Planetworkx

Rebel Media.

2010-07-04T14:56:00.003+04:00

Planetworkx.com the virtual entity has spread its wings and moved from the digital world into green space reality. A design and development company called Rebel Media now resides in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The Rebel Media a web design company with a focus on you and your customers. We have been delivering effective, "big idea" creative web site designs for our clients throughout Malaysia and the Middle East. If you are looking for a fresh, forward thinking, results driven, Kuala Lumpur based web agency to deliver your next assignment, then you've come to the right place.

Contact us now for all your design and development needs.

THE REBEL MEDIA
18 Jalan Awan Makmur, OUG Square, Taman OUG, 58200 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
T: +603-7784-4090
W: www.therebelmedia.com
E: info@therebelmedia.com

Email Marketing Pros & Cons!

2010-07-02T13:34:00.005+04:00

To mention a few points on this topic, one would have to search for the cons of email marketing. This method of marketing is the most favourable way of communication. Information can be distributed immediately to a wide range of people at a very low and affordable cost, unlike other advertising methods that cost a lot because it involves paper work.

This is one of the best online marketing strategies that are available today. If the website is attractive then the marketers can track the return of investment in a better way by getting more visitors to the site. In this way companies too are able to send out individual emails to various receivers at a low to zero cost without spending on paper advertisements that are exorbitant.

The receivers on the other hand receive the message in their inbox instantly and most respond to the companies if the product is required by them. Most companies that do email marketing give much information on their products while offering prepackaged lists that are meant for the customer’s benefit. This gives the customer a complete know-how and it would induce the customer’s attention towards the product advertised.

On the other hand the company that advertises through e-mail marketing is able to get immediate results of their campaign by just counting the number of clicks and getting to know the number of people that visited their website. In this way the advertiser can get to know what went wrong and rectify the fault immediately to get better response from customers. This is definitely not possible with other advertising methods.

The pros keep mounting more and more since email marketing is definitely the best way to market one’s products. The marketer is convinced that thousands of viewers are visiting the site at one time and surely the response would be good if the site is attractive and informative.

Talking about the disadvantages of e-mail marketing, one can think of just one at the moment. The major problem that viewers as well as marketers face is the spam mail. With the increase of spam mail these days there could be a slight hindrance in the mail marketing strategy. It could divert the attention of the customers with the wrong information of a particular product or service.

Customers are confused with such mail that either get right into the inbox or find a place in the bulk mail folders. The spam laws are to be followed very carefully in this case and email shoppers are meant to check the authenticity of such bulk mail before visiting the sites.

Sometimes genuine mail too gets blocked by firewalls that protect spam messages. This could hinder email marketing to a certain extent. Another disadvantage could be the response from the customers. Initially the response and queries would be good, but one can’t keep them interested till the end, just a few responses will continue.

What is a good layout?

2010-06-30T16:29:00.000+04:00

To sum up June and as we head into summer I would like to leave all of you with an insight into what makes a good layout.

A good layout works
It does what you set out to do. You need to know what the purpose of the piece is, who it is for, and where it will be seen or how it will be distributed.

A good layout organizes

It maps out a visual path for readers to follow - shows what comes first, second third and so on. You must present the information in good order to make your message as clear as possible.

A good layout attracts

It grabs your readers' attention and pulls them into your piece. It has to stand out from the crowd by being different from everything around it. Depending on the environments and that can mean being startling, pretty, surprising, entertaining, unusual, or simple and direct.

The process of making a good layout is similar to doing a jigsaw puzzle:
You keep putting the pieces together different ways until they all fit comfortably.

iFrames good or bad?

2010-06-28T16:28:00.006+04:00

I like to think of iFrames as little windows on websites that content peaks through. It’s not really on the page, but is being displayed to the user as an element of that page and more often than not, blends seamlessly into the surrounding design. From your browser it can be difficult to determine if content is on-page or is being displayed through an iFrame, but from an SEO or search engine perspective, it is oh-so-evident.

Two iFrame Scenarios: Your Domain and Theirs
As an SEO, under most conditions I would recommend that my clients NOT use iFrames to display text/ content on their pages. In the end, unless there are very specific circumstances, having on-page content is the most beneficial to the website in terms of search engine optimization.

But what does it really mean for SEO? There are two scenarios I would like to discuss here. First of all, when the content displayed in the iFrame is from another site/ domain and secondly, when the content is from the same domain, but a different file.

When the Content is Theirs
This one’s pretty simple. When the content displayed on your site through an iFrame is from another domain, your site does not benefit from this content. Even though it’s being displayed on your pages, it still is being pulled from another source and does not live on your domain. Therefore, your site is not benefiting from the frequently updated and content-rich resource.

