Time Saving Tips for Maintaining Your Website

As a business owner or webmaster, each and every minute of your day is important and wasted time can have a direct impact on your bottom line and business' ROI. Websites require frequent updates - that is the basis of the Internet - new information is created & needs updated virtually every day. Each website may not require the same updates, but all websites would benefit from regularly scheduled site maintenance and/or new additions.

An e-commerce store or shopping cart may have products whose inventory fluctuates in and out of stock, or even products which are phased out. Leaving a dead product on your website is a great way to upset visitors and lose future site conversions. A news or informational site requires frequent updates in order to maintain its freshness in the eyes of the Search Engines. Adding new content and articles ensures that you stay relevant and authoritative in the eyes of Google, Yahoo andMSN.

Other reasons for website maintenance include adding new customer testimonials, adjusting call-to-action and conversion elements to consistently improve your ROI, updating product images, new products & press releases, copyright notices and other time-sensitive information.

Regardless of what you update on your website or how often you need to do it, there are some proven methods to help you save time and improve your efficiency. Below are a few of the most helpful website maintenance tips:

Use website templates
Depending on how your templates are created, you can save large amounts of time by allowing the template or web editing software to perform repetitive tasks vs. you making them all on your own. A couple examples might be you site's header, footer or common menu system. If each page of your website includes these common items, then you could save time by having all of the pages call a "single file" that contains all of the requisite information for each respective section. The best way to do this is by using Server Side Includes (SSI), PHP includes or other programmatic "inclusion" files. The basis for these files is simple - put the information within a separate file and call it externally. Rather than attempt to re-hash how to do this for you here, I would suggest you simply search for "how to usessi", "how to use server side includes" or "how to use php includes" in your favorite Search Engine.

Save original web graphics
Whenever you make a new image, whether you expect to edit it again in the future, you should always save a copy of the original format - .EPS, .PSD, .PNG or .AI files. Keeping the original artwork intact will help you in the future if any edits are required. You'll simply open the original image file, make your edits and then re-export the file for use on the web. Failure to save your original files will require you to re-create the file each time you need to make even the smallest change - this is highly inefficient.

Avoid overwriting files
This is a common oversight for many webmasters and site maintenance companies; they simply fail to check the "last modified" date on a file that requires editing and then when they upload a newer version of the file, they overwrite important information that was meant to be part of the updates (not replaced). Always, always check the last modified date of the remote files on the FTP server before you upload & overwrite them. One good practice to follow, is to download the latest version of the files you're editing prior to starting your changes. If you build this into your regular processes, it will become second nature and will help you avoid rebuilding work that was overwritten.

These are only a few time saving tips for maintaining your website, but you'd be surprised just how many webmasters and business owners fail to adhere to them. Following good procedures will help ensure that you are able to quickly update your website and get on to other important business matters.

Cory Howell is an experienced webmaster & website maintenance technician for Jen Kaufman Designs, a qualified web development company in Phoenix, Arizona. Cory provides greats tips & help to individuals responsible for updating websites on a regular basis. In addition to webmaster help, Cory is a Search Engine Optimization & website conversion expert.

What does a Webmaster do?

Do you need a Webmaster for your company’s website? If you find value in having a go-to guy for all you’ll ever need with your site, then the answer is yes. A Webmaster’s main tasks are to help develop and promote your site, which includes services like adding new pictures, new content, product updates, new events, event registration, and page animations. If your services expand and you find yourself needing additional sites under your company, having a Webmaster handy can prove to be extremely useful. They are also equipped to assist you with email, hosting, and a wealth of other technical services that would cost most business owners exorbitant amounts of time and money if undertaken without the expertise and site familiarity Webmasters provide.

A Webmaster can do all thing related to a site or online application, encompasses all traditional services a development firm offers, just in a long-term partnership. While the main function of a Webmaster is to provide ongoing site maintenance for your business’s pictures, pricing, ecommerce offerings, and other data, they offer many other services that help boost the site’s value.

Webmasters’ technical knowledge generally spans many programming languages, such as PHP, ASP, and Javascript. They handle the technical aspects of overseeing website construction and maintenance, but also oversee management of content, marketing, advertising, and fulfillment of orders for ecommerce sites. Other responsibilities include the coordination of different users of a website in terms of access rights, and setting up a site’s navigation.

When the times comes to expand your site’s offerings or move up the search-engine page rank ladder, your Webmaster will be an integral part of your advancement. A good Webmaster will continually work to expand your site and offer services that add value and efficiency to the way your website runs.

A website doesn’t fulfill its mission if it’s not directing people to visit it, and another function a Webmaster serves is to increase traffic to your site. They do this in several ways, the most common being SEO (Search Engine Optimization). SEO involves the integration of key internet marketing strategies to help increase traffic to, and awareness of, your company’s site. This translates directly into money flowing into your company, making a Webmaster’s services all the more invaluable for the long-term viability of your site.

For many reasons, Webmasters are worth the investment. They partner with your company to help achieve your goals in a way that’s becoming more and more vital to staying competitive

Do you need a Webmaster for your company’s website? If you find value in having a go-to guy for all you’ll ever need with your site, then the answer is yes. A Webmaster’s main tasks are to help develop and promote your site, which includes services like adding new pictures, new content, product updates, new events, event registration, and page animations. If your services expand and you find yourself needing additional sites under your company, having a Webmaster handy can prove to be extremely useful. They are also equipped to assist you with email, hosting, and a wealth of other technical services that would cost most business owners exorbitant amounts of time and money if undertaken without the expertise and site familiarity Webmasters provide.

