Web Design Development Articles

Logos are the best medium for assigning images to products, company and services in a better way. ‘First impression is the last impression’ is the thought behind logo creation. For establishing corporate identity logos in a website plays primary role. Logos prepare a strong base for establishing strong corporate identity of your company. Many benefits are associated with hiring of logo designer and software maker like reducing the turnaround time, higher costs of development and complexion.

While selecting logo design software opt for an initial trial version. It would give the idea whether it suits your idea of logo designing or not. Although trial versions have some limitations when compared to the exact software.

Logo design software with variety of logo templates get higher preference, consider having the option of template gallery update. Reliable logo designing company usually offers money back guarantee, lack of such things give the impression that they might not have satisfied clients.

A good logo software provider gives required contact numbers and email addresses plus live customer care online support. Refer to the product testimonials which comprises of views of the clients who have used the software, this can influence your purchasing decision.

If you want custom logo design software for your business, consider searching the Internet for the software provider. Sometimes making the right selection is not so easy for the customers.

Money is significant factor in deciding it too. But it should not be the sole criteria for making selection. The software that suits your requirements should be given preference, you can check out the trial version. This version has constraint features but is good for testing the usability.

Logos is essential part of any company’s business marketing strategy playing vital part in brand identity establishment. Pay stress on delivering clear information of your company’s products/services to the target clients.

Designing of the logo is one of the first initial activities carried out when a company goes for establishing their market brand image. Logos can be used to fulfill a number of functions, as this small design is the representative of your company. A well-designed logo has to be reliable, proper and novel. It should leave positive impression in the minds of the people, strong enough that people get remind of your company on looking at it.

Copyright © 2009

This morning was my granddaughter’s birthday. She came running up to me, all dressed up, and obviously excited about something. She began tugging upward on her sleeve, exposing her armpit. She said, “Look, papa!” I had no idea what she was trying to show me. She proudly showed me her other armpit. I was still dumbfounded, but thankfully, her mom and grandmother explained that she was showing off wearing deodorant.

Everyone commented what a big girl she was. She walked off brimming with pride.I thought to myself, I wear deodorant every day and never get special attention. I thought about why, as children, we get so much attention for the smallest of details. As adults, recognition for the smallest achievements seems to go away. Or does it?

Let’s take your website design

You’ve just finished your site design and published it to your hosting company. It’s drop-dead gorgeous. You know this because you designed it or oversaw the development. The entire site is designed using Flash and the show itself is breathtaking. It moves, shakes, has a lot of cool features and has great audio, too. Everyone you give your domain address to say it’s beautiful.

Those are the compliments you hear, but what’s deafening is that no visitors are finding your site; Flash is pretty much invisible to search engines, especially content-the most important thing. Although your site is ‘pretty,’ visitors who stumble across it leave without buying or contacting you.

It’s amazing how many sites are designed to look good but fail miserably to monetize. Techie nerds-design masters-rarely have strong business sense. We all need computer technology engineers, but sometimes it’s best to consult with a website marketing expert before, during and after site development.

Five important, often neglected site development tips

The very first thing is choosing the domain name. Website names, like marylewisrealty.net, are generally a tough task to place in the search engines. Why? Because people aren’t likely to search the words Mary Lewis when they’re looking for residential property to purchase or to sell. However, people are likely to search, say, “Los Angeles homes for sale.” Your domain name should answer viewers’ questions and describe your products or services.

Content is king! Most sites fail to offer good content. We live in a what’s in it for me world. You have to offer something that’s worthwhile in the visitor’s eyes; you only have seconds to capture their attention. Content must be up-to-date and proofread, a common mistake website managers miss.

Make sure that all links are working. Dead links will chase away viewers forever: search engines will penalize your site.

I once had a client come into my office who thought being able to clip a floppy disk on to someone’s shirt pocket was his ticket to wealth. Mine was the electric fork to go with the electric knife found in so many households. I suggested that he should first try to sell his clip-floppy disk idea to 10 people. He said that he was having trouble selling it locally. He soon realized that spending money on a product that no one wanted was a waste of money and time. Do research and find out if there’s a demand for your offering.