When the Content is Yours
A not so simple situation is when the content being displayed is hosted on the main domain, but is being pulled to the pages through an iFrame. If the source URL is a spiderable URL, the crawlers can follow the path and spider the content on the page feeding the iFrame. It’s good that this content is actually on your domain, but the problem is, it’s not actually being attributed to the page it’s being displayed on. Basically, once they enter the iFrame page, web crawlers are not able to fluidly crawl through additional site links.

To Summarize
In the end, it’s really best to include content on-page when it is supposed to be part of that page. It doesn’t do your site any good to have content displayed on your pages, but hosted on another domain, and it stifles optimization and spider ability when iFrames are used to display windows of text from other URLs on your own site.

Money for Designs?

2010-06-26T18:31:00.003+04:00

Why Money Shouldn’t Motivate Design.

The more I considered the question above, the more I realized that design has very much become a part of who I am. My point is, work is something that I have to do to survive and design is something I do because I love to. The fact that these two meet appropriately is something to ponder upon. Plus how many people do you know who do what they love?

This realization brought me to the conclusion that money isn’t in fact a primary reason behind my addiction to design. So what are the reasons for this obsession? What are the ends that justify the means?

Creation
Designers, architects, painters, construction workers, sculptors and welders have one thing in common: the act of creating something. We tend to build something, then crack open a beer (or Sprite if you prefer) and just stare at it for a while, not quite ready to move on. The sense of accomplishment and even self-pride is strong in these moments. Whether or not we had fun creating or cursed and spat our way through the entire project, that contemplative outcome is the same.

Learing
As a web designer I have no end to the list of things that I feel that I should be learning. HTML, CSS, Javascript, PHP, Ajax, WordPress development, database management and countless other technologies are enough to make anyone feel overwhelmed. Yet we’re secretly excited as well aren’t we?

People
The last motivating factor that I’ll discuss for design is people. Many designers, though certainly not all, are driven by a love of interaction with other people. As a designer, you help your client express things that they are incapable of expressing on their own as effectively as they can with your aid. Whether they’re selling doughnuts or raising money to cure cancer, helping them gives you a sense of purpose. Some designers unfortunately hate their clients, and for good reason.

While our profession certainly has its hermits, many of us simply love the richness of the human interaction that a creative field brings. The money of course is a much needed source to survive and lets face it who does not love money?

A good web host.

2010-06-24T17:23:00.009+04:00

A web hosting company is a company that holds websites, and the information they contain, for an individual or a company. There are a multitude of these companies now available as web hosting and the Internet continue to expand at phenomenal rates. So with all the companies out there, how does one choose which is best for them? When choosing a web hosting company, there are a few things to keep in mind.

A good web hosting company will make sure that they have enough resources available to offer it’s users stability and reliability. This means that they will only take enough customers as their equipment and servers can handle. Bad web hosting companies will just sell as much as they can, without worrying about they kind of service they are providing. This could lead to the customer’s website being down all the time and this in most cases, is unacceptable.

Whichever web hosting site is chosen, the customer needs to make sure that the company has excellent security. This will keep hackers from getting on your site. To do this, make sure that they have back up servers and that the customer is given access to the root menu. Because it is the customer’s website, they should be able to gain access to it at any time.

Any good web hosting company will have much technical help available to the customer. These technicians will maintain the server where the information is kept as well as fix any minor problems before they turn into major ones. A web hosting should at least have a twenty-four hour support service, and may also have live chat services available. A web hosting company that is not as good is one that is often down and not available on weekends.

When picking a web hosting company, an individual needs to make sure that there is proper communication in place. A company that tells their users when there are issues and also informs them of updates and problems and they arise is a good company that is dedicated to providing quality service. There are unfortunately some web hosting companies that will do as they please without any notification to their customers. This can mean that the site will be down for several hours without the customer having any knowledge of it. These companies should be avoided as the customer is expecting a certain quality of service and should be provided with it.

A great way to help one find a good web hosting company is to search for “web hosting forums.” Many people leave messages on these forums explaining in detail their experience with a specific company. These comments can be either negative or positive. By looking around on these forums, it will give the individual a better idea of what kind of companies are out there and will help them determine which company is best for them.

Lastly it’s very important to remember that an over priced hosting company may not generally be the best. I strongly recommend MyHosting.com

Stock Photos the pitfall!

2010-06-22T16:54:00.002+04:00

When picking up stock pictures for your website don’t be tempted to grab one of the cheaper versions to save a few bucks. The one thing that should determine which size you choose is the size of the area you will be placing the photo into. If you can’t afford a photo that meets your size requirements, find a new photo. Never, under any circumstances, think “oh well, the designer can just make it bigger.” This will lead to a sloppy, pixelated images which alone can dramatically reduce the perceived quality of the design.

Well as for me, my reputation and the quality of work I promise to deliver, I have never be afraid to stand up and tell the client that a given image simply won’t work because of size restrictions. Since I have been hired as an expert and have an obligation to the client to point out any big mistakes they are asking me to make on their behalf. I take tome to explain that a low resolution image will just not cut it. Having said this, it is always better to pick up a high resolution image so if you are planning on adding the said image into a brochure your all set.

