people are scrambling to find ways to stay employed. Over the last few years, companies have steadily downsized their employees, which means that people are looking for other employment. This is why working online has gained popularity. For some it is their only form of income.

There are many different ways to make a living online. It does not matter if you are an affiliate marketer or a freelance writer. You will need a website or webpage in order to do business. Unfortunately, this scares many people. They do not know the first thing about building a website. However, this should never deter you from creating an online presence. Years ago it might have been difficult to start your own business and create a website. However this is not the case anymore.

There are many different places where you can create a website and be up and running in a matter of minutes. If money is a problem for you, then don't worry. There are many free options as well. Blogger is a free blogging system that Google absolutely loves. Setting up a Blogger blog is very easy and can be done in a matter of minutes. There are other websites such as HubPages and Squidoo that will allow you to create webpages on any subject that you like. This is a great option for the person who has something to say, but doesn't want to devote an entire blog to it.

These are all good free options for starting your own webpage or website. However, please be advised that you will never own a blog or webpage that is free. These types of blogs are owned and hosted by another company or person. Unfortunately, if you do anything that goes against their terms and conditions, your free blog can be taken down immediately.

However, if you want to start out with your own domain, then WordPress is probably the right option for you. This blog would be owned and hosted by you. As long as you pay the monthly hosting fee and don't let the domain expire, it will be yours forever. It is very user friendly and has plenty of plug-ins that are helpful for getting you online and found by the major search engines. Getting a WordPress blog is normally the first step that affiliate marketers will take when they want their own hosted blog. There are many different templates that you can use to customize your blog. There are even plenty of companies that are always developing new themes for you to choose from.

However, there are still those who want to have their own unique website. They eventually hire someone who specializes in web design in order to get a customized design that no one else has. There are many companies that offer small business web design services. Maybe this is the route that you want to take.

All in all, the online world is very lucrative and appealing. It is a very good source of income for a lot of marketers. All you have to do is find a product and start selling. But, first pick out the type of website or webpage that works best for you. You have the option of free resources or paid. The choice is all up to you.

Web Design for Tradies

With more people relying on the internet to find information on local businesses, there is an important on having a professional web design on the different websites for tradies. Professionals in any industry will need to offer potential customers a method to review their business and to fully understand what types of services they offer. No matter if you are a handyman, mechanic or any other professional that focuses on a single trade you need to pay close attention to your website.

The layout of the websites for tradies doesn't have to be too complicated. However, they do have some essentials that need to be offered to ensure that consumers have all their questions answered, so you can boost sales and to be a step above your competition.

This begins with the home page that customers land on. It will be on this page that you need to pique the interest of your customer and to encourage them to look over the website. The web design should be clean and to the point, without having large blocks of text to read. Links to additional pages should be easy to find and there should be a logical approach to finding the information a customer needs.

On one of these links, you will need to have the products and services you offer. It will be important to give information on the services that you are qualified to do. In addition to the main jobs you can do, you should suggest that you can do more and encourage a customer to take a moment to contact you through your contact page.

Another important section on your website will be the about us page. On this page, you are going to give an overview of your experience and your years in business. It will be vital that you list any certifications, licenses and other items help you to stand out in your industry. This is a place where you sell your business, while giving potential customers an idea of who they will be working with. If you have a guarantee on your work, this is a great place to list it.

If possible, you should have reviews, testimonials from satisfied clients and even photographs of your projects listed. This will help to give potential customers some information on how you run your business and a general idea of the experiences they can have with you. You can also allow for customers to come in and add in their own experience in this section when their job is finished.

One other area you will want to ensure that your web design has will be a frequently asked questions section. Here, you can provide information on items you are asked about regularly in phone calls. You can also offer some resources that people can use to help them with projects they are working on.

Every professional tradesperson should have a quality website that helps to boost their business. If you aren't sure where to begin, you may want to speak with a professional web design company to get you started.

Things to Know While Finding a Good Graphic Designer

It is quite easy to find a graphic these days. Today, entrepreneurs have a large pool of graphic design talents to choose from. However, before making a final decision, there are a few important tips that could help you find just the right designer.

When graphic designers set out to deliver to their clients, they should be capable of placing themselves in the shoes of the clients' target audience. There are four important aspects of a design that good graphic should be able to look at, through the audience's perspective.

1. Is the image inspiring?

2. Is it captivating?

3. Is it motivational?

4. Is the text easy to read?

These are four questions that should be answered before converting the idea into a real design.

When designing, a graphicshould keep the client's current brand image in mind. Sometimes web come up with designs that may just be short of a masterpiece but fail to merge with the client's brand image. This shift in the client's brand image could dent the image rather than promoting it. Experts suggest that reviewing a graphic designer's portfolio prior to hiring them for a project will help in avoiding such common pitfalls. It is always safe and a good approach for the client to ask for a sample design from the prospective designer in order to assess the designer's capabilities and talent. As an example, in a case where the client wants to have a office furniture brochure designed, the client should ask for a sample office furniture brochure design to assess whether the designer has any previous experience.

References are another way to confirm as capabilities. If a designer refuses to provide verifiable references with respect to his or her past work, it is always better to look for another designer who can provide a reference.

Few more tips related to choosing the right designer based on the inputs from the latest news are listed below:

1. Crisp, Clear Photography

The photography used in the graphic design should be crystal clear and should contain crisp images. Blurs, pixelization, over-exposure should not be present in the photographs.

2. Unique, Original Pictures

Borrowing or stealing photos to be used in harms the image of the company. Entrepreneurs are always advised against using such methods as it could lead to copyright infringement. All images used in a brochure, website or an advertisement should be unique and original. The pictures used should set an individual or a company apart from the rest.

3. Avoiding Clip-Arts

The usage of clip-arts in graphic design for newsletters or fliers should be minimal. Excessive clip-arts make it difficult for people to focus on the text. Clip-arts if used in a graphic design should always gel with the text and not make the design look mixed up.

4. Relevant Usage of Pictures

The photography used in a graphic design should always represent the primary message of a product or service. In addition, the colors that make up the photos should complement the overall colors and theme used in the design.

A few final words

Finding a good graphic designer or a good design need not be rocket science. Remembering these few points while selecting a good graphic designer can help you find the right person to design for you. It will also help you save time and money. However, it is also important that you pay attention to the process and the time needed to find the right designer. This little investment of time can be the difference between a bad or ordinary design and a high quality professional website design.