Web Design and Quality Assurance

Web design and Web hosting

Present day's software programming techniques have reached to a new height to cope with the ever-changing scenario of web design and web hosting principles. With the growing security concerns and increasing need of quality assurance, the task of web development has become increasingly challenging for today's IT community. To ensure highest data security, new tools like PHP programming, .Net programming, etc. have evolved over the years. With rapid development in the e-commerce activity, web hosting has become the new way of existence for the business community domain name. Mere knowledge on software programming is no more enough for achieving success in web development. In a single word, web design and web hosting calls for all the efficiency of software programming coupled with administrative skills, business awareness and a quality expertise on the multimedia art.

Phases of Web design

Basic understanding of HTML and Microsoft's FrontPage, in addition to expertise on .Net programming and PHP programming, are essential in order to establish greater quality assurance in web development and web hosting fields. Following are the different phases of web design, if followed meticulously success can be achieved without much difficulty.

(a) Phase I: Defining Scope. Every web development project should have a defined scope outlining the need of gathering related information, risk and budget analysis, defining constraints, etc. The scope should be defined keeping in mind the business needs and existing technology of software programming.

(b) Phase II: Project Planning. Information gathered is now required to be re-evaluated with complete quality assurance guidelines. Formalities regarding web hosting also require to be conceptualized now.

(c) Phase III: Design and Testing. Now the actual designing should start. Testing also needs to be accomplished along every stages of web development in order to provide a consistent degree of quality assurance. There is a wide spread belief within the IT community that testing can be tasked at a later stage; but that is not fruitful and goes against the ethos of software programming technology.

(d) Phase IV: Production and Implementation. In this phase, content and layout are merged to give a final shape to the web development. Uses of PHP programming and .Net programming techniques are very important in this phase as they are the state-of-the-art tools for such purposes.

(e) Phase V: Maintenance and Updating. Once the web hosting is completed, maintenance and updating at regular intervals are mandatory to keep the website purpose-worthy.

Issues of Quality Assurance

Quality of design and quality of conformance are the two types of quality issues that we generally come across with the web development. Quality of design calls for a sound knowledge on the software programming techniques, especially knowledge of PHP programming and .Net programming are very much essential in order to ensure quality assured web development Search Engine Optimization. Quality of conformance is the degree to which the design specifications are met during the development and implementation stages. Web site quality assurance plan should include the ways and means of design specification evaluation, procedures of audits and reviews, prescribed ways of monitoring defined standards, mechanism for error reporting and error tracking, etc.

Mansi Gupta

Hotel Web Design

If you turn on the television or radio, you will be bombarded with ads from Internet websites promising to find the cheapest rate on everything. As the public is becoming aware of the availability of the Internet to access any information they want, so too are they flocking to the Internet to check their destinations before they arrive there. Gone are the days of a traveler jumping in the car and stopping in the evening at the first motel they can find. Now a days hotel guests want to see everything up front, from the rooms to the outside of the building, all of it affects how a consumer decides which room in which hotel to rent.

A hotel that does not have a website now may as well be invisible. Consumers are fussier than they have ever been, and, to many, not having a website shows a lack of popularity or professionalism. As the youth of today grows, this opinion will only become more noticeable. Having a hotel website design may become necessary simply to survive the cut-throat industry.

For hotels that have website designs, you might want to look and see exactly how appealing and easy to navigate your design is domain name. Consumers are looking for a seamless, recurring design that is easy to navigate and is appealing to the eye. In a case study we did, we found that simply by redesigning an out-dated site, the hotel was able to generate the same amount of page views that they had had in an entire year in only ten weeks after the site was re-launched.

An important part of hotel web design is being able to work comfortably with your designer. If the designer does not understand what you are looking for, the website may not appeal to you or your clients. The ability to tell them what you need, and to allow them some room for creativity, will allow for a website that not only promotes your hotel, but makes a lasting impression on all of its viewers.

It is important to make the content of a design interesting, and a good web designer will make that happen. If the content is boring, the consumer will click right out of it. If there is too much going on, the potential guest will not be able to understand what they have read. Getting clear, concise content is a crucial step in hotel web design, as is good graphics. As high-speed is becoming more accessible, people are able to load things faster and faster. It is important to not fill the site with junk graphics, but to present your hotel appealingly, tempting all who visit the site to take the next step and visit your hotel.

As the world moves faster and faster, it is becoming more and more important to have not only a good hotel website design, but a great hotel website design. Just as in the old days when hawkers used to pull the crowd off the street into the tent to see incredible sites SEO Australia, so too do you want your hotel website to pull the potential customers off of their computers and into your business.

Michiel Van Kets

Importance of Home Page

The homepage of a website is the logical point of entry into the web pages in a site. It connects as well as interconnects all other pages in the website. Basically users can enter your site from any of your web pages as they are indexed in search engines. Therefore it is important that on all your web pages there must be a link back to your home page so that users can go back to the beginning or homepage of your site in case they got lost or stuck somewhere.

