So you’re currently working 9 to 5 or exploring different jobs and their perks. One thing is for certain that this isn’t the job for everybody. If you’re the type of person who likes to work fixed hours on a fixed salary then this isn’t for you. If you’re a dedicated professional who spends time valuing their work and clients then perhaps you should read on. I was recently asked via email what the necessary skills are to become a …
SEO is a strange topic. To master the art of search engine optimisation people will tell you to optimise your code, have great content that’s updated regularly, get your keywords and keyword density right. Google spends huge amounts of money optimising their ranking algorithm and when you think about it; Google has actually created the algorithm for Karma! Even the way nature and things around us work is according to algorithms. Some natural things directly relate to codes which sustain …
HTML5 hasn’t been around that long, it’s a set of standards that won’t be complete until a few years time according to Phillippe Le Hegaret from the W3C who said “The problem we’re facing right now is there is already a lot of excitement for HTML5, but it’s a little too early to deploy it because we’re running into interoperability issues.” However, with all the new features and excitement, it can be difficult to sit back and do nothing while loads of …
These days speed is a big factor on the web. Your website taking a couple more seconds to load can mean bad news and there’s no doubt you’ll see the results by optimising your site’s code and loading times. After optimising mine I noticed a decrease in bounce rate the next day so it does make a difference. Search engines are starting to take this in as well so practicing these SEO skills will definitely help in the long run. Luckily, if …
This article is intended to explain what SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is to those who have no experience of it or are just starting to get into it. Its the start of a long journey as it is the only way of naturally marketing a website without having to pay for campaigns or advertising. Mastering the art of this will enable you to attract huge amounts of visitors by taking advantage of the way Google and other large search engines …
Some people say the mysterious Google TrustRank is what really determines SERP positions on result pages. It was obviously created to decide how trusted a website is by looking at various factors including security and the length of time a domain has been around on the web. They have never made an official explanation on this and have never spoke of it. However, there is no doubt that there are two elements that determine trust; user perception and trust ranking. …
With Google’s new and updated look, the launch of Plus One, the Plus social network and their recent PageRank update, they are definitely planning something big. The major search engine want their monopoly back in the start of a war with Facebook. If you really think about it, Google owns all the information about anything and everything; except you. But guess what, there’s another giant out there who probably does know everything about you, and that’s Facebook. What’s going on …
Speeding up your website can be done in numerous amount of ways. This includes reducing requests made to the server, optimising graphics and structuring your document properly. What I’m going to cover today includes using a CDN to deliver content such as images, stylesheets and JavaScript. CloudFlare works a bit differently, it’s basically an advanced firewall that protects and speeds up your site. Using the two of these together can have tremendous effect for you and your visitors with a …
Being a web designer, you’ve all probably seen those outstanding portfolios designed by your competitors and always look back at them for inspiration. I’ve got a few that really inspire my work because the designs are modern, popular and have a great user experience. There’s so many amazing portfolios, but I’ve decided to pick out 5 of my favourite ones that I always look up to in no particular order: Ben Sky A very inspirational portfolio by Ben Sky, a …
The key for any successful freelance business is the clients. But they don’t just fall out of the sky, all it takes is a little hard work and dedication to get potential customers asking for quotes. Though they don’t all come from one source, so I’ll explain where you can find these sort of people and how to keep them attracted to your services. Freelancer.com This has got to be my favourite and I’ve come a long way since I …
Being a web designer can mean you have multiple projects to work on at the same time. You’ve got files cluttered everywhere, loads of designs opened in different applications and 5 clients talking to you at once about their problems or needs for a project. Here’s how to get yourself organised and make your business work in an efficient way. Sort Yourself Out First of all, get files organised if you don’t have already, it not only slows your …
When it comes to starting a project, some have no idea where to start. You need to think about how the navigation is going to be laid out, how text will be styled and how the design will look once its all put together. Here I’m going to explain where to get those mad ideas for the website your clients will just love. There’s no looking in just one place, you need to have a look at a variety of …
Following my previous article on UX, I decided to write about the most important topic for a business that operates online. When visitors come across your home page, their first impression makes the biggest difference. Which is why I’m going to explain how to build a trusted relationship with visitors and let them know you mean business. Brand & Identity Design If you’re a designer like myself, you’ll find this area fairly simple. What is the first thing a visitor …
There are thousands of WordPress plugins out there. I use a number of plugins to power SohailTech that improves its UX and makes it a better website for everyone. Today I’m going to share my favourite ones with you to enhance a visitors experience on the website and keep them coming back for more. These are in no particular order. Register Plus Redux This is a simple plugin for WP that enhances the registration experience. You can use your own …
Search Engine Optimisation (yes, that’s how we spell it here): A very important topic these days in the world of web design. Especially in this state of economy where people don’t have the sort of funds to throw into advertising and build themselves a PR10 website. There are many reason that make SEO important today, but we must ask ourselves this question – what exactly is SEO? It is simply optimising our websites for naturally high rankings in search engines, …
Well, I had a bit of spare time on my hands so I built this website template in Photoshop which took me about 10 minutes. Even though it’s a simple blue template, think of the potential that can be done when you take a small idea and make it big. Just like how people buy old marketed websites, completely re-design it and sell it for a whole lot more also known as ‘flipping’. I’m not saying go and sell this …
You may be hearing all about this plus one button lately and want to know more about it? No? Well you will soon when you see it appearing on Google search pages. It’s not a surprise that the major search engine was going to become rivals with the Facebook Like and Tweet buttons considering they own the web. This will eventually lead to them being able to start their own social network on a large scale. Clicking the button shows …
Freelancing can be such a pain at times, especially when finding clients. I’m going to explain how I started off on the website and eventually built up my reputation in a number of ways to keep the customers flowing. Most freelancers never gain success because they give up so quickly. When I decided it was time for me to get into freelancing, I didn’t know where to start. I eventually registered at Freelancer and began browsing through projects. But with …
Getting a job ain’t always easy, especially in this state of economy. But people are starting to realise that there’s a big gap of unemployment in the IT sector because there aren’t enough experienced or qualified individuals to take on all these jobs. For me, starting a career in web design wasn’t easy, but everyone has to start off somewhere; so I’ll tell you how I eventually got to where I am in my career. The Freelancing Lifestyle I was …
Well you’ve come to the right place. I take on all sorts of projects. Weather you’d like me to design a site from scratch or work on an existing project; I can work hourly for projects and set a fixed priced for a better bargain on full websites that need to be developed. Once the project starts I will take care of everything. The only information I will need from you is your input and considerations which I will be …
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