This article reviews some important and necessary checks that web-sites should be checked against before the official launch — little details are often forgotten or ignored, but – if done in time – may sum up to an overall greater user experience and avoid unnecessary costs after the official site release.
Favicon
A favicon brands the tab or window in which your website is open in the user’s browser. It is also saved with the bookmark so that users can easily identify pages from your website. Some browsers pick up the favicon if you save it in your root directory as favicon.ico, but to be sure it’s picked up all the time, include the following in your head.
Titles And Meta Data
Your page title is the most important element for SEO and is also important so that users know what’s on the page. Make sure it changes on every page and relates to that page’s content.
Meta description and keyword tags aren’t as important for SEO (at least for the major search engines anyway), but it’s still a good idea to include them. Change the description on each page to make it relate to that page’s content, because this is often what Google displays in its search result description.
Cross-Browser Checks
Just when you think your design looks great, pixel perfect, you check it in IE and see that everything is broken. It’s important that your website works across browsers. It doesn’t have to be pixel perfect, but everything should work, and the user shouldn’t see any problems. The most popular browsers to check are Internet Explorer 6, 7 and 8, Firefox 3, Safari 3, Chrome, Opera and the iPhone.
Proofread
Read everything. Even if you’ve already read it, read it again. Get someone else to read it. There’s always something you’ll pick up on and have to change. See if you can reduce the amount of text by keeping it specific. Break up large text blocks into shorter paragraphs. Add clear headings throughout, and use lists so that users can scan easily. Don’t forget about dynamic text too, such as alert boxes.
Links
Don’t just assume all your links work. Click on them. You may often forget to add “http://” to links to external websites. Make sure your logo links to the home page, a common convention.
Also, think about how your links work. Is it obvious to new users that they are links? They should stand out from the other text on the page. Don’t underline text that isn’t a link because it will confuse users. And what happens to visited links?
Functionality Check
Test everything thoroughly. If you have a contact form, test it and copy yourself so that you can see what comes through. Get others to test your website, and not just family and friends but the website’s target market. Sit back and watch how a user uses the website. It’s amazing what you’ll pick up on when others use your website differently than how you assume they’d use it. Common things to check for are contact forms, search functions, shopping baskets and log-in areas.
Graceful Degradation
Your website should work with JavaScript turned off. Users often have JavaScript turned off for security, so you should be prepared for this. You can easily turn off JavaScript in Firefox. Test your forms to make sure they still perform server-side validation checks, and test any cool AJAX stuff you have going on.
Validation
You should aim for a 100% valid website. That said, it isn’t the end of the world if your website doesn’t validate, but it’s important to know the reasons why it doesn’t so that you can fix any nasty errors. Common gotchas include no “alt” tags, no closing tags and using “&” instead of “&” for ampersands.
RSS Link
If your website has a blog or newsreel, you should have an RSS feed that users can subscribe to. Users should be able to easily find your RSS feed: the common convention is to put a small RSS icon in the browser’s address bar.
Put this code between your tags.
Analytics
Installing some sort of analytics tool is important for measuring statistics to see how your website performs and how successful your conversion rates are. Track daily unique hits, monthly page views and browser statistics, all useful data to start tracking from day 1. Google Analytics is a free favorite among website owners. Others to consider are Clicky, Kissmetrics (still in closed beta yet), Mint and StatCounter.
Sitemap
Adding a sitemap.xml file to your root directory allows the major search engines to easily index your website. The file points crawlers to all the pages on your website. XML-Sitemaps automatically creates a sitemap.xml file for you. After creating the file, upload it to your root directory so that its location is www.mydomain.com/sitemap.xml.
If you use WordPress, install the Google XML Sitemaps plug-in, which automatically updates the sitemap when you write new posts. Also, add your website and sitemap to Google Webmaster Tools. This tells Google that you have a sitemap, and the service provides useful statistics on how and when your website was last indexed.
