Friday, May 8th, 2009

In order to assist web developers in search engine optimization (SEO), Google launched a tool named Analytics. A simple Java Script code is used by the tool which shows details such as how a user found a website, how they reached to the website, and also how a web designer can improve the user experience of a website. All this information helps in the Search Engine Optimization process to drive more traffic to websites and increase the return on investment (ROI) through higher number of conversions.

Importance of Conversions
The rate of conversions decides the success parameters of online marketing campaigns. Conversions are also known as ‘Goals’ which represents the behaviour of the user to match the motive behind the campaigning. One important way to find out the effectiveness of the campaign is thus, to keep a track of the rate of conversions. Maintaining conversion rates also helps in determining whether keywords, ad creative or other elements require modification. Therefore, it is very important to set up goals to understand the reaction of the search engines to your website, especially when you are using Google Analytics.

Setting up a goal in Google Analytics & Specifying the URL or Goal Page
The goal page is the page where the user reaches after performing the required action for conversion. This page can be accessed only after the conversion has taken place in the form of purchase, register, download etc.

Providing a name to the goal
A name is necessary since it should be easily recognized by Google Analytics to generate reports.

Defining funnels
A funnel refers to a set of pages that lead the user to the goal page. Funnels help you determine the behaviour of a user as he moves towards the goal. In many cases, the users leave the website in between before navigating to the goal, you should know when (which stage) the user left the website. This information will help you in modifying the site design, layout, or ad creative.

Assigning values
Based on the achieved goals, Google Analytics provides metrics such as average score, ROI, and others.

The result of the campaign depends on the assigned values of the goal quantifiers. It is difficult to calculate a value if a direct sales or purchase is not involved. In that case you can calculate the conversion rates and the dollar or pound amount of the conversion to measure the value of a goal.

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Saturday, April 18th, 2009

When writing for your website the use of keywords in both your content and Meta Information is very important. Choosing the correct keywords for both your Search Engine Rankings and so that your customers can find you is essential.

Use your customers’ search terms. You may sell ”vegetable soup,” “sunflower seeds,” or ”one-of-a-kind extra-special pet portraits”, but what if your customers are searching for organic tomato soup, organic sunflower seeds, and cat portraits? Until you’ve built up brand recognition, you may need to change the way you talk about your products or services.

Speak the same language as your customer’s, think how your customers think. Search engines don’t think the way people do. A search in Google for “house” brings up different results than a search for “home.” If you only mention “homes” on your site, you aren’t reaching everyone you should. Users query Google for “cat portraits” approximately 3,600 times per month. There are zero searches each month for “one-of-a-kind extra-special pet portraits.” More searchers will find you if you speak their language.

Analyze your site. How do you find out what words people are using to find you? Web site analytics. There are free and fee-based analytics tools that can tell you how many visitors came to your site on each keyword, which can help you decide which words to use to describe your product. At Hampshire Web Design we provide extensive analytic tools on all hosting accounts.

In addition to keyword analysis, Google Analytics, a free tool, will give you a wealth of information on your site visitors. This information can help you measure the effect of your SEO efforts, evaluate A/B testing data, monitor which pages receive the most visits, and assess which pages lose the most visitors. An analytics expert can help you interpret your reports and plan your course of action.

Once you know which words searchers use, use the same keywords. Add in the words that set your business apart from the others, but speak the same language as your customers to get the best results.

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Monday, March 23rd, 2009

Like most web developers we have to test each design in multiple browsers. Currently we test in Internet Explorer 6, Internet Explorer 7, Firefox, Opera & Safari which means having to us a Virtual Machine in order to run multiple versions of Internet Explorer. Frankly it’s a nightmare!

With Internet Explorer 8 now officially released it means that we also have to test that too but with Internet Explorer 6 now officially dead we will no longer be supporting it.

Things have just got a little easier though. Today i found a fantastic FREE tool which allows you to test a design in IE6, IE7 & IE8 without having to use Virtual Machine or having to hack Internet Explorer to be able to run multiple versions of it.

