Browser based applications run anywhere, anytime on any system. Maintenance and updates are done centrally without the hassle for upgrades on local workstations. True, a general perception is that such applications offer a degraded user-experience especially compared to regular desktop software but nowadays functions are on hand that provide virtually the same bells and whistles common to desktop applications. Such flexibility and independence is making traditional business applications seem like coal powered machinery. In addition, browser based application tend to be lightweight that do not require hardware renewals over time. It always baffles me how customary software upgrades tend to grow into bloated atrocities, constantly adding superfluous features and moreover risking incompatibilities thus rendering new versions nothing more than lipstick on a pig.

Web based solutions, for businesses that is, are adequate to handle most functions and requirements: managing client-details, articles, stock, orders, documents, invoices, contracts, subscriptions and correspondence. Of course desktop software is here to stay; who in their right mind is going to shoe-horn huge complex spreadsheets into a browser? The essence however is that core business data, -methods and -logic are easily accessible and maintained centrally regardless of IT infrastructure and environment, basically recycling the thin-client approach (you know those old desk-aquariums).

The benefits boil down mainly in two categories: access and costs.

1. access

Access, connectivity, web 2.0 (whatever that means) basically relates to the ease with which internet applications can communicate and be employed. Things that come in mind are linkage with other websites (e.g. web based ordering), outsourcing customer-services, facilitating home employment, email listings, merger of business units and online payments. I’m sure the list goes on a bit but once management starts to realize and appreciate the potential it will unleash ideas of possibilities. The acquainted trendy internet terminology will by then make more sense and proudly be espoused during office meetings.

A nice showcase example I participated in was to merge various (international) branches into one database system, where the server was (and still is) physically located in one place. All methodologies and procedures are shared by employees and management, websites have their ordering directly linked to the database, external call-centers is are used for contacting clients and prospects and third party partners can access real-time information online like billing details, order statuses, stock insights etc.

2. costs

The second benefit is the cost aspect. Web based solutions are durable meaning they do not tend to require a lot of maintenance once they are up and running. Fossilized websites from 15 year ago still work fine and are not subjected to change in operating system, updated hardware or reliance on deprecated software. If a company has in-house developers to manage applications, tools and technologies for web-development are available in a various forms, both proprietary and open-source, so costs can be allocated to line up proposed budgets.

Interface, data and business logic are maintained and backed up centrally and help solve bugs and other defects should they occur. This way the end-user will always have an up to date application available without the need to deploy or distribute these adjustments. Also online documentation and manuals remain well supervised.

Moving over?

Moving to new technologies requires planning and there certainly must be a compelling business case to do so. Many companies upgrade their software just to join a bandwagon of techie enthusiasts and as such it performs a nice window dressing tool towards others. If you think that’s farfetched try urging a client if they can resend you an attached document in a WP5.1-format because you couldn’t open it. You can always defend it by stating you’re currently involved in a migration to Windows 3.11 to add more ridicule to the experiment.

For start-ups or companies that require updated software, for more adapted integration, choosing browser-based solutions seem the most fitting and strategic approach that makes businesses in the long run more independent and unconstrained. Such applications and services are available out-of-the-box, both for free and licensed, or can be developed custom-made of course.

P. Meyden

Another reason may be that you are holding a special event just for your subscribers or are offering extra discounts for your joint venture partners and want to create a hidden page that your normal website visitors cannot find. Having a hidden page, so long as you don’t link to it from any other source apart from in an email, will mean that the search engines won’t pick up the hidden page either.

No matter what the reason, creating a hidden page in Joomla is very simple to set up.

The first thing you need to do when creating your hidden page is to create a new article in your Joomla Article Manager. Put whatever information you want those who land on your page to see and once you are finished, save it. Once you have saved it and your screen should now be showing a list of all the articles you have written. Find your newly written article and check the article id number which will appear on the far right hand side column under the column heading ID. Take a note of this number.