Don’t get too high-tech crazy. Don’t overuse graphics and animation on your site. Keep it clean; help each visitor stay focused on the desired outcome, a sale or contact. Think twice about sound, too. Some people surf the Web while at work and will close your site at the speed of light when it’s revealed to everyone that they’re goofing off.

Lead the viewer through the process, and don’t forget a call to action. Ask for the sale!
Search engine and site optimization is critical, which isn’t a one-time occurrence. Many site owners pay SEOs (search engine optimizers) to get them placed on the top 10 pages of Google, Yahoo, MSN, etc. The SEOs will achieve this task but usually with keywords or phrases that really does nothing for the site. Smart search engine optimization (SEO) is a science; it requires good content, creative thinking and making all the right moves. There are so many little mistakes in site design that will penalize your site’s ranking. Most site owners, designers and hosting companies are unaware of land mines.

I always suggest getting a SEO expert involved in your site development from the beginning of the project, which includes hiring good, professional writers and editors.When your website produces great results, it’s the best compliment your visitors can give you.

By the way, I put on deodorant today and I did feel pretty good about myself.

Here are the instructions for upgrading your WordPress installation manually.

1. Download and extract the WordPress upgrade to your hard drive.
2. If plugins are important to you, make sure your plugins are compatible with the version of WordPress that you are upgrading to. You can do this be searching google on WordPress and the name of the plugin.
3. Backup your database. You can do this through cpanel or via the WordPress databases backup plugin.
4. Test the backup. It should look like a big text file of running together gibberish. If you don’t have that, then stop the upgrade
5. Backup your WordPress files - all of them. Backup the wp-admin, wp-content, wp-includes, and all of the files in your blog directory. You can do this via cpanel or via ftp. I use ftp and copy them all over to my hard drive so I have them while upgrading.
6. Test the backup. Spot check and make sure the files are there - especially wp-config.php and your wp-content folder.
7. Install and activate the Maintenance Mode plugin. One note here - if you are backing up from a much older version of WordPress, skip this step. I find it can cause unnecessary problems and it’s better for your site to simply be down temporarily then to have to struggle to bring it backup later.
8. Deactivate ALL of your plugins, except for Maintenance Mode. Please don’t skip this step
9. Logout of WordPress
10. Ok - back to FTP or your cpanel file manager.
11. Delete WP-Admin - yes, the entire folder
12. Delete WP-Includes - if you have language files, keep those. I haven’t upgraded a site that had them so most of you are safe in deleting the entire folder. And remember, we already made backups.
13. Delete all of the files in the blog directory such as wp-cron.php, wp-login.php, etc except for wp-config.php (that contains your database information). But if you get delete happy, you already have a backup.
14. DO NOT delete wp-content. Some upgrade instructions say to keep some of the files but not all of them. 98% of the time leaving that directory alone is just fine.
15. Now we are ready to upload the new WordPress files
16. Upload the wp-admin directory
17. Upload the wp-includes directory
18. Upload the main blog directory files such as wp-cron.php and wp-login.php The upgrade files should not have wp-config.php but, if it does, don’t overwrite yours.
19. In your web browser, go to your site http://www.yoursite.com/blog/wp-admin/upgrade.php
20. You may be asked to login. Login.
21. If it was more than a .1 version upgrade, you may get a message saying your database needs to be upgraded. Click the button and upgrade.
22. Activate and upgrade your plugins.
23. If all is well, you are done and are now enjoying your freshly upgraded WordPress

A couple of issues that I have run into have been the following:

1. Can’t login after upgrade. Clear your cache. Clear your cookies. If you still can’t login, delete the plugins folder. You have a backup so they can easily be replaced. This is in wp-content/plugins/. Those three methods have always corrected this problem for me. If you still can’t login, search the codex or contact someone like me for assistance.
2. Main page loads but get 404 errors on all sub pages. This is probably a permalinks problem. Delete your .htaccess file and replace it with the backup.