IETester works on XP & Vista and is truly a fantastic piece of software! It emulates IE5.5, IE6, IE7,  and IE8. Although FREE it is still being actively developed which hopefully means that future versions of IE will be added as and when. It’s very simple to install and run and is essential for all developers

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Tuesday, March 17th, 2009

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Tuesday, March 3rd, 2009

We have now added a live chat service to our main website.
If we are online and available for a chat then an image will be shown to confirm this and a seperate image shown if we are not available. If we are unavailable then please send us an email as usual.

Availability will depend on how busy we are and is on a trial basis. If it proves successful then we will make it permanent and hire dedicated staff to be available during business hours

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Monday, February 16th, 2009

Blogging and Blogs have become an important part of being online. Whether your blog is personal such as a diary, your main website or part of a business it is truly an asset to any website.

You can start a blog with your own domain installed http://Wordpress.org as blogging script at your own host. This is what many marketers do for their blogs. 2. Another option includes starting blog with Google at http://Blogger.com both Wordpress and Blogger are free, simple to use and both have all-inclusive tutorials for newbies.
Blog URL:

• The URL should be relative to the content of your blog and idealy contain important keywords.

Posting:

• Posting is about loading something on your blog which may be content, image, or media.
• Posting should be regular and related right through the topic and in a specified category.
• Content is key: Regular and informative posting not only keeps your readers coming back but also keeps the search engines coming back.

Tagging:

• Tagging is about giving keyword to your particular posting.
• Tagging gives more exposure to your particular posting

Categorization:

• Always make categorization to your posting so the readers can pick the topic easily.

Linking:

• Linking is one of the important ways to get ranking early on search engines.
• Make a link to your website in blog posting it will also generate back links to your web site.

Pinging:

• Whenever you have posted something new on your blog than let the world web known abt it.
• For more information about Pinging visit  http://pingomatic.com , http://pingoat.com

Blog Submission:

• Submit your blog to blog directories. This will help your blog in two ways, initially you will get straight traffic from there, and secondly your blog will have one more everlasting link there.
• Submit blog in different directory with different titles that will give you ranking on more keywords.

Start your blog today! At Hampshire Web Design we provide Wordpress free with all hosting packages which is available through our Script Installer which installs Wordpress in only a few clicks. No need to mess around with code or FTPing, just click on the installer, follow the process and your new blog is ready for you to start writing.

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Friday, February 6th, 2009

With the credit crunch biting hard many businesses are finding it tough to keep themselves afloat.

Business Link are dishing out some excellent tips on how to keep going in the current climate. By taking a few simple steps such as managing your efficiency, cash-flow and debts, as well as looking at employment opportunities and carefully considering your finances, you can tighten the reins on your business and ride through the recession.

Please visit Business Link for more information.

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Monday, January 12th, 2009

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Saturday, December 22nd, 2007

With literally thousands of hosts out there it’s a complete mine field when trying to decide which one to place your business with. This post is meant to help you recognise the popular pitfalls and the rare good bits to look out for when choosing a hosting provider.

Avoid:

1. Unmetered Bandwidth: It’s simply impossible to provide such a thing. The catch is and has always been that once you exceed your allocated Resource limit, which is usually around 2%, then your site will be taken down or you will be asked to move to a dedicated box or even to a different host. The concept behind the word "Unlimited" is that the hosting company ‘hope’ that you will not use more than a few GB. So, the host might have perhaps 10 Terabyte of bandwidth available on the server they have placed you on but that has to be spread between perhaps 3000 users and the minute you start using too much then you’re in trouble. It’s not rare that these hosts will simply terminate your account and unless you have a backup then you’ve lost everything!

 

2. Unmetered Disk Space – Exactly the same as above but this time it’s about disk space. Now if you truly had Unlimited Disk space then the whole server could be taken up by your files and yet they’re only going to charge you $5.99 for it? Think about it for a second Once again the host knows that it would be virtually impossible for you to use so much space so once again they ‘over sell’ the space knowing that no one can use that amount. The likelihood is more like if use as much as 10GB, which in itself is enormous and would hold something like a billion or more web pages with highly detailed images but even trying to use that amount will get you in to trouble.

 

3. Resouce Limits : As above really. All large hosts have a set resource limit. As mentioned already, this is usually around 2% so if you have a forum for example that has say 1000 members, 8000 posts, 100 people online at any one time, then you’ll soon reach that limit and a nice message will take the place of your website, saying something like "Your account has exceeded your allotted allowences, please contact support". That looks really professional!

