Introduction

When I decided I needed a website for my business I had no idea of the planning involved. Like most people, I thought web design meant deciding on the graphics and the look of the pages and then by some magic it would all happen.
I have a friend who is in the business of web design and Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) so I approached him for a quote. As a complete novice who is computer literate up to a point, I was amazed at the depth of initial questioning required to find out exactly what I wanted to achieve.

I had no idea about the various aspects and the structure of the site and I found it mind blowing when I learned about the amount of work involved. So I thought other people would be interested to know more about this complicated process and I have asked my friend to supply the technical information for this article.

Stages in the Process

Target Audience

Before building a website there are important questions to consider. I was asked who would be my potential audience. Who are my customers likely to be? Would they be children, businesses, home owners, sales people, parents or teenagers and so on?

The objective of the website

Then I was asked, what was the objective of my website? Did I want to sell services on line or use it to market my business and get more leads for possible customers? Maybe I would want to use it as an online brochure to showcase products. Another possibility was to use the website to foster a community so that I was in contact with other like-minded people, with chat rooms, online discussion and being supported by advertising on the site.

I hadn’t quite realised the scope of a website but as I was asked these questions it became clear that a lot of careful thought went into the preparation before building a website.

How to be Found on the Web

One of the first questions I was asked was, ‘Do you want it to be found by Google the main search engine?’ If I did then there was a whole process of establishing Keywords. So finding the best keywords are vital if you want to be found in Google. Generally most users only look at the top ten results so you will also want to promote your website to get on this page for your chosen keywords. By using a keyword research tool you can find the single most popular keyword for your industry.

Your Domain Name

Choosing a domain name is often quite a problem because every name you initially come up with will almost certainly have been taken. Domain names ending in .com are by far the most popular and internationally recognised; the snag is that it’s very popularity means that the majority of the shorter names have already been registered.
So looking at names with endings such as .net; .co.uk or .info may be able to provide you with the domain name you are after.

The main focus of my company is demolition work and asbestos surveys are a part of that process. Because we have the word demolition in our domain name we tend to get quite a few enquiries via the website so this is obviously an important factor to consider when researching a new domain name registration.

When choosing your domain name it is very important to include one or more of your keywords if possible as this can apparently help with search engine rankings. So although the name of your business is the obvious choice for a domain name, it is not necessarily the only option.

Creating a Site Map

As with any project you must have a plan, the better the plan the better the project turns out. A site map for a web site is part of the plan for the site. The importance of creating a site map is to get it clear in your mind of all the pages you will have on your website so you can prepare the content for each page and begin to design the flow through the website, such as when a user adds a product to their basket, then enters their delivery and billing address and makes the credit card payment in the correct order.

The aim is to make the site as user friendly as possible so that there are no barriers to getting into the website. For that reason often user name and passwordz are set for the customer so that they are not put off making a purchase by having to register.
For a non e-commerce site things are simpler with a contact form which allows you to receive enquiries by email without publishing your email address on the website, thus avoiding spam.Web forms can also validate the information before you receive it, so ensuring that the phone number provided does not contain words, and that the email address is in the correct format, for example. These things may sound very technical to us lay-folk but I assure you everything has to be decided on before starting on the construction of the site.

Copy

The next stage is preparing the content. This is not the design of your website - just the words and visuals you want to have one each of the pages.Having gathered all the above information you will need to decide what imagery you want to use within the website content. As we all know, a picture speaks a thousand words and remains in people’s memory far longer than just words.For each image you could also have a caption, as the caption of an image is the next ‘most read’ words on the page after the page title. Images and their captions need to be clickable. When you click on a picture it should take you to the next stage of the process such as the sale page or placing an enquiry if your website is for lead generation.

Navigation

Another important consideration when building a website is how you want your navigation to work. You can have links within the content of your website, in the text, so there are not just links from the menu. You will need to decide whether the links will open into a new window, retaining your original page open. Next time you go online, you will realise how much thought has gone into the way in which a website works.

Website Design

Finally we come to the design of your website. My friend who is a SEO web designer always says that the design stage in search engine optimisation is the most difficult because of the differing tastes of individuals reviewing the work.