Few points to remember when picking up stock images

Try not to use pictures that don’t relate well to your content.
Overused pictures.
Imagery that looks outdated or non-professional.

To sum up, when you are in a situation where you must use stock imagery, make sure you do so with extreme care. Take the time to find the right piece of art and to make it even better using advanced, professional Photoshop techniques.

Useful Stock Images & Photos

www.photolibrary.com
www.istockphoto.com

Ideal size for your Web Site?

2010-06-20T19:01:00.007+04:00

It’s one of the oldest questions in the book: what browser size should I design my website for? Do I cater to people running lower resolutions such as 800×600, do I think my visitors want a wider layout like 1024×768, or do I think my visitors surf on a movie screen? Well, they probably aren’t going to be surfing on a movie screen, and chances are that they’re running something higher than 800×600. How about I stop with these generalizations and give you some useful info? How about a pretty chart?

According to the W3school, less than 8% of the web is using an 800×600 resolution. You can debate those numbers and say that the information gathered by w3schools is biased toward those more inclined towards technology. Ah Nerds, and you’d be absolutely right. Whether or not you trust the numbers given by w3schools, you’re going to be hard-pressed to find statistics indicating 800×600 accounts for anything close to significant.

If 800×600 is insignificant, why even question what size to build by? Because even though it’s not a large percentage, it’s still a percentage. Let’s say you run an ecommerce site, and you get 1,000 hits a day. That small percentage is now 50 people per day, 50 people who may or may not buy something from you. Hopefully you’ll see the value in 50 potential customers per day, and try to accommodate them.

Unless you are either psychic or have a really impressive statistic program, you’re not going to get accurate numbers on what size your users are browsing with. Even resolution statistics aren’t an accurate metric because it would have to be assumed that all users are running a full screen browser, which simply is not true.

Then what do you do?

Create a resolution-independent site that uses percentages rather than absolute values. Well I know you going to tell me about the design the client choose and all of that but we do have to keep in mind those 8%. So I say use a site your content chooses that best displays it. However if its more of the appeal your looking for then hey go with the flow.

Twitter or Litter

2010-06-18T18:32:00.000+04:00

Taking a break from web & graphic design I decided to do a comic strip to lighten the atmosphere. A slight take on ‘Twitter’ titled ‘Litter’

Well I know I didn’t spend enough time on a suitable title but with all that twittering going on it just seemed apt for the moment.

Logos & Mistakes made!

2010-06-16T17:51:00.000+04:00

Common mistakes when designing a logo

With the power of the Web, and more eyes watching than ever, it’s important for a business to communicate its unique message clearly. The easiest way to recognize a company and distinguish it from others is by its logo.

Designed By An Amateur
A professional business should look professional. New business owners often invest a lot of time and money in property and equipment, but do not often match it by investing suitably in their logo.

Here are the most common reasons why many logos look amateurish:

The business owner wanted to save money by designing the logo quickly themselves.
A friend or relative who claims to know a little about graphic design does it as a favor.
The wrong people are commissioned. (Local printers are not likely proficient in logo design.)
The business outsourced the job via one of several design competition websites, which are mostly populated by amateur designers.
The job was given to an online company that offers really cheap logos.
Remember if your logo looks amateurish, then so will your business.

Here are the advantages of hiring an established and professional logo designer:

Your logo will be unique and memorable.
You won’t run into any problems down the line with reproducing it.
Your logo will have a longer lifespan and won’t need to be redesigned in a couple of years.
Your logo will look professional.

Don’t rely on the following when designing a logo

Trends
Don’t use swoosh’s, glows or bevels as they come and go and ultimately turn into cliches.

Don’t use Raster images
Standard practice when designing a logo is to use vector graphics software, such as Adobe Illustrator or Corel Draw.

Don’t use Stock Art
This mistake is often made by business owners who design their own logo or by amateur designers who are not clued in to the laws on copyright.

Don’t over complex a logo

Don’t rely on color for effects

This is a very common mistake. Some designers cannot wait to add color to a design, and some rely on it completely. Choosing color should be your last decision, so starting your work in black and white is best.

Don’t use too many fonts

Don’t copy others

Secure Social Media Success

2010-06-10T15:33:00.004+04:00

Get Going
It's easy to decide you want a social media campaign and then get distracted and delayed- social media marketing will rarely be a business essential. But you must not put it off, your competitors won't. Get planning, get prepared, and get going.

Get Prepared
OK, so you're socializing online and suddenly someone launches an attack against your brand, what do you do?

