Points to watch out for when making a website

Posted on by
Reply

Making a website is not easy. It can take months to perfect, and the market is an ever changing place so keeping a website fresh can become a part time obsession, which is why its so important to get it as right from the beginning as possible. So here are a few points to watch out for.

Do’s

  • Choose a reliable designer. Using FourQuotes should build your confidence when speaking to designers and will help you spot what to look out for.
  • Keep it simple. We all like things nice and easy. Well the same applies to websites. Fussy = High bounce rate
  • Keep it simple to navigate. This ties in with simplicity.
  • Make external links open new tabs. Don’t loose your customers because they click on a link.
  • Focus on your customers. What would you like to see if you where visiting your site.
  • Make your contact details clearly visible.

Don’ts

  • Overload your website with media. A video to explain your services is fine, but music and automatically loading videos are a no-no.
  • Do it all your self. Unless you know your stuff, trying to make your self a website can end in a lot of time wasted. It takes a professional, and a lot of time. Use FourQuotes to find your web designer.
  • Copy other websites content.

Using Skype

Posted on by
Reply

Skype has been around for a long time now. But with the rise of a lot of other tech out there, it has kind of moved to a back seat.

The original idea behind Skype was to allow friends and family from all over the words to communicate via web cam.

Well with things like iPhones with FaceTime and other mobile devices, the original purpose for Skype has been made redundant.

But Skype has moved with the times and adapted their services to provide a huge range of products and services that most people don’t know about.

The main one I want to talk about is calling abroad. Using Skype can save you a fortune on calls made to abroad. Its actually a wonder how they even make money.

You can also send international text messages at a fraction of the price too, and these calls and SMS’s are not to just Skype computers. They can be to both landline and mobiles abroad. Mobiles are more expensive to call so getting a landline will help loads.

With Skype you can also set up a local number so people can call you and it gets diverted to your skype account.

All this should mean we will start seeing more of Skype.

Avoid 0870 numbers

Posted on by
Reply

This website is only for UK readers.

We have all had that annoying moment when we are out an about and want to call a company we deal with to discuss some thing important. Only problem is they only have an 0870 number.

Well there is a solution, you see, 0870 numbers only divert to a regular number. So if you know the regular number you can avoid the high cost of calling the 0870 number.

So, the question is, how do you find these regular numbers. Well luckily for us the website saynoto0870.com has put forward a database of contact details that have been submitted by users for many UK based companies.

The website takes a little getting used to and could be simplified a lot, but the content is priceless. I have used this site so many times before.

The only thing I have noticed is, most of the times I have used the site have been from my mobile. But the site is not mobile optimised so it can get a little annoying when you are out and about watching a page load.

There are some mobile apps you can get on your iPhone that can allow you to call the number direct from the app. But I do like this website and the domain.

Make a free website

Posted on by
Reply

So, with the world going online, many newbies want to know, how can I make my self a website for free.

Well there are hundreds of places to go. Firstly you need to establish what sort of website it is you want. There are many website possibilities such as online shops, simple static websites and establishing what your business needs is important.

Most people just want a basic website that advertises their local business and don’t want to pay.

Well there are companies like 1&1 who offer the full package.

Firstly you will need a domain name. 1&1 offer the best prices around and have fantastic 24/7 customer service. Once you have your domain you will need hosting. Hosting a simple website is cheap, 1&1 charge around £2 a month which is all you need.

Then you need a website, well 1&1 actually have a wide range of templates you can choose from. Then all you need to do is plug in your personal details and that’s it.

Some websites are even featured on their portfolio page, so if you get lucky you can get a large traffic increase using 1&1.

If you need help at any point you can call up their dedicated help line and they can help you through every stage of the way.

I appreciate this is not free, but you will always have a certain element of cost with web sites. But £2 a month isn’t to bad.

 

Word counter

Posted on by
Reply

Click here.

To all you students out there, and web bloggers.

I know from personal experience how word count can be a big deal. For students needing to write assignments that must be at least a certain length and for bloggers who are making pay per post blog postings.

Customers who request blog postings to be a certain length or have paid for the post to be a certain length expect the posting to be at least the required length.

So just a quick Google search later I found a really simple website called http://www.wordcounttool.com. The website has a really simple layout and is easy to use. Just select the text you want to measure copy it and paste it into there text box area.

Once you have done this, simple click the submit button and it will tell you how many words you have written.

By the way this posting is 205.

So a huge thank you to these developers who have made this site, you have really helped me and I’m sure many students out.

If you are using Microsoft Word you can always use their inbuilt word count. This way you don’t need to be connected to the internet.

Google Ad words or Yahoo!