Home pages being the prime location of any website hosting is used for lot many different functions depending on the purpose of the site. Because of the high visibility of the home page it is perfect place for posting news and information. It is the ideal place for the table of contents and menu of links in the site. In the sites using home page for news and menu listings, the navigation schemes are often centered on the home page; which acts as a base for most of the navigation throughout the site. Some of the designs use the home page to steer audiences into subtopics or highlight areas of the site. There are many kinds of home pages with varying goals and target visitors. Some of them are meant for selling products and services, couple to sway public opinion and others to educate or discussion on various topics.

Primarily, there are the few common web pages design strategies:-

Menu home pages: In the early years of web; menu-like lists of links is the most common design on most home pages and is still the popular home page design format. Such pages are mostly dominated by graphic imagemaps as they are more space efficient, as it packs maximum number of links into every square inch of the page.

Splash home pages: Generally, splash pages are considered controversial presentation, reason is; to numerous visitors as they focus on particular contents, splash gives an annoying experience. If it is that necessary WEB SEO, then there should be a site index at the start along with the pretty graphics and animated stuff. The rule of the thumb-design according to target audience expectations as splashing on the sports site is different from that of a Casino’s site.

Path-based home pages: In large websites there is massive information for the visitors, that information is be impossible to present in a single home page. As visitors too have their specific interests and goals, this translates to general rule, “it’s always good to use home page to split the links to content” in accordance with the users interests so that they get more relevant information in the menu pages.

News-oriented home pages: Home pages of the news oriented organizations are the obvious examples of such format. Many organizations utilize the high visibility of their home pages to make to announce the latest on the happenings to the larger web audience. Such live format makes a home page more attractive and more likely to keep attracting visitors.

Complex amalgam of all the above said pages: Increasingly home pages are becoming a complex amalgam of all the above said strategies. As the goals for most web sites are to transmit information and also to communicate effectively with potential clients and general visitors. Home pages now mix images, menu lists, and special interest sections according to the flavour of the site. As most of the corporate and institutional home pages always display a graphic banner across the top of the home page, and the commercial sites are rapidly becoming mixtures of links embedded in graphic imagemaps and links in textual content But using large graphic menus takes longer time for loading pages, especially for users linking to the Internet via modems, Ethernet or slow network connections.

Alex Roderick

Web Design Business through word of mouth

There are several ways of attracting web design business to your company. More and more web design business use the search engines to generate traffic through their web sites and generate leads. While this is certainly an effective way of securing web design orders, it is inevitably expensive. Indeed, to generate any amount of reasonable traffic through your web site, you need to be at least on the first page of the SERPS (Search Engine Results Page) and there are two ways of getting there. One is pay per click where you pay search engines like Google every time somebody clicks on your web site. The bill for this form of advertising can quickly run into thousands and unless you are attracting the right kind of business, might not be financially viable. Then there is Search Engine Optimization (SEO) where you have your web site optimized by SEO specialists so that your site ranks high in the natural or organic ranking on search engines. There is also the traditional media advertising in the papers and through brochures. Whilst all these advertising media are necessary and you will not avoid them altogether, there is a more viable way of expanding your business in the long term and this is word of mouth.

Never underestimate word of mouth as a reliable source of web design order. Consider the benefits: a reliable source of business, quality customers and better value projects.

If you have looked after your existing and past customers, the chances are you will have repeat web design business from the same customers or they will refer friends and family to your web design services for new web design work. This is what we called word of mouth route. A good proportion of your website clients will Pay per click, at some point, require additions or alterations to the web design you did for them. Sometimes they will require a new web site altogether. And who else will they go to if they were satisfied with your web design services and products? Nobody. People prefer to stick to what they know if they are happy with what they got the first time round. What’s more, the additional web design works are often not as complicated as the initial web design project, making the additional work usually more profitable than the initial project.

Word of mouth also means referrals from your happy customers. Referrals are leads coming from people who have recommended your web design services. These are customers who have heard good things about your web design business, who have probably looked at the web sites you have designed and who like what you do. This means these potential customers are already in the best frame of mind when hey come to you. You have won half the battle in terms of selling your web design services. If your web design quote is reasonable, more than likely you will secure the order from the referral. Again, price here less of an issue and you can generally make a good deal, as well as offer a good deal.

Word of mouth can also imply leads that you get from social networking like business clubs, chambers of commerce, speed networking. Although these leads are not as reliable as referrals, do not discount their value. One thing usually leads to another and you will very likely get a few web design orders from social networking.

Clearly, word of mouth is a reliable and profitable avenue that every web design business should pursue and certainly not neglect. It is too easy to forget a customer once you have completed his or her web design project. Other new web design projects come along and we only tend to think of our ‘old’ customers when we are short of new business. This is a mistake. Nurture your existing web design portfolio, talk to your existing customers once in a while and you will be surprised how much web design work can come through this channel.

Ralph Ramah

6 Ways to Build Websites Without Knowing HTML or Hosting

So you want to build a money making website without the hassles of knowing HTML or having to find, or worse, understand all of the technical terms involved in hosting your site?

Although ideally it's a good idea to buy your own hosting and host your own sites, you can avoid the hassles by simply buying a domain, pointing it toward your new site, and simply promoting your new domain.