Out of all the upgrades I have done for myself and for others those are the only problems that I have encountered. So, I trust my system. If you still don’t feel comfortable upgrading, ask someone for assistance.

Choosing a web design agency to create and develop your website is a massive decision which requires a lot of trust on your behalf. Unfortunately there are many disreputable companies out there who may try to take advantage of you particularly if you’re new to promoting your business online. There also are many great companies out there who will be only too happy to create a stunning website tailored to your business requirements and online image. How can you ensure you make the right choice though? A good place to start is to ask them these questions below.

• What do you know about my business?
If you speak to a website design company who are already familiar with the industry you work in then this can be a huge advantage as they will be aware of your target audience. Some website companies do a lot of work in specific industries or specialise in certain types of websites such as the health industry or ecommerce websites. When you approach a design company they should ask you plenty of questions about your business so they can decide what they can offer you and if they can fulfil your requirements.

• Who will maintain the website?
Some design companies create content management systems which allow you to change content or images to keep your website fresh. Other designers will maintain the website for you and will usually charge for this service. Some people prefer to have their designers deal with the maintenance of the website but sometimes if you want to make a quick text change for example you could be waiting for your designer to be free to make the change for you for a while. If they do offer a content management system then check to see if this is included in the price of the design.

• What previous work have you done?
Ask to see examples of past websites they’ve completed - most designers have links to completed projects on their website. See how versatile and unique the designs are and if you like their style. Some designers will be more artistic than others so decide which style is right for your website. A good catalogue of previous work can also increase the trustworthiness of a website company as they’ll be well established with plenty of satisfied customers.

• Can you work to my budget?
It’s likely that you’ll have a specific budget to create your website. When you’ve narrowed your search down to three or four agencies, let them know the size of your budget so you can see what you can get for your money. If you have a smaller budget then it might not stretch to hand drawn images or interactive features for example. Once you agree on a budget and a design then make sure you stick to it and don’t be tempted to agree to extra features which could increase the total price of the website.

• Will we get on?
You don’t necessarily have to ask a web design agency this directly but it’s definitely something to consider as you narrow your search. See how they interact with you in emails, phone calls or in person if you meet them. Also note how available they are to speak to and if they return your messages. There’s no point choosing a company who you don’t feel comfortable with as you’ll be unlikely to get the end result you desire.

1.Your younger cousin’s free design isn’t a big help.

Let’s face it- we don’t want to spend a wad of cash on website design. Getting a cousin, brother, relative, or friend to design a website is a great way to save cash. But the downfall is having a website that (unless they are a professional) has errors, looks unprofessional, and drives away clients and potential buyers. In the end, you aren’t capitalizing on viewers, and your potential for increasing business online is lost.

2. The 90’s are out. So is that website

We’ve all seen websites that are remnants of the past. Single columns, a billion words per page, animated icons, poor colors, and a host of other repelling features. What was once cutting-edge, is now stone-age. It used to be the norm for people to learn how to make their own website and put it up. But now that we’ve settled in, these “old school” sites are avoided like the plague.

3. If you don’t have a website, you might as well not have a phone.

This sounds harsh, but the fact of the matter is this- the younger generations search the internet for business and services, not the phone-book. If you don’t have a website, then I can guarantee that your business is missing out on a lot of exposure. Even if you simply list a phone number, directions, and some basic company information, this greatly aids customers in finding you. Google is quicker and easier than flipping through classifieds, YellowPages (which are online now), or any older media. With iPhones and wireless internet devices, people are now Googling while in-transit. Looking for restaurants? Looking for a specific store? If you’re not online, you won’t get found.

4. Your website is the face of your business

Think about websites that are really outdated. Do you trust them? Do you think they are professionally run? Is the information accurate? Businesses put a lot of time and effort into generating a professional image for their clients. Literature should be typo-free, staff should be friendly, and the business should be well organized. If a customer visits a website and it looks poorly made, rarely updated, and generally bad- this reflects poorly on the owners. It’s also likely that they’ll search Google for a similar company with a better website.

