Posts Tagged ‘web design’

 

Speeding up Websites, Part 2

Jan07
 

As promised in my previous post, I am including the code we use to cache our website. (I got this from a Google Group discussion.) Further explanation can be found from Google’s help page: http://code.google.com/speed/page-speed/docs/caching.html.

Most web pages include resources that change infrequently, such as CSS files, image files, JavaScript files, and so on. These resources take time to download over the network, which increases the time it takes to load a web page. HTTP caching allows these resources to be saved, or cached, by a browser or proxy. Once a resource is cached, a browser or proxy can refer to the locally cached copy instead of having to download it again on subsequent visits to the web page. Thus caching is a double win: you reduce round-trip time by eliminating numerous HTTP requests for the required resources, and you substantially reduce the total payload size of the responses. Besides leading to a dramatic reduction in page load time for subsequent user visits, enabling caching can also significantly reduce the bandwidth and hosting costs for your site.

Basically, the .htaccess file is telling the bots to cache certain files at various times for returning visitors.

ExpiresActive On
ExpiresDefault A0

<FilesMatch “.(flv|ico|pdf|avi|mov|ppt|doc|mp3|wmv|wav)$”>
ExpiresDefault A29030400
Header append Cache-Control “public”
</FilesMatch>

<FilesMatch “.(gif|jpg|jpeg|png|swf)$”>
ExpiresDefault A604800
Header append Cache-Control “public”
</FilesMatch>

<FilesMatch “.(xml|txt|html|js|css)$”>
ExpiresDefault A7200
Header append Cache-Control “proxy-revalidate”
</FilesMatch>

<FilesMatch “.(php|cgi|pl|htm)$”>
ExpiresActive Off
Header set Cache-Control “private, no-cache, no-store, proxy-revalidate, no-transform”
Header set Pragma “no-cache”

</FilesMatch>

 

January 07, 2010 Tags: , No Comments

Design Does Make A Difference

Oct24
 

Another web design firm, Questus, polled 435 employed US residents over 18 and asked them what influenced their decision to buy from a website. What they found was their initial reaction to the site made a large impact. 43% agreed that a web site’s appearance will affect their decision-making on whether to trust or distrust the store and 25% strongly agreed with this. 25% of the respondents neither agreed nor disagreed.

“We find that Web sites have three seconds to make an impression,” said Jeff Rosenblum, co-founder and research and strategy director of Questus. “The actual usability is more important than aesthetics, but at the same time aesthetics are critical.”

37% of the respondents noted that navigation can make or break their decision to buy next to 32% who said that checkout process is important. A whopping 68% said price is a factor as well. Another factor was product descriptions and shipping options, 38% and 44% respectively.

So what are we to read from this? Well, design is a very important to a web site’s success. For e-commerce site’s just having your web site on the internet with the best prices is no longer acceptable, a design’s look and feel, navigating to products and service, shipping policies and the checkout process will all determine whether a customer feels comfortable enough to buy from you.

 

October 24, 2009 Tags: , , No Comments

Ugly Websites Work

Oct05
 

Okay, as a web designer it goes beyond my comprehension but sometimes ugly website actually work. If you take a look at eBay, it’s not a very pretty site, or, the most obvious like Amazon. They are not “pretty” sites. In fact, I would say they are too busy and unfocused but they are functional which is the most important component of any website. Make it easy for your customers to find what they want, buy it or call you and move on.

Sometimes it’s not the design but the trust you evoke. Some ugly website scream, “Hey, I am a small business and couldn’t afford a big marketing firm. So I built it myself.” But if you are conveying that you are trustworthy by including phone numbers, addresses, your policies and make sure you site is easy to use, you can be sure that your customers will appreciate it and respond with loyalty.

Google understood this. It can barely call it self a web designed site as it is primarily made up of a logo, search box, and some small text. That’s it. It’s fast, easy, simple.

Lesson learned, don’t assume your website has to be filled with high-end graphics and animation. Just be sure it conveys your business in the best possible light and that your customers can quickly get what they need.

 

October 05, 2009 Tags: , , , No Comments

Edit a WordPress Page

Sep28
 

This is a tutorial describing how to make changes to your WordPress page.

 

September 28, 2009 Tags: , , No Comments

As internet usage grows, does your website meet the needs?

Sep28
 

It amazes me but it shouldn’t. The internet continues to grow by leaps and bounds and I don’t mean just by shear numbers. 73% of all American adults are on the internet now. (http://www.pewinternet.org). Many of these online adults are expressing how important it is for them to be connected. How the “internet has greatly improved their ability to shop.”

This is an important distinction to remember when building your website. Is your website allowing these savvy shoppers find what they need quickly? Your navigation should be clear and concise with no more than 2 clicks to get to the product or service of their choice.

35% of these adults are also saying that the internet is helping them do their jobs better. If you sell your product or service business to business, are you making it easier for them to contact you? Does your website give them the right resources like some frequently asked questions, product reviews, knowledge-base, job announcements?

But let’s not forget the group of people that don’t use the internet as much. According to the Pew Internet data, there a those , 17% who only use the internet several times a week, say that the internet has helped them do their jobs. Again, make sure that your website reflects a clear navigation and common sense content to ensure your target market knows what to do next when they come to your website.

Internet penetration has reached high levels. Many businesses refuse to acknowledge the need for a website at all. This may be the case for the rare few business segments, but not for the business owner wanting to reach the widest target audience.

 

September 28, 2009 Tags: , , , Comments Off

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