You can even use cloaking so your site looks like it's actually hosted on your domain.

However, to do this, you need to first decide what kind of site you want to build, what products or services you will sell, and what the topic of your website will be.

If you choose a highly trafficked site like one of the sites listed below, you won't even have to worry about submitting to the search engines. All of this is already taken care of for you.

Once you decide what your products and your topic are, then simply choose the site that best suits your needs. You can even build a list by using a site like Feedblitz, and most of these site alternatives already have RSS feeds built in.

If you can cut and paste, you can easily build your own search engine friendly, content rich website.

1. Lulu - If you want to sell your own products, which would include books, ebooks, CDs, DVDs, and photos, then this is the site for you. (In other words, this is a great site for writers, artists,

and business people who sell their own products, want to expand their product lines from digital to physical and don't want the hassles of distribution.)

You can build your own store, create your own blog, and offer your products for sale. Lulu offers conversion software to make your ebooks available as books, and for only a 20 percent commission to Lulu, you can sell your products and keep the rest. Lulu will handle your distribution, as well as pay you your royalty checks through Pay Pal.

Once you get your site set up, then all you have to do is continue to add new products, post to your blog if you use it, and promote. What could be easier?

2. Ebay - Ebay offers you several options for building a website. You can set up an account, absolutely free, and begin selling your products immediately. You can even use Ebay as a way to gather

leads for your business (Small monthly fee involved).

If you choose this route, then you have a few options for building a site.

You can choose to simply sell your products there without the hassles of building a website.

Ebay also offers Ebay Stores, and for a small monthly fee, you can build your own store and sell your own products.

You can also choose to have your own blog at Ebay. This is an option you want to take especially if you are selling products on Ebay. The only limitation is that you can't add outside links to your blog; you can only add links to products you are selling on Ebay.

Still, with the opportunity to promote on one of the top 20 sites on the internet, and do it free, this is a great option.

(Excellent for those who sell their own products or sell resale products. This includes both digital and physical).

3. CafePress - Talk about options! This site is the ultimate. Whether you want to create your own products for sale, or you want to sell millions of products others offer, or even both, you have a

choice.

Cafe Press allows you to open your own store and sell your own custom made products whether it's T-shirts & clothing, posters & prints, housewares, custom US postage, your self-published book, or your own audio or data CDs.

You can set up your store absolutely free, and if you need more space, it's very inexpensive to upgrade. If you don't want to sell your own products, you have millions of products to choose from, and you can make an affiliate commission from everything you sell.

What's even better is that you can take your creations and market them on Ebay and combine these two high traffic sites.

(Primarily for those who want to create their own designs and work like artists and writers. However, since this site offers and affiliate program, anyone can use it to make money and build a website.)

4. Blogger

5. Wordpress

Both of these are blogging platforms, and each one has its advantages and disadvantages.

With Blogger, you can quickly set up a blog that will be spidered by Google. You can write about just about any topic you want, there are a wide variety of templates, and your blog will be on one of the largest, as well as the most popular, blogging site on the internet. You can also easily add your Google Adsense to your blog.

Wordpress offers more features, including dozens of templates, tagging and categorizing your posts, spell check, photos, and videos.

Both offer a Wordpad type interface, so you don't even need to know HTML when posting your posts. Just write your post, and when you're ready, click "Publish Post".

If you sell your own products, or services, then a blog should be a complement to your main site. However, if you sell affiliate programs, then a blog is a great way for you to offer articles and reviews about the products you sell. You can also offer industry news, as well as any information you think might be helpful to readers.

6. My Space - My Space is far more than a blogging platform. It's a community. With My Space, not only can you set up a blog to talk about your products and services, as well as your area of expertise, you can also network with other people who have an interest in your topic.

My Space offers free classifieds so you can sell your stuff, as well as forums, groups, and audio and video. Your profile is fully customizable, including templates you can find on the internet to create a custom design for your site. You can even add a subscription box for your lists so subscribers can

subscribe.

Although there have been some negative things written about My Space, if you're looking to promote your business, writing, music, or whatever, it's the place to be. Even if you already have your own website, you'll want to set up a presence here.

Building a profitable website for your business is crucial to your success. I recommend that anyone wanting to start a business learn basic HTML. However, if you're just starting off, then you can easily learn the basics using one of these sites.

Custom Web Design Company

Web Design Sydney

Jinger Jarrett

How To Avoid SEO Nightmares

SEO nightmares for webmasters is when they go to bed after happily analyzing the latest traffic figures and resulting sales and revenue generated by their web sites, only to wake up the next morning to find that everything has been wiped out. If this has ever happened to you, then you know how devastating this can be to find your self in this position.

Their sites literally disappear from a major search engine and the result can be devastating, to say the least.

