Checking For Broken Website Links

Broken links not only make you look unprofessional, they can actually wreak havoc on your search results. Yes, Google can tell if links are broken on your website. And there's nothing worse than getting punished for having broken links or even getting banned by Google for links that don't go anywhere.

How can a website link get broken? After time, if you don't stay on top of it, sites that you once were linking to can get bought out, go out of business, get redirected to some other source or the domain ceases to exist. When a visitor clicks on the link, it could go to a 'page not found' message or even worse, go to a site that Google doesn't like such as a link farm, ad site or blacklisted URL. Linking to websites in 'bad neighborhoods' can hurt you in the search results.

Just like a car, websites having moving parts that flow evenly from one place to another through anchor text or page navigation. And just like a car, websites need tune-ups. Having a spring cleaning is a must: make sure you go through each and every page of your site with the main navigation links and site maps, make sure the pages redirect to where they are supposed to and click on each link going from your site making positive that they are still viable.

This is something you need to do on a regular basis. You can even get friends or family members to help out. Sites with broken links are one of the most popular problems that goes unnoticed by website owners. Think about how terrible it would be if one of your visitors clicked on a link you provided and ended up with a computer virus. It's your responsibility to make sure your visitors are browsing through a safe environment. The most common place for multiple broken links are in a resource section you may have on your site to provide people with information, just because of the shear amount of website links that may be there. I've seen up to nearly 20% of resource directory links go bad or redirect to a site they weren't' supposed to in just a year's time.

On WordPress sites, simply updating a version or theme can cause links to break. It's happened to me many times. Most people just love their websites and when they're new, we click all over the place to see if things flow. But after time, we forget to stay on top of them and some entire sites or pages may be broken and we don't even know it. Our visitors won't tell us anything -- they'll just leave and go somewhere else. Think about who you're trying to attract to your site and why. Customers? Prospects? Clients? How many have already come and gone because you didn't tune up your site?

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Ecommerce Website Design - An Imperative Solution for Online Business

E-commerce web-design is a leading form of advertising campaign, guaranteeing a unique character, which is designed to lead visitor to one simple task - to make an online purchase. While designing this website a designer should consider various online selling principles. Professional Web Development Services significantly differs from each other depending on the size and brand name of the on-line site platform.

An e-commerce website design is similar to any other web site designing in terms of attractiveness, organization and color scheme. However there does exist certain selling principles on depending on which this website is differentiated form an ordinary one. These selling principles are namely:

• Providing the user a satisfying experience in his online shopping. • Endowing the customer with sufficient information on who have possession of the website and why should they trust the website. • The website must be easily accessible for the visitor to understand and utilize it well.

These are certain common principles, which are not new to us, in every other market hub we have noticed the paying counter. Nevertheless in online purchase the prior responsibility of a professional web design company is to translate these conventional marketing techniques to the virtual world of internet. Every business selects their individual and unique designs, suiting the market trend. Thus there should be a constant website navigation making all the web pages, easily accessible to the customer.

An e-commerce website will always lead its visitor to the appropriate page with a click or two. In fact Professional Web Design Company sometimes employs techniques, which are never considered for non e-commerce websites. Most of these sites allow a designer to exaggerate that one click principle and make a benefit of it. All the facts about the product are presented in a detailed manner and the user is consequently directed to the order form or the purchase option. There also exist a number of facts and testimonials about the products.

Every e-commerce website consists of various personalization technologies. These technologies are incorporated within the website with an effort to establish best selection of products to the customers. In fact Personalization technologies are now a major part of advanced e-commerce website. Its use has a major impact on the design of the website. Layout of the website is also important in these websites. Like any other website an e-commerce site should also be attractive, eye-catching and striking. Plenty of research has been done on this topic showing that the middle left side area attracts more attention followed by the centre of the page. These can be categorized as the "walking path" used by the designers to attract the visitor eye. Thus a qualified professional search engine marketing person will always know these techniques to create a top notch website.

Therefore, the advantages of an e-commerce website are quite elaborate. There exist many benefits, which any business can avail from creating their own online website. This is, in fact the most advanced and effective way of doing business and thereby avail profit from it. E-commerce websites are both informative and attractive, thus creating a unique profile for your company.