 

4. Email Sending Limits : I have yet to find a large host that lets you send much more than around 200 emails per hour. What happens when you reach that limit? All those extra emails get bounced back and looks really professional!

 

5. Locked Community Forums – This should tell you a great deal about the host you are considering. If they only allow their customers to view their forums then how can possibly gage any understanding on how the company operates and how they treat their customers? A host with an open forum means that they are happy for you to see the good and bad and are confident enough to let you make your own informed decision based on the input from their customers.

 

6. Paying yearly – This one should be pretty obvious. While there is no doubt that you will get a discount against a monthly price plan by paying yearly it also means that once you’ve paid up you are stuck. Let’s say a couple of weeks down the line you find the host’s uptime is terrible as is their support. What do you do? You’ve just paid out all your money and you’re not likely to get a penny of it back. If you can, only pay monthly. Try and use a PayPal account or your Credit Card so that if after month one you are not happy you can cancel and you’ve only lost a few pounds. Paying by Credit Card or PayPal means also that if your host attempts to continue to charge you after you’ve cancelled then you can claim your money back because the transaction was not authorised by you. Try to avoid paying by Switch, Solo or any other ‘instant payment’ card because these cards take the money directly from your bank account and there is no recourse if the host continues to charge you because you originally authorised the transaction. However, if you have cancelled your account which should always be done in writing, then you should be able to provide this as proof to your card issuer who may then reimburse you and stop the payments.

 

7. Contracts – Any reputable hosting provider will not tie you into a contract unless you have paid yearly. If you are paying monthly then your contract is on a month by month basis which means if you wish to cancel then you should submit your cancellation at least one week before your next payment is due. Check the host’s TOS for details and if this is not covered then ask! If on the other hand you are purchasing a custom design along with the hosting then a contract is to be expected.

What you should do

1. Research, Research, Research : Before choosing your host you must research them! WebHostingTalk is an essential guide where you will find hundreds of reviews of hosting providers, however these reviews usually only cover the big boys, the ones that are offering you all this Unlimited stuff for a few pound. Google is your best friend here too; simply search for any information regarding the host you are considering.

 

2. Client Comments : If the host has a Testimonials page then be sure to read it and if it’s possible then contact some of these people personally and ask for their opinion.

 

3. Forethought : Think of lots of questions you would like answered and shoot them off to your potential host and see what their responses are like. How long did they take to respond? Were their responses professional? Were their responses grammatically correct, (this determines whether you are dealing with a teenager working from his bedroom!) (Yes I know my use of symbols in that statement are incorrect but used to stress the point If you know you are likely to be receiving 10,000 hits a day then be realistic and understand that a Shared account is not really suitable but tell the potential host this first! Most hosts will recommend you start off on a Shared account until your website becomes too heavy and then you can move to a VPS or Dedicated box.

So who do you choose in the end? As a relatively small provider myself i am bound to tell you to look at the smaller providers but i can assure you that in doing so is not for self promotion.

• Smaller providers and local providers will offer realistic packages with realistic prices to go with them.

 

• Small and local providers don’t try to entice you in by claiming to give you unrealistic resources and then turn off your site because you’ve actually used what you have paid for. For local companies you, the customer are their ‘bread & butter’.

 

• You will usually find that they will build a friendly relationship with you rather than treating you like another pay cheque.

 

• You will usually find that they don’t oversell their servers which means less people per server which results in better response times for your website.

 

• You will usually find they are more lenient about the kind of content you can host on their servers, such as adult content although obviously no illegal content.

 

• You will usually find that they don’t hold you to a rediculous hourly email limit or resource limits.

 

• You will usually find that they will work with you and be there for you when you are stuck with simple questions such as simple html etc.

The general focus for local companies is that keeping you happy is their number one priority and i know from many moons ago, long before i decided to enter this profession, when i was seeking a host that these very simple things make all the difference.

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Sunday, July 22nd, 2007

So your at the point where you want to start your new project but with so many designers available, who should you choose? This guide is meant to help you decide on your new designer and point you in the right directions before making that choice.

