Your Business on the Web

The Importance of a Business Website

Without a doubt, the Internet has become the primary source of information for people seeking goods and services- far surpassing printed advertising. The reason is quite simple: Placing an ad in the Yellow Pages, a local newspaper, or a trade magazine, can cost thousands of dollars a year. Moreover, the ads are limited to narrow geographical areas and thus have a limited reach. Also, should you cease to like your ad or happen to spot a printed mistake, you are stuck with the ad for 12 expensive months. Hence the need for a business website.

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Types of Websites

Not too far in the distant past, there were basically only two types of websites: Static and Dynamic, with static sites dominating the landscape. However, today most websites (even simple ones) tend to be built with dynamic content management systems.

Static sites were composed of individual, physical text files. For instance, ‘home.html’ and ‘contact.html’ were both made of actual files that resided in a web server’s hard-drive. These pages where written in a simple language called Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML) with instructions on how to render content, layout, links, and images. Static sites using HTML files were good enough for sites in which content was not expected to change on a regular basis.

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The Problem With Flash

Flash is a proprietary web technology developed by Adobe Systems used as a multimedia platform to create animated graphics, browser games, and also used for streaming video and audio.

Flash was quite prevalent on the Internet because of its entertainment value. There seemed to be a widespread misconception that using Flash would enhance a user’s experience and add value to a website. However, in practical terms the opposite was true. Because Flash had no real purpose other than to entertain or serve ads, it added nothing to contextual significance, usability, or page performance; and worse yet, it was harmful to sound SEO practices.

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Standards Based Web Design

A standards based web design process is one which aims to present your website in the most effective and efficient way possible: Properly displaying your content across multiple devices, platforms, and browsers- Including users with disabilities. The code aims to overcome all these technological disparities to present the site consistently.

These standards are administered by the World Wide Web Consortium, or W3C, an international organization founded by the guy who basically invented the World Wide Web in 1989, Tim Berners-Lee.

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All About Domain Names

What’s in a Name?

The domain name you choose when setting up your website can have positive or negative implications for SEO and branding in general. A domain name is a very important element in your marketing strategy since it is a big part of your brand. In essence, it’s your business identity, and it should embody the way you want people to see you. Moreover, crafting the domain carefully could be a big plus when it comes to Search Engine Optimization.

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