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Mobile Website Design Has Become The Standard In Business

In an environment where customers are consistently on the move and the typical individual is splitting their consideration among knowledge acquired online and in person, most of us have begun to count on finding the resources that they desire on a number of unique sources, and available to them should they desire it. This could possibly be the rather simple venture of Googling information on their laptop computer, up to the very modern-day act of buying a brand spanking new notebook from their tablet device.

Nevertheless, simply because mobile-websites are getting to be progressively more easily available for the typical individual, does this imply that smartphone users are regularly seeking out these web sites to work with on a daily basis? For several experts and internet marketers who've been studying the need for mobile-friendly websites for customers over the last couple of years, the reply is an exceedingly booming YES.

Creating a top-notch mobile website is more than merely building a nice-looking mobile page layout for your web site or expecting to generate a few more income. Instead, this foundation is starting to become an essential aspect for several brand names who are aiming to generate long-lasting customer interactions, and supply their visitors the mobile sources that they desire.

For more information about the need for mobile-safe web sites for your firm, I have developed some of the more critical statistics and conclusions from Google's latest report 'What Consumers Want Most Out Of Mobile Sites Right Now.' These studies were completed by unbiased research agencies, and surveyed 1,088 users preceding this year.

More People Purchase From Mobile-Friendly Websites

Lots of shopper attitude and actions can be designed by their mobile website encounters. To illustrate, should your website gives end users with a positive mobile encounter, they are much more likely to place a purchase by your site. The truth is, approximately 67% of end users interviewed stated that as soon as they go to a mobile-responsive webpage, they are very likely to buy a web site's products or services.

Non-Mobile Favorable Websites Steer Buyers Away

Just as a positive mobile experience can bring in delighted buyers, a non-mobile web site can do just the opposite. 60 percent of men and women questioned stated that they would swiftly move on to another site if they failed to discover what they were scouting for straightaway on a mobile site. In actual fact, 79 percent of individuals who really do not like whatever they find on one website will turn back and quest for another website to gratify their demands. Without having a mobile-friendly web site, you can guarantee that you'll be pressuring your disappointed folks right into the palms of your rivals.

Functionality Of Your Mobile Site Mirrors Back On Your Own Trademark

An awful mobile ordeal could result in more than simply a reduction in gross sales for your firm. 55 percent of those who answered revealed that a frustrating mobile experience in fact hurt their overall viewpoint of the brand name, and 61% explained they would take their money somewhere else after a poor mobile ordeal. Furthermore, 48 percent of people asserted that if a corporate website did not work effectively on their smart phone, it made them feel that this company did not treasure their business.

In light of these sobering information, it is more clear than ever before just how intensely and quickly your client's perceptions can be shaped by their overall mobile website experience. To ensure that your mobile web site is not costing your enterprise necessary sales and site exposure, just be sure to have a mobile-friendly webpage that can help turn your website visitors into customers.

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Five Ways to Build the Most Mobile Friendly Website

A few years ago sites could have got away without having a mobile version of their site but not anymore. Mobile websites have gone from being an attractive extra to an absolute necessity - and it isn't enough just having one. With the commercial and economic opportunities available to online businesses via mobile phones it is crucial that the mobile site is designed to optimise the mobile user experience. Non mobile friendly sites are losing out on an increasingly large amount of business as more and more people buy though mobile devices.

Streamline Content

Landing pages and content "above the fold" is crucial when it comes to PC websites. This importance is magnified on a mobile web page. Do not waste time, effort and most importantly space, putting anything but the most important information on your mobile pages. Removing things like side menus or other content links allows your site to focus on only the most important information, making your site easier to read, quicker to load and generally improving user experience.

When it comes to seeking mobile conversions or sales it is crucial that your site prioritises important information relevant to conversions such as contact details. Overloading your page with irrelevant content will push important content down making it less likely to be found. Users will also become frustrated with having to scroll or delve deeper in to your site to find the content they want.

Optimise layout

An easy way to streamline your content and improve user experience is to optimise your page layout for mobile devices. Simply displaying your standard PC website through a mobile device will negatively affect your users experience and likely lead to a high bounce rate. The text displayed will be too small to read and users will have to navigate a raft of different menus.

