Create free website
- 1. Create free website : Part I Using "Titles" With Your Web Links & Images Using "Title Tags" for your web links & images is an arsenal many companies fail to utilize. These tags will help search engines to navigate through your information. In the last topic we talked about Meta Tags within your web site source code. We also discussed how important it is to use the same words in your content that you included within your meta tags. Another tip for your to complete your web page optimization is to include title tags for your relevant images. Title Tags For Your Images: It's well known that more and more people are now searching "Goggles Image Search Engine" People love to find images, why not help them find the images related to your business? Let's say you sell cars, wouldn't it be nice to have all your cars listed online found within that "Goggles Image Search Engine"? This feature will allow more people to find your web site. Tip #1 When Utilizing Titles On Your Images: Creating titles or utilizing the "Alt" command as we say will let a search engine know what the image is about. Like mentioned before, search engines are nothing more than robots going through your web site. They don't stop to look at your images, they only see the code. Providing a title or Alt command for your image will allow the search engine to know what the image is all about which will increase your web sites content relevancy.
- 2. Tip #2 When Considering Image Links: When using an image for a web link to another page, give your image a name that is meaning full to your service or product. Ex. Well use this image below that will link to this page! Using Title Tags 1. I've linked the image button to this page called "Using Title Tags" 2. I've named the image button "using_title_tags.gif" 3. The title of the image is: "Using Title Tags" All of these steps will let the search engines know exactly what the image is about! Yes, I agree all these steps seem like a lot of work but in the end, when your sales are up, you won't be thinking about how much work it took but how successful you have become. Notice how all these steps have given 3 "Key Phrases" for search engines to look at to determine the meaning of the image. 1. ( a href= ) - The web link command to another page 2. ( img src= ) - Where to find the image and what it's called 3. ( alt= ) - The title of the image ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Let's recap what you've learned so far...
- 3. - Search Engines are robots that look for "Meta Tags" & "Web Page Content" - Meta Tags include: 1) Title, 2) Description, 3) Create free websites - Make sure your Meta Tags describe your web page content - Add a relevant Title to your web links - Add a relevant "Alt Title" to your images for more visitors Hiring a web designer to come up with the custom solution that you need can set you back a few thousand bucks. But you can do the whole thing yourself and make it drag and drop simple for mere pennies with a tool like Breezy Websites. See http://breezywebsites.com for details! Create free website : End of Part I User-centered design (UCD) - 6 methods User-centered design (UCD) is a project approach that puts the intended users of a site at the centre of its design and development. It does this by talking directly to the user at key points in the project to make sure the site will deliver upon their requirements. The stages are carried out in an iterative fashion, with the cycle being repeated until the project's usability objectives have been attained. This makes it critical that the participants in these methods accurately reflect the profile of your actual users. Focus groups What are they?
- 4. A focus group involves encouraging an invited group of intended/actual users of a site (i.e. participants) to share their thoughts, feelings, attitudes and ideas on a certain subject. Organising focus groups within an organisation can also be very useful in getting buy-in to a project from within that company. When to use Focus groups are most often used as an input to design. They generally produce non-statistical data and are a good means of getting information about a domain (e.g. what peoples' tasks involve). Issues It's necessary to have an experienced moderator and analyst for a focus group to be effective. Usability testing What is it? Usability testing sessions evaluate a site by collecting data from people as they use it. A person is invited to attend a session in which they'll be asked to perform a series of tasks while a moderator takes note of any difficulties they encounter. Users can be asked to follow the think-aloud protocol which asks them to verbalise what they're doing and why they're doing it. You can also time users to see how long it takes them to complete tasks, which is a good measure of efficiency (although you should bear in mind that using the 'think aloud' protocol will slow users down considerably). Two specialists' time is normally required per session - one to moderate, one to note problems.
- 5. When to use Usability testing can be used as an input to design or at the end of a project. It represents an excellent way finding out what the most likely usability problems with a site are likely to be. Usability testing can be used generate non-statistical or statistical data. Issues Usability testing requires some form of design to be available to test - even if it's only on paper. Testing works best if it focuses either on gathering non-statistical feedback on a design through 'talk aloud' or statistical measures. Card sorting What is it? Card sorting is a method for suggesting intuitive structures/categories. A participant is presented with an unsorted pack of index cards. Each card has a statement written on it that relates to a page of the site. The participant is asked to sort these cards into groups and then to name these groups. The results of multiple individual sorts are then combined and analysed statistically. When to use Card sorting is usually used as an input to design. It's an excellent way of suggesting good categories for a site's content and deriving its information architecture. Card sorting can be used generate statistical data.