Next you need to go to your menu manager and create a new menu called “hidden”. It is easier to set it up like this so that you can keep track of all your hidden pages. Once you have set up your hidden menu, you need to link the article you have just written to a new menu item within this newly created hidden menu. After attaching the article to a menu item, take down the id number of the menu item as you will need this later. It will appear on the far right hand column under the column heading ItemID.

Finally, the piece of code that you need to help your visitors find this page is:

youdomain.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=xx&Itemid=yy

Replace the xx of the article&id with the id number of the article you have written (ID) and replace the yy of the Itemid with the menu id number (ItemID). It is always a good idea to test that it has worked by placing the completed code into your browser.

Remember to keep this piece of code in a safe place for the next time you want to create a hidden page.

WordPress

Pros: Anyone venturing into building a Web site on a CMS for the first time should consider WordPress as a strong choice. It is simple, intuitive, easy to use and easy to install. Templates and plugins are readily available on WordPress.org and easy to install as well. This system is ideal for someone with light technical skills.

Cons: Being one of the simplest systems also makes it one of the most limited systems. As sites grow, they require more features and functionality. WordPress is largely known as software ideally used for blogging; anything beyond blogging requires something more sophisticated. The community forums at WordPress.org are moderately helpful for new and inexperienced users.

Joomla

Pros: Joomla is designed for the masses, just like WordPress. It is extremely popular in part because it has a nice visual interface that makes it easier to use than other systems. The community forums at Joomla.org are extremely active and helpful for new users. The site also has an extensive number of available plugins, which are easy to install. Joomla is best suited for someone with moderate technical skills.

Cons: The quantity of plugins is weakened by the quality of plugins. Not all of the plugins integrate effectively and must be discarded. The HTML editing interface is quirky at best. Security also is an issue; the community forums tend to show a high number of hacking problems on member sites. Like WordPress, the software is limited in what it can do with the layout and presentation of pages.

Drupal

Pros: By far, Drupal is the most technically advanced of the three systems. It is highly respected for its tightly built architecture, speed and effectiveness. Security clearly is a top concern. Layout and presentation are less limited than WordPress or Joomla. As a result, Drupal is a CMS that appeals to webmasters with strong technical skills.

Cons: The interface is the least intuitive of the three systems. Drupal is well-known for having “a steep uphill learning curve,” a quote that has appeared often in discussions about its strong points and weak points. In addition, the forums are the least helpful of the three systems if the post comes from a new and inexperienced user with weak to moderate technical skills.

Therefore, a need existed to create a system on the “back end” where site owners could perform maintenance activities such as copy replacement, image replacement and add to the existing content without knowing any difficult coding. New technology, called Content Management System, or CMS, was developed. At the core of the system is employment of a database where the user can store content - copy and images - to retrieve and edit. Every site page is stored as simple text. The system converts this simple text into the appropriate HTML and JavaScript when a visitor lands on the page. The system also allows for the integration of a variety of features such as interactive event calendars, log ins with user names and passwords, news feeds, blogs, photo galleries and more.

If you are experiencing a great deal of difficulty maintaining a static site, it may be time to “upgrade” to one that can be controlled through a Content Management System. Here are some of the problems associated with a static website that if you recognize as aggravating, might be that sure indication it is time for a change:

Problems

-You have no control concerning updates and either need to go through your designer/host or not make any at all
-There is no search function available on your site to allow users to find specific content
-Limited features - if any - like logins, contact or request forms, forums, blogs, mailing lists, calendars ort other interactive features that elevate the level of user-friendly available content

Solutions

-Install an open source Content Management System (CMS)
-Transfer all your available content to the new system
-Learn how to use the system to perform your own maintenance (Can you use Word?)

So, what are the benefits from using a CMS?

First, you gain the ability to manage, update, change add or delete your own content. Additionally, through use of a CMS, you will be displaying content that conforms to present web standards. Which is important. Using current web standards will increase your accessibility allowing for your content to not become obsolete. Whenever an upgrade is issued for the CMS, installation is normally but a “click” allowing your site to stay in web compliance. Furthermore, CMS has embedded site search capabilities.