What one person might like, another person might not like. If you are setting up a website for yourself alone then you will probably have some idea of what you want to see on the site. But if, as so often happens, the website is for a large corporation there will be inputs from many people or departments and you can be sure that they will never all agree!

There are a number of ways to approach website design but ultimately you need to create a design brief for the designer(s) to work from. Look at other websites and your competitor’s websites to find out what you like or dislike. The design brief should give reference to the logo, any existing brand guidelines or schemes and fonts and colour schemes, and should also detail which pages of the website that the designer is being tasked with creating visuals for.

The very best results will be achieved by using a graphic designer, and beware - not all graphic designers are the same. A graphic designer who designs specifically for print is working in a different discipline than a graphic designer who designs for screen and specifically the web. So choose your designer carefully, look at other work that person has done and determine whether or not you like their style.

If you are working in the big time and budget allows, use multiple graphic designers who have all been given the same design brief and request three concept designs from each designer. If the client themselves also do a graphic design, even if it’s a back of the envelope scribble, you will then have 10 concept designs. The next step is to get them all together and select the preferred elements from each design. Then give the work to the preferred graphic designer to work up as the final artwork.

The artwork should be finalised and agreed on by everybody before construction of the site begins.

Production

Finally the preparation has been done and the site is ready to be built. Now for the more technical stuff! You will need to have decided which programming language to use to build the website. There are two main types for developing a website, one is Unix based, and the other is Windows based. Each one has advantages and disadvantages. If you are starting from scratch then it probably won’t matter, so you can go with the preference of your professional doing the work. My website is built on the Unix platform (apparently!) which is the same as many of the more well known websites such as Ebay, Facebook, Google and Amazon. Also your website hosting must be compatible with the development language with which your website is built.

Accessibility and Compliance

The website has to meet the current standards for website coding and doing so insures that disabled users, such as the visually impaired, can still access the entire website if they are using a Braille web browser.

Website Development

The best way to develop a website is on the web Server where the site is going to live. This way, those involved in reviewing the work can see work in progress and provide comments throughout the development.

Unforeseen items

There are always some things that arise in any project which you suddenly realise you have forgotten, so no matter how well the website designer prepares and asks the right questions, there will always be a last minute change or addition. The main aim is to minimise the number of glitches that might arise because they aren’t calculated in and they could cause extra costs and delays on the date of the web site going live.

Going live

The moment of excitement comes when your site finally goes live and you see the results of all the thought that has gone into the whole process. Although the web agency made building my demolitions contractor website as easy for us as possible it was still a fair amount of work on our side and so a great feeling of achievement to finally see it go live.

Reporting and Monitoring

Once your website is up and running, you will want to know how many people visit your website and from that number how many actually buy the products or place an enquiry. From these statistics you can work out the ratio of visits to sales and gradually make changes to improve the ratios. There are some reliable statistics packages such as Google Analytics or Web-Stat.com which allow you to collect and review website visitor data in near real time. All you need to do this is to have a small block of code inserted into each web page on your site.

Another useful service that Web-stat.com provides is to monitor the website and warn you by email or text message if the site goes down. Google Analytics doesn’t yet provide a comparable uptime monitoring service, maybe they just decided it was too much of a headache as it is an intensive service checking a website every 5 minutes to make sure it is still responding and indeed web-stat do promote this difference as one of their unique selling points but it is pretty hard to compete with free. In fact Google Analytics is not quite free, which makes it an even better marketing decision for Google because sometimes it is harder to give things away for free than it is to sell them! Google Analytics is a free service available to Google AdWords advertisers, you don’t actually have to have any AdWords campaigns running but it will cost you a one-time activation fee of £5 (or similar in your local currency) to open your AdWords account, but once you have done that you can go on to use Google Analytics for as many websites as you like.