Defensive Design
The most commonly overlooked defensive design element is the 404 page. If a user requests a page that doesn’t exist, your 404 page is displayed. This may happen for a variety of reasons, including another website linking to a page that doesn’t exist. Get your users back on track by providing a useful 404 page that directs them to the home page or suggests other pages they may be interested in.
Another defensive design technique is checking your forms for validation. Try submitting unusual information in your form fields (e.g. lots of characters, letters in number fields, etc.) and make sure that if there is an error, the user is provided with enough feedback to be able to fix it.
Optimize
You’ll want to configure your website for optimal performance. You should do this on an ongoing basis after launch, but you can take a few simple steps before launch, too. Reducing HTTP requests, using CSS sprites wherever possible, optimizing images for the Web, compressing JavaScript and CSS files and so on can all help load your pages more quickly and use less server
resources.
Besides, depending on the publishing engine that you are using, you may need to consider taking more specific measures – for instance, if you are using WordPress, you may need to consider useful caching techniques to speed up the performance.
Back Up
If your website runs off a database, you need a back-up strategy. Or else, the day will come when you regret not having one. If you use WordPress, install Wordpress Database Backup, which you can set up to automatically email you backups.
Print Style Sheet
If a user wants to print a page from your website, chances are she or he wants only the main content and not the navigation or extra design elements. That’s why it is a good idea to create a print-specific style sheet. Also, certain CSS elements, such as floats, don’t come out well when printed.
To point to a special CSS style sheet that computers automatically use when users print a page, simply include the following code between your tags.
If your are looking a SEO Company in London then Feel Free to Contact us - for Best SEO Services .
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Monday, May 10, 2010
How Important is Web Design When it Comes to First Impressions of a Website?
Web design aspects are very important for a website. With right web design techniques a website can have magical effects over visitors. First impression is the last impression. It is a well known saying. The statement is true in all aspects. If the website will have a powerful first impression, then people will not be left unimpressed.
In order to understand the importance of web design for over the first impression of website, it is essential to know the components of web design. The important components of web design include structure of web page, graphics & animation used on web pages, and the user interface of the website. In order to provide impressive first impression, all these things should be in proper sync. Lack of any single thing may distract visitors.
We can understand it properly using an example. Usually as a normal internet user people come across several websites in their everyday life. Websites with the following features get attention of visitors:
1. Websites providing easier ways of finding relevant information
2. Quick and convenient navigation from one part of website to another
3. Attractive web graphics
4. Use of uniform color scheme throughout the website
5. Quick load features
6. Proper graphics/text ratio
An ideal website designed in order to attract fresh traffic should have all the above described elements. Apart from that, website structure also plays an important role in creating powerful first impression. A few things that people need to remember while designing a website are as follows:
1. Less page sizes (for quick loading)
2. No horizontal scrolling (people get frustrated in scrolling horizontally)
3. Three click navigation (to navigate to any page from any place, people should not have to do ore than three clicks, and one click access to home page)
4. Use of same font (or font family) on every web page.
5. Search facility (search within site to find information of their interest)
If someone is designing a website then he/she should have to remember all the aforementioned things in mind. Without incorporating these basic user friendly web design aspects, no one can expect their website to attract visitors. Therefore, in order to get maximum benefits from their website people have to follow web design etiquette's. Article Source
In order to understand the importance of web design for over the first impression of website, it is essential to know the components of web design. The important components of web design include structure of web page, graphics & animation used on web pages, and the user interface of the website. In order to provide impressive first impression, all these things should be in proper sync. Lack of any single thing may distract visitors.