Yet there are a number of ways to avoid such situations;

a) Do Not Try To Trick Search Engines

Many webmasters feel very clever tricking search engine robots with all sorts of tricks and getting away with it. Many times the so-called brilliant ideas come from a SEO service consultant eager to show you as client some quick results. The reality is that if you do anything unscrupulous or that is not above board, your days are really numbered. Sooner or later you will be caught up with. If you are serious about search engine

marketing you need to start by Building Links to your website. Doing it the honest way.

b) You Must Diversify

Diversification does not mean going into all sorts of different lines of business. It just means making every effort not to rely on one source of anything. Whether it is traffic or revenue. For instance if you use your high traffic to build up your opt-in email lists, you will be doing yourself a great favor. You can even use your current profits to purchase opt-in email lists and thus build up our list much quicker. In this way you will be cushioning yourself against any future developments that could affect the major way through which you are currently receiving your traffic.

c) Build a Quality Web Site

If you can use the opportunity to build a quality web site and with it a favorable image and large loyal following, then the effects of changes in search engines rankings for your web site will be greatly limited. Word of mouth alone can keep huge numbers flowing in the direction of your site and can be much more effective than traffic flowing from search engines. Sometimes this word of mouth mainly culminates in links pointing at your site which can also generate lots of traffic on their own.

d) Get Your Web Site Exposed

There are plenty available resources such as web site directory submission services and article submission services, that will assist you in keeping your website ranked in the search engines. Through these web site promotion techniques, your site will gain link popularity and more exposure, leading to future potential clients and higher rankings in the search engines. Articles Submissions are a powerful method of getting quality one-way incoming links to your site, the way the search engines like. In submitting to directories, the amount of inbound one way links to your site are highly valuable to the search engines and will boost your site rankings.

Custom Web Design Company

Website Design Firm

Terry Detty

Scope of web designing

Web designing is very essential and important part of IT industry. There are various skills required while designing a web site. A web designer must have proper knowledge of the contents which are required to be covered in the website. Graphics i.e. colors, patterns, textures and effects should always been clear and effective. There should not be a hint of impatience in your design.

There should be proper symmetry between curves, distances between buttons, links etc. A person should have complete knowledge of CSS and HTML.

A web designing has very wide scope in IT industry. It is basically dependent of the skills of the web designer. Conceptual designing also plays an important role in designing a web site.

Links help in increasing the traffic for a web site.

A web designing is an art. It requires domain name registration, hosting, proper layout and promotion. Every activity which is associated with the designing of a website requires proper qualification and experience.

Today every small or big industry requires a media to catch the attention of the proposed consumers.

Similarly, educational institutes want to impart knowledge to their students through a medium which can make them accessible with variety of knowledge with just a mouse click.

This requirement has been fulfilled by the internet which offers various sites. Any type of information can be easily accessed by opening the particular site.

All these have made web designing industry more popular and it has further increased its scope. There is no field left where internet has not made its entry. Support of web designing industry in providing every bit of service right from content writing to site launching have been very advantageous to the various customers.

Web designing industry has earned a good name in past few decades. The needs of business, industry, education and public sector have made very good use of web services.

There are more jobs available for web designers than before. There are lots of companies who have earned a good name in providing web designing services to people. They employ professional who have good knowledge and experience.

Lots of new companies have been coming up. Ecommerce solutions

which are part of web designing have made shopping on net easy and convenient.

Lots of solutions have been provided by the web designers to the people who want details about any subject. There is no field left on which you cannot easily find a good piece of knowledge.

It is no child play to be able to adjust in today's world of competition. There is great need of the experience and professionalism that can make web designing successful. If you provide good services to what your customer demand you can easily survive the market conditions.

Effective presentation of Website Design Firm and proper promotion are the key things which are required to make website more accessible.

Custom Web Site Design industry is likely to grow at more speed in near future. That time in not far enough, when this industry will be the number one industry of every nation.

Megrisoft

Vertical Business Cards - Better Than Horizontal?

There are only 2 ways to go.

You can have a vertical business card... or you can have a horizontal one.

(Okay I know some people undoubtedly have circle, and other odd shaped business cards -- but you stay out of this debate!)

There's no question which is the more common orientation. But which is better?

Surely, there's no absolute answer. It depends on what you're looking for... the quantity and layout of your copy... and other factors. So rather than declaring an outright winner, let's take a look at why vertical business cards are a very attractive option.

The benefits of vertical business cards

The key advantage of vertical business cards is quite simply that they stand out very well. They make an instant impression that -- all things equal, of course -- is difficult for horizontal cards to compete with.

Why?

Simple. Because vertical business cards are MUCH less common. That's not to say that there aren't plenty of people who have them. After all, there are a lot more people who have vertical business cards than say, chocolate business cards, 3D cards, or other unusual or unique materials. But when you compare them to traditional, run of the mill, horizontal cards, there's no question which stands out.

Which is why, chances are, your vertical business card will get a deeper once over. (Even if it's just because you hand it to someone a little differently)

The other benefit of vertical business cards is the fact that they are generally NO more expensive than horizontal cards. That may not seem like a big deal, but you'd be surprised just how much of a premium you might pay to stand out in other ways. Those chocolate business cards I mentioned a second ago? A couple bucks a piece in most cases. Foil accent? Be ready to cough up some extra bones.

But... go ahead, these vertical business cards are yours for the taking.

