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Web Design
This is a list of Schramm Design sites and what you may want to look at.
| The main event! Flash animations on photos | |
| Adventure sites: | |
| classy site, with special effects on the buttons | |
| Recent site with drop down menus, flash animated header with text bouncing into frame, and tabbed boxes that allow content to overlap with no scrolling. | |
| Fixed sidebar uses a frame to keep viewer oriented | |
| Centred layout for both lodging and adventures | |
| "rollover" animation on navigation bar and use of bright colours on backgrounds | |
| photo montage mixed with navigation buttons. No frames. | |
| Kayaking site lets photos tell most of the story, uses bright colours. | |
| uses frames for top navigation bar and has a fixed background photo | |
| Accommodation sites: | |
| flash animation on photos | |
| interesting use of backgrounds | |
| flash animations | |
| no frames, lets pictures tell the story | |
| uses frames | |
| Complex room information gives viewers exact choices | |
| Other sites: | |
| clean, educational look | |
| large site with serious, authoritative look | |
| photo contest winners highlight this site | |
| Dark blues to compliment waterfront camping theme | |
| personal website for an author | |
| simple "no frames" site, but effective | |
| Commercial Site: | |
| engineering site, clean lines and style using drop down menus and photo roll-over effects | |
| PHOTO GALLERY | |
| A sample of photos (mostly by Barbara Schramm) | |
| Eaglevison photo gallery - extensive flash animations | |
1. Navigation Bar ....... A set of buttons the viewer can click. Buttons can change pages or just jump you down the page.
Buttons with animated effects are called Roll Overs. Drop down menus can also be used on larger sites to simplify buttons.2. Frames .... web pages can be built in sections so only part of the page changes when you click to a new topic. Keeps the viewer from getting lost when they change pages. This is not used greatly today because search engines can split pages apart.
3. Welcome page ... a fast loading page with simple choices as to where to go, or the page just flows into your home page. Not necessary for simple sites.
4. ULR......an internet address or page on the net. Like www.longbeachmaps.com/travel.
5. domain name (like yourname.com)..... a internet address you purchase for several years at a time from sites like www.domaindirect.com. Address must be registered to a person or company so it is usually best for you to do this (but your web designer can do this if you would prefer).
6. Hosting ...... you have to pay someone to 'serve' your website files to the internet. Important to choose a host with very current technology and fast transmission speed. Also ask your host or ISP (internet service provider) about site statistics - a valuable tool in finding out where your traffic is coming from. Schramm Design can host your site via Uniserve.com if you wish.
7. Search Engines.... websites like www.altavista.com and www.google.com are places viewers can type in search words for what they want to find based on meta tags (see below) and text on your site.
8. Keywords....... the words the web designer writes at the top of your web pages for the search engines to read. Without these invisible words you can not be found. Also called meta tags. You also write a description that is used when the search engine tells the viewer about your site.
9. Site Indexing.... sadly just posting (making) a site is not instant success! You should contact major search engines and submit your site for indexing. If you do all the free submissions it takes a couple months for the engines to index you, but if you have a well written site they will. There are hundreds of pay-for-submission sites that claim to speed this up. This you must decide for yourself!
10. LINKS ...an address or word that jumps the viewer from one website or page to an other website or page.
A. Links FROM other sites.........if you can't win the search engine game right away, links are your best friend! If you get a link from a general website that ranks well with the search engines, traffic will come to you this way. Longbeachmaps.com for example sees up to 700 unique visits to the accommodation page alone every day, and the numbers are rising.
B. Links TO other sites..... have links going out of your site as well. The engines "see" this and if you trade links with other sites you help each other out.
C. Link EXCHANGE ..... trade links with other sites and you both benefit!
D. LINKS within your site ... you can link words or images so the viewer pops to a different part of the page or to a new page.
13. UPDATES ....... once you have a site it is a good idea to make changes once in a while so the site looks new to repeat visitors and the search engines.
The good news is that once your site is advertised and indexed there is no better way to make connections all over the world. Below are more details and some examples.
How to save money (we all love this!)
