Category Web Design

3 Ways To Get Your Business Online For Free

By admin
On May 31, 2014
In Blogs, Google, Social Media, Web Design

1: Set up a Facebook page

The chances are that you, or one of your close friends or work colleagues uses Facebook. If not. Then stop reading and sign up. For the rest of you who are (or have people close to you) living in the year 2014 then all you need to do is set up a page, you can do so by following this link HERE.

The reason why owning a Facebook page is more useful than a couple of years ago is that Google has started factoring them into their algorithm. If you type in your company name into Google after setting up a page there is a high chance your businesses page will appear (see our image above). Be sure to secure your unique username for your page, you can do this in the settings of a page.

2: Set up a blog

Setting up a blog is totally free and is a great way to start off the process of getting your business online. I recommend the following:

Tumblr – Tumblr, recently acquired by Yahoo! is one of the most interesting blog networks out there. It’s certainly the most interactive. You can choose from a wide variety of themes (design/style/layout) and it’s really easy to use. The URL will be your business.tumblr.com.

Blogger – This Google product can be found HERE, you can again have a different theme on there your business.blogspot.com
WordPress.com – WordPress is by far the most popular CMS, and is what your web designer should be setting you up with. Like Tumblr & Blogger, WordPress offers a similar service. You can pick from themes & it’s very easy to add and edit pages/posts. yourbusiness.wordpress.com is what it will look like. Once you get some funding together you should talk to a web designer about building a custom theme which suits your business & if you sell products introduce an e-commerce aspect to it.

3: Set up a Twitter account

Contrary to popular belief, Twitter is the ONLY real social network. No other platform allows you to interact like Twitter. You can talk to anyone who wants to listen, and even if they don’t. In the same was as Facebook, Google has allowed Twitter profiles to be promoted in it’s algorithm. So by simply having a profile you will have a platform to work from, will receive exposure in Google & you can talk to anyone who could possibly be interested in your product.

There is evidence to suggest that a dormant social media profile on Twitter/Facebook will not be factored into a Google algorithm nor will a blog thats not being updated. So once you start, don’t stop or else that initial impetuous will be lost and it could end being detrimental to your business.

In summary, if you want to get online to start marketing your business it has never been easier. We would recommend you have a play around with the options we gave above on a personal level before you implement into your business.

If you’d like some free and detailed advice then feel free to give us a call on 020 8144 5685 or email matt@freshdeveloper.com.

Why You Shouldn’t Use Internet Explorer

By admin
On November 21, 2013
In CSS, General, Google, Web Design

Microsoft Internet Explorer has had a good ride. It’s had fun while it lasted. However, I’m afraid now the only reason they have any sort of a market share is because Microsoft sells it’s desktop & laptops so cheap that if you were to open a office or currently have one it’s not worth the hassle to switch.

With a variety of new web technologies like HTML5, the 8th edition of Internet Explorer for example doesn’t support it. With 19% of the websites out there now being run on WordPress (this will only increase) we find that earlier versions of Internet Explorer find it hard to process load around 60% of these sites if compatibility issues are not addressed properly. Compatibility testing is needed to make sure your site works on Internet Explorer whereas Chrome, Firefox & Safari all work perfectly fine each time.

Whats the reason for this?

Google & Mozilla for example pay independent security researchers to check for bugs. Microsoft don’t do this. They are such a big corporation now that they work in house to fix issues and therefore aren’t motivated to change. They also fix bugs on a schedule, whereas other browsers are more fluid & allow changes to be made whenever they are needed.

Market share decrease

Have a look at the below graph, you can see how IE’s share has decreased substantially over the last few years

In September 2008, IE had 67.16%, Google Chrome had 1.03%, Mozilla’s Firefox had 25.77% & Apples Safari had 3.00%. Now from last month, October 2013 IE has 28.96%, Chrome 40.44%, Firefox 18.11% & Safari 8.54%. As you can see by these stats the shift is significant.

How is this going to stop?

In my personal opinion the rise of Mobile & the poor usability of Internet Explorer will only mean the decline will not stop. It will eventually become redundant. The functionality of IE has been imporved in the newer additions & they have gone back to the drawing board to build from scratch but I still don’t think this will be enough to stop the decline when Google & Mozilla’s absolute priority is making sure their browser is the best.

How does it affect your business

If you are a business owner and are getting a website built you need to make sure there is compatibility testing, if a potential customer reaches your site & bits of it don’t work they will be instantly put off and you will lose business.

Our Advice

If you are a business owner & your staff current use IE. Make the change to Google Chrome. It’s quick, virus free & easy to use. Having Internet Explorer will only cause issues and frustration for less tech savvy members of staff that don’t know there are any other options out there.

Embedding Instagram Videos

By admin
On June 21, 2013
In General, News, Web Design

Instagram have finally decided to join the video game, probably just as you were considering getting Vine App now that it’s available on Android devices now.

Have a read of the Guardian article HERE that talks about the battle between the Facebook owned Instagram and Twitter backed Vine.

If you want to learn how to embed videos then have a look at the Mashable guide HERE, it’s much more complicated than embedding a vine, however it is possible. We think Instagram will catch up soon.

Ross Murray – Official Website

By admin
On August 29, 2012
In Web Design
Tagged ross murray

Fresh Developer has built and developed a logo & site for Olympic 1500m runner Ross Murray. Ross came from relative obscurity to an Olympic semi-final in one year and is one of the UK’s brightest endurance prospects.

The site can be found here: www.rosscojammin.co.uk .

Ross can be found on Twitter at twitter.com/rosscojammin

CSS3 Text Shadow

By admin
On July 21, 2012
In CSS, General, Web Design

If you want to add a shadow effect to your HTML text then follow the simple ‘how to‘ below. Adding the shadow is easy and can really transform your text, making your design look fresh and creative.

How to add the CSS3 text-shadow

Just add the following line of code to your existing CSS file:

h1 { text-shadow: 0.1em 0.1em #000; }

Easy!

Magento vs osCommerce

By Matt
On July 18, 2012
In E-commerce, News, Web Design

When it comes to choosing the best ecommerce platform for our clients, we try to take all factors into consideration, from design right through to the payment gateways. The leading two ecommerce platforms in our eyes are Magento and osCommerce. They offer a huge database of add-ons, which massively increase the functionality when it comes to building an e-commerce website.

Magento or osCommerce? We have to go with Magento simply because we feel that the software is just that tiny bit ahead at the moment, meaning better quality / functionality for our clients. Magento is great visually and is very efficient to work with. For more information about ecommerce web design go to our ecommerce page.

WordPress Blog Design

By admin
On June 3, 2012
In Blogs, News, Web Design

WordPress is a free open source blogging platform used over 25 million web users across the world. We create all of our blogs using WordPress because we feel that it offers the best functionality, add-ons and ease of use for our clients. The Fresh Developer blog itself has been designed and customised using the WordPress platform.

For more information visit WordPress.org.