Know what you want:
You really do need to have some idea of the design and layout you are looking for. If you really have no idea then take a few days to research your competition, look at their designs and why they work, make notes as to what EXACTLY you like about their website, is it the colours, the layout or something else? Remember, we work to what you tell us we are not psychic.

Be realistic:
If you want to take on the big boys then please remember that they have paid $10.000’s for their website. If you want your website to look like Amazon then be prepared to pay for it! Remember that your website is going to be the first port of call for your customers, if it looks cheap and is difficult to navigate then your prospective customers are going to close the window and go elsewhere.

If you want an online presence for your business then your website is one of the most important things to consider. We all understand that when you are starting out your finances are tight but to be frank, if you cant afford to have a nice website then you really shouldn’t be setting up in business! Wait until you CAN afford that nice website, it will only mean waiting a little longer but it will mean you have a bigger chance of success.

Which designer?
A number of factors come it to force when choosing a designer but some key points are;

Price:
This depends on many things, mainly down to the kind of design you are looking for and the functionality of your website. For a custom design, where you and only you will have that design varies in price but you can expect to pay anything between £60 to £10.000 and over. Does £10.000 seem like a lot? That depends; if you want to look like the million dollar companies then you have to expect to pay for it! This is of course is very rare so for general cases you can expect to pay anything between £60 to £2000 depending on the person / company you chose to commission. The general consensus is the smaller the company, the less you will pay and the less work involved the less you will pay.

Portfolio:
Any designer MUST be able to show you some kind of working portfolio. Its all well and good a designer showing you pretty pictures but you need to see those pictures in a working environment. Make sure you checkout that portfolio fully, go to the websites they have shown you and have a good look around. If there is contact information then why not contact the owner and ask if they would recommend the designer? If the designer has their own website selling stock templates then have a good look around and see if you like what they can do. If you see a stock template that you think could be customised to suit you then don’t hesitate to ask for a demo, this can sometimes work out cheaper than starting from scratch.

Deposits:
Most companies / people / designers will ask you for a 50% deposit on a custom design. This is usually paid up front with the remainder to be paid before your new design is uploaded to your server. Deposits are usually non refundable, this is perfectly normal because the designer has to spend their time on that design for you and if you are both unable to reach a satisfactory end to the design then the deposit will compensate them for their loss. Sometimes a designer will also ask you to sign a design contract. Again, this is perfectly normal and it is there to protect both the customer and designer should things not work out as expected.

Extra Costs:
Usually you and your designer will agree on a final price before the work commences but sometimes things change and in which case there could be extra fees to pay. This mainly depends on you the customer. If you are completely satisfied that your designer is going to create what you have asked for then there shouldn’t be any extra fees but, if halfway through the job you decide to start making changes to the agreed format then you must expect to pay for them! Make sure though when you have asked for the changes that your designer tells you how much extra it is going to cost and that you both agree. Do not however except that a designer says at the end of the job that you owe extra money; make sure that you have both agreed to the cost of the changes before you continue. It is common practice for your designer to keep you informed of the status of the design by showing you on a separate website. This way any minor changes such as a colour change can be implemented while you watch. This is of course down to the discretion of the designer but communication is the key. If after you have received your design you notice some errors then your designer should put these right at no cost but be sure to check that out before you start. On the other hand, if a month down the line you decide that you don’t like the colours etc then you can expect to be charged for any changes, remember that once you have agreed to the final design and you have that design running on your server then the job is usually signed off, meaning that further changes are chargeable.

Communication, Communication, Communication:
As previously mentioned, communication is vital to any relationship. Try and contact the designer daily for a progress report and try to see the design working to ensure it is what you have asked for – most of us will have a second website for testing purposes so you should be able to see how things are coming along. Remember also that you and your designer might be in different countries so you must allow for the time difference, although some us do this full time others do not so they might only be available at certain times.

Ultimately it all boils down to common sense. If you have not seen any designs from a designer that you like then its unlikely that they will produce something you do like. Most of us with our own websites have varied designs to try to cater for most needs so its rare that there is nothing you do like.

Remember also that the cheapest quote is not necessarily the best quote. The old saying of, "you get what you pay for" is very true. Be sure to shop around and do your own research. Google is your friend so before you make any decesions do a search for reviews or comments about the company you are interested.

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