We can understand it properly using an example. Usually as a normal internet user people come across several websites in their everyday life. Websites with the following features get attention of visitors:
1. Websites providing easier ways of finding relevant information
2. Quick and convenient navigation from one part of website to another
3. Attractive web graphics
4. Use of uniform color scheme throughout the website
5. Quick load features
6. Proper graphics/text ratio
An ideal website designed in order to attract fresh traffic should have all the above described elements. Apart from that, website structure also plays an important role in creating powerful first impression. A few things that people need to remember while designing a website are as follows:
1. Less page sizes (for quick loading)
2. No horizontal scrolling (people get frustrated in scrolling horizontally)
3. Three click navigation (to navigate to any page from any place, people should not have to do ore than three clicks, and one click access to home page)
4. Use of same font (or font family) on every web page.
5. Search facility (search within site to find information of their interest)
If someone is designing a website then he/she should have to remember all the aforementioned things in mind. Without incorporating these basic user friendly web design aspects, no one can expect their website to attract visitors. Therefore, in order to get maximum benefits from their website people have to follow web design etiquette's. Article Source
Top Tricks to Create a Website That Works For You
Whether you run a non profitable organization or whether you're involved in a full fledged commercial business, a website is a must for you. A website could assist you meet your goals by putting you in touch with your audiences. But it is significant to ensure that your website is basically working for you. Here are some ideas which will support you with the same.
The name of your site is 1 of the most significant considerations to take into account. Ideally, the website name ought to be uncomplicated and convenient to bear in mind. So, the shorter it's the better. What's more, a short name has a greater recall value that will make sure that folks come back to your website. There is a chance however, that the website name you select will not be available and hence, you ought to be prepared in advance by keeping 2 to three alternate choices to fall back on.
Your website ought to also permit for easy navigation. The design of your domain should not be very complicated lest it confuses the viewer and ought to also allow for simple navigation from 1 page to the other. You can provide navigation buttons on each page so that users in a rush don't must put in much effort in finding the page they want. You could additionally, divide the info into classes which will assist the user discover and abide by content on the site. Giving a sitemap towards the end of the website will also assist users discover what they're searching for.
Content is king. This is the golden principle to agree to if you desire to make your website profitable. You can come up with the finest website design, however it won't suffice if your website lacks in terms of content. Make sure that your website is replete with ample information. Even if yours is a shopping website, attempt to offer as many shopping choices as you can. Once your website offers all that a user wishes, there is every reason that it will work for you.
Speak about yourself through the site. Bragging is not always bad, primarily when you are looking to enhance your business on the web. A specific serving of your site ought to ideally be focused on who you are and what you do. This gives credibility to your site. A unique 'About Us' section exudes confidence and makes the user feel that he or she is taking a look at a credible website. However, lack of any crucial information about the site owner may take away its trustworthiness.
So what are you waiting for? Just apply these tricks 'n your website is sure to work wonders for you.
Article Source
If your are looking a SEO Company in London then Feel Free to Contact us - for Best SEO Services .
The name of your site is 1 of the most significant considerations to take into account. Ideally, the website name ought to be uncomplicated and convenient to bear in mind. So, the shorter it's the better. What's more, a short name has a greater recall value that will make sure that folks come back to your website. There is a chance however, that the website name you select will not be available and hence, you ought to be prepared in advance by keeping 2 to three alternate choices to fall back on.
Your website ought to also permit for easy navigation. The design of your domain should not be very complicated lest it confuses the viewer and ought to also allow for simple navigation from 1 page to the other. You can provide navigation buttons on each page so that users in a rush don't must put in much effort in finding the page they want. You could additionally, divide the info into classes which will assist the user discover and abide by content on the site. Giving a sitemap towards the end of the website will also assist users discover what they're searching for.
Content is king. This is the golden principle to agree to if you desire to make your website profitable. You can come up with the finest website design, however it won't suffice if your website lacks in terms of content. Make sure that your website is replete with ample information. Even if yours is a shopping website, attempt to offer as many shopping choices as you can. Once your website offers all that a user wishes, there is every reason that it will work for you.
Speak about yourself through the site. Bragging is not always bad, primarily when you are looking to enhance your business on the web. A specific serving of your site ought to ideally be focused on who you are and what you do. This gives credibility to your site. A unique 'About Us' section exudes confidence and makes the user feel that he or she is taking a look at a credible website. However, lack of any crucial information about the site owner may take away its trustworthiness.