By using platforms such as Twitter, you lay yourself more open to attack through these mediums- it's easier for angry customers to leave negative comments publicly, for example. Of course, they would possibly be doing so anyway, but if you're actively promoting your brand through social media, than you're also probably searching for mentions, so you'll probably see any comments sooner.

So, work out a strategy. If you see a negative mention, will you refute it? Use legal threats to silence it? Ignore it? Respond to it as though it's any other customer complaint? Whatever you decide, have a strategy in place in advance so that you aren't left scrambling when the situation arises.

Get Blogging
There are many ways to socialize online but blogging is definitely my favorite. It's great for SEO because it encourages inbound links and also fills your pages with naturally keyword-rich content.

Get Tweeting
Twitter is an excellent marketing platform, although it admittedly can be hard to do well. However, there are some easy wins to be had on Twitter: it's less time consuming than a blog, but it has the same potential to massively expand brand awareness.

Get Some Perspective
Before you start trying to use social media, work out what it is you want to achieve. There's no point spending time and money interacting online if you don't have a clear idea what it is you hope to get out of it?

Get Talking
Social media is just that -- social. It isn't a one-way street. You need to be having conversations online if you want to gain followers, fans, and readers.

So get socializing.

Stay motivated by keeping your goals in sight and monitoring your success.

Optimized for Bing?

2010-06-08T17:21:00.002+04:00

Since Microsoft and Yahoo reached an agreement to merge their search services in hopes of finally being able to compete with the grand search overlord, Google. What does all this mean for small business owners? Well, keep an eye on your Yahoo rankings because they have sure changed since Yahoo search engine has been replaced by Bing.

Here are five easy ways to get Bing to notice you:

The older, the better. Bing places a lot of emphasis on the age of a domain, so if you're just starting out, you might consider buying an older domain in order to get your site a higher ranking.

Titles are important. Bing seems to place a lot more emphasis on title tags than Google does, so make sure you use your best keywords in the title tags of every page on your site.

Text is terrific. For Google, the amount of text you have on a web page doesn't play a huge role. Not so with Bing, which seems to place a higher value on pages that have at least 300 words.

Outbound links are OK. Google has always seemed to frown on the number of outbound links you have on a page. But Bing actually seems to like them--at least for now.

Backlinks are even better. If you're frustrated because all of your efforts to get links pointing to your site haven't gotten you anywhere with Google, then good news! When it comes to backlinks, Bing's attitude seems to "the more, the merrier"--as long as the links are coming from relevant sites.

So get out there and don’t leave Bing at the back door. Bear in mind that this is a huge change, and will take months to fully take effect.

Clear Your Cache!

2010-06-06T17:44:00.001+04:00

Often referred to as the Cache, the Temporary Internet Files folder contains a kind of travel record of the items you have seen, heard, or downloaded from the Web, including images, sounds, Web pages, even cookies. Typically these items are stored in the Temporary Internet Files folder. Storing these files in your cache can make browsing the Web faster because it usually takes your computer less time to display a Web page when it can call up some of the page's elements or even the entire page from your local Temporary Internet Files folder.

Clearing Your Browser's Cache:

All those files stored in your cache take up space, so from time to time; you may want to clear out the files stored in your cache to free up some space on your computer. This is called clearing the cache.

More Speed or More Room? But at what cost!

If you tend to go online a lot and have ample space on your computer, you might want to increase the size of your Temporary Internet Files folder. Why? Because Internet Explorer 6 will read already-viewed files from the cache first rather than take the time to download the same page from the Web, thus saving you time and money.

However from a web developer’s point of view this sometimes is a bit of a problem. Why? For a simple reason, the client can not view the updated changes.

Hence a simple tip, if at all you’re client is viewing his website for Internet Explorer 6 you may want to illustrate this:

Keep the 'Ctrl' button on your keyboard pressed while you hit 'Refresh' on your IE bar. This calls the updated page from the server and not the Cache. Well and lets say avoid the miscommunication and those email that can go back and forth as to ‘why aren’t the change done yet’.

Web Statistics! Which one?

2010-06-04T15:32:00.013+04:00

I have been proposing Google Analytics to some of my customers and the common question is ‘why’? Ok! There is some sort of discrepancy between the way Google Analytics and AWStats calculate visits. Firstly let me explain what a unique visitor is. I recommend two popular free tools for stats, and recommend to use them in tandem to enable you to look at your web stats from different angles. AWStats (which is typically installed on a server) and Google Analytics (which is hosted).

The aim of the measure of 'unique visitors' is to help find out how many individuals have visited the site - i.e. how many new visitors the website has attracted. It might sound easy, but in reality, it is not all that scientific.

What you'll notice about these tools is that they both define "unique visitors" in different ways. In fact many log analysis tools do differ in the way they approach the situation.

AWStats according to the documentation defines Unique Visitors as:

'Unique Visitor' - These are the total number of visits by a unique IP address. In summary AWStats simply calculates a total for this from the log files.