1. PLAN
A. Collect a list of sites you like and why.
B. Then sketch out how you want you site to flow (a flow chart like you had to make in high school before writing a term paper!).2. PHOTOS
Your site depends on images! You can hire me to take digital photos or use some of images from my collection of hundreds of images. You can take your own, but digital images are prefered to avoid the cost of scanning. Maybe show me what images you have and we can discuss what you need.3. WRITE
Let other sites you like inspire you, then write your own copy. Have a friend check the work for clear communication. I can make simple edits if need be, but your typed copy saves time and therefore money! (MS word or emailed text preferred). Briefly, highlight topics with headlines and subheads and keep text to well written minimums. Have links to large blocks of text if the viewer wants to see more. link to more details below. Less is more in most sites! We can also have a copy editor check your text for errors.4. Register your own domain name at sites like domaindirect.com. If you would rather let me do this, just use this site to research a name.
5. Do your own search engine site submission. (the free submission links are always hard to see on the search engine's home page but they are still there).
Advanced Topics (not just for geeks)
Website Design
Handbook
Below is my a-b-c list on how
to design a website. Some of this is an expansion of topics from
above.
1. Draw a flow chart, how many pages you think you want, and how they tie together. Gather ideas by looking at sites you like and how they organize information. Write down address and notes.
2. Do you want a Navigation Bar ? archipelagocruises.com has an animated navigation buttons.
You can also have your navigation as text links, no animation on the buttons like www.tofinobirdandbreakfast.com .3. Do you want a welcome page? www.tlaook.com is a good example.
This allows a fast to load image whick can automatically change to your homepage if you wish.4. Come to me with your rough ideas on paper and we will approve a structure.
1. Then you can either hire a writer or write your own copy for the site, page by page with headlines and subheads. If you have pictures to use, these can go on a CD or be emailed - Schramm Design also has an archive of stock photos or I can take specific photos for you.
THIS IS A QUOTE FROM www.projectcool.com about text. Highlight topics with headlines and subheads and keep text to well written minimums. Have links to large blocks of text if the viewer wants to see more.Because it's more difficult to read from a computer screen than paper, strive for brevity with your content. Give those users who want all of the details links to interior pages that have those details.
Because most people like to know what they're getting into, be clear with headlines, not clever or puny. If you need to include longer text passages, also include subheads that summarize key points.
Because most people don't like to be led astray, use clear label links indicating where each leads. Consider providing a site map or index that displays all the interior links for those who want to get their bearings from the outset.
Because most people like to feel in control, provide navigational buttons to the site's major sections at the edge of all or most pages.
Because most people hate waiting, minimize use of big graphics and fancy animations. If you include photos, include small versions, with links to larger ones for users who want more detail.
2. Do you have a colour theme or logo we can pull a colour theme from?
Please bring your logo or graphics you like (if I don't already have them).3. Write down sites you like and why and give me a list for design "likes". Such as, I like bars across the page. I like bullets, I like buttons, I don't like blinking stuff.
4. Visit my site list at www.longbeachmaps.com to see if I have maps and photos you could use to save us both some time.
Step
THREE: SITE completion and Meta Tags
Structure combined with design and content. I will build a "look" then we meet to approve. Then all the supplied elements are plugged in.
- META TAGS (code words for search engines like google and altavista)
Invisible to the user on every well designed website are codes called meta tags such as the list that follows. What is important is to load the tags with very relevant words likely to be typed by someone looking for a site like yours. These are called keywords. You need up to 1,000 characters including spaces and commas.Such as: Keywords> bed and breakfast, Ucluelet, ucluelet, Ucluelet BC, ucluelet bc, my name B&B, b&b, victoria, vancouver, accommodation, british columbia, b.c., bc, canada, tourism, tourist, travel, tourism bc approved, accommodation, vacation, trip, holiday, listings, reservation, resort, inn, guest house, waterfront, victoria, vancover, breakfst, full breakfast, british columbia, island">
- Then you need a 200 character description that is used by search engines to summarize your site when it comes up in the results.
Such as: Description> " my name Bed and Breakfast in Ucluelet, BC, Canada is near Pacific Rim National Park.">
Now you will want to show your site to the world. Keep an email list of customers and supporters for sending alerts / updates and announcements to. Post every 6 months or more to the major search engines, and sit back and watch the traffic grow. Slow at first we know, but like an avalanche, once it starts big things will follow.
The end!
Let me know if I should add any topics to this list or if this confused you, tell me that as well!
phone: 250-726-7481
fax: 726-2058
Box 995, Ucluelet, BC V0R 3A0
www.longbeachmaps.comImages and content are copyrighted by Schramm Design
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