Website Design Tips

Posts Tagged ‘Finding’

Finding a Web Host in 5 Easy Steps

June 17th, 2011

Everyday, more people are discovering the benefits and global reach of the Internet. As a result, more online businesses are being established and more websites are going up. Now is the right time to stake your claim in Cyberspace and the best way to do it is with your very own website. Because web hosting is what you need to get a piece of the action, I will help you find a good service in five easy steps.

1.) Determine Your Needs

The first step in finding a web host is determining your individuals needs. Why do you even need a website? Is it just to share photos and info with family and friends? Are you moving your business online? Do you plan to sell products or services? The answers to these questions are very important as they will ultimately determine what type of web hosting you need.

2.) Features

After getting a good idea of what your website needs, it’s time to consider the feature-set that will meet those requirements. Of course, features will vary greatly depending on individual needs but here are a few to keep in mind.

- Disk space and bandwidth

Disk space refers to the amount of space you have on the server for storing your website files. Bandwidth entails how much traffic and activity your site can support. If you don’t have enough of either, your site will be limited and can actually become slow or inaccessible. The good thing is that most web hosts supply more than enough as the average website requires less than 1 gigabyte of each resource per month.

- E-commerce tools

If your goals consist of selling products or services, selecting a web hosting plan with Ecommerce features is a must. Keep your eyes peeled for multiple email accounts, free shopping cart software and SSL encryption to protect your online transactions.

- Control panel

The control panel is one of the most essential web hosting features. This software allows you to control virtually every aspect of your account. From the interface you can access the design tool that allows you to build your site, create email accounts, upload files and much more.

3.) Reliability

Your website won’t be very popular if it’s always down because of technical difficulties. In order to avoid these issues, I suggest searching long and hard for a host that delivers a reliable service. There are many aspects that point to reliability but the most critical is uptime. Uptime refers to the amount of time your site will be available opposed to being down for a wide range of reasons. As of now, 99.9% is the industry standard so anything less should be viewed as unacceptable.

4.) Technical Support and Customer Service

When it comes to web hosting, one should never underestimate the importance of support. Anything can go wrong behind the scenes and when it does, you need to know what’s going on. I recommend looking for a company that offers various means of support including toll-free phone, email and live chat. Support is something that can make or break a web host and also determine how successful you will be online.

5.) Customer Feedback

One can learn a lot about a particular web hosting service from customer feedback. You can find web hosting reviews all over the web, and trust me, they are absolutely golden. A quality review you will tell you what to expect in terms of price, features, reliability and support. Most importantly, it will let you know what service is worth looking into and who should be avoided at all costs.

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Finding Inspiration for Your Web Design Projects

May 17th, 2011

Many times, I’m sure you’ve found yourself staring blankly at your computer screen with no motivation to complete a lingering project. You have this particular project that needs to be completed as of yesterday, but the ideas and the creativity have left your normally jubilant fingertips. If you’re someone whose profession is solely based on the computer, whether it is web design or writing articles, I’m sure you can relate well to these feelings.

It’s important to remember that we all hit dead-ends. Every great singer or songwriter has had to step back from time-to-time, and get a whole new grasp on their ideas. So don’t worry, this is quite normal.

So where do you get inspiration? That, really, can come from anywhere. A song, a book cover, other designer’s websites, there are many options here. You may just find the right thing that gives you exactly what you’ve been missing, but be warned! Don’t spend too much time browsing or else you will have wasted your entire day. Just keep in mind that you’re looking for inspiration, not to catch up on daily gossip.

On a good day, another person’s website design can be really beneficial to your motivation but on a not-so-good day, they tend to blend in and start looking the same which will only leave you starring at that blank screen for a longer time. When this happens, here is what you should do:

1. Jump around: Yes, just like House of Pain said it, “Jump Up, Jump Up and Get Down.” If you’re sitting at your desk or computer screen all day long, you need to move. Get out from behind the screen, walk around, go outside, stretch and clear your mind. Whatever you decide to do, just make sure it involves moving.

2. Observe some art: Being a web designer, you look at a lot of technical savvy designs. Which is what we love, right? But, don’t forget about the fundamental art that put us here in the first place. Take a look at Picasso to Escher, or even some non-professional photographs. Notice the lines, angles and colors. This can be very beneficial to you and help to shed some light on that new project you’ve yet to complete.

3. Just start over: I know it sounds terrible, but sometimes you just don’t have a choice. Take whatever you’ve been working on and chuck it. There are times when you end up thinking about the overall picture way too much and those thoughts will get in the way of your ability to complete it. If you’re not inclined to this tip, then the other alternative is to just stop for a while and come back to the project later, after you’ve had some time to clear your head.

Always remember, that roadblocks are common and can and do happen to everyone, especially if you’re in a creative field like web design. But, don’t let it stop you from doing your best. Just take a break and resume it again later.