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Resources |
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We understand that your website is very
important to you, it is because of this
that we have provided a key selection
of links and Internet resources that we
ourselves use.
We haven't made an exhaustive list, just
the core elements that we believe should
be taken into consideration when you start
or manage a website of any size.
Please find below a
list of ten tips for webmasters that we
change every now and then for variety.
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10
Important Web Design Tips For Webmasters:
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Red
On Blue Isn't Good
Not only red text on a blue background but
any color (except white) on a black background,
light text on white backgrounds and dark text
on dark backgrounds don't work! Especially
if you have a lot of text, it is very important
that it is easy to read and doesn't hurt people's
eyes. Surprisingly enough, red text is used
on a blue background a lot, even though it
is one of the worst combinations of colors.
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I
Don't Like Your Java Funkyness!
Don't bother putting 'Eye Candy' on your site
like java clocks and menus with sounds. You
might think it makes you look clever, but
it doesn't (unless you wrote the software
yourself of course)! Anyone can copy and paste
an applet from another website and they usually
don't really improve your site. Some browsers
don't support them either so it really isn't
worth it. Read more about deciding between
Technology and Compatibility
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Popup
Window? I'm Leaving!
One of the worst things I have seen on websites,
both personal and semi-professional ones is
popup windows! Even on big sites like www.foxnews.com
you get a popup window when you visit. Personally
I will usually leave a site with a popup window.
They are extremely annoying. If your free
web host gives you the option of a banner
in a popup window or one at the top of the
page choose the one on the page. Even if it
makes designing it a bit more difficult and
you can't have as many adverts, so many people
hate them it is not worth it. Don't use them
for 'Top 25 ???????? Sites' either. They are
even more annoying than adverts. If your web
host doesn't do anything but popup adverts,
it may be a good reason to join Silver Technologies.
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I
Don't Wait For Adverts To Load
I have seen all too many sites which are covered
in adverts! You open the page and 2 banners
are at the top. Underneath is some text, then
an Amazon.com search box, then some more text,
then a CDNow search box, then more text, then
another type of affiliate program and finally
the page is finished with 4 different banners
at the bottom. It isn't worth it! You will
never make money that way. Although it may
be tempting to have more adverts to try and
make more money but just 2 or 3 highly targeted
adverts will make you more money and your
visitors won't give up and leave, either.
Learn more about making money from your site.
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Hide
That Counter!
Ask yourself this: "Why do I need to
show the number of visitors I've had on my
site?" Can you think of a good reason?
It is extremely important to track your visitors,
especially as your site grows, but showing
the actual number of visitors serves no good
purpose. If you have very few visitors then
people who see that on your site will think
it is unpopular, has no good content and will
leave. If you have a lot of visitors then
people won't really care about how many visitors
you've had. It is better to use a good tracking
service or hiding your counter. Google Analytics
(mentioned below) or inside our ClientPortal
utility are both good sources of statistics.
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Navigation,
Keep It Simple
A very common mistake to make when designing
a web site is to think that your users know
exactly where on your site to find what they
are working for. What you must remember, though,
is that the people visiting your site did
not make it. They don't know where you put
each piece of information. They need to be
shown exactly where to find what they want.
Use descriptive links. Always have an obvious
link back to your homepage. If at all possible
you should include a search function. This
is not difficult to set up and you can get
a free site search from:
- Freefind
- Atomz
- Google and many others.
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Don't
Keep Moving Things
When designing a web site, the first thing
you should remember is to keep a consistent
design. The only page which can be different
is the main page. If you keep moving around
your site's navigation or if every page is
completely different from the others, your
visitors will get confused. Sometimes they
will think that they have left your site,
sometimes they will not be able to find the
link back to the home page. Make use of technologies
like frames and tables to create consistent
navigation and your visitors will like your
site.
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I
Am Not Interested In You Or Your Awards, I'm
Here For Content!
Many would disagree on this one, however in
my opinion one of the mistakes that a lot
of sites, especially smaller ones, make is
to have too much on their website telling
users about the person who built it and showcasing
the awards the website has won. Most people
on the web will be looking for information,
they don't care about the name of your dog!
It is all right to have some information about
you on a separate section of your site but
don't make it a central part. Also, don't
put awards all over your front page. Most
awards mean nothing and anyone who submits
to them win. Unless you have won a major award
(like a Webby) don't put them on your main
page.
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Don't
Crowd The Screen
A very important thing to do when designing
your website is to leave a bit of space. Even
though screen space is precious and you should
try and make the best use of it, try to leave
some blank space. Leave margins, use shorter
paragraphs and don't fill up the screen with
animated GIFs. If there is space, your site
will look 'clean' and 'open' and users will
like it. Using animated GIFs will draw your
users' attention away from your content, which
is what they are at your site for.
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Make
Your Site Sticky
Imagine this, instead of having to promote
your site, your visitors would just come to
your site. They would stay on your site longer,
view more pages and keep coming back. This
is actually possible if your users like what
is on your site and return. Some ways of making
your site 'sticky' like this is to offer a
service (like e-mail from Everyone.net), have
a newsletter, update regularly or include
news headlines on your site. It could save
you a lot of time.
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The following resources are a growing list of
some of the most useful places on the web, found
by both Silver Technologies and our customers.
If there is a sites that you would like to see
included here, please let us know and we will
consider adding it.
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Template
Monster
Offering professional web templates, flash
templates and other web design products available
for immediate download.