As a service, they offer space on the host, which implies that it is an in reality information filled space that allows you to prop up a net mien, and this can extend from things like web sites, cyberspace diaries and even e commerce sites. There are umpteen kinds of hosting that you can discover online and they extend from expressions of servicing like FTP and even network interface, which form the mass of the varieties of avails that you might ascertain if you are actively depending for them.

Summarily, you can even ascertain fiscal functions that are connected to things like live servers which deal in commercial dealings, and this is what you postulate if you are going to be putting up a business on-line, There are also discrepancies of allocation, which can extend from web logs, society, imaging - all the way to video allocation as well.

The only dispute is the place that will be apportioned and the kinds of resources that will be transmitted towards your hosting result. There are plenty of organisations that are online that will be effective to overhaul you with these varieties of avails and all you require to do is to look for them. In the end of the day, there are so many companies out there that are offering this, and this is down to the fact that when looking at it, the resources needed to set up this kind of company is really negligible. In fact, it all boils down to the kind of services and the value addedness that you are going to be getting from these companies, and these are the real issues that you need to be looking at. Of course, when thinking about this, all you need to know is how you are going to benefit from their services, and of course, understand just how their technology of website hosting really works for you and the greater internet population.

Here are five steps you can take to speed up your load time with Magento. You may need to contact your website host or website designers to help you with some of the steps. Also, be sure to stop and check your website after any change to ensure it’s still up and running, this way you’ll know which change caused any issues that occur.

1) PHP5 - Make sure the server you’re hosted on supports php5. While the php5-cgi files Magento provides will work, they also drastically reduce the speed and increase the load on the server.

2) Enable Caching - Inside your Magento admin panel you’ll find options for caching under System > Cache Management. Use these settings. You’ll need to refresh the cache after future changes, but it will help speed loading for your visitors.

3) Enable GZIP Compression - This can be enabled in the .htaccess file Magento includes in it’s default files. Just uncomment the lines for GZIP by removing the # in front of the lines.

4) Install Fooman Speedster - Fooman Speedster is a Magento extension designed to speed up your site by combining, compressing, and caching javascript and css files. Get details at magentocommerce.com/extension/457/fooman-speedster and, as with any extension, be sure your version of Magento is compatible before you install it.

5) Optimize - Follow general good optimization practices such as resizing your images before uploading them, and using smaller sized file formats when possible.

These steps should get your Magento installation moving faster than a turtle through syrup so your shoppers can happily fill their carts.

It can cost you hundreds of dollars to have a custom built website designed by a professional designer these days. Depending on your needs, that may be the only choice you have. However, if you don’t need all the bells and whistles, you have choices you can make that will give you a website design you can be proud of for your home based business ideas website. Here is a guide to making that choice:

First, look for local designers in your area by opening you phone book, doing a Google search or reading your newspaper. I found someone in my area that specialized in website design to design my blog. Make sure you shop around. Don’t pay $500 for a website design from a large company. Try to find a local person that runs their business out of their home office. The won’t have the overhead expenses that larger design companies would have, and would be more flexible to work with.

Choose freelancers for your home based business ideas website carefully by going to elance.com. You’ll be able to post an outline of your project, and thousands of freelancers will have the opportunity to bid on it. That way, you should be able to get a great deal. You will also have the ability to chose that designer based on ratings, past projects, and experience which will give you your best bang for your buck when it’s all said and done.

Be sure to check out GoDaddy.com. They offer a website design service you can do yourself called Website Tonight. You can chose from a simple template of 5 pages, all the way up to a template of 999 pages, hosted with GoDaddy.com. You would also be able to chose your domain name with them too. It’s a ‘one stop shopping’ site for everything you would need.

You can also design your own home based business ideas website. It doesn’t take much to learn the basics of website design. If all you need is 5 simple pages, go to the library or search online for the basics of designing a website. Look for programs like Microsoft Frontpage, or Macromedia Dreamweaver to help you out. Soon, you might have a side business to help others with a good website design.

