Blog - Web Development
A - Z of Web Design Jargon
Read the guide to web design industry jargon. A tool to help you understand what web designers are talking about!
The peeps at Smashing Magazine have very kindly compiled a comprehensive list of web design jargon. The list is ideal for anyone starting out in web design, or for anyone who is looking to have a new website designed. Some of the technical terms and acronyms that web designers use can be very confusing for anyone, so the list is very handy indeed! In addition, Smashing Magazine have also provided resources for each term for more in-depth information.
So if you don’t know your Front-End from your Plug-In, then this list is ideal.
Here are some of the web design terms in more explaination:
Breadcrumb
Breadcrumbs are the bit of navigation elements that generally appear near the top of a give web page that show you the pages and subpages the appear before the page you’re on. For examples, on a blog, the breadcrumbs might look something like: Home > Category > Year > Month > Post (or they might be a lot simpler that that). The breadcrumbs term comes from the fairy tale “Hansel and Gretel.”
CSS (Cascading Style Sheets)
Also referred to simply as CSS, Cascading Style Sheets are used to define the look and feel of a web site outside of the actual HTML file(s) of the site. In recent years, CSS has replaced tables and other HTML-based methods for formatting and laying out websites. The benefits to using CSS are many, but some of the most important are the simplification of a site’s HTML files (which can actually increase search engine rankings) and the ability to completely change the style of a site by changing just one file, without having to make changes to content.
Favicon
Favicons are tiny (generally 16×16 pixels, though some are 32×32 pixels), customizable icons displayed in the web address bar in most browsers next to the web address. They’re either 8-bit or 24-bit in color depth and are saved in either .ico, .gif or .png file formats.
HTML
Stands for Hypertext Markup Language. It’s the primary language used to write web pages. HTML is primarily intended as a way to provide content on websites (with CSS handling the layout and stylistic options), though it can also be used to determine how that content is displayed.
Usability
Usability refers to how easy it is for a visitor to your site to use your site in its intended manner. In other words, are navigation, content, images, and any interactive elements easy to use, functioning the way they were intended, and that your intended target visitor will not need any special training in order to use your site.
To see the full list: A-Z list of Web Design Industry Jargon click here
If you have any other web design terms that your not sure about, please let us know and we’ll try our best to give you a non technical explanation.
Domain Names
Choosing the right domain name for your company
I read this very interesting blog post on the startups website about choosing the right domain name for your company. They mention a very important acronym that’s worth remembering the next time you are deciding on what to call your website;
RAIL
R - Recall
How easy is it to recall the name?
A - Aesthetics
How does the name look? How will it look on business cards and company literature?
I - Impressions
First impressions are crucial, so choose your name carefully
L - Length
Web addresses are limited to the 26 letters of the English alphabet, ten numerals and a hyphen - 37 characters in all. When picking a name, less is more. A short name is preferable to a long one.
Tips to Help Your Website Convert
Design to Sell: Here are 15 Useful Tips to Help Your Website Increase Sales!
I read 2 very interesting articles in smashing magazine this week, about converting your website into a selling tool.
A good looking website may help with making your brand stronger, but good looks alone aren’t enough to sell the products or services that you offer. For that, you need to introduce the element of marketing.
The 15 points covered include:
1. Subliminal Suggestion
2. Prevent Choice Paralysis
3. Show The Product
4. Let People Try It
5. AIDA
6. Guide attention
7. Always Provide Next Actions
8. The Gutenberg rule
9. A/B Testing
10. Footnotes: The Good and the Bad Ones
11. Testimonials
12. Scannable Feature Lists
13. Streamline The Sign-Up Process
14. White Space Is Not Lost Space
15. Set your type properly
To read these very helpful articles in full detail:
Click here for the first article
Click here for second article
I hope you enjoy!
.tel Domains
Yet another domain name extention is out, but this one is a little bit different.
The new .tel domain name extension is now available to the general public. But what is it and what can it be used for?
Operated and created by Telnic, .tel is a service that allows individuals and businesses alike, to store publish and update all your contact information and keywords online under your unique domain name, without the need for a website. It creates a directory style service that anyone can access online, through a website, on a mobile or facebook for instance.
The .tel service cannot be used to display websites and Telnic have control over the information that is shown, every .tel domain is uniform in how it displays the information, and each name is administered through an interface provided by Telnic who also provide the hosting of the domain.
Why should you have a .tel domain name?
1. Communications Hub
Publish all your means of communication in one easy place without the use of a website. For example you can store your phone numbers, mobile, fax, VoIP and email addresses in one place. You can also store web links, location data and keywords describing your business.
2. Join a Real-Time Global Directory
Join a global directory that allows you to own and control all your contact information and update it in real-time whenever you wish.
3. Route Customers to Appropriate Departments
Easily route customers to contact details for various divisions or departments in your company
4. Increase Your Profile Online
By publishing your keywords you will be indexed by leading search engines
5. Connect with Customers from Many Devices
Any device that has internet access will be able to see your contact details. It is especially good for mobile phones because of the simple layout format of the information. Most websites are not mobile friendly!
6. Incorporate Premium Numbers for Voting and Betting Services
Create real time SMS voting on TV shows ( eg: The X Factor) See how this would work: Example
7. E-commerce Options
A website could collect micro-payments for downloads, products or services. For example: a celebrity fan club site can provide news, chats, or downloadable mobile content such as MP3s or ringtones. Click for an example
To read more about .tel domains click here or download the tel guide
If you live in the UK and you would like to buy .tel domains click here
Internet Use Increases by 342% since 2000
The number of internet users worldwide has increased by over 342% since the year 2000
According to Internet World Stats there are currently an estimated 1,596,270,108 internet users worldwide. This means that 23.8% of the world population now have internet access.
48.9% (393,373,398 people) of the European population are internet users, and 70.9% of the UK population (43,221,464 people) have internet access.
Germany have the most users for a European country with 55.2 million internet users. Iceland have the highest percentage of users with 90% of the population having internet access.
Page 1 of 1 pages
client projects