Web: http://www.templatemonster.com |
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The
World Wide Web Consortium
The closest thing to a board of directors
that the Internet has. The World Wide Web
Consortium (W3C) develops interoperable technologies
(specifications, guidelines, software, and
tools) to lead the Web to its full potential.
W3C is a forum for information, commerce,
communication, and collective understanding.
Web: http://www.w3.org |
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The
W3C Markup Validator
This is the Big Daddy of validation tools
and if you pass this one without any errors,
you are pretty sure that you have a website
that complies to everything in the universe.
There are some quite technical results that
you can get out of this one, however it is
intended as a compliance guide only. Don't
get to worried if your result doesn't look
too good, try some popular websites like cnn.com
and you'll soon realise it is a highly strict
examination.
Web: http://validator.w3.org |
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W3Schools
- The Web's Original Online Website Building
Tutorial Library
At W3Schools you will find all the Web-building
tutorials you need, from basic HTML and XHTML
to advanced XML, SQL, Database, Multimedia
and WAP.
Web: http://www.w3schools.com/html/default.asp |
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Webmaster
Talk Forums
For The Serious Webmaster, an open forum for
news and discussion
Discuss all aspects of web design, development,
site administration, and search engine optimization.
Web: http://www.webmaster-talk.com |
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Dead
Link Checker
Eliminate dead or broken links from your website
(internal and external)
A well-recommended and free online broken
link checker that will thoroughly scan your
website.
Web: http://www.dead-links.com |
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Google's
Webmaster Tools
Provide you with a vast amount of online resources
that are a free and easy way to make your
site more Google-friendly
Web: https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/docs/en/about.html
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The
Sender Policy Framework Project Overview
The highest authority on Sender Policy Framework,
a complete introduction, the latest news on
it's endorsement, it's many compelling advantages,
a SPF record creation wizard and a guide to
implementing SPF for your website.
Web: http://www.openspf.org |
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Search
Engine Guide
A Small Business Guide to Website Promotion
and Increased Search Engine Traffic
In-depth coverage of most major search engines
with daily search engine news, information
on search engine marketing, and our directory
of thousands of general and specialty search
engines.
Web: http://www.searchengineguide.com
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Google
Web Analytics - What Happens After They Click
Into Your Website?
Google's Analytics Services offer highly advanced
traffic measurement and interactive reporting
for your websites, which includes visitor
tracking, navigation analysis and much more,
making it easy to improve your results online.
Write better ads, strengthen your marketing
initiatives, and create higher-converting
websites. Best of all, Google Analytics is
free to all advertisers, publishers, and site
owners.
Web: http://www.google.com/analytics |
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Joomla
- Cutting Edge Content Management
Joomla! is one of the most powerful Open Source
Content Management Systems on the planet.
It is used all over the world for everything
from simple websites to complex corporate
applications. Joomla! is easy to install,
simple to manage, and highly reliable. Best
of all, it is deployable to your Silver Technologies
hosted website in seconds!
Silver Technologies offers quick and effortless
Joomla Hosting.
Web: http://www.joomla.org |
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DotNetNuke
- Community : Content : Collaboration
DotNetNuke is an open source web application
framework ideal for creating, deploying and
managing interactive web, intranet, and extranet
sites securely. Best of all, it is deployable
to your Silver Technologies hosted website
in seconds!
Web: http://www.dotnetnuke.com |
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SitePal
- Dynamic, Talking Characters For Your Website
SitePal allows you to easily design animated
speaking characters (avatars) for your website
or blog. Enrich the user experience and improve
business results.
Web: http://www.sitepal.com |
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Juicy
Studio - Check The Readability Of Your Website
Using the readability test you can get a lexical
grade for your content. There are three figures
to check. Gunning Fog Index and Flesch-Kincaid
Grade will show you roughly how many academic
years are necessary to process and understand
your content. You will typically want to have
these indexes lower if you want a broader
audience. Third one, Flesch Reading Ease,
is scale from 1 to 100 with higher the grade
the more understandable to text is. You want
to have between 60 and 70 on this scale.
Web: http://juicystudio.com/services/readability.php |
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WIPA
- The Web Industry Professionals Association
of Australia
An organisation that brings Australian Web
professionals together to exchange ideas,
participate in debate, advance education and
promote ethical practice.
Web: http://wipa.org.au |
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PayPal
- The Safer, Easier Way To Pay Online
PayPal lets you send money to anyone with
email. PayPal is free for consumers, and works
seamlessly with your existing credit card
and current account. You can settle debts,
borrow cash, divide bills or split expenses
with friends, all without going to an ATM
or looking for your chequebook.
Web: http://www.paypal.com |
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AddThis
Spreads Your Content Across The Web
AddThis has a range of free online web-based
services by making it easier for your visitors
to bookmark and share it with other people,
again…and again…and again. Our
simple yet powerful widget is very easy to
install and provides valuable statistics about
the bookmarking and sharing activity of your
users. AddThis is the perfect tool to help
your visitors create a buzz for your site
and increase its popularity and ranking.
Web: http://www.addthis.com |
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The
Internet Industry Association of Australia
The IIA iis Australia's only national Internet
industry organisation.
Web: http://www.iia.net.au |
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The
Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman
A free and independent alternative dispute
resolution scheme for small business and residential
consumers in Australia with unresolved complaints
about their telephone or internet services.
Web: http://www.tio.com.au |
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iWeb
Tools
The All You Can Eat Buffet of Web Tools.
A great selection of webmaster tools and
resources to ensure your website is at the
top of it's game. Make sure you get the
domain name correct (it's iwebtool, not
iwebtools) as the other site doesn't seem
too friendly.
Web: http://www.iwebtool.com
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