Posts Tagged ‘general’

Website risk and vulnerability factors include browser security and quality web design. Site owners depend on the quality of their web design to help prevent hackers from taking control of site functions. Best practices by your designer and your internet service provider can help deter malicious visitors from doing damage.

However, a persistent hacker can invade almost any small business website if truly determined to gain access, yet most micro small business clients would be unaffected because hackers choose larger targets.

The majority of my custom web designs are informational websites instead of e-commerce, so only a handful process financial information which is commonly a target for identity theft.

For websites that are compromised, the next consideration besides site owner issues is the risk to site visitors. Readers may be unaware that website visitors could be more vulnerable depending on the software they use to visit a malicious website.

Recently, I came across an article about an annual hackers contest held each March since 2007. Your vulnerability can vary depending on the equipment and browser or mobile OS Operating System you use.

TippingPoint Digital Vaccine Laboratories or DVLabs does an annual pwn2own hackers contest in March with cash and electronic equipment prizes to hackers able to break into devices running on the most popular computing software.

The expert hacker contestants sign up and then attempt to hack into computing devices running on the following software listed here alphabetically under PC and then Mobile:

PC Browser Software

Apple Safari (hacked)
Google Chrome
Microsoft Internet Explorer (hacked)
Mozilla Firefox

Mobile Devices and Software

Apple iPhone 4 running iOS (hacked)
Blackberry Torch 9800 on Blackberry 6 OS (hacked)
Dell Venue Pro running Windows 7
Nexus S running Android

From the results above (hacked shown in bold), Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox were clear browser winners and the iPhone and Blackberry under mobile devices were hacked. Besides the results linked above, you may want to read the pwn2own article on Wikipedia for a historical perspective.

Multiple options for a PC browser give users control over how they surf websites from a desktop or laptop computer. The same is not true for proprietary software used in mobile applications. Does this mean you’re defenseless if using a browser or OS that was hacked? Not necessarily.

You can be proactive about security. When evaluating browser security and quality web design our advice is being aware of risks and then take preventative action by using antivirus software for your computing device. Finally, use care before visiting any unfamiliar websites.

After 15 years in custom web design including the last 7 years full time, the relationship between web design and continuous improvement cannot be denied. The quality principle of continuous improvement is a lesson I learned 40 years ago before any websites existed.

In summary, the concept of continuous improvement means always strive to improve quality and processes in everything you do.

The result of continuous improvement is more efficiency which lowers cost while generating higher profits. At the same time you can balance a better product with price reductions to gain sales momentum and still grow profits based on higher volume.

Customers benefit from your goals of continuous improvement as you become better at what you do. Bigger customers may expect you to strive to lower prices every year, too.

Recent developments in the evolution of custom web design allow creating better websites faster. For my business, that means the price for a custom cms content management system web design at $1500 now costs $1000 less than a year ago.

For static informational sites that the client wants to launch and forget without growing or adding pages, a 5 page site at $500 is also $1000 less than a year ago.

Continuous improvement is a business quality principle that applies universally including the world of custom web design.

The cropped graphic as shown below is from a memorabilia newsletter html design launched within the last week and shows the top portion of the March 2011 edition of the Memorabilia News Bulletin for web design client Mainstream Memorabilia.

Each edition consists of 3 sections including an intro plus opt out info, discount price specials info, and an insider’s view of the memorabilia industry. 3 celebrity photos of autographed memorabilia are used and cropped to fit the format to decorate each section.

Links are included to their website pages for home, specials, contact, and their blog. Additional links across the bottom allow for changing preferences or unsubscribing per CAN-SPAM Act requirements.

For those in web design who work to the latest code standards, learning newsletter design may be a shock because you cannot use all the latest techniques of xhtml and css for a wow first impression. Literally, you must use code and basic html tags from 15 years ago including tables for layout.

This I learned the hard way in the testing phase of the news bulletin design for Mainstream Memorabilia.

The layout for an email newsletter template design must be simple and rigid. The reason you almost have to unlearn how you code is tables for layout and basic html code from 15 years ago will display properly in the widest range of email programs.

A 600 pixel wide standard newsletter layout works best, plus it gives a full view in most preview panes of the majority of email software programs.