5. Professional sites make money.

You need a website that has these three characteristics:

• Visually appealing
• Easy to navigate
• Search engine optimized

Why? The average time someone spends on a website is 15 seconds. If the site looks bad, people will leave. If something is hard to find, they’ll leave. If your site isn’t search engine optimized, they won’t find it in the first place. Homemade or outdated sites often have no search engine optimization, show up incorrectly, and are difficult to navigate. Sites like this are a disaster for companies. It makes the business look bad, and it discourages viewers from buying your products.

Getting a professional website designer eliminates these problems and increases the chances of making sales to your online viewers. It inspires buyer confidence. As stated earlier, your website is the face of your business. A great looking site with quality material makes the customer feel secure, and that they are dealing with the best in the business. This is extremely important when it comes to online sales. People are still very cautious to give out their credit-cards online, and rightly so. If your site is old or doesn’t look modern enough, you simply won’t be selling products online. Customers must believe that your site is legitimate, that they will receive their product, and that their information is secure.

Thank you for taking the time to read my article. Have a wonderful day.

-Matt Powers

I don’t get angry easily but I’ll tell you what makes my blood boil - irresponsible, under qualified, even clueless web designers. Many web designers are talented, skilled and reasonably priced and have the best interests of their clients at heart. But unfortunately there are too many who don’t.

Week after week small business owners call or e-mail me wondering why their expensive website is generating no traffic or leads and not showing up in the search engines.

When I look at their website I often see a site that looks pretty, but is useless. So how do you avoid falling into the same trap?

Here is what you need to know:

1) Ask the web designer to create your website in a Content Management System like Joomla or WordPress. This will allow you to easily make frequent changes to your site yourself without having to pay $60 or more per hour for every added link or paragraph. Those days are long gone. If the designer balks at this suggestion, run.

2) Ask if they do keyword research to determine what keyword phrases people who want your type of service are searching for. If they don’t you can certainly do it yourself or out source it cheaply. Check Elance.com for a great selection of freelancers.

3) Ask if they do Search Engine Optimization. If so, what is the cost? If they don’t, run. If they are too expensive, shop around. You can do it yourself with a little effort.

4) Do the copywriting yourself or provide an outline and have a professional copywriter do it. The headlines and content need to be focused on customer benefits and they need to contain your keyword phrases. Your headline and content will determine whether visitors leave or stay. Avoid phrases like “welcome” and “we do this” and “we do that”.

5) Ask your designer to go easy on using Java script or Flash as Google can’t recognize or read either.

6) Do not create an “enter” or “intro” page. It will increase your rate of abandonment and the search engines won’t like it. Every extra click discourages visitors.

7) It’s crucial that you have an e-mail marketing program and put an opt-in box on every key page of your site. Ask visitors to sign up for your mailing list and give them something of value to encourage them to comply. This is how you convert visitors to leads. Ask your designer if they will put the opt-in boxes on your site for you.

Check references and find out how long they’ve been in business and how reliable they are. Do they have a group of designers or are they solo? You want someone who will respond when you need their help in an emergency, not someone who ignores you for days. You will need excellent customer service since your business is at stake.

9) Do not let your web designer register your domain name or host your website unless you have direct access to your domain and hosting accounts and they are in your name. You don’t want to be “held hostage” should you need to change designers. You’ll need direct access anyway for a number of reasons. You shouldn’t pay more than $10 per year for a domain, and for a simple site, your hosting costs should be no more than $10 to $12 a month.

10) Shop around. Don’t just hire the first person you’re referred to since the referrer may not be aware of some of these pitfalls.

Following these 10 tips will save you hundreds of wasted dollars and will help you create a website that sells.

Today in this world of internet no business is bounded by the region. Websites are one medium that make your business popular in different countries. This is one of the cheapest medium for doing marketing in this cyber world. But the only thing is that how is the design, how much your design influence the user to gum himself to your website.

