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Cascading Style Sheets Offer Greater Control

Since 1994, Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) have slowly been becoming the predominant method for styling all types of website pages. It is now acclaimed as the best method for controlling typography and layout throughout a website. Although CSS seems to be the most efficient, user-friendly, web page editing option available today, many people still resist its use failing to understand the benefits from using CSS language.

There are a number of good reasons you as a designer should use CSS including:

  1. CSS was built by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) to replace the cumbersome use of inline HTML tables, frames, tags and other mechanisms that led to some confusion and a lot of excess coding.
  2. CSS produces faster download times because page files are 50 percent less the size than a traditionally built HTML page.
  3. Shorter editing time is involved when one CSS file can control the look of hundreds of web pages.
  4. Here’s one of the absolutely best reasons to use CSS – controlling typography. No need ever again to use a font tag which actually was very cumbersome. With CSS, designers have complete control of faces, sizes, weight, leading, line height, colors and much more making for exciting and endlessly variable use of type.
  5. CSS is easy to use – just as easy as HTML coding. It allows for an intuitive approach to creating edited elements plus.
  6. CSS improves a website’s accessibility. There is no need to create separate HTML coded tags for different effects. Therefore, all <p> tags simply indicate a paragraph and all the headline tags will denote the specific headline called for in each instance. This helps to cut down on the need for separate browser coding.
  7. CSS works in cross-platforms as well as used not only for web browsers but in other media like a Power Point presentation.
  8. Placement – actual alignment on a page – is in better control using CSS.
  9. Web page design can be kept spate from content using CSS. Image elements that repeat can be held in a file called for in various positions throughout the site through CSS use. This system allows for different contributors to follow a set methodology that is user-friendly.
  10. CSS helps sites attain better search engine rankings. Once you use HTML for structuring just content in a web page instead of putting in a bunch of tags everywhere, the search engine spiders will crawl your pages effectively and more than likely grant a higher ranking.

    Control, control and more control remains the key benefit from CSS use. It provides a greater degree of options controlling the look and the feel of each web page. Plus, organization is at a maximum when using one file to control many. CSS allows for greater speed and adaptability when updating websites especially when changing complete sections like a header or footer. In the past, coding these requires installation on each and every page. CSS allows a designer the ability to replace or move elements by the simple change on one page.

    Ten Tips for Better Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

    Link Your Info – Provide links to valuable information. This can be to other articles or pages within your own site. The more intuitive links used, the better the search engines find that you provide value to people coming to your site. If all your links are just on your home page, this indicates to the search engine that the site has little value. Here is an example of a deep link leading to an information article about domain names.

    State it Boldly – Use the <b></b> or <strong></strong> tags around one or two appearances of keywords on the page. Do not bold every occurrence of each keyword.

    Become International. Obtain a foreign URL in places like the United Kingdom and Australia. Each of these countries has a ton of website directories of companies based there. You can direct the URL to your main domain.

    Use Text Links – Image use is a good thing on any website, but refrain from using images as links. Use text links so search engine robots will be able to follow these easily.

    Publish Everywhere. Publish your information articles appearing on your website in as many directories across the Internet as possible. Almost all will provide a link back to your website that can stay active for years.

    Capture Emails. Make sure to include a “Sign-Up” feature offering either a recurring product like a monthly newsletter or, at least, a download to a valuable info product or other attractive offer. This way you will build your own “opt-in” list for future marketing purposes.

    Post in Forums. Join a forum specific to your niche. There is one! Meet the minimum posting requirements by either starting your own “thread,” or replying (comments) to others posts. Your thread and comment will typically allow a “signature” link to whatever you choose – a website, a product – or both. Get ambitious – join several!

    Exchange Info Articles. Join in article exchanges – forget link exchanges. These are pretty unreliable. However, in article exchanges you would publish another person’s info article and they would publish one of yours. These provide high quality links back to your respective websites that are useful. Check my blog in the near future for more on “High Quality Links.”

    Do Not Overuse Anchor Text. When providing several links to the same destination, change the text for each. For example, if linking to your contact page, vary the link text like contact us, give us a shout, get more info, etc.

    Provide a Site Map. The main benefit for using a site map is to provide viewers with an overview of all areas available to visit on one page. Navigating to a site map can allow a visitor to find a specific area that may be “hidden” under a hierarchical page structure that is not revealed simply by looking at your main navigation links.

    Of course there is much more to effective SEO and yes, each site will present a need for some techniques applied while restraining from using others. However, use these tips to effectively help improve your website ranking.

    Get a quote today for your Search Engine Optimization needs!

    Why Use a Content Management System?

    There was once a time when websites were created in a static method where different types of code had to be introduced into each and every web page making site management an incredible nightmare. All this various code – HTML, JavaScript, Flash and more – made it quite difficult for a variety of different web servers to identify and handle correctly. Most web geeks took the time to learn all the different hand coding techniques and, hopefully, added these to their stockpile of tricks and skills that would go a long way toward fattening their pockets. But, the introduction of a Content Management System (CMS) can help reduce the need for keeping webmasters off the payroll.

    CMS after the Design

    Content Management Systems are now all the rage because they allow for an affordable site-owner based opportunity to conduct periodic updates and maintenance after design is completed and the site goes live. Before the use of Content Management Systems, labor intensive websites were expensive to maintain with either the site owner having to learn how to handle the necessary tasks or employ someone who had the skill and knowledge of the software in order to conduct the needed maintenance and updates.

    How It Works

    A Content Management System has at the core of its employment a database where the users store content – both copy and images – available for placement on a website. Every page on the site is stored as simple text. Then the system will convert the simple text into the appropriate HTML and JavaScript whenever called up for by site visitors that land on a page. The CMS also allows for a number of other features such as interactive event calendars, password-protected logins, news feeds, blogs, photo galleries, chat rooms and much more.

    Owners of older websites experiencing a lot of challenges managing a static situation may believe it is now time to upgrade to a website that can be controlled through use of a Content Management System.

    Check out our Web Design Portfolio for examples of websites that use a Content Management System.

    Featured Web Design client- 302 Automotive

    I met Ivan of 302Automotive.com in 2007. In business since 1998, Ivan understood the importance of having a website for his auto detailing business, but didn’t know the first step in creating a strong web presence.

    Immediately, Ivan and I hit it off.  I shared his passion for running his business and his deep appreciation for Life, God and Family.  From starting business in his mother’s driveway to moving into a business complex soon after, Ivan never lost sight of his vision of becoming Delaware’s premier auto detail shop.

    Today, 302Automotive.com has been in business for 12 years. Ivan’s passion and faith are as strong as ever–in fact, Ivan has recently launched a new Internet Talk Show- The Wize and Big Ive show and has ventured into selling Rims and Tires online.

    Website Features & Technologies Used for 302Automotive.com:

    • XHTML/CSS
    • Coldfusion Development-Ticketing System
    • Photo Gallery
    • Blog
    • Custom Shopping Cart
    Web Design: 302 Automotive
    Web Design: 302 Automotive

    You can visit 302 Automotive at:

    35 Salem Church Rd Newark, DE 19713
    Online: www.302Automotive.com
    Tel: (302) 453-9800

    Hours of Operation:
    M – F : 9:00 a.m – 5:00 p.m
    Sat: 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m
    Sunday: Closed

    Check out our Web Design Portfolio for more clients like 302Automotive.com!