For me, and after hit and miss climbing the learning curve, the evidence was in actual results during testing. After a few disasters the final design has the wow factor we wanted despite any code limitations, and the client is very pleased with the look and technical functions.

Mainstream Memorabilia is owned by memorabilia industry insiders with years of past experience in film and television production. They have the contacts for providing quality, selection, and value in celebrity autographed items, so visit their custom online store website that I just happened to design.

While there, you may want to sign up and subscribe to the memorabilia news bulletins, too!

Out of curiosity being in the custom cms web design business I researched www domain name statistics and found out there are over 100 million websites and 1 trillion pages in 2011.

Of all www domain names registered 30 percent are not renewed so they expire, and 37 percent of all active domain names have either a one page website or zero content. Resellers grab domain names to hold in inventory on speculation, so that could explain many of the 37 percent with little or no content. We’re left to wonder about that 30 percent who pay to register a domain and then do nothing with it and let it expire.

That’s just 2 interesting www domain name statistics I encountered during a recent search to get an update on the total number of domains and total number of web pages as of today. The closest I could come was older data with estimates, yet at least that puts the numbers in perspective.

As usual, Wikipedia provides credible domain stats data including reference to a Google announcement, and I quote “On July 25, 2008, Google software engineers Jesse Alpert and Nissan Hajaj announced that Google Search had discovered one trillion unique URLs”. In addition, the Wikipedia article cited “As of May 2009, over 109.5 million websites operated.”

With over 100 million websites and 1 trillion pages as of 2011, I feel confident about long term job security for anyone with the drive, ambition, and talent to offer custom web design services. Don’t worry about the competition because they can’t do it alone.

At 37% out of 100 million www domains that’s 37 million websites with one page or none that need web design help!

Do-it-yourself custom cms web design site owners need to understand the importance of optimizing their text content for search engines. This SEO or Search Engine Optimization tutorial explains free online tools for tweaking content such as testing in DupeFree Pro and SEO keyword density. Watch this video for details. (0:10:34 min./sec.)

Follow these links to download the free resources mentioned in the video:
DupeFree Pro for tweaking and testing keyword density
GridinSoft Notepad Lite customizable text editor review

Learning how to attract search engine traffic using content optimization is important for site owners who choose a cms content management system web design so they can control and manage their website. Optimized content using this tutorial can help.

FireFox browser users may share online gems with a tweet on Twitter or post a message on Facebook while surfing the web as you share page content instantly. In addition you can quickly email links to the content via GMail, as well. The following graphic illustrates how the F1 FireFox extension may be used in Twitter, Facebook, and GMail.

The tiny “V on its side” icon (left) takes up very little real estate in your FireFox browser menu toolbar. While on a page of content you want to share select the “V” icon and choose from Facebook, Twitter, or GMail (center). Finally, insert a message and hit the share button (right) to instantly share the link.

The Facebook post will include a snapshot from the page, the Twitter tweet uses bit.ly shortened URLs to save characters, and the GMail option automatically inserts the URL into the message body. Download and then install the F1 social sharing FireFox extension or watch the video and begin using it now.

I’m a big believer in custom cms web design to meet W3C standards with zero or near zero code errors. A site created in xhtml is more likely to display well today and in devices yet to be invented compared to older html web designs. Those same design practices may not provide an equal experience on mobile devices.

If your web design was not originally designed to meet mobile device web design validation then it likely has errors or violates mobile design best practices. If you don’t know, it probably wasn’t. Regardless, this tutorial will show you how to test your web design.

The W3C or Worldwide Web Consortium creates the standards for recommended web design related specs, and they have an online mobile device web design validation tool for testing if your website meets their recommendations.

Note that most websites are designed for personal computer browsers, so this may not mean your website will have display problems on a mobile device. It simply grades your site on a scale of 0-100% for mobile web design best practices.

Specific checks are graded as low, medium, severe, or critical. I tested the home page of this site and it’s rated 86% with no severe or critical issues. That’s better than a competitor website that I checked. Their web design was rated 0%. Drop down arrows allow you to view failure data in great detail, so you can analyze and fix problems to improve your web design.