Website Designing has been today the most innovative and competitive field today. As the number of web users are increasing day by day the demand for quality website developers are increasing day by day. Designing being creative is a very innovative field the zeal should be there to produce quality designs. Especially in Delhi the need for quality website designers are increasing rapidly. As in every field and service competition is immense, day by day as hundreds of new brands are opening. And companies who were not present on web are coming virtual as they feel that they can’t afford to loose out customers through web.

Web designing can be termed as an art, what we want in a website is that when a user logs on to the website he or she should not be logged off easily he or she should feel that the website is interesting and should keep on going through the website pages. And for designing that kind of website the need for creative thinkers arise. They should have got that bent of mind which should produce some out of the box results because Designing great websites is no accident it takes a lot of innovation and hard work in making a brand, because brands are not build overnight.

Today website designing is one of medium to to present your self in different countries, website represents your profile, your products and your quality. But how your website comes to top in search engines and how people will get your website when there is a very large competitions in the same industry.

SEO, yes SEO (Search engine Optimization) is the latest marketing tool or rather we say it has become off late the most comprehensive marketing practices which is used to generate a lot of web traffic. If we talk about SEO the optimization is mainly divided into two parts firstly On-page optimization and secondly it is off-page optimization.

Well the first step is to optimize the web sites through changing the coding of the website and making it more friendly for search engine findings. The second process is to market your self on various websites through directory submissions and article insertions. SEO helps in increasing the websites rankings in various search engines like Google, Yahoo, MSN etc.

SEO plays a very important role and increases the number of hits on an website which in-turn generates a lot of genuine queries. SEO plays the role of pull marketing rather than running to the customers, the clients come to the company. That is why it has always been said that when you develop a website it should always be developed by SEO friendly developers. And if you want top search rankings come to Future Dimensions. Here your website is designed in the hands of SEO (Search engine optimization) friendly website developers.

As being getting designed an innovated and interesting website is no accident.

Website design can be very helpful in attracting the visitors you want and obtain more sales. It affects sales in a way that your site’s visitors can be attracted to avail the goods or services you are offering them.

There are many ways to make your website design very presentable.

Here are some pointers for a great website:

1. Website’s Color. Your website’s color should be pleasing to the eyes of your visitors in order for them to stay in your website and read all the things you are offering them.

2. Website’s Font.Make sure your website’s font used is readable. Website font attracts your visitors to read more and to know the things you are offering them. If they read on, they can eventually avail the things you are offering.

3. Website’s Layout. Your website’s layout must be good to have order and so that they can follow what you want to give them.

4. Download time.Be sure your website downloads shortly after being clicked. Avoid consuming plenty of your visitor’s time. Too much downloading time can discourage visitors to stay. So, make your site’s download time shorter. Remember, a second in the internet is already too long. So, try optimizing the loading time.

5. Easy navigation. Make sure your visitors can easily navigate inside your website to see every service you offer. Sometimes too complicated navigation can discourage visitors to continue exploring your site. Provide easy navigation in your website.

Website design can simply make or break your online business thus, it is essential for your website’s success.

Once you have registered for clickbank and CJ (if you have not done so, please do so immediately). There you will be given your affiliate links - your best friends other than qualified traffic. These links are the links which links the affiliate products and services to YOU, and trace the commissions (if sales are made) to your account.

The thing is, newbies usually try to promote the link directly to people, by direct email or pay-per-click campaigns such as PPC. These approach now are not as effective as before, and they seem ‘hard selling’ with little customer interaction.

If this happens, you’d likely lose the sale. Most of the time, if you put up the link, there’s only a slim 1-2% chance of people buying, the remaining 98-99% will just ‘browse’ and leave, leaving you to pay for the cost of the PPC click (also known as paid advertising). Email links are usually ignored unless the people you mail already know you.

The trick now is to create a ‘browse-through’ page where interested people will scour around to pick-up information that they’re interested in (these are ‘warm’ leads) and you give them an ‘offer’ (which can be anything i.e. free ebook, or free ezines etc - i will share more of this later) by ’signing up’ for the freebies. By doing that, you will build your list, personal to the page they were interested in. This starts a you-them relationship, and you can start building friendship and networking with them. Let’s start with free websites - they’re called blogs.