Posted on by
Reply

So, when first going into business finding the write advertising platform can be crucial. Advertising can be cheap and naff or expensive and over priced.

The trick is finding the middle point, and a platform that works for you.

Now, the reason I have chosen to comment on these two platforms is because they use what’s called contextual advertising. This means the adverts that are displayed are reliant to what the customer is looking for. This is mostly relevant for SME’s who want to generate income from click.

Larger companies might want to build a brand and things like billboard advertising could work better for them.

So back to Google and Yahoo!

Google is huge, Yahoo! not so much.

This is kind of the beginning and end of it really. Google has most of the traffic therefore can deliver more clicks but is more expensive. Yahoo! maybe cheaper but don’t expect as many clicks.

Personally I use Google and have never touched Yahoo!

There are other advertising methods that can attract great visitors to your website. Facebook and Twitter are great for this. They attract local users who are generally interested in your products. Although its not contextual so they may find it annoying if you keep posting about your product on their timeline.

Making money via blogging

Posted on by
Reply

We have all seen the adverts on websites promoting you leaving your job and earning up to $1,000 a day. Where as this is completely unrealistic, there are some very good ways to make money from online blogging.

Caution should be shown when signing up to these websites as most of them are not large enough to provide you with customers looking for articles to be written.

Firstly, make a blog. This bit is easy. We recommend using WordPress. Its easy to set up, its free and is packed full of amazing software.

Once you have your blog set up, write some articles. You can write about anything but try to pick a market sector and stick to it. Customers will like to see your blog has direction. For the larger companies you will need at least 10 blog postings.

Once you have done this sign up to a “pay per blog” website.

They will then verify your blog meets their requirements. Once you are signed up start writing the articles.

Remember to write un-paid articles too, customers don’t like sites that are only in it for the money, as these websites will rank lower in search engines.

I hope it works out for you, but I wouldn’t quit your day job just yet.

Website designer in Manchester

Posted on by
Reply

If your looking for a great web designer based in Manchester Create Sand is for you.

They specialise in bespoke build websites that offer customers value for money as well as putting the clients interests first ensuring they get a website that can make them money and generate leads.

They have a great website portfolio and a surprisingly interesting blog.

They have helped many customers with bespoke build websites rather than standard template designs. Bespoke built sites can help with SEO standings right from the word go. So they only use their our own coding bespoke build for their customers requirements.

Create Sand help with website projects such as eCommerce websites, small business websites, SEO, social media and internet advertising.

Because they are based in the UK, it is possible for Create Sand to work with international clients. So even if you are based in USA or Europe Create Sand could be the web designers for you.

Create Sand can help with internet advertising and specialise in social media advertising which can be very effective way for small businesses to advertise to customers in their local area.

And for customers looking for reliable SEO services, Create Sand can help here too.

So get in touch with Create Sand today, for your free no obligation web design quote.

Need a web design quote in the USA?

Posted on by
Reply

So, we have featured FourQuotes, a UK based website design comparison site that helps users find the best web design quotes for their website project.

And after we had written about FourQuotes UK we felt compelled to let you know about the US website they run too.

Well recently FourQuotes expanded the the USA. They can now help US customers looking for a website. The service and stunning layout of the site is exactly the same. The layout is kept simple and easy to use. The site is their to help people not put them off. So the layout was kept as user friendly and as user orientated as possible.

So now US customers can save time and money when looking to start a website project by comparing quotes from four web designers rather than speaking to individual web designers.

And of course because the web designers know they are competing tend to offer better pricing and better services to ensure they get the work. They may also offer better service and after care, like maintenance to ‘sweeten the deal’. This is why using FourWebQuotes can really help when planning a website.

So if you are looking to get four web design quotes in the USA, visit FourWebQuotes.com

Need a website designer?

Posted on by
Reply

Ok, our first review is for a website we are actually quite fond of.

The website is to help people compare web design quotes when looking to start a web project. The idea being the user submits some basic information about the website project they want to undertake and some contact details, and they then send out there requirements to four web designers.

The layout is kept simple and easy to use. The site is their to help people not put them off. So the layout was kept as user friendly and as user orientated as possible.

FourQuotes also allows web designers to sign up and receive web design leads. All designers are then vetted to ensure the highest standard of work. Users can also report designers that behave inappropriately. For example, pestering and putting pressure on customer to sign, sign, sign.

This way FourQuotes has built up a database of reputable web designers who can provide quality web design work at excellent prices.

The website is called FourQuotes and was started in 2010.

FourQuotes help its users by allowing designers to compete for the users project helping the user to save money and time.

So if you would like four website quotes for your online idea, just visit FourQuotes.co.uk