Before we get to the top 11 tips, the key is that they all boil down to… “Use your common sense and keep it simple”

Put yourself in their shoes, they want to easily find what they are looking for. If they are new to your site it is even more important to follow these tips if you want your business to be successful online. Here are the top 11 tips from Web Gurus to make it easier for your site visitor:

1. Make sure images are not over powering and take away all the focus.
2. Ensure your headlines are enticing, interesting, and get people to read more of the page.
3. Make the text colour and size easy to read, usually this means black text on a white background.
4. Minimise the number of clicks to navigate around your site and include a common menu throughout your web site.
5. Use captions on images, just like they do in the newspapers, people love and expect captions.
6. Use text rather than images that contain text, search engines cannot read text embedded in images.
7. Include interactive features (more recently known as Web 2.0 features) such as a feedback or sign up form, blog, forum, survey, or glossary, etc.
8. Include a sitemap to make it easy for Google and other search engines to find the pages of your web site.
9. Use colours and that portray your image and the feeling your want your visitors to have when on your site. Check this out yourself, visit different sites and notice your emotional response.
10. Keep multimedia, movement to a minimum and keep their file size small, plus avoid flashing images, to most people these are a real turn off.
11. Proof read and spell check the content of your site. If you use a content management system like we do at Web Gurus, then after making lots of tweaks make sure you copy and paste the content into Microsoft Word and check the spelling.

Talk to your web designer or call ask Web Gurus if you’d like help implementing these top 11 tips on your web site.

Here are the top 8 mistakes that UAE based web designers make:

1. Lack of strategy and plan for the website
The lack of strategy and plan before they design a website is the biggest problem the designers face. The idea behind the website should be clearly defined and the target audience should be identified. When we define our users and their usability goals, we can then devise a better approach to design the website.

2. Complex designs
The web designers lack the real usability asset in their websites. They go for designs that are too complex for the visitors/users to understand. The website design and the content navigation guide the visitors/users and help them find what they’re looking for. The web designers should make the users feel comfortable when they are navigating through the website.

3. Contradiction of design and the theme of the website
You might come across those eye-catching websites that tickle your senses but that’s not all what a website design should be about. The contradiction of the theme of the website with the designs is also a huge hindrance to a user-friendly website. The design of the website should brand your company’s look and feel. For example, if you’re designing a law firm’s website and using a flashy design then it may not be able to deliver your brand identity to your visitors.

4. Lack of SEO in design
Search engines are the biggest traffic referral sources for websites. The web designers fail to design search-engine-friendly websites because they don’t realize that search engine optimization has paramount significance to a good website design.

5. Non-interactive designs
Some web designers in UAE often design websites that are not interactive; in fact, the design is just a dictation from the designer. The design of the website speaks out your business idea and converts visitors into customers. When a visitor feels that website is letting him do what he wants, that’s when your website gets starred. The web design should follow the principles of orchestration and hide redundant details from the user.

6. High scrolling pages
Most of the web designers overdo the page length incorporating stale text. Too much scrolling tends to loose the visitor’s interest in your website. Every time he wants to look up for something, he has to scroll up and down a million times, therefore, wasting the time and effort of the visitor. A good website design should be kept simple by maintaining a single concept per page.

7. Increased number of clicks
The most common mistake by the web designers is that they don’t reduce the number of clicks required to reach a certain page. The visitor gets lost into the hierarchy and don’t feel comfortable using the website.

8. Language errors and left justification of Arabic websites
Some of the web designers are not even adequately adept at Arabic; therefore, they don’t understand the most important difference between an English website and an Arabic website: English websites are left justified and the Arabic websites are right justified. The language errors in the content of the website may dissuade the users resulting in the decrease of website traffic.

If the web designers avoid these common mistakes, design simply and creatively; and follow the HCI guidelines, they will be able to achieve better ROIs. Going through this checklist will make sure that your website attracts more traffic.