- 6. Issues Providing participants with a trial run on some easy cards (e.g. sports, animals, etc.) can reassure about what they are expected to do and result in a more productive session. Participatory design What is it? Participatory design does not just ask users opinions on design issues, but actively involves them in the design and decision-making processes. When to use Participatory design is usually used within a mini-project to generate prototypes that feed into an overall project's design process. An example would be a participatory design workshop in which developers, designers and users work together to design an initial prototype. This initial prototype would then feed into a more traditional design process. Projects which only utilise participatory design are very rare. Issues Participatory design sessions can be very fluid and require an experienced moderator with thorough knowledge of the domain to guide them. Questionnaires
- 7. What are they? Questionnaires are a means of asking users for their responses to a pre-defined set of questions and are a good way of generating statistical data. When to use Questionnaires are usually employed when a design team: Can only gain remote access to users of a site Is seeking a larger sample size than can be realistically achieved through direct contact It is for this reason that questionnaires are usually administered through post or electronic means. Issues Questionnaires allow statistical analysis of results, which can increase a study's credibility through its scientific appearance. This makes it all the more important that the questionnaire is well-designed and asks non-biased questions. Interviews What are they? An interview usually involves one interviewer speaking to one participant at a time. The advantages of an interview are that a participant's unique point of view can be explored in detail. It is also the case that any misunderstandings between the interviewer and the participant are likely to be quickly identified and addressed.
- 8. The output of an interview is almost exclusively non-statistical - it's critical that reports of interviews are carefully analysed by experienced practitioners. When to use Interviews are usually employed early in the design process in order to gain a more detailed understanding of a domain/area of activity or specific requirements. Issues Interviewing places a high premium on the experience and skill of the interviewer and analyst. Conclusion This has been an introduction to the major user-centered design methods. It's vital to remember that although each can be extremely valuable, using them in the right way, for the right reasons and at the right time is critical. Exactly which method to use, and when and how to use it will differ from project to project. Hiring a web designer to come up with the custom solution that you need can set you back a few thousand bucks. But you can do the whole thing yourself and make it drag and drop simple for mere pennies with a tool like Breezy Websites. See http://breezywebsites.com for details! Create free website : End of Part II User Friendly Web Development
- 9. It’s not very difficult to create a web development that is user friendly. It only takes some thinking ahead. When initiating web development the first thing to think about is the audience. The content and style should cater the audience preferences. A web designer should take a look at the sites that they commonly visit and take note the qualities that are most appealing. What makes this website so appealing? Is it the graphics that are offered? Does the text seem to flow logically? Piecing together positive aspects of different websites will aid in the basic concept of the desired web design. These aspects that have been taken from other websites can be pieced together to form the desired web design. However, in a web development plan always think about the user. A website is designed for a person to come on and use. If the website is not user friendly then usage will be low. There for keep in mind the visitor when creating a web design. In web development think like the average web surfer that is visiting the website for the first time. Make sure that the pages connect logically for the user. Don’t forget to provide them with information and navigation cues. Having a way for them to be able to navigate between pages efficiently will aid so much. Never underestimate the use of the back cue on a website. A good knowledge in HTML in web development should not be forgotten. It is valuable in the implementation of the website. Templates will help keep consistency in the development of the website. If at all possible test the web page before it is finished. This will make sure that the web development that was implemented had the desired effect and is indeed user friendly. Another aspect to include that will keep the development plan user friendly is to create an extendable directory and a basic file structure. Organization is the key. Once everything has come to fruition it does not necessarily mean that the web development is complete. Continuously think of new ways to make things better. Web development never finishes. It continues to change and get better over time with the addition of new forms of technology and better ways to help visitors to the website use it. Once the web development is successful in its implementation promote it in every venue possible. Don’t keep a good thing hidden. Link the website with others and do not underestimate the power of word of mouth. Taking into account all of these things in web development will create a productive user friendly website. <A HREF="http://www.jatech.ca/">Jatech</A> Hiring a web designer to come up with the custom solution that you need can set you back a few thousand bucks. But you can do the whole thing yourself and make it drag and drop simple for mere pennies with a tool like Breezy Websites. See http://breezywebsites.com for details!
- 10. Create free website : End of Part III