Google Analytics on the other hand has two metrics, measuring both by percentage:

'Absolute Unique Visitors' - tracking each user's first visit, and;
'New vs. Returning' - by tracking subsequent visits

In summary, Analytics uses cookies and sessions to differentiate returning visitors. There are advantages and disadvantages of both approaches and any can result in undercounting and over counting, as both IP and cookie counting can have inaccuracies. As a result, you'll sometimes find large discrepancies between the two sets of results.

Both these tools will give you monthly and yearly totals and averages, which can be quite useful when presenting a report to management on how your website is going. Ultimately, however, there isn't really a definitive way to know if the same person has not visited your site before. So we just use some educated guesses to determine numbers for visitors that are "unique", and use both to get a feel for some common ground.

While I have a personal preference for the Google Analytics style of presentation, I use both types of stats tools to analyse trends.

Favicon.ico What???

2010-06-02T19:15:00.003+04:00

I had received an email from a client subject reading ‘little-thing before my domain name’

What is a Favicon?

A Favicon (short for favourites icon), also known as a website icon, shortcut icon, URL, icon, or bookmark icon is a 16×16, 32×32 or 64×64 pixel square icon associated with a particular website or webpage.

Creating a Favicon.
Create an image 16 x 16 pixels in size. Yes, it is really small and you can't really draw much in it. You should also restrict yourself to the standard Windows 16 colours, although I feel that 256 colours work fine.

If you like, you can also create a 32 x 32 pixel icon, which will be scaled to size for the Favourites menu and the location bar. You can even put both 16 x 16 and 32 x 32 pixel icons into the same icon file. Windows will use the former for its menus and the latter when the user opens up a folder that is set to display large icons. It's probably not really necessary to do this if you can't be bothered.

Save the image as an ICO file (named "favicon.ico").

Upload it to your website. You don't need to upload one to every directory of your site if you don't want to waste space, simply put it in your root directory and the web browsers that support Favicons will apparently locate it eventually.

Do-it-yourself image sizing.

2010-05-28T16:05:00.003+04:00

A question I received the other day from one of my clients was ‘How do I reduce the size of a photo for online use?’ What follows is more of a do-it-yourself type of thing.

Before going to your intended size, you first want to crop your image to remove any unnecessary portions of the picture. After cropping, you can change the overall pixel dimensions to go even smaller. All photo editing software will have a command for changing the pixel dimensions of an image. Look for a command called "Image Size," "Resize," or "Resample." When you use this command you will be presented with a dialog box for entering the exact pixels you wish to use. Other options you may find in the dialog are:

Resample: You need this on when sizing down. This enables the software to change the pixel dimensions.

Constrain proportions or keep aspect ratio:You want this option enabled. It prevents the image from being stretched and distorted. When this option is enabled, you only need to enter one value--height or width--and the other value will adjust automatically.

Never, ever resize and overwrite your original file!

After sizing the image, be sure to do a Save As so you don't overwrite your original, high resolution file. You'll want to save as a JPEG or GIF file. Both formats are highly compressed and give you a quick download time.

When choosing the compression level, keep quality in the medium to high range. You want to shoot for a file size of 30 to 100 KB per image. Go small if you will be putting several files on the same page or sending them in one email. Try not to exceed 100 KB per Web page for the total of all images.

This may sound like a time consuming process, especially if you have a lot of photos to share, but fortunately most of today's software has made it easy to size and compress a batch of photos very quickly.

Effective Ad banners.

2010-05-26T15:30:00.003+04:00

Regardless to what type of banner ads you use or prefer, the concept of a banner ad is a great way to allow you to brand your products. We will have our research done in order to create the best banner ads for your products, which will give your company the highest possible Click Through Rate (CTR).

Here are a few tips to help create banner ads that will work to your site’s advantage.

Do your research: You simply cannot compete without knowing your competition. Logon to popular websites, related to your industry, and scan the hundreds of banner ads on display. Compare the ones you like to ones you don’t, and see if any common factors jump out at you.

Keep it simple: The second rule of creating effective banner ads is to keep it short and simple. Banner ads are displayed amongst a large amount of other information, competing with several other factors on the page for the user’s attention. Unlike print media, where an advertisement can grab the entire page or appear as a two-page spread, banner ads get limited display area. So it is imperative to keep the banner ads simple, easy to understand and to the point. Brief is good. Clutter is not.

Weave magic with words: Less is more in the case of banner ads. Use larger fonts and fewer words. People simply don’t have the time or the patience to read long-winded messages in tiny text to figure out what you are selling. Make an impact by using keywords relevant to information found on the site the potential clicker is on.

Keep the file size low: About 45-100kb is typically a good size for a banner ad. Most websites you advertise on will have limitations regarding the size, so those numbers will often be given to you. However, in cases where there is no limitation, it benefits to have fast loading banner ads to appeal to all audience groups, so steer clear of making the file size too large.