Marketing

Once the website is live there are lots of things you can do to market your product or service. The first step is to submit it to the search engines and at the same time write articles, and press releases. Getting links to the site from forums, blogs and other social networking spaces are other options. For more on this subject ask your designer about SEO

Conclusion

Wheww. What an amazing amount of work! I hadn’t realised when I started the process of getting a website up and running, how complicated it all is and how many factors you have to consider before even designing the website. The word web design is really a misnomer, as people often think it’s just about the graphic design on the home page, and the branding of the product. Unless you are a computer buff, most people have no idea how much goes into designing and building a website and the systems that support the work you want it to do. I hope that this article will give readers an understanding and insight into the whole process of website development from start to finish.

Small business grants are created to support people that are just beginning in commerce get the capital that they require to invest in equipment, remunerate employees and keep the doors open the infant pursuit. Small business is the backboneof the country and to encourage these businesses to launch and stabilize, the government has fashioned grants to carry them along.

The price of opening a small business may take the task beyond reach for a lot of folks. Buyers lose out on a great idea and the work that this small business would generate in the market. The everyday expenditures of equipment, land and paying employees in the early phases of a company can incline numerous businesspeople to abandon their plans. The government has taken action and provided free government grants to help these entrepreneurs produce the goods and the jobs that our economyrequires.

If you get a innovative inspiration, making a request for business grants is a path that you can break into the commercial world and launch your business in the air and start flying. The grant can support you at what time you fail to get the money that you must have in other ways. Usually a small business grant will supplement the financial support that is achieved through bank loans and investors in the unseasoned pursuit. In the event you lack financiers or you can not meet the criteria for cash from a lending institution loan, small business grants can supply the capital that you need to get your endeavor going.

There is so much to see and do in our country’s capital, Washington, DC that it is kind of not possible to see them all in a single visit. However, that did not stop my wife and youngsters from attempting to cover everything on our recent vacation. Here are just a few of the highlights we experienced on our vacation.

Our first challenge before we even left home was finding an inexpensive place to remain in the Washington, DC area. For the main part, hostels are pretty expensive in that area and make it difficult to find a good place for a family of 5 to remain without absolutely blowing the old budget. We ended up selecting the American Hotel in Bethesda, MD and are really happy with our choice. It’s not the most glamorous hotel in the region but awfully convenient, clean and affordable. So, we highly reccomend it when looking for Bethesda hotels.

Then, on to the tourist sites we enjoyed. Naturally we started with the famous State Monuments and Memorials. These included the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial,the Washington Monument, and the Arlington National Cemetery. There were many more as Washington is a town of monuments and memorials. Many are found on the nation’s Mall but others are pretty spread out so you will get a good walk exercise if you intend to visit them all on foot as we did. (I admit I had to visit my Sacramento podiatrist when I got back home to deal with some foot pain from so much walking)

Next came our tour of the 3 different branches of official Presidency buildings.When sightseeing in Washington, D.C., the govt, the Capitol and the Supreme Court are key places to visit. Touring these galvanizing buildings will help you understand more about our regime and its history. Plan ahead and find out about schedules and special events. The White House is the home and office of the President and is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW. To arrange a tour you have to make a request through one of your members of Congress. Group tours are held Tuesday through Sat. from 7:30 a. m. through 11:30 a. m. and are scheduled one month in advance.

At the east end of the nation’s Mall stands the majestic U. S. Capitol Building. Due to heightened security, the Capitol is open to the public for guided tours only.

The one thing you will need to do for sure is take a lot of photos as you have a tendency to think that you are going to remember everything as you are so impressed at the time but listen to me, your memories have a tendency to fade and it is always better to have some pictures to help bring those memories back to pointy focus. I’m not a Commercial Photographer but wish I was to have better captured some of the beauty we saw on ths holiday

Also, as well as the typical traveller attractions discussed above, you will find the Washington, DC area has some of the finest eateries in the country. I suppose this may be due to all of the important politicians that live there as well as the many dignitaries that visit the area and need to go out to eat.

Well, that rather sums up our trip and I can only hope that you get the opportunity to visit the Washington, DC area.

Dyslexia in children is a frequent cause of learning disabilities. Probably the most common learning disability is that from dyslexia. Dyslexia is a neurological condition in which the signals received from the eyes are not clearly interpreted by the brain. As a result, dyslexics (people with dyslexia) see things differently.