On some websites, all you have to do is click a button and they show you all of their vertical designs.

Which brings me to...

The downside of vertical business cards

If you're not a graphic designer and you're relying on the templates you can find online, there's no doubt about it. The selection of vertical designs is smaller. In some cases, just plain small. You might have to do some more searching to find a design that's right for you.

The other potential issue is that it might be a bit more challenging to layout your copy on a vertical business card. That's because you're working with 2 inches of width, rather than 3.5 inches. In other words, website addresses, taglines, and some other content might be a little tighter.

A big deal? Not really.

In fact, the downsides aren't really much of a problem at all. Like everyone else who wants a vertical design, you'll make do.

After all, it's a pretty small price to pay for a business card that automatically stands out a bit better. Wouldn't you agree?

Alan Saltz

Tips on choosing the right projector for PowerPoint

When making use of PowerPoint in your presentation, it is very important to first choose the right projector for the presentation. There are hundreds of projectors in the market nowadays, and the new buyer lies in a dilemma on which projector to buy! So it is better to use these tips to select the right projector for your needs.

First thing to check is the resolution of the projector. The resolution is actually the number of horizontal and vertical pixels there are in the image. The more pixels there are, the more closely packed they are together, to provide a smoother appearance to the image. The most common configurations are named VGA, and XGA, which is most common in laptops. The most common resolutions for CAD, GIS and other graphic applications are SXGA while UXGA is for large format graphics. The best way to make a choice for a projector is to buy one that matches the number of screen pixels on the laptop that will be driving the computer.

Check for the luminosity of the projector. Luminosity is the amount of light that is projected on the screen, i.e., the brightness. It is measured through an international unit, lumens. The higher the luminosity, the brighter and more visible is the projected image; while the greater the distance between the projector and the screen, the more lumens that is required for a clear image. If most of your will be made while on the road, it is better to buy a small and lightweight projector that weighs between 6 and 10 pounds. There are also another smaller version of projector called ultra portables available that weighs between 2 and 6 pounds. When travelling, remember to get a good, sturdy case to keep the projector safe.

When buying the projector, make sure that it has connectors that are compatible with the laptop you plan to use. Check the VGA, S-Video, RCA and the number of pins on the interface cables. If required, all this information is found on the ‘full specifications’ part of the projector information. There are two main projection technologies of projectors: LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) and DLP (Digital Light Processing). Most of the projectors are of either technology. Recently, there has been a new projector technology called LCOS (Liquid Crystal On Silicon) that is emerging as an alternative to DLP and LCD. LCD is the oldest and most widely used technology of the three. However, DLP is a new technology that has made great strides in five years to challenge the LCD market. LCOS is the newest technology to surface in the projector industry and is considered a hybrid between LCD and DLP technology.

When buying a projector, make sure to get a good warranty on the projector. There are several types of warranties available. The repair or replace warranty is the best warranty offered by most manufactories. If the projector is not working, the company sends over technicians to fix it. However, if it cannot be fixed, then the manufacturer replaces the projector with a new one. The return to base warranty is a warranty where if the data projector is not working, it is returned to the manufacturer. He repairs it in 2 to 3 weeks, or perhaps longer, depending on the availability of spares. The swap out warranty is a good, but rare warranty. Here a technician determines the problem of the projector over the phone, wherein you send it to the manufacturer to fix it. In return, they send you a loaner projector to be used till yours is being repaired. The loaner projector is usually supplied the next day, which has to be returned on receipt of your repaired projector. The dead on arrival warranty is warranty projector manufacturers give to protect you if the new projector does not work on its first usage. Then the manufacturer replaces the projector with a new model projector. Most lamp warranties of projectors last from 30 days to 6 months. If you are going to frequently use the projector, then it is better to buy a projector with a good lamp warranty.

You could consider buying a wireless projector as it makes your workspace tidier, less confusing and the signal loss through cabling is not a problem. Wireless projectors allow you to switch between multiple PC servers easily and better mobility in the room without the fear of tripping over wires! The room in which the presentation is to be made too is vital for deciding on the right projector to give a clearly projected image. Larger rooms needs projectors with more lumens to reach the screen with enough brightness. The lighting in the room too is important. Consider how much light the audience will need, i.e. if they will only be listening to the presentation or be taking notes too.

Preparation of SEO Strategies and Their Implementation Should be Done Carefully

The top Search Engine Optimization companies should have adequate experience to understand the strategies that are required for a particular website. If the research for the keywords and competitors are done properly, it becomes easier to find the exact method that is appropriate for you. Targeting the audience is the prime matter of consideration for every online business. Hence, implementation of strategic SEO techniques is crucial to build a successful Web Solutions.

