Be warned! Leigh is bouncing off the walls with e-numbers today! To the point where he says in the podcast that the back of Dairy Milk Giant Buttons there are over 2000 calories, but actually it was more 200. Small print for you!

• EVERYTHING for the web are theories - best practices
  • People are hungry for information
  • Keep all sentances short - People scan read on the web
  • Keep one idea per paragraph
  • Half the word count that you normally use
  • Try an inverted pyrimid style of writing - put your most important
  • Bullet points, and different text styles help promote important points
  • Simple words work best - not everyone use English as a frist language
• Keywords or Key Phrases: These are the words people put in to Google to search the web
• Four areas to think about: Headline, Description, The content of you site, The web address. Example: Golf
• Meta tags (in the behind the scenes of your site), even through they are now thought of as ‘out dated, still help you with your site’s listing.
• Another example used: Diary
• Google’s Webmasters Toolkit Keyword Search
• Get your keywords - then write your content!

Get in touch:
Contact us on: thepodcast@smallbizwebdesign.net
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 Episode 007: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Still no Dominic… half tempted to send out a searching party! :oP

We are changing the format of the show - we are moving to a Bi-Monthy show. Still hoping to still release on Tuesday’s, but on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month.

• Why not have menues, forms, factsheets, and other information downloadable from your site?
• Use your hosting package as a remote back-up service
• Create a secret area for your staff members to find resources - also known as an intranet / extranet
• Create a Blog on your site as a quick and easy way to keep your customers up-to-date with your business
• Create a secret wiki for those big projects, so all the information is in one place

Get in touch:
Contact us on: thepodcast@smallbizwebdesign.net
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 Episode 006: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Dominic is just working too hard… I think he needs a holiday!

• Splash pages
• Using Flash when it is not neednor required
• Forgetting the basics:
  • Geographical location
  • Opening times
  • Email & Contact information
• No-name nobodies - not having a domain name
• Using free hosting
• Slow loading time (because of flash or images)
• Thinking that “If you build it, they will come”
• Using nasty, busy backgrounds - or using neon green background with black writing
• Having no target audience - too many things under one name
• “Best viewed in…”

Get in touch:
Contact us on: thepodcast@smallbizwebdesign.net
Or why not comment below?

 

 Episode 005: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Leigh is by himself, as Dom has been lost under his in-tray…

This week’s episode is coming at the angle that you have found a web designer through an advert in the paper, through the Yellow Pages, or via a Google Search - and are left with a web address.

These tips are to make sure the designer is good enough to actually get in contact with them.

• Does their website look professional?
• Do they guarantee top ‘listings’ in Google (or other search engines)?
• Do they provide hosting and domain names registration?
  Two companies we recommend for hosting: 1 & 1 Internet (Business Package) and Go Daddy.
• Are they ‘design farms’? An example of one of these (get informed, but dont get tempted!) - Free Start
• Do they offer updating?
• Check out their web design portfolio
• Do they have any show any awards, members of guilds, show a christian ‘fish’ logo, or a member of chamber of commerce?

Get in touch:
Contact us on: thepodcast@smallbizwebdesign.net
Or why not comment below?

 

 Episode 004: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Happy New Year!

• Woffle… and lot’s of it… :oP
• Leigh starts a virtual war with Paul Boag of ‘Boagworld’
• We explain that half the fight of create a good website is what happens behind the scenes in the ‘back-end’ - not just how pretty it looks
• Make sure they understand (and are able to explain) the ‘rules’ of web design
• Put all your ideas and information about what you are trying to achieve, put it in a word document, and e-mail it to designers to quote from
• Most designers have ‘time-saving’ templates already designed, but make sure their portfolio has a nice selection of designs that are different and unique
• If anyone knows Dom, ask him to make Pizza!
• If you like the show - please go to iTunes or your favouite podcasting directory and review us… Please be nice

Get in touch:
Contact us on: thepodcast@smallbizwebdesign.net
Or why not comment below?

 

 Episode 003: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Merry Christmas!

We are trying to be a ‘little’ more professional with this one… Leigh is on a different mic, so you can actually here him!

• General Woffle!
• We have a theme tune - WOO HOO! We aimed for cheesy :oP
• We explain what a ‘front-end’ and a ‘back-end’ are
• Hardwicke Arms Hotel
• Look at both small busineses who are local, and then look at your national competitors.
• What are they doing? What AREN’T they doing?
• Write a word document with all your likes and dislikes
• What we are doing for New Years…

 

 Episode 002: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

First one is FINALLY here! We had some issues with Leigh’s mic - a little faint - but we have lots of exciting information for you.

What happens in this episode:

• General woffle!
• Dom the Web Developer & Leigh the Web Designer, introduce themselves and what they do.
• Why do you want a website? What do you want to achieve?
• Two types of website: Brochure / Information, eCommerce.

Get in touch:
Contact us on: thepodcast@smallbizwebdesign.net
Or why not comment below?

Don’t forget to subscribe! (It will get better… we promise!)

 

 Episode 001: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download