So let’s make it clear, graphic elements are intended to cause a human emotion or reaction. A graphic element in a page can transmit an idea subliminally as well. You might be asking, who else is going to read my website if not another human?

There is another group of readers you want to consider also -I am not talking about the visually impaired who can not see and have to hear the computer reading the text of any particular web page-. I am talking about the search engines. In order to index and catalog your website, they have to read it also. This second group where Google, Yahoo and Bing belong, read your website in a totally different way. Yes, they are very important too.

So, for humans you have to have graphic elements in your web site, most people prefer to see graphics instead of just text. The search engines will read your text in order to classify you. If people happen to be looking for your service and you want them to find you out on the Internet jungle, more likely they will visit one of the 3 search engines mentioned previously. Do you see the dilemma? Most entrepreneurs don’t think about search engines right away. There is a belief among people that in order to show at the first page of the search engines either you have to pay Google or you have to be a big company. This is not necessarily true. Your website can do a lot to help itself in order to rank well on the search engines. I will describe several tips and tricks ahead on other articles that will help you to climb your way up in the search engines, and stay there.

So we have arrived to the point where the technology used to design your website has an impact on humans and search engines. There are so many different ways to create a website that it will be impossible for me to describe all of them here. I will concentrate on technologies that are are very popular.

A website with a lot of movement and impacting graphic design will probably be one made with Flash technology (Adobe). In my opinion it is very difficult to surpass a well designed Flash website when it comes to eye candy, they are the best. The downside is that they do not index well in Google. They are also expensive when you order them, and expensive to maintain.

You can have the typical HTML website, now with PHP, CSS and Javascript (Sun/Oracle) technology you can create some impressive graphic arrays and still be search engine friendly. There are literally hundreds of tools out there to create this type of websites. From Dreamweaver (Adobe) and Frontpage (Microsoft) that allow you to have a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) environment so you can preview your website, to a just simple text editor where the code can be written.

So my recommendation to you is, if you want to have an effective website without braking the bank, stay away from a full Flash website.

But I want pretty graphics! Yes, I know you want them, we all do. If the explanation I gave you has not convinced you yet it is not a good idea, then there is even another think to consider: I am sure at some point in time you will want to edit, add or delete graphics or text in your website. This is a point most entrepreneurs do not think about when ordering a website. The traditional way web designers make more money out of you is by charging you for changes. Yes I have heard so many horror stories about them. Small companies getting bills for $500 or more a month just for changes! I had a customer once telling me how he disliked to be trapped by his designer. They were charging him fee after fee. He was sold on the idea of paying a very small amount for his website to later realize he ended up paying thousands just because the changes he had to do every month. This practice happens regardless if your website is Flash or non-Flash.

Also, if for any reason your web designer moves somewhere else or you don’t like him anymore, If you have a Flash website, unless you have the source file for it, you will not be able to modify it at will. Another big disadvantage.

But here is the main reason. As technology and procedures to create websites evolve, the entrepreneurs and small business owners have another way to have more control of their websites: A back door. Yes, a back door to your website will allow you to create a new page, edit or delete content, add new graphics or pictures, etc. I am not talking about access to the files where you can see the code, probably you will not understand it anyway. I am talking to a back door that is technically another website to change the content of your website.

This solutions have been in place for big corporations. They have people contributing with content every day, they don’t have to worry about page design, the system does it for them. Well, now that solution called CMS (Content Management System) is available for small business too. I will talk more about them in other articles. For now just think how great it will be you had your own CMS website. They are designed with typical and common elements such as HTML, CSS, PHP and Javascript. I personally try to use the less possible elements of Javascript because those elements don’t index well at the search engines either. And yes, with a CMS and traditional HTML websites, you can have Flash elements that will spice up your website.

Summarizing. You want to stay away from full Flash websites unless the designer is a well established company and your pockets are deep, remember the search engines will also read your website, so SEO (search engine optimization) is very important to consider. If you are able to use a computer, you want to have a CMS website with a back door for your to create, edit or delete content.