Thomson Chemmanoor

Best colors for web designing

Web Color

There are many web design tutorials that cover Web color in detailed scientific terms. However, for our objectives, let's briefly discuss Web color and how it will be used in the Web portfolio. You will need to develop a color scheme for your Web portfolio pages. This means that you will designate colors for your page background, the type used on the page and any other static elements that reside in the page. There are two types of color that can be used in Web graphics. The colors can be associated with the Web graphic file formats we just mentioned: GIF and JPG. GIF

GIF files use index color. Index color consists of 216 common colors found on all computer monitors and within all Web browsers. These common colors reside in a Web palette. The Web palette of colors is available in Macromedia Fireworks and Adobe Photoshop so they can be used in design of Web screens without variance of color when the pages are on the Internet. Also, the Web palette is the standard color palette in Macromedia Dreamweaver and Macromedia Flash. This allows us to achieve consistent color across Web applications and Web browsers.

We use Web colors for:

• Web text/HTML text

• Web page backgrounds

• Web page colors used for table or layer backgrounds

• Web links

• GIF files JPG

JPG files use red, green, and blue (RGB) for graphical color. RGB color is also known as full color. Full color items include bitmap graphics or photographs. We want to utilize photographs as much as we can within a Web portfolio to add to the visual rhetoric and the narrative that we are trying to present. Extensive use of photographs, especially their manipulation in programs such as Adobe Photoshop, require a brief description of the RGB color model. RGB color is known as additive color because of all colors, red green, and blue were added together at their full intensity that would create pure white. The mixtures of the relative strengths of these colors, "create the millions of colors computer monitors can show" (Kimball, 2003, p. 95). The strength of these colors is set in from zero to 255 with zero being the least intensity and 255 being the highest intensity. When red, green and blue are combined at zero intensity the result is black. At full strength, high intensity, where the values are set at 255, 255, 255, the result is pure white. To remember this, here is a simple metaphor. Think of the red, green, and blue as light switches. Each light switch using a slider has a range of zero to 255. When all the white switches are set at zero the room is dark. What all the light switches are set to 255, the room is lit at full intensity. Once you begin to use image-editing applications such as Adobe Photoshop and Macromedia fireworks, you begin to explore computer color within your graphics and photographs. When discussing color usage, full color or RGB color is present in photographic JPG files and other created artwork. Full color images should not be saved as GIF files because of the limited number of colors. By having limited colors, the full color image will represent the true colors using the existing Web palette of 216 colors.

This creates a poor, dithered, and ugly image. That is why it is very important to use the right file format for each specific graphic. When converting print images to the Web, it's important that you do not use the CMYK color model for anything including graphics. The CMYK model is not a monitor friendly color space. The CMYK graphics cannot be seen in CMYK on the Internet. They can only be represented by the RGB color model or the Web safe (indexed) color model. Here are the rules for Web color:

• Full color images (RGB palette) and photos are saved as JPG.

• Flat graphics (Web 216 palette) with limited color are saved as GIF files.

• For Page backgrounds use the Web safe palette (Web 216 palette) in all computer graphics, multimedia, and Web development applications. Now, let's discuss Web page and graphic size. Size

Web pages are measured in pixels. Pixels are the unit of measurement for the screen. A Web page can literally be any size. Standard Web pages usually fit into a few sizes:

•W × H

• 600 × 800

• 640 × 480 (Dreamweaver default)

• 1024 × 768

• 550 × 400 (Flash default)

The default Web page sizes provided in Web friendly applications and listed earlier are a great place to start. You will probably use a smaller, custom size for pop-up windows. The Web page size you choose is up to you. Remember to use actual space for the Web page effectively so that the content is in the proper proximity to the user's navigation patterns. Web page size affects the way users move around the Web pages and the Web portfolio site. One rule: Pick a size for all main screens and stick to it.

Consistency in page size r should be used on each level of the Web portfolio design flowchart. You will need to understand size in the image editing application when you develop screens and Web graphics. We must keep our graphics within the page size guidelines otherwise they will over extend the Web browser and the user will need to scroll to see them. That is not a good thing and will definitely turn off the user. When you are looking at Web screens and graphics in an image editing application such as Macromedia Fireworks or Adobe Photoshop, you can see the exact size the image will occupy on a monitor when the view is set to 100 percent.

This means that you can get an accurate indication of how a page will look before going through the process of making it an HTML Web page. This helps with design and production. It helps eliminate guess work when develop- ing pages. Size also depends on resolution. Let's discuss resolution next.

The need of Search Engine Optimization for the websites is increasing significantly as many entrepreneurs are joining the online marketing spree. The scenario has also increased the demand for top SEO companies and their services. A profitable online business is achievable, but you need to select an efficient service provider who has the expertise to understand the unique marketing needs of different online businesses and websites. In fact, the services of top SEO companies become crucial for any online business to compete among the millions of Web Design Sydney across the web.

Roberto Duran

Kelowna Graphic Designer

Basically graphic design is a visual problem solving by means of text or graphical elements. Your target is to form something that is pleasurable to the eye, and gets the concentration of the viewer. Graphic design is nothing but the combination of process and art together with text and graphics and for communicating an effective message in the design of logos, graphics, brochures, newsletters, posters, signs, and any other type of visual communication. Today's Kelowna graphic designers often use desktop publishing software and techniques for attaining their goals.