Dyslexia frequently manifests itself in problems with reading. In order to read, a person must interpret letters grouped together on paper into words/thoughts. To read aloud they must convert these symbols into the sounds of spoken words. In reading silently they must translate these symbols into words and thoughts.

The word “dyslexia” itself, consists of “dys” -not working, as in “dysfunctional” and “lexia” - having to do with reading, words, documents. It is based on this often observed problem with reading.

Approximately 1 person in every 10 has some type of dyslexia, to some degree. There are symptoms of dyslexia that many educators are trained to look for, such as difficulty with reading aloud. But there is really only one way to know for sure whether a person has dyslexia or not and to what degree. That is by taking a professionally prepared special dyslexia test.

Fortunately, in the last year or so, there is now an excellent accredited dyslexia test online. You can now get a full dyslexia assessment made over the Internet by taking a full adult dyslexia test at home, online. The entire test takes a little over half an hour. Also, it’s very economical; costs less than a visit to your Doctor!

Do you ever have trouble reading? Are you dyslexic? Ever been tested? Do you know someone who might be dyslexic? There are literally millions of adult dyslexics that are completely unaware that it is dyslexia that is causing them problems. They can be easily helped once identified. Click on any link in this blog posting to get full information…

- Horace Houseman

Disclaimer: This posting is based on information freely available in the popular press and medical journals that deal with dyslexia. Nothing herein is intended to be or should be construed to be medical advice. For medical advice the reader should consult with his or her physician or other medical specialist.

Choosing the perfect vacation getaway is challenging.  Practically, in a modern hectic paced lifestyle you are competing against all of the obligations and time pressures you face in your life.  Occasionally it is relaxing to obtain a new perspective on destination ideas that you might not have thought about before.  A Idaho vacation provides you an occasion to experience something that you may not be able to find in your own backyard.

Whether you are seeking adventure or excitement on your vacation getaway, you will love it more greatly if you take a little time to plan part of your vacation in advance.  For the adventure seeking vacationer, consider the weather forecasts of the region that you will be venturing into so that you can bring the appropriate clothing and attire to make your trip healthy and enjoyable.  There will be considerable changes in weather between days and nights.

Perhaps the ideal state destination is Idaho, where you will find too much to see and experience.  Here are a sampling of the Idaho attractions you might desire to experience:

Idea #1: Check out the Great Shows at the Starlight Mountain Theatre. The Starlight Mountain Theatre performs in several different venues depending on the season. The shows are fun and feature great casts and presentation. Each season, the theatre chooses new shows to feature. The dinners are themed to different Broadway shows, and are reasonably priced. 

Idea #2:  Create Your Masterpiece at the Hands On Studio in Twin Falls, Idaho. Hands On offers some great activities for the whole family. Without a doubt, you will find the perfect piece of pottery to paint. Then you get to choose your paints and begin painting your pottery piece. Hands On makes a great place for a party as well.

Of course there are many other attractions that you might desire to experience on an Idaho vacation.  You may only be staying for a short period of time, but you can appreciate and experience much of the wonderful art, history, and adventure that the state has to offer.  You never will never be bored  - check out this Idaho tourism video – there is always a new adventure waiting for you.

Even in today’s economic climate, Idaho is an affordable vacation escape.  It is possible to take advantage of the many discount offers with the special deals that are available that enable you to get away from it all without breaking the bank.  So enjoy a break from the hectic pace that daily life brings and discover a vacation getaway and discover a little of what this great countryside has to offer!

Hey Folks

Read This Article in Full To Understand Some basic info about smartvalue biz

It Is now seven plus years for smartvalue in the marketplace .So as far as stability is concerend that is not an issue with smartvalue.For people who are looking to join a stable company , they can join smartvalue blindly.

Even though with a very common product range which has nothing unique to offer , smartvalue can do well in market

As far as the compensation plan is concerend , Smartvalue Biz has a binary plan model which is by far the best model for a mlm plan.However this plan was designed seven years ago and seems to be outdated now as now there are many good plans in the market place which offer a biary cap of upto 10 lakhs or fourteen lakhs a week as compared to the small cap of 1 lakh a week here.