Here’s the tutorial. Follow the link above to the W3C mobile device web design validation tool and type your domain in the input box, and then select the check button to view results for your site’s web design. Be patient as it may take 30-60 seconds to run the test.

Keep in mind that the W3C recommendations are ideal standards for very small screens, so a low score may not indicate a poor web design. Not all of us in web design would compromise larger physical or file size content that we feel meets the purpose of a web page message just to satisfy mobile user experience.

In fact, file size and rendering recommendations have not been an issue viewing 480 x 360 videos that I’ve created and viewed on tiny iPhone or Android mobile phone screens. The quality of the video and xhtml in the custom cms web design is excellent when reduced by the user to fit the smaller screen.

Regardless of results, check out all failures for opportunity for improvement. The trend to more smaller computing device screens for viewing content online is unlikely to get much smaller. Therefore, it makes sense for those of us in custom cms web design to add mobile device best practices and validation to our long term strategy.

Consider the fear factor of buying online in your web design. People get ripped off by unscrupulous crooks who take your money without ever intending to fill an order. As a result, your website visitors will leave in an instant no matter how great the offer if they sense less than 100% confidence in your business.

Besides having an obvious offer and call to action in your web design you need to establish credibility as a business that people can trust. If your content interests a visitor they will look for evidence your business is real. That includes full disclosure of contact information to include name, email, phone, and an address.

A common web design mistake that hurts trust and credibility is using a postal box number.

Most internet thieves hide behind a P.O. box or have no address at all, yet a legitimate business may make the same choice without considering the consequences. You will increase your odds for success converting visitors to customers with a web design that includes a physical street address in your page footer or contact us page.

Don’t make this serious web design mistake. Establish credibility with full disclosure so people know you are for real, and then make it a habit to review site content regularly to improve offers and call to action.

There’s more than one secret to sales success besides a quality design at a fair price when it comes to custom cms web design sales. The best salespersons are not those who can smooth talk and dominate a conversation with a potential new client.

The most successful salespeople are those who listen.

You cannot understand what your customer wants in their custom cms web design until they have the chance to explain it. They can’t do that if you’re putting on an aggressive presentation of features and benefits without letting them define their expecations. Your sales pitch sounds like blah blah blah if it doesn’t touch on a subject that’s important to the listener.

What is most important? They’re thinking “me”, or specifically “What’s in it for me?”!

Imagine a scenario that has nothing to do with making a sale. Meeting someone for the first time in a social setting my advice is asking open ended questions that allow the other person to open up. For example, inquire about their occupation and rather than respond asking a yes or no question like “Do you enjoy your job?”, you reply with “Tell me more about what you do”.

Listen carefully and continue asking about what interests them, and later when they walk away without learning a single fact about you, they’ll be telling others how wonderful it was talking with you.

Reconsider sales. Selling any product or service including a custom cms web design means learning what the prospect likes or dislikes about what you offer. Use these clues to overcome any potential objections to your custom cms web design services to make your offer stand out above competition.

People buy from those they trust. People buy from those who show a sincere interest in them including what they want and need. Be that person. Listen and care. For those of us in web design, being a good listener could be the most important secret to making custom cms web design sales.

Earlier this year I began offering marketing services on a trial basis with several clients who have multiple custom cms website designs from me. Their intentions were good when they first launched, yet time is the enemy, so they agreed to have me “market” their websites by adding original quality content often.

The marketing services option for a custom cms or content management system may be a cost effective solution for small business owners to do more online promotion by outsourcing the work.

Besides your main website, I recommend adding a blog to allow posting news, reviews, and advice about your niche. Does a blog attract search engines? Definitely. I’ve posted content on my blog and had visitors sent by Google to that new post 90 minutes later. The concept of adding new content often means Google is back on my site several times a day, not several times a year.

Compare what the average business owner spends for Yellow Page ads to poor ROI performance because people are more inclined to search online. Many of my clients now realize that their advertising and marketing budget for print ads is better spent on expanding their website. Several of my customers with large budgets for Yellow Page ads decided to save most of that and spend a portion with me for marketing rather than the phone book.

Interested? Have a blog but never or hardly ever post? Did I design your custom cms web design or blog and yet you just can’t make time to learn the do-it-yourself details? Contact me to discuss your situation and the marketing services options for cms that I offer.