Choose colors in context: Too many businesses make the mistake of using the same banner ads for campaigns run on different websites. Always design the banner ads while keeping in mind the context in which it will be displayed. While the message can be the same across different websites, try to choose your colors based on the background of the website on which the ad is to be displayed.

Follow up banner ads with action on the website: The worst thing that could happen to your banner ad campaign is that you get a great click through rate, only to realize that your website is failing to cash in on the visitors.

Choose the right place to display your banner ads: You can create a fantastic banner ad with crisp copy and appealing graphics and still find that it is failing miserably. Instead of rushing back to the drawing board, check to see if you are targeting the right audience and the banner placement on the related site.

SEO done the right way.

2010-05-24T18:26:00.000+04:00

A client recently asked for a quick overview of good SEO practises, so I thought I’d share them with all of you at the same time. It’s something on the rough side but you need this in place to get your website up in the top ranks of those major search engines out there. Well the first item being the most important.

Landing pages or Homepage: It’s impossible to do a good job of optimizing your homepage for every possible term people might use to find your site. Think of it as a market place where every vendor is yelling the end result is of equal volume where nothing stands out. Plan instead to add a page to your site for each search term, heavily optimized for that term using all the tips below.

Titles: The < title > tag, which sets the text displayed in the title bar of the browser window, is very highly rated by search engines as being indicative of the page’s content. The engines differ in how much of the < title > they index, but the general rule of thumb is that the first 60 or so characters are the most important.

Repetition: The search term should be repeated as many times as possible. It’s very important to use key words pertaining to the page as you see fit increasing the position of the page ranking in search engines.

Image Names: A necessity if you’re particular to a specific image naming as these play a vital role in determining the page search outcome as well. ‘Alt’ texting images (text appearing before the image downloads) can also define greater probabilities of showing up on Google Image search, enhancing search criteria.

Domain Names: Most of the things search engines look for center around trying to determine the content of a page based on the text it contains and the ‘Meta’ information that surrounds it. The more difficult it is to fake the ‘Meta’ data, the more stake placed in it. Some of the hardest to fake are the domain name and URL of a page, which makes them two of the more important tweaks you can make. It’s harder to optimize the domain name since you only have one for your whole site.

URL: The search term should ideally be part of the URL. I’ve always preferred exact link names as opposed page2_main.html it only confuses the search engine robots and causes your site to be badly structured.

Sitemaps: Way back in the early days of the web, Site Maps were actually a page on your site that showed people where all the other pages were, usually in some sort of graphical flow chart fashion. Most sites have grown considerably beyond being showcased on a map, but having said that it still provides a new lease on life thanks to web crawlers. Submitting a Sitemap file to the search engines helps them understand how to crawl and index all of the pages, including the frequency that they change.

Inbound Links: You want to encourage as many inbound links to your site as possible since they are factored into most search engine’s ranking algorithms as essentially counting as votes for the authoritativeness of your site. Almost all inbound links are positive, with the exception of some. You really want to focus on getting other sites to link to your landing pages with the right link text.

Meta Tags: These used to be all the rage in that you could define keywords for search engines to use in their indexing. That’s a pretty easy system to game (want to attract attention to an explicit site? Try keywords like “free money”), so they’re no longer nearly as valuable as they used to be. There’s a lot of discussion in the SEO community about how valuable they actually are, but the general conclusion is that you can’t go wrong by adding the keyword and description ‘Meta’ fields to your pages, and that they may even be used to display some of the information in search results.

YouTube video embedded.

2010-05-22T13:30:00.004+04:00

The video content site YouTube has taken the Web by storm. Videos of every conceivable topic can be found here, and you can upload and view them for free. It's also easy to add a link to your favourite YouTube videos on your blog, or even embed the actual video directly into your website.

Adding a video to your Blog.
Visit the YouTube website and log into your account. Once you have logged in select the video you wish to upload to your blog. Highlight the entire video URL from the address bar and copy it. Add the URL to your blog. Some blogging programs automatically make a link clickable, while others require you to insert the code. Publish your blog by following the specific instructions outlined by your blog software.

Adding a video to your Website.
This is just as simple if you have a fair knowledge of HTML or if you’re using an editor like Dreamweaver. Open your webpage where you wish to insert your YouTube video. Visit the YouTube website and copy the code. After this insert the code directly into your hard coded HTML page. Remember to insert it in-between the section of your page.

Why should I embed my video from YouTube?
Firstly embedding YouTube videos into your site keeps your website light. This means your website server is free of the additional MBs those high quality videos will occupy. Secondly it does not affect the performance of your website and finally the compression and streaming video content given out by YouTube only makes it a pleasure for your users.

Google map, got one?