Talking about the training and support system , I believe they are pretty strong and do very good offline trainings.They have their meetings all over the country and particularly in kolkatta,orissa and other parts of north-east india

However The company definately lacks online trainings.I don’t know even of a single leader in smartvalue who can really do the biz online and in today’s economy if you are not building the biz online , one is loosing on a fortune.

Hence to help all thos einvolved in smartvalue , I have created a training resource which will help them build smartvalue biz 100% online. Visit here for more details : WWW Smart Value Biz Online Training Centre

Also Here is A Video Review On Smart value

Cheers

Ankur Agarwal

Professional MLM Coach And Consultant

Shotokan karate is both a new and an ancient martial art. It is ancient because its roots are deeply entrenched in the past and new because, as it is practiced now, it is an art that is less than one hundred years old. Shotokan is characterized by its long, low stances, its strong techniques and its dynamic forms.

The “founding father” of shotokan, Gichin Funakoshi, was from Okinawa. He examined the oldest of the Okinawan te (”hand”) systems as a young man and in the early twentieth century brought what he had discovered on the island of Okinawa to mainland Japan, where he demonstrated his art before the Emperor. He intended to return to Okinawa but was convinced to stay and continue instructing in Japan. Funakoshi’s nom de plume was Shoto (which means “waving pines”), and kan means “hall”, so shotokan karate can be translated as, “Shoto’s hall of the way of the empty hand”.

While Funakoshi was the conceiver of shotokan, it was really his son, Yoshitaka Funakoshi who evolved it into the form we know today. It quickly grew in popularity, endorsed, encouraged and regulated by the powerful Japan Karate Association, and shortly thereafter was spread across the planet.

Shotokan has, produced some of the worlds greatest karate advocates, including Hirokazu Kanazawa. It is believed by many karateka (karate practitioners) that Hirokazu has come closest to having, the most perfect technique. He studied karate at Takushokyu University and won the Japan Championships in 1962, even with a broken hand. Shotokan Carries on and is practiced by thousands of adults and children, throughout the world.

Triads

The foundation of Shotokan is the Triad. There exists the Physical Triad - Kihon (basics), Kumite (sparring) and Kata (forms), which require dedicated training and the constant perfecting of technique. This is followed by the Moral triad of justice, mercy and compassion and finally the Ethical Triad of duty, honor and loyalty. If you put all of the nine triad principles together (nine symbolizes perfection) you achieve the whole, rounded person. When these principles are practiced in a martial art they exemplify one of the fundamental concepts of Shotokan karate- focusing on the development of the human character as a whole being, instead of concentrating on only one aspect of development.

Clothing and Equipment

Shotokan karate practitioners wear a white cotton top and drawstring trousers, the typical karate uniform seen today.

Rank

At 3rd-dan a karateka is awarded the title of “sensei”. At 4th-dan it is understood that the karateka is well familiar with the style and has a deep understanding of the technical essentials. A 5th-dan is awarded after the writing of a technical thesis on karate. All dan grade awards after 5th are for advancement within shotokan, with emphasis on style, devotion, loyalty and dedication to the art.

With the award of 6th-dan comes the title “shihan’ which freely translated means “master” or literally “a teacher of teachers”. At this stage the karateka is considered a master of his/her style and is given the right to wear the red and white belt or may continue to wear the black belt. Although it may take 30 years of hard, disciplined training and study to achieve 6th-dan, this is reputed to be only the starting point to the pursuit of excellence and true knowledge.

If you want to learn about day trading, the best option that you can take is to attend a day trading class. Through this process, you can conveniently learn about the latest innovations under the said forex trading method and suit your style to make things better for your business.

There are plenty of forex trading classes that you can choose to attend. But in the end, you should choose one that you know would fit your budget. Check out the rates first and compare them with each other before ending up with a purchase. Another thing that you need to consider is time.

Being in the forex business can be demanding especially if you are still starting out and you run the business all on your own. But just the same, it does not mean that you cannot find time for other things related to enhancing your forex ventures.

