Web Design

As my previous job has now come to an end its time to update the blog and bring the overall site up to date, and ensure that I post on a regular basis, with the release of the Google Panda & Penguin algorithm updates everything has changed and your company’s website needs to change in order to acknowledge this. Rhetoric & hyperbole aside everything has changed. Keyword density is no longer a positive ranking factor. Simply repeating the keyword you wish to rank for ad nauseum is not going to help your website, on the contrary Google is likely to punish your site.

Quality Content is King

Personally I feel this is a positive change by Google and given time lead to a better quality web to revise the old Canard Quality Content is King, I personally don’t regard semi relevant stock imagery as top quality content

This week my blog will examine what I consider to be the main problems with websites, after examining these problems I’ll develop a number of recommendations to help in the development of successful, fit for purpose Small Business websites, in my opinion the number one problem is a lack of clarity about the website’s aims, fortunately the solution for this problem is pretty straightforward

1. Ensure the website has a clear aim

I know this sounds obvious, I find it surprising how many people don’t know what their companies website is really meant to be achieving, if a site has a clear goal so many factors fall into place, like what should the blog focus on? What SEO Keywords the website targets, and how should the site be structured? Is the purpose of the site is to sell widgets? If so the site should make the purchase of widgets extremely simple, whilst displaying the widgets on offer in an attractive manner.

2. Understand your Audience& Customers

The next essential consideration for potential website owners would be to appreciate the intended audience for the website, this influences the writing style employed, featured content and images used by the website. What might be a great image for a website aimed at a teenage market would perhaps be inappropriate for a website aimed at senior citizens

3. Interaction, Interaction, Interaction

The final ingredient for a successful online presence is interaction, although web 2.0 is a frequently bandied around term, interaction with friends and customers lies at the heart of it, once you get to know your website visitors and customers you can develop website content and services they want, hopefully boosting website traffic and sales
These Considerations won’t guarantee online success but they will certainly lead to a more focussed website which has a genuine goal rather than a wishy-washy website which appears to have no direction. If the site has a clear goal its success or failure can be monitored and steps taken to remedy shortcomings where necessary.

I appreciate it’s not the most enthralling of topics, for owners of websites in the United Kingdom it is important. Recently the EU Privacy Directive (26th May 2012) has changed the law regarding the storage and use of cookies by websites, as this guide is written for small business owners I’ll avoid using excessive technical or legal Jargon.

What are Cookies?

Cookies are small data file stored by an internet browser on a computer or mobile device. The Chances are that if a user is logged in to a website it is achieved by the use of cookies. Detailed examination of all the different cookie types is beyond the scope of this guide.

So what does this new law require?

The new regulations have two major requirements. These are as follows

• The Requirement to inform users
• The Requirement to Offer consent to users

Of the two requirements consent is the more complicated.

What is Implied Consent?

When a user continues to use a website they know contains cookies they are said to have given implied consent for the website Owner to use the cookies

Solutions

At the time of writing I am aware of two plug ins for WordPress which satisfy the legislation, these are Cookie Cuttr and EU Cookie Law

Disclaimer

I have no formal legal training this article is intended for brief guidance only

Sources

The following have been invaluable in the production of this article

• Cookies Regulations and the New EU Cookie Law
• The BBC unveils its eu cookie law solution
• ICO Cookie Guidance Brochure

As I’m currently between projects I’ve been tightening up the typography on the website, as I understand it, the headings and body text are now completely correct. If any graphic designers or typographers wish to point out mistakes they are more than welcome. Quite a lot of new content has been added to the website as the final site structure becomes more evident

Family and other Commitments have meant I’m not been able to complete or indeed progress the Mr Drenching site this week however a new logo has been developed for this project