http://www.redgizmo.com/index.php/site/index/ en stefan@redgizmo.com Copyright 2008 2008-12-04T18:13:09+00:00 http://www.redgizmo.com/site/what_makes_a_functional_website/ http://www.redgizmo.com/site/what_makes_a_functional_website/#When:18:13:09Z There are many factors that go into a Website. by Elizabeth Johnson Design Looks matter! Therefore, your company image should speak to your customers and give them a feel of what your business is about. Usability Don’t make your customer think. Your site should be intuitive and easy to navigate. Content/Copywriting What message do you want to communicate to your clients? What do you think they want to know or need to know? Think of how your product or service will benefit them. Interactivity Engage your customers and educate them about trends in your industry that can be useful to them. Use your website as an interactive tool to keep customers coming back to you. Innovation The right balance of technology can set you aside and help increase your visibility online. Emphasize what makes you stand out from your competitors to allow customers to make a clear distinction and choose you. Technology 2008-12-04T18:13:09+00:00 http://www.redgizmo.com/site/how_do_you_measure_success/ http://www.redgizmo.com/site/how_do_you_measure_success/#When:18:02:08Z How do you know your website is working? by Elizabeth Johnson Online Brand Making an impact in your industry with your new online image can be the first sign that your company’s site is working. In comparison to your competitors’ online brand, how do you measure up? Site Traffic Is your interactive site attracting returning users, or have you been able to obtain a consistent number of users per month? Search Engine Ranking Have you dramatically jumped up several spots in search engines? Ease of Use Do visitors no longer have trouble finding your way around your new website? Conversion Rates What percentage of your sites visitors are becoming customers? Business 2008-12-04T18:02:08+00:00 http://www.redgizmo.com/site/a_website_can_help_your_business_brand/ http://www.redgizmo.com/site/a_website_can_help_your_business_brand/#When:17:07:13Z The title says it all. by Elizabeth Johnson Establish your company’s presence To gain credibility To increase business referrals To increase world wide visibility Increase your Marketing and PR efforts To get the public and media interested in your company To inform customers about new products or service Serve your customers To increase sales To provide important information Reach specialized markets To reach local, national and international customers Create a 24 hour service To be accessible to your clients To give your clients time and liberty to make a decision Show your work To demonstrate your capabilities To list awards or accomplishments   Business 2008-12-04T17:07:13+00:00 http://www.redgizmo.com/site/tip_content_content_content/ http://www.redgizmo.com/site/tip_content_content_content/#When:16:58:24Z What does it take for a successful website? To increase your visibility on search engines, remember that content is the most crucial aspect of your website. Speak to your customers and use keywords and phrases that are associated with your product or service. Updating your content frequently will keep visitors coming back and increase your site’s ranking. To learn more visit http://www.redgizmo.com. Business 2008-12-04T16:58:24+00:00 http://www.redgizmo.com/site/why_table_less_css_design/ http://www.redgizmo.com/site/why_table_less_css_design/#When:16:42:20Z What is CSS or what is a CSS file? It’s a great way to separate web content from its design properties. by Marcos Hernandez First of all, what is CSS or what is a CSS file?  A CSS (Cascading Style Sheet) file contains styles that reference a web page’s elements and areas with design properties such as fonts, colors, positioning, etc. CSS is universal on all web browsers and platforms and has been in use since 1994 (http://www.w3.org/Style/LieBos2e/history/).  It’s a great way to separate web content from its design properties. CSS table-less design means that instead of using table rows and columns to design a web layout, you use referencing ids and classes and give them design properties like height, width, color, etc. in an imported CSS style sheet. This same CSS sheet can be used through the site on several pages. The result is a web layout similar to a table layout, but with several benefits. 1. More Design Control. CSS allows incredible design control as opposed to just using tables.  CSS styles can go beyond dictating height, padding, etc. It allows you to be very specific in order to achieve the layout you want; position background images, give different border dimensions, apply different margins, or add padding for print-like,  ‘illustrator’-like results.  There are several other examples, of course.  The possibilities are endless. 2. Easy Design Changes. Suppose you are in charge of a large multi-page website.   It’s a typical website; a header, two columns (a left column for navigation and wider right column for content) and a footer. This layout is pretty consistent throughout the pages of your site. Then you get an urgent call from management saying that they don’t like the powdered-blue background-color on the navigation bar and they want to change it to a pine-green. If you don’t have style sheets you have to go to that particular table or <td> tag and change the background color on each page, which can take minutes or hours.   If you do use style sheets you can find that particular style on the sheet and change the background color only once, saving you a lot of time. 3. Clutter-free HTML. Website layouts with tables, especially with several nested tables, are cluttered with <table>, <td>, <tr> and <font> tags.  This can make it difficult for someone other than the creator to edit a page. With a table-less CSS design, you can not only lose the clutter, but you can organize the page for content.  You can use simple id reference names to identify an area of the page.  For example, <div id=”header”>, <div class=”footer”>.  This can be a great guide for someone updating and maintaining a page. Plus, a designer can lose the cumbersome design elements like spacer graphics and horizontal rulers because margins and borders can be dictated with CSS styles.  CSS does more with less code. 4. Accessibility Probably the most important benefit of CSS is that it separates the design from the content because all of the design elements are located in the CSS.  This allows screen readers to read only content and not HTML tags and elements.  CSS pages also load faster. It may not make a big difference on broadband connections and new computers, but it makes a huge difference for older, slower computers and dial-up.   Having an accessible CSS site makes your site more universal and accommodates users of a broad demographic. Thoughts on CSS The world of web is always changing and involving, but CSS (all versions) can be one of the web’s few constants.  If anything, there is a more of a need for CSS and table-less CSS design with the popularity of blogs and content-driven sites. Here are some great sites on CSS and CSS layout design. http://www.w3.org/TR/CSS-access - for basic info and standards http://www.csszengarden.com/ - for inspiration http://www.cssbeauty.com/ - for articles http://www.alistapart.com/ - for coding tips Design, Technology 2008-12-04T16:42:20+00:00 http://www.redgizmo.com/site/tip_creating_or_redesigning_website/ http://www.redgizmo.com/site/tip_creating_or_redesigning_website/#When:15:57:08Z Tips for embarking on the creation or redesign of your website. If you are embarking on the creation or redesign of your website, it is important to properly establish your target demographics from the beginning. This will save you resources, time, and money while achieving your objectives. Remember that with millions of businesses online, focusing on a specific market will give you more power to connect to your potential customers. Business 2008-12-04T15:57:08+00:00