Kelowna graphic designers focus only on the visual artwork sternly for a project. Few people specialize only in certain areas like logo design. Normally graphic artists work with print and web. They can also be able to design brochures, business cards, annual reports, advertising material and give you a high quality professional look. Not all Kelowna graphic designers pursue the same procedures in completing a project. But this cursory overview will help you to become more familiar along with the ins-and-outs of the creative as well as production stages of the graphic design process. Many web designing companies hire a designer for the graphic design and finally they will hand the work to a web designer or developer for integrating it into a website.

Kelowna graphic designers charge depending upon the experience normally, but designers with less experience may save you money. But designers with more experience will always carry a higher quality product. So it is favorable for you go for an option of selecting graphic designer in Kelowna before the process starts. An initial research should also take place in an appraisal of your competitors' as well as your company's present communications. Some designers used to demand fee per project or per hour. Always make sure that you have defined all the requirements precisely for your web project.

The Graphic Designer:

Desktop publishing permits copying to go directly from word processing to set type in today's electronic world. The main core of any creative work is the designer. Each designer comes with a varying degree of talent and experience as well, whether they're independent or may be a part of a firm. Many independents or "freelancers" have years of skills with well-known firms.

Concept development is the initial stage of creative work. This is nothing but a stimulating process, exploring various options and weighing their merits against the communication policies and the modification process starts at once the concept has been established. Along the way, you see the project evolves, each time becoming more refined. And at the end of the concept refinement stage, normally the graphic designer will present a final comprehensive layout or mock-up to the person at your company who has final approval authority.

If your Search Engine Optimization company has added personalized SEO services for the clients, you must ask them to optimize your websites for various search engines. There are many search engines across the web and people are using them apart from using the major search engines. It is very likely that you can get visitors to your website through other search engines as well. Therefore, you need to optimize your website for different search engines. For this, your SEO service provider must understand the algorithms of various search engines and optimize your website for them. It will definitely increase the number of visitors to your Website Design Firm apart from increasing your website positions on different SERPs.

Usha Rani

Web Conditioning: Get Your Site in Shape

It’s not talked about much, but woodland animals are notoriously unresponsive to advertising. That’s why you don’t expect to see many billboards when camping. The website of a brick-and-mortar business acts much like a cyber billboard, a vitally important informational hub placed on the Internet with anticipation that visitors will come across the site to explore its content. Yet, many businesses, particularly the small-to-midsized, have their websites built with no thought of its positioning or upkeep; inevitably these websites are parked in the interactive weeds, lost in the woods of a different sort. Too many of these smaller businesses don’t realize the missed opportunities of an improperly aligned website. A representative website isn’t a box to be crossed off a to-do list for a business, but instead an integral component of today’s successful business.

Think of haphazardly positioned websites as being interactive slouches of sorts; they are out of shape web entities sure to be overlooked by search engines. In order to shape up, the sloppy website must shed its baggage and get toned. And like physical fitness there is no finish line, just positive results from proper maintenance. While no one will confuse ICMediaDirect.com with Bally’s or Equinox Gym anytime soon there are some common solutions hammered down for clients. Websites have got to become web conditioned or else stay unnoticed.

Hup, two, three, four…a web site in boot camp is treated a little differently than our GIs, perhaps more harshly even. The first thing we do is slap the website out of its isolation by building some links. This isolation, this lack of “link love” as it’s known, accounts for a great deal of why websites will sit unnoticed – and too often business owners are too busy to notice that their website is being ignored. And unless the business manager wants to drop everything and learn a new skill, he or she must find someone, a professional hopefully, to do this. There isn’t any getting around this. Search engine algorithms study links (as links serve as efficient e-recommendations) and do not reward an absence of them – at all.

A classic example of an isolated website that of a restaurant owned by a friend of mine. In the first dot-com boom he spent a good deal of money to build a state of the art website for his place. He loved the site, the staff and his friends loved the site, and everyone who was shown the site just loved it. But this was 1999 and search wasn’t a high priority; maybe it wasn’t wrong back then to just assume that people would find the site somehow.

The search process has improved like gangbusters since then and good real estate on the search engine results page (SERP) is at a premium. My friend’s website had been rendered invisible, lost in the weeds. People could only find it if they looked specifically for it by name; when using descriptive words such as “Lounge + New York City + Dancing”, it was not even in the top 100 mentioning of the major search engines. As far as interest generated via the Internet, he might as well have built a billboard in the woods.

And like an army recruit, candidates for web conditioning are broken down before they’re built up again, better and stronger. This means that instead of merely posting the facts of the website’s business with some nice pictures, we emphasize about what prospective customers might want it. For instance, an antique dealer specializing in foreign goods might think about what the kinds of items are most popular before creating a keyword list that people might enter into search engines when looking for those kinds of things, as opposed to just announcing themselves as a top dealer in foreign antiques. People want to find what sellers have, not just to find dealers. It sounds too obvious, but just look at how much advertising is wasted in announcing greatness – web copy for a business should be designed along the lines of appealing to the visitor, in anticipation of what they want. It’s how search works.

