- It extremely affordable - So it's great for those on a small budget
- They're very quick to design and publish online
- It's a good temporary solution for newly purchased domains
- They can be used as a straight forward 'sales' page with a call to action
- They are useful for those who wish to sell a range of specific products or services
- You want to convert a printed brochure to a digital format (html)
- Add multiple interactive elements - link to your ebay listings, youtube videos and twitter feeds
The sales page, sometimes known as a conversion page or squeeze page, is aimed at generating interest from visitors.
It should have well written, sales driven copy, and should have a call to action such as a contact form or pay now link. These kind of web pages are also well used with pay per click campaigns such as with google.
One page websites can be used with online marketing strategies. Maybe you have a dozen or so different domain names associated with your business, and need a page for each to help boost your online advertising. These domain names can be linked with each other to build your presence on the web. Each of your web pages can be tailored to fit each sector of your customer market.
When you decide to invest in some kind of website, sometimes its tricky to figure out what you really need. You have just bought a domain name - the perfect one! - and you just need to pull something together for the website. And that's where the head scratching can start when deciding on the right content. Having a one page website first gets the ball rolling quickly. Websites are of course dynamic in nature and can be built over time.
Here are some examples of existing one page websites designed by JMC Website Design:
www.electriccentralheating.org.uk
www.wedding-diets.co.uk
www.faultyelectricstest.co.uk
www.poledancing.uk.com
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( 3.1 / 161 )
So you have just bought a domain name, now you want a brand new website to go with it. You could build it yourself if you're feeling confident, or hire a professional to build it for you. Either way, your new website will need to have a purpose. And you'll still need to market it effectively. There is a misconception amongst some new website owners that once they're online they'll make a ton of money. Like with real world business, it'll only work with the right marketing.
Before making any purchase you need to ask yourself these fundamental questions:
1 - What is my website for? (E.g Advertising? Selling? Entertainment? Information?)
2 - Do I have a marketing plan for my new website?
3 - Do I have all the appropriate graphics and text content?
4 - Will I have a reliable point of contact for any future website issues?
5 - How much should I budget for my website?
The last point depends on the old analogy of 'how long is a piece of string'. Depending on what you would like your website to do relies on the budget you have in place. A new 'brochure' website is just that. It contains only basic interactivity (a navigation menu) which is a source of information online. They are usually best used to supplement offline advertising such as newpaper ads and business card distribution.
After you have figured out what you have for your new website, you need to take a bold leap and find out what you want that website of yours to do. Here's a generalised list of websites you may require (the lowest typically priced first):
1-Brochure Website
Is used primarily presentation and showing off, through galleries, advertising pages and basic contact forms.
2-Information Website
You will need a good hosting provider and a secure database for informational websites. These type of websites tend to have a lot of data behind the scenes which is usually searchable via some kind of search page. An example of this type of website is wikipedia.
3-User Login Website
Some websites have a login feature, so visitors can access further (locked) information. Sometimes this can be subscription based. This is also interchangable with...
4-E-commerce Website
This has a built in shopping cart, a store database of products, and a checkout facility where customers can make purchases. Only really suitable for website owners who have a lot of categories of products/services to sell.
5-Content Management based Website
Fits into most categories of new websites. Allows website owners to update information themselves, with minimal technical knowledge. Prices can vary depending on how complex the system needs to be
6-Community/Social Networking Website
Okay so this encompasses a large area, from facebook to twitter. Most of the content is dynamic and generated by the end user. By far the most expensive type of website.
This list is by no means exhaustive and websites can (and usually do) feature more than one of the types listed. Don't forget that websites are organic, so you don't need to put all your budget into it from the start. Get a one page website to start with, market it well and see where you go from there.
More information on what to have in your new website.
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( 3 / 202 )
There is always a risk, obviously, when you publish something online that some undesirable might want to nick it. I came across a couple of handy resources that help find out if anyone is using your website text or images without your permission.
Copyscape - This does a reverse text search based on the content of a specified web page
Tineye - A very cool website which can recognise if an image is used on another website, even if the image has been altered!
Unfortunately there is no foolproof way to prevent people from stealing images from your website, they can just use the Prnt Scrn button which copies whatever is displayed on screen onto their clipboard. If you really need to copyright images the only real way to put people off stealing is to watermark your images, or put them in a password protected area which only your privileged users can access.
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( 2.9 / 279 )
Flash is a very versatile plugin for internet browsers used to display a variety of media.
It is used for:
- Interactive Banner Advertising
- Animation
- Streaming Video (as used on youtube.com)
- games (as used on facebook.com)
- Offline presentations
- Website applications (mp3 players, photo galleries etc)
- Simple 3D animation
Websites can be built entirely in Flash. The only downside to Flash is that it's currently not very Search Engine Friendly. The best approach to using Flash is to use it to complement your web pages. If you really want a full Flash website, provide a text alternative. Not only will this keep your website performing well in search engines, but will also be accessible for visitors who need screen readers to navigate websites.
You can usually tell if something is made in flash by right-clicking on an object you think is Flash in your browser. If the object is Flash, the dropdown menu should read 'About Flash Player(version)...' at the bottom. However this does not always work, depending on how the flash object has been placed onto the page.
It is estimated that around 97% of internet users already have Flash installed on their internet browser.
As I have mentioned, Flash is used on some well known websites (youtube). If you don't have Flash installed, the browser will normally tell you and the download size is very small. Flash has also spread (like the internet) to mobile formats including the Ipod.
Flash is great to add some extra 'juice' and interactivity to your website. However I'd think long and hard about building a full website based on the technology.
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( 3 / 268 )
In the run up to Christmas I've had a few last minute jobs come in. I'm currently working with Lee from Bespoke Pools & Spas Preston who needs a new website. As part of his package, I'm helping him with his branding and logo. These are some of the final designs I came up with:
I evolved from being a Graphic Designer doing this type of work, but that was a long time ago, so my logo skills are a bit rusty! I tried to follow the best advice I learned from college about logo design.
-Keep it simple
-Keep it legible
-Make it easily transferrable (printable in black and white, smaller fonts etc)
And for you folk who are curious, Lee chose design number 2! Next phase for me is to create some web page layouts incorporating Lees new logo...
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( 3 / 280 )
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