A Webmaster can do all thing related to a site or online application, encompasses all traditional services a development firm offers, just in a long-term partnership. While the main function of a Webmaster is to provide ongoing site maintenance for your business’s pictures, pricing, ecommerce offerings, and other data, they offer many other services that help boost the site’s value.

Webmasters’ technical knowledge generally spans many programming languages, such as PHP, ASP, and Javascript. They handle the technical aspects of overseeing website construction and maintenance, but also oversee management of content, marketing, advertising, and fulfillment of orders for ecommerce sites. Other responsibilities include the coordination of different users of a website in terms of access rights, and setting up a site’s navigation.

When the times comes to expand your site’s offerings or move up the search-engine page rank ladder, your Webmaster will be an integral part of your advancement. A good Webmaster will continually work to expand your site and offer services that add value and efficiency to the way your website runs.

A website doesn’t fulfill its mission if it’s not directing people to visit it, and another function a Webmaster serves is to increase traffic to your site. They do this in several ways, the most common being SEO (Search Engine Optimization). SEO involves the integration of key internet marketing strategies to help increase traffic to, and awareness of, your company’s site. This translates directly into money flowing into your company, making a Webmaster’s services all the more invaluable for the long-term viability of your site.

For many reasons, Webmasters are worth the investment. They partner with your company to help achieve your goals in a way that’s becoming more and more vital to staying competitive

10 Way to find an expert Web Designer

I know the emotions when you are going to buy something you know nothing about and after you have been made a fool off the feeling of grief that why didn’t you asked your buddy or employed an expert for this type of job.

I had my websites designed and redesigned numerous times and I have helped many of my associates to find qualified web designer but I think its time to share my knowledge with everyone because everybody should know how to find a high-quality web designer that’s why I have decided to write a whole article about this topic and I hope after reading these ten tips on finding a professional web designer you will never be fooled by any scammers

Expert designers will fit in the following profile:

1.He/She should know how to write the HTML code (which is the base of any webpage)

2.He/She should know how to Cascading Style Sheets (controls font colors and sizes and removes code bloat )

3.He/She should have the skill of Search Engine Optimization (how to get top ranking for your keywords)

4.He/She should have the skill of designing logos, navigating graphics and editing images

5.He/She should have the understanding of where to submit your site to gain links and traffic)

6.He/She should have his own website .com/ .net/ .org

7.He/She should have reference to his past work on his website (Portfolio)

8.He/She should be able to correspond with you in English 24/7 either via messenger or phone)

9.He/She should be willing to provide sample of your website before making full payment? (if they are then they are professionals without any doubt)

10. Google’s listing of the Designer's site

If your web designer is an expert in Search Engine Optimization then his own website must be easy to find on Google because most of people come on your website from Google

Use this query in Google site: PutTheirDomainHere.com

For example www.1websitedesign.net (one of the specialized web designers I have worked with.)

This will show where they stand on Google.

Titles and Descriptions

See if the titles of their pages are all the same and also the descriptions. If they are, then the designer knows nothing about SEO because utilizing exclusive titles for each page and descriptions that mirrors the content of that page are one of the most essential keyword ranking gear in web design and the later can get a site penalized and it can take months to recover so its sensible to find another web designer web designing company.

Very Few Pages Listed

See if Google has all their pages listed. You can estimate how many pages they have on their website by running your mouse over their menu and counting links on their home page. If Google only has their home page listed then search engines have a problem browsing their site and the same thing will happen to your website so it’s wise to find someone else to do this job.

With these tips you are sure to find a high-quality web designer in no time

Alan Johnson is one of the most respected and experienced Advisor and consultant on online businesses and web development

Steps to make your website more Useable and Accessable

To get your website listed appropriately to SE's, the content of your website needs to listed between the tags. Your target keywords must be present in the Meta Title, Meta Description and Meta Keyword, in this way it gets read by the search engines if which keywords specifically your targetting into. Your content also needs to be unique and get your point across. What is your product or service that is better and different from other competitors.

2.Effective Meta Title,Description and your keywords.

The two most important tags when it comes to referencing your page content is the Meta Title and Meta Description. Make a research first on what keywords you are using, try to check the number of search volumes per month.

3.Proper Coding.

Web standards have changed substantially over the years and it is important to make sure your pages is validated with both html and CSS.

4.Make sure content is well formated.

Well formatted contents makes your page more accessible to visitors and also for the search engines. Visitors often do scan across your page rather than read it so make it sense to format your page, so it can be browsed yet still delivers the message.

5. Dont implement your site in Full Flash.

Yes, your site might look neat and clean but have you thought about the Search Engines that about to visit your site? Flash creates major problems in getting into proper indexing. There is no way Search Engines can extract content from your website as it all contained with in the SWF. But if you like flash that much just make it sure that you have a HTML version of your site as well.

6. Create a good ambience on your color schemes.You need to make sure you don't have any extreme contrasts between colors and that you don't use really bright colors as they are quite hard on the eyes. Your logo should be in a clearly displayed place on the homepage and in more than one place.

7. Offer a Newsletter.

A great way to generate returning visitors is to offer a newsletter. In this way you can direct marketing to people who are interested in your products or service. Also to keep them inform what is your latest products and services you offer.

We specialize in phoenix web site design, database programming, search engine optimization, web site hosting, flash design, e-commerce web site development and other services dedicated to delivering high impact, fully automated e-commerce sites. Since 1997 our phoenix web site design team of highly skilled professionals has been dedicated to delivering the support necessary to make our client's sites truly successful.

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