Optimise your layout into just one single column with additional content running down the page not across. This allows users to use the far more natural and preferred process of scrolling downwards, avoiding the need to scroll sideways or zoom in and out.

Alter Navigation

With such a small area to work in, navigation becomes an issue on mobile websites. Placing all your navigation at the top of pages moves the valuable content too far down below the fold and with a single column layout it can't go down the side - where does it go?

The answer is to emphasise your homepage. Only place navigation on your homepage and do so at the top of the page. On other pages place your content at the top with the only navigation links being back to the homepage or the most relevant previous step in the user's journey. Placing breadcrumb links at the top of the page with navigation links back to the homepage at the bottom, users are able to easily navigate the site without detracting from the valuable content.

If your site's users want to see content straightaway rather than look to navigate or search for specific content you should place the navigation at the bottom. This way it does not get in the way of reading the content but can still be easily accessed by the user. Placing an anchor link at the top of the page will allow users to reach the navigation quickly and easily.

Minimise text entry

It is not just visually where mobile websites differ from their desktop or laptop partners. Usability is another major issue when creating mobile friendly websites. Typing, even on the best touchscreen keyboards are difficult for users who frequently make errors and can often become frustrated with over-elaborate and time consuming text entry. You can reduce the need for text entry for users by allowing them to store personal and login details on site or ask them to use a numerical PIN instead of a password. Instead of entering text akin to a standard text message allow the users to provide information by choosing between different selections.

Similarly you should be aware of the limitations of touchscreen devices for usability. Links (particularly when in amongst other links) can be difficult to click on. Users will become frustrated at the additional time and cost wasted by accidentally clicking on the wrong link. Therefore you should look to use highly visible and easily clickable square boxes for important calls to action.

Take advantage of inbuilt functionality

Ultimately when designing a website for mobile use, you should look to take advantage of the mobile devices unique properties and utilise their inbuilt functionality

Mobile phones were initially designed to just make phone calls (I know it might seem hard to believe!). Take advantage of this by allowing users to automatically call a number when clicking or tapping a contact phone number.

Similarly phones now have in built map applications. Give user's a better idea of your location by automatically opening the phone's map application after the user clicks on your address on site.

Take advantage of social media in regards to your website. Make it easy for a user to share your mobile site socially or share their location via the device's inbuilt GPS. This can allow users to better interact with each other and find nearby stores or events.

Conclusions

2013 is set to be the year of the mobile. Marketers and webmasters are waking up to the power of mobile devices. The mobile will hold a crucial role in how businesses promote and market their websites online. It is crucial that as mobile devices are increasingly used to access the internet that websites provide users with as clear and smooth a user experience as possible. Following some of the above guidelines will help in ensuring you get the best return from your mobile website.

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Professional Website Design Companies - An Important Tool for Small Business

As anyone who has worked in web design (or attempted to design his or her own website) can probably attest, one of the most important components is the understanding of exactly what makes a website work - in other words, understanding the important of web design. It is a recognized fact that a website which has been poorly designed or constructed creates two problems. For example, a subpar website is simply unable to remain competitive with one that has been professionally designed and customized. In addition, a poorly designed website will not generate enough internet traffic to give the site a high SEO (search engine optimization) rank - which is considered almost as important as generating clients. There are many programs and templates that promise to help you "design your own" website for a fraction of the cost of professionally designed services, but most have a great deal of shortcomings. The simple fact is that it is usually better to rely on the services of professional website design companies.

Professional Website Design Companies - Are They Worth It?

The answer to this question is an unequivocal "yes"... for the most part. As with any professional service, experts who have been trained and work for professional website design companies are far more capable of delivering a superior product than amateurs or novices. Let's start with the home page. A common issue with web design is that each browser will often display the page differently than the others. A picture or logo that works great on one browser may not look as nice on another. Specialists at professional website design companies are trained at designing programs for websites that will provide the most uniform an appearance as possible across all platforms. Although this could be more important for some websites than others, it is still one of many concerns for those attempting website design for the first time.

Professional Website Design Companies - Are They Necessary?

