We have books and articles about website usability, the good offices of the W3C to show us guidelines and offer us tools for ensuring functional code, and a handy professional designer to put the ideas into action. But why do we need those, anyway? Why can not we just let the writers compose some prose, [...]
Why do people love your website? They love it because they can find it, because they can use it, because it has the content that they want, and because it works. They may also love the color scheme, the layout, and the graphics. But if they can’t find it or use it, and if the [...]
As a builder or purchaser of SEO-friendly, W3C compliant websites, you put a lot of effort and perhaps considerable money into making sure your website is great, that people love it and want to stay and buy your product or use your services. The last thing you want is for people to find your site, [...]
How much do people use the Internet? Well, that depends on who they are. It is a subject of much interest to web designers and people who invest in websites. Obviously you want people to read your content and purchase your goods and services. Otherwise you would not go to all the trouble to build [...]
We know that W3C validation is a valuable tool when creating and maintaining effective web pages. But what is the real purpose of the W3C? And who are those people, any way? This interesting subject you may wish to explore on your own, but I will be happy to provide an overview. Actually the W3C [...]
We have spoken of the benefits of W3C code validation for SEO and for human usability. The World Wide Web Consortium offers an impressively wide array of tools for validation of website code and content. They really are doing some good work. Here is what they say about their goal and purpose. “The World Wide [...]
Recently we have discussed findability and usability, in the context of custom web design and with reference to W3C compliance. Now let us take one more step, which may be more fun for you than it is for me. And that is readability. The study of how users read is helpful if you want to [...]
W3C compliance means your site is likely to work, either because you built it that way or because you had the good judgment to employ a qualified custom designer to do it. You are probably Findable, for the same reason. But what about Usable? Is your site Usable? There is a lot to be considered [...]
Professional web designer thinking includes a concept called Usability. A focus on W3C compliance helps to achieve that, as compliance will assure that the code works. A broken site isn’t Usable. Careful attention and a thoughtful approach by the coder assures a good measure of Usability, just from practical considerations. We talk about SEO a [...]
Off-site optimization refers to the usage of a wide array of techniques to make your website more appealing to the search engines in the pursuit of drawing free traffic to your site. Both on-site optimization and off-site optimization are regarded as the main factors used by the search engines to determine the web page rankings [...]
Created primarily as blogging software, one of the biggest misconceptions people have is that WordPress is a software used only by bloggers. With its state-of-the-art characteristics however, WordPress has now become an excellent open-source web publishing platform and content management system which boasts of impressive web standards, aesthetics, flexibility and great usability among its users. [...]
When considering the choice, website templates vs custom design, what are the main criteria to consider in making the decision? How can you know which will be best for your purpose, in the long run? Let us look at a few of these factors. Website templates sound attractive, and may look attractive as well. They [...]
In 2001, Danny Sullivan suggested to use the term search engine marketing (SEM) to refer to the varying band of undertakings associated with the performance of search engine optimization, submission of sites to the different directories, management of paid listings at the search engines, and creation of extensive online marketing strategies for individuals, groups, or [...]
When the W3C speaks of Web Accessibility they may be referring to the design of browsers and media players and such. The W3C says that to be compliant, such devices “should support accessibility for people with disabilities and work with assistive technologies”. When we, the designers, writers, and purchasers of web sites, say Web Accessibility, [...]
Conscious Business radiates multiple benefits: Does conscious business imply positive development in the business sector? There is a values-based revolution currently taking place in the consciousness of the various levels in the business sector of the economic strata. This is referred to as conscious business. What does it mean and how does it affect the [...]