And once the visitor finds this site, the battle begins anew. The language, the same language that includes strategically placed keywords must now double as effective copy. The visitor’s attention must be held. This is the optimizing process, this is reworking a website. There are no shortcuts, no easy way to do it, but conditioning your website is like maintaining good health – it takes a bit of thought, some balance in the means of action, and regular check ups. It’s a lot to list now, but thinking right about websites done wrong is the first step to getting a website well again. If you have a friend or relative whose Web Design Sydney is listless and ignored – do him or her a favor and tell them to get with the program.

When you hire any of the SEO service providers, it is crucial that you understand their techniques and your requirements from the online marketing. And, of course, you need to trade off between your marketing goals and the services that you seek from your personalized Search Engine Optimization services.

Joseph Pratt

Using Flash in Good Web Design

There seems to be a constant back and forth between programmers, systems developers, and web designers, not to mention users and merchants, about whether or not Flash is a good thing or a bad thing. You hear arguments on both sides, and they can both be convincing. If you know someone in I.T. in Denver, Flash design has probably come up in conversation before. The truth is that Flash design is a very individual decision.

So what is all the fuss about? Many moons ago when Flash technology first came out and the Macromedia Flash Player arrived on the scene, there were very few machines that had the software or even the hardware to play this stuff. Flash is basically the technology behind moving pictures on a website. It is responsible for the swirling graphics you see when you open an architecture firm’s splash page and the mini movie preview or commercial you see on Yahoo! when you do a search for movies.

When it comes to Flash design, Denver has some great minds. You can find quality web design that includes Flash elements to suit your company’s style, goals, and marketing scheme. A professional team is the best way to get this done, as it takes a trained Flash designer to really give you something seamless and highly functional.

And here is where the con side of the argument comes in. Some people say that Flash components on a website are just showy and take way too long to download. Well, five years ago, this was an accurate argument. Actually, even a year ago there were still a relatively large number of internet users who were still using a dial-up connection.

If you think back to the early days of the internet and how long it took you to watch those first Flash videos your friends sent you, or how impatient you became waiting for a website to load that had animated graphics on its splash page, you know why this argument has survived. But today, it is increasingly obsolete.

The majority of internet users today have high speed internet connections of some sort, as the affordability of this technology has increased. This means that the chances you will exclude a potential customer with your animated intro are close to nil. So Denver Flash design is on the rise.

A professional Website Design Firm who has experience with Flash design can write a program that is customized to your needs. They can create a thing of real beauty and excitement. Flash adds a touch of life to your otherwise static website. Remember that you customers want to feel like they are connected to you when they visit your website. By giving them animated components to view, you create a richer user experience to aid in this feeling.

There are so many ways that Flash can be used today that it would be a shame for you not to investigate how it could help your site. From interactive virtual salespeople to virtual makeovers, the possibilities are becoming endless.

When you are selecting the personalized Search Engine Optimization services, make sure you have decided your marketing goals. Your service provider needs to understand your marketing goals and develop the plans accordingly to device a successful WEB SEO campaign.

S. Reeves

The Importance of Web Design in Successful Online Marketing

There is no faster or more effective way these days to reach new customers than through online marketing. In Denver, online marketing now accounts for a large portion of every new marketing plan in major industries. These companies know that to reach the growing market of consumers, the internet is the way to create new and profitable relationships, as well as big profits. But just having a web presence is not enough to garner the kind of results you need to really make a difference in the bottom line.

When your website is designed, whether you do it yourself with FrontPage or other software or whether a you have a team of professionals design an interface for you, you have some options about how it is put together that can dramatically affect your ability to successfully compete in Denver online marketing. Here are a few elements you must have in your web design in order to positively affect your marketing strategy:

" The right site for your company. If all you need is an online brochure that acts as a home base for articles, newsletters, and company updates, a website you design yourself may be sufficient. There are plenty of HTML software packs out there that can help you do this. Some hosting companies offer decent templates as part of your hosting package as well.

But if you want to list inventory or have interactive elements of any kind online, you need a professionally designed custom website that will meet all your needs. A database driven site can generate pages on demand and is the perfect solution to the need for dynamic user interface.

" Branding. You may have it at your brick and mortar store, and you may not. Either way, a website without a company logo, a mission statement, or some other form of identity will seem less than professional. You don't want to look you built your website while eating a sandwich, even if you did. You want your brand to be clearly stated and enforced with the style and content of the site.

" Quality content. When it comes to online marketing, Denver users are savvy. Feature content that is useful to your customers, whether they make a purchase or not, and you will entice them to return. Don't build article around fifteen keywords. Include two or three strong keywords that will attract the attention of search engines, and then focus on being useful to your clients. The goal with content is to be included as a bookmarked page on someone's browser so they will return to you time and again.

" Search Engine Optimization. Again, this does not mean cramming as many keywords and META tags into the framework as possible. It does mean linking with other sites that will be of interest to your visitors and asking for reciprocal links from those sites. You do want to use keywords and tags as a way to attract search engines, but a natural approach is the way to go.

" Interactivity. This can include web mail, newsletters, contests, surveys, and any other method you have devised of keeping in touch with people who have visited your Web Solutions. To do this you need the software on board to create email lists and an automatic opt-in service.

S. Reeves