When a company attempts to create its own website, the goal is usually to try and reach as many viewers as possible. Retaining professional website design companies can be helpful in this regard as well. These companies are also experts with SEO, and they know exactly how to use certain programs which can be read by and are compatible with a variety of different browsers and platforms. This is part of the customization process. Isn't it more important for customers to be able to upload their images and information onto the site in the required places than for the home page to have a flashy intro and a lot of "bells and whistles?"

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Affordable Website Design in 3 Simple Steps

Any one that's ever needed affordable website design services knows this can be a daunting task. Budgetary concerns and the need to have a highly functional website with stunning graphics can be a challenge. Although this process requires some research and a little bit of luck, it is possible to have both.

Here are some considerations you can use as a guideline to follow when searching for affordable website design.

Budget: How much will it take to create a website?

Much like anything else, you get what you pay for and affordable website design is no different. It's like buying a pair of shoes. You can spend 30 dollars or you can spend 1000 dollars, and while they both serve the same purpose but they will differ in style and the materials used to make them.

The best place to start is functionality. What do you need your website to do? How many bells and whistles do you need, what platforms does it need to run on? Once you can answer these questions, they you're ready to determine your budget needed to get the ball rolling.

Graphic Design: Expressing Your Brand

Every business needs a logo. If you don't have one, most web designers can handle this for you as well for an additional fee, or you can discuss a total package price that includes your logo and any other graphics you will need. It's always best to discuss all of your needs with the designer before you begin the project to get the most accurate quote right from the beginning. Remember, affordable website design can still be sexy, so don't think you have to sacrifice quality to get a more affordable quote.

Website Design/Development: Static vs Dynamic

Once you've decided on the logo that best suits your business or brand, it's time to move on to the actual website design and development. This process can take anywhere from a few hours to a few months. Again, if you determine your functional needs first, this speeds along the entire process of finishing your affordable website design process.

In speaking about the design and development phase it would also be good to touch on static vs dynamic websites. Static websites are HTML websites that serve one single page of content at a time. If you have nine different pages of information, then you will need nine different pages. Dynamic websites, on the other hand, are web pages served in either PHP, ASP, or .NET. These pages don't exist on the server until the user pulls up the information from a MySQL database using a menu item. The advantages of a dynamic west can be seen on large websites with lots of content and information to display.

So keep in mind, every website is different with different needs, and just because you need affordable website design, that doesn't mean you have to sacrifice stunning website design and development. With a clear goal in mind from the beginning, you will be able to avoid the unforeseen pitfalls of getting your next website up and earning revenue.

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Reasons You Should Add Icons To Your Website

When it comes to modern, contemporary web designs, icons take center stage. Web designers concentrate on icons since they are a significant part of the finished product. Icons have become a crucial part of the web design process because they communicate a strong message, make a lasting impression, reinforce your branding effort and even inspire users' imagination.

Astute web developers realize that a majority of computer users tend to skim through a site on their initial visit. They deduced that their graphics should be interactive to encourage visitors to immediately go to their site. They use enhanced icons that work well with illustrations and the rest of the content, with these principles in mind:

Rather than lists, apply icons

It is appropriate to use lists when creating a website that requires you to proudly display your merchandise. The problem with this process is that it is sluggish and maybe even boring. Building a list would most likely irritate users since most people have better things to do. Icons have the immediate effect of making the site elegant and attractive. These graphics also make the website more interactive, attracting more users in the process.

Icons must become a form of illustration

The cool thing about icons is that they can be placed in any kind of website because of flexibility. If your site is packed with different services and merchandise, icons can be used to represent these offerings. The best areas to use icons are in representing various organizations, categories and subcategories, as well as collections and galleries. The overall appeal of the site can be boosted with the addition of special icons that are stylish and well designed.

Icons can highlight features that are new and exciting

While icons are small, they still attract an online audience. This is why icons have to be applied strategically. Web designers have to make icons reflect innovative features to the point that the users are instantly attracted. If the graphics follow this process, the succeeding services and amenities would not have to rely on multiple sources for publicity. All of these elements are components of a sound marketing strategy.

Icons can aid acquiring attention for a specific part of the webpage

Ever saw a website with a unique icon featuring a link to another webpage? It could be cute, distinctive, floating icon with unique animation to catch a visitor's attention and direct to a necessary link. The right icon design can do wonders for a website.

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