2010-05-20T18:44:00.001+04:00

A Google map can come in handy to any user looking for your physical location as opposed to a line drawing. One of the biggest advantages of Google maps is the three different map views it supplies. There is a normal map view, a satellite image view and a terrain view, depending on the need of the user. Another advantage is that if the user needs directions that include numerous stops, Google maps easily adds a new destination to the route with a single click. The simplicity of the maps is that they are very cut and dry without confusing the user. The zoom functionality also plays an important role in helping users pan across the map thus giving an overall view of what’s around.

Step ahead of the game with a Google map on your ‘Contact Us’ page. All you need is a Google account to get started @ http://maps.google.com

7 Tips to a top website!

2010-05-18T13:58:00.004+04:00

As a web site designer, I spend a lot of time online. I also spend a lot of time at other sites. These are the top seven tips I have discovered make or break a web site other than its design appeal.

WHERE ARE YOU?

When creating a web site, tell people where you are, or whom you are targeting. Always give a physical location.

CONTACT US
When gaining the trust of an individual, possibly a person who is new to the Internet, letting them know how they can make contact is vital. E-mail is most important. It needs to be easy to find.

TIMELY INFORMATION
404 Page Not Found, Server Errors.
How many pages at your site are not where you say they are?
404 Page Not Found Errors. Always be up to date with your server it’s very frustrating for a user to get that error. Also how many of your pages have broken links? Some sites excel at broken links and missing images. This translates as lack of interest in your customers.

RESPOND
Auto-responder. You send an email and promptly you get a reply. But if your telling your customers you will get it done in 24hrs done it really happen?

NAVIGATE
I get to your site. Now what? Am I expected to know what I'm looking for? How do I know what’s on the site if you don't provide an easy way to get around? Provide simple navigation at the start, so your visitors can get into your site quickly. Too many options are daunting. You need to achieve a balance that will depend on your content.
INFORM

No matter what type of web site you have, you are there to inform your visitors. If you offer a product or service, let people know how much it costs, its sizes, colours, models and all other relevant information. If it is very detailed, use a summary with a link to more detail. Remember your online customer can't touch or feel, smell or try out your product. If you don't put this information directly on your site.

DELIVER
You create an E-commerce website. If you have a physical product, where are you prepared to send it? Where on your site have you told your customers? If you can only ship to a limited geographical area, make sure it is displayed prominently.

An effective site map.

2010-05-16T14:56:00.010+04:00

Planning
Without planning and organization, you will end up with chaos.To create your plan for a new or existing site, sit down and consider what your site will achieve.

Get out a piece of paper and a pen, draw a circle in the middle and mark it 'Home'. Draw boxes connected by lines radiating out from the centre circle and mark them with each of the main areas your site will cover. Don't forget a site map if your site has more than 8 or 9 pages. Repeat this process for each secondary circle until you've planned your site.

Good navigation is vital and poor navigation leads to visitor frustration. Once you've created your plan, you can create logical navigational links. You don't want to confuse your site visitors with too many options. You can offer more choices later, as visitors drill down into your site.

Content
This applies equally to new and existing web sites. Do make your text easy to read. Do use short sentences; break up your text into paragraphs. Do use bullets and lists to make your point.

Create textual variation with heading size and color but don't make your text too small to read. Be consistent - consistency creates a professional image. Don't use weird text color/ background color combinations. Leave white space to create a 'clean' looking design. Remember less is more.

Ask two or three friends (who's opinions you value) how they find your site navigation and layout.

8 rules for a domain name.

2010-05-14T13:31:00.006+04:00

Rule 1. Keep it short.

Some places allow you to register domain names up to 63 characters. Does this make sense? Well always keep in mind people have to remember your domain name so keep short. A domain name precise to your unique company name or line of business is the best option.

Rule 2. Dot What?

If you’re a business the best option is to go with a .com suffix. It’s the first extension that most people search for and has been out there for several years. A .com suffix shows that your business is serious and has been around for long.

Rule 3. Avoid those Trademark Names please.

In the past a few people picked up valuable Trademark Names and sold them off for millions of dollars only to cash in and retire. Always remember that those companies like yours have spent a lot of money getting their branding done and what goes around comes around. So instead of some multi- millionaire-dollar company knocking on your door to have the domain back you may just end up with a lawsuit on your hands.

Rule 4. Get your domain NOW!

Domain names are being snatched away really fast these days so it is best to get your domain name fast and not be left with “the-domain-name-no-one-wants.net” You don’t even need a web host just get out there and purchase your domain now.

Rule 5. Is one domain enough?

Sometimes you may pick up the yourcompanyname.com suffix but remember to avoid any confusion you many also need to register the yourcompanyname.net to be on the safe side.

Rule 6. Character types.

Just a reminder. Domain names use only letters, number and dashes. Spaces and symbols are not an option. Also domain names are case sensitive.

Rule 7. Ask around.

