Like the physical sign on a retail storefront, your domain name is one of the very first components of your business that a visitor to your website will see. Choosing a domain name should be a weighted and well thought out decision, based on numerous factors. First impressions are key in any business, and your domain name can either hinder or enhance your website traffic. When choosing your domain, there are a few important things to keep in mind.
One of the biggest buzzwords in web design and online marketing industries lately is SEO, or Search Engine Optimization. Thought by many to be a magic formula that will take your site straight to the top of Google search results, SEO actually involves a number of factors that can help boost your website rankings. Today I will address one tool that can help optimize your website for search engines: a sitemap.
This week so far has been low on client work and high on allergies. In a situation like this it may be tempting, and in my mind even justifiable, to ditch the office and head out shopping or catch up on DVRed episodes of Project Runway. (Un)fortunately, I know better. I know that “slow times” for a business owner are anything but slow, as they are quickly filled with soliciting new work, taking care of backed-up invoices, logging my finances…and the list goes on. One of the reasons I know how to make the most of this time is thanks to a business class that I took in August and September of last year.
In the ever-important realm of internet security, passwords are both a blessing and a hassle. With so many requirements, it’s no wonder most of us have a hard time remembering our encrypted secret codes.
Password must be at least 7 characters long and contain at least one of uppercase, lowercase and special character. Password may not contain in full or partial your username. You can not use a password that you have used in your past 5 password changes. Your password must be impossible for anyone anywhere ever to guess, hack, or otherwise figure out. Ever. In fact, make up a new word in a foreign language that has no meaning except in your own overloaded, confused and forgetful mind. And then remember it without writing it down or using it again for any other password-requiring login.
Yikes. With everything from your email, bank account, online photo gallery and favorite shoe store requiring a password these days, its easy to get them mixed up and confused. And while it’s tempting to use the same word in various forms for everything – Banana35, banana35, 35banana, bAnAnA1110435, and so forth – doing so jeopardizes the security of your online accounts, and can still be difficult to keep straight.
As is the case with any technology field, the web design industry is constantly being updated with more efficient and effective tools and practices. One of the newest upgrades for HTML/CSS designers is CSS3. CSS, Cascading Style Sheets, is the code that stylizes an .html page. CSS styles can be either internal to the .html page, or external. I design almost exclusively with an external CSS file, to keep myself and my websites organized. Below are a few examples (after the jump).
No, not these tools.
In addition to online and print resources, web design requires a good deal of technical equipment as well. From my computer to my camera with all the accessories that go with them, I have a small but powerful design arsenal here in my office. Some of these gadgets are travel-friendly, while others require me to to be securely fastened into my office chair before utilizing their abilities. Read on for a photo of my office and the details that make it work for me.
Help is on the way
I blogged recently about my favorite distractions on the web, and today I’m going to talk about the other end of the spectrum: resources. Both online and off, there are a plethora of inspiring and informative resources for web designers and business owners. I have broken this post into four categories of resources: inspiration, education, design tools, and performance.
After getting permission from some clients I’ve worked with in the past, I thought it would be fun to show some before and after screen shots of websites that have been redesigned by GetCreative. The amount of change varies depending on the needs of each client, some receiving an entire new look while others just needed an update. Enjoy!
We have moved away from our temporary home at Blogger.com and customized a WordPress theme to better fit the functional and stylistic needs of our ever-growing web log.
Some benefits of WordPress software include full editing capabilities with access to all CSS and PHP files via FTP uploader or their own functional text Editor, among other technical goodies for the geek in all of us. The blog is also now incorporated into the GetCreative web site, so no more linking externally to read the blog. Thank goodness!