So what are you waiting for? Just apply these tricks 'n your website is sure to work wonders for you.
Article Source
Web Design Tips - 5 Mistakes
If you have a website and you know there is something wrong with it because it doesn't look right, has a high bounce rate or doesn't convert, it may be a simple problem with a quick fix. Here are some web design tips for 5 common mistakes.
1) Your text isn't right for your websites overall mood or niche. Finding the right text to encompass the mood of your website is often a more difficult task than anticipated. If you believe this is a problem for you, Dafont.comc ould help. Dafont is a free resource that gives users thousands of unique fonts that can be organized by name, artist, or even style.
2) The website isn't compatible with multiple browsers. Many websites owners are surprised to receive feedback from visitors that informs them their site doesn't properly function in Google Chrome, which is unfortunate considering Google Chrome is the fastest growing browser online. It's definitely worth the time to check out Browsershot.org, a free website that tests your website's compatibility in any and all browsers.
3) Your color scheme is off base. If you don't have an eye for color schemes, maybe try Colorschemedesigner.com. This site is easy to use and can be very effective. Simply enter in a base color (traditionally it's a good idea to enter your logo color/colors) and see up to 20 compatible colors you can use to make your website more stylish. Again, this tool is free.
4) Your website's navigation isn't set up properly. While there isn't a tool to really nail down this problem, there are a few guidelines to follow. One of the largest mistakes website owners make within their navigation is order. If you browse around, you'll see many websites that have a "Home" tab presented first on their navigation, and have an "About Us" tab presented second. Don't make this mistake. People don't care who you are; they care about what you offer and at what price. You are better off listing your "Products" tab after your "Home" tab, followed by your "Pricing" tab (if applicable). Place your "About Us" tab towards the right side of your navigation near "Contact Us".
5) Your call to action isn't in its proper place. It's crucial to put your call to action front and center, and on nearly every page. If you want visitors to call you on the phone, put your phone number in your header to be seen on any and every page. If your call to action is to have visitors purchase, keep that option open wherever you describe your product or service.
Article Source
1) Your text isn't right for your websites overall mood or niche. Finding the right text to encompass the mood of your website is often a more difficult task than anticipated. If you believe this is a problem for you, Dafont.comc ould help. Dafont is a free resource that gives users thousands of unique fonts that can be organized by name, artist, or even style.
2) The website isn't compatible with multiple browsers. Many websites owners are surprised to receive feedback from visitors that informs them their site doesn't properly function in Google Chrome, which is unfortunate considering Google Chrome is the fastest growing browser online. It's definitely worth the time to check out Browsershot.org, a free website that tests your website's compatibility in any and all browsers.
3) Your color scheme is off base. If you don't have an eye for color schemes, maybe try Colorschemedesigner.com. This site is easy to use and can be very effective. Simply enter in a base color (traditionally it's a good idea to enter your logo color/colors) and see up to 20 compatible colors you can use to make your website more stylish. Again, this tool is free.
4) Your website's navigation isn't set up properly. While there isn't a tool to really nail down this problem, there are a few guidelines to follow. One of the largest mistakes website owners make within their navigation is order. If you browse around, you'll see many websites that have a "Home" tab presented first on their navigation, and have an "About Us" tab presented second. Don't make this mistake. People don't care who you are; they care about what you offer and at what price. You are better off listing your "Products" tab after your "Home" tab, followed by your "Pricing" tab (if applicable). Place your "About Us" tab towards the right side of your navigation near "Contact Us".
5) Your call to action isn't in its proper place. It's crucial to put your call to action front and center, and on nearly every page. If you want visitors to call you on the phone, put your phone number in your header to be seen on any and every page. If your call to action is to have visitors purchase, keep that option open wherever you describe your product or service.
Article Source