Choose a free day trading class that you can fit in conveniently in your current schedule. Also, consider the flexibility of the said class if you can trade some schedules here and there just in case you really need to be doing something else urgent.

Another thing to be considered are the specific inclusions in the lesson. Your day trading class would often come with its own syllabus that details what you can get as you sign up for it. Check this out and evaluate it well. This can also be a guide for you to assess if the rates offered justify the said lesson.

The Internet has to be the best thing since sliced bread! I have been addicted for many years that’s for sure. For some time now I have been successfully creating a full-time income online and enjoying the lifestyle that comes with it. But I was kept in the dark for years.

The paranoid amongst us may have thought there was some kind of conspiracy afoot trying to keep the big money and my bank account apart! It’s no secret among the people who know me that I have tried everything online to make money and failed many times.

But I would say to myself after every failure that I’m one step closer to success. I would pick myself up, dust myself off and get on with trying something else.

One of the first things which really started paying off for me was doing paid surveys. I didn’t earn massive amounts of money but I pulled in enough to replace my day job income and create enough spare time to pursue more profitable ventures.

But getting paid to take free paid online surveys was the beginning of everything for me. Paid surveys are a fantastic way to earn some extra cash and actually get paid online. As opposed to getting scammed and losing all your hard earned moolah.

That happens to a lot of people. And that’s not all, it gets worse. Some of the scams are so bad that people have had their identity stolen and lost a lot more than the cost of the bogus product.

Taking paid surveys online has become recognised as a legitimate and sound way to work from home on the Internet and make enough money to actually give up the daily rat race!

You will find hundreds of websites related to taking free paid online surveys. People like yellowsurveys.com, freepaidsurveys.net, surveyclub.com, internetpaidsurveys.com and many many more. The list is endless.

Make sure you do your due diligence and research the background to any company which you decide to go with. See if they are listed at the better business bureau and Google them for reviews.

Bear in mind you can earn good money taking surveys but you can also be seriously ripped off. Make sure the outfit is firing on all cylinders before you spend your valuable time with them.

What are my goals for the web site?

It’s important to know why you’re building the web site. Is it for sales or marketing? Is it a tool for communication or an online brochure? Do you want to sell products through the web site, or just educate consumers about them? Do you want to increase membership in your organization, or offer Web-based benefits to current members? Do you want visitors to email you? Call you? Subscribe to a newsletter? Knowing your goals will help focus your ideas for the site.

What am I trying to sell or promote?

Even if you don’t like the idea of selling yourself, it’s what we all do, every day, if we want to be successful. Don’t be afraid of sales and marketing. Finding the answer to this question will determine what are the most important themes of the web site, what to name the buttons, and the tone to use when writing the content.

What is our website’s business model and how are we unique?

Even if you have an AWESOME idea - you should develop ideas for an advertising or subscription revenue model or some fundamentals of it.

Who is our target demographic and what will they search for?

To help a web design agency understand your needs, can you describe your target audience in terms of socio-economic profiles;gender;geographical location; Planning for the search in your user’s mind can save you from retrofitting for it later. How would YOU search? How would your mother search? How would your grandmother search?

What will the information architecture be like? What are the important top level keywords?

There needs to be balance between information architecture for usability and keyword information architecture for findability (SEO).

What are the components to getting a website up and running?

Web Design & Development: The architecture of the site needs to be built. An appropriate look and feel must be designed. The copy needs to be written and any additional tools such as online forms, shopping carts and audio clips need to be added.

1. Web Design & Development: The architecture of the site needs to be built. An appropriate look and feel must be designed. The copy needs to be written and any additional tools such as online forms, shopping carts and audio clips need to be added.
2. Hosting: Just as you might rent office space, your web site needs to be hosted somewhere so people can reach it.
3. Upkeep: Once live, a good site continues to post fresh material, giving people a reason to return.

What content do I need to build the site?

First, create an outline around the themes you want to promote. Second, remember that each line of the outline is a page that needs content–text and images that will help educate your visitors. The images may include a logo or photos of people or products. Poor quality photos or bad clip art can make the most attractive site look amateurish; sometimes no photos can be better than poor ones.