When you have settled on a few domain name options, ask your friends and clients what they feel about the domains. A domain name that makes perfect sense to you may not be remembered by others. Is your domain name easy to remember? Is it hard to spell? Do you have to explain to people what it is all about? These are questions you have to answer before you go out there and register.

Rule 8. Don’t shell out large amounts of money.

Check around there are many places on the web to pick up your domain name. Compare prices and domain host stability. The cheapest option does not always mean the best one.So do a little bit of research and keep in mind to get your domain name and web hosting done at the same place to avoid future complications, such as domain name transfer.

Argh! It's time spent.

2010-05-12T12:27:00.015+04:00

Being in the business of web design is both rewarding and disheartening. Ever wondered what really goes on before you had your website up and running? Well, let me give you the run down.

So you have your company up and running and well all this talk about being online has really bogged you down. You searched and searched to find someone out there that really understands your business and is creatively inclined to get you what you need.

It’s the initial stage and wow you have all these ideas buzzing. You call in the web/ graphics company and phew you’re in a pickle. Is it a static website is it animated? Do you want CSS? How many pages and so on and so forth. God damn, I just need a website you think, what’s all this?

Well here it is. Let me bring it out to you loud and clear, that initial meeting is crucial to you getting what you want. I know this is harsh but make it a point to get a little research done so you don’t end up wasting your time and that of the chosen design company.

Tip Tip, Tippy Tip Tip!
What you can do to get it done smoothly.

Logo/ identity give it out in high resolution print format. No designer wants the task of scanning and re-inventing the wheel.

Pictures, remember you want people on the web to say wow that’s original. So don’t say give me stuff you got. It’s your website insist on pictures which are industry specific and catering to your business. Never mind if you have to spend a little more. You don’t walk into a restaurant and say, “Ok! I will have what’s on the menu.”

Content, make it crisp and short. About your company, services offered, news section and so on. Remember your visitors don’t want to read a book, if they did am sure they are all happy using the Kindle.

Corporate colors, layouts so that the design is appealing and not an eye sore.

Optimization of the website, Key Words, Meta Tags and proper link naming so that your website is finished and SEO ready.

So next time your out there looking…
look no further Planetworkx is here!

Don't get toasted!

2010-05-10T14:57:00.019+04:00

If you have a web site or are even planning to build one, you would have been advised to pay attention to the content placed on your web page, because "It’s all about Content ". Get a professional web design company. Quality content not only helps to draw in traffic, it also helps improve the search engine rankings of your web page if you publish well-written articles incorporating strategic keywords. There is no doubt that quality content is an important part of a wholesome Web Page Design process.

There are many web sites that are plain bare bones with little content and there are websites stuffed with volumes of content that is of no use to the reader– the end result is that such websites flop.

At PlanetWorkx.com we know exactly what it takes to bring your target customers and visitors back time and time again. From rich web graphics to simple but aesthetic pure designed web pages.

DON’T BE LEFT BEHIND!

Get in touch and be well assured that you’re in good hands.
Email: nigel@planetworkx.com or call Nigel on +971 50 7882371

The Know How?

2010-05-08T16:13:00.010+04:00

Let me make something perfectly clear: No matter what you think you know right now, it’s not enough. Sorry to say, but YOU are not fully armed with the necessary knowledge required to choose a web designer. However, if you are still reading this, you are probably wondering why I made such a bold statement. It's simple. As the owner of a professional Web Design Company, I assumed it would be easy to put myself in your shoes and choose a designer – after all, who would know better than me who's good and who's not? But, boy was I wrong! I did exactly what you're doing right now- going from website to website, requesting quote after quote until I drowned in a sea of doubt and confusion!

EVERY COMPANY APPEARED TO BE THE SAME!

So many web design companies on the internet are offering the same services and saying the same thing; and it's awfully difficult to know which one to pick - even for a guy like me! That's when I decided that it is crucial that I make things EASY FOR YOU so I can save you from a similar horrible fate! After weeks of research and talking to literally hundreds of website and graphic design companies, I compiled a list of "the most IMPORTANT things to look for that will SAVE YOU from getting thrown into the street and pan caked by a monster truck..."

If you want to succeed, always be on the look out for these crucial elements:

Check for portfolio and samples
Number of years in business***
A growing active portfolio
Works with Adobe programs
Can cater to your unique needs
Willing to work with your own ideas
Willing to sign a contract
Enforces strict deadlines
Requires only a 50% deposit up front
Available for emergencies
Provides you with a copy of all files
Knowledgeable in design & layout

*** 9 out of every 10 new web design companies go out of business in the first year.

What do you think will happen to your business if you choose the wrong company? So now you know what to look for, don't end up as road kill! But we're not done yet... Now for the Big Kahuna Question that we know YOU want the answer to...

"How Much Should I Pay For My Website?"
GET A QUOTE or call (Cell) +971 50 7882371, (Office) +971 4 4332127