Thursday 6th August at 12:06:17 AM

Hits vs Visitors

If you've ever been persuaded to do business with a web company or advertise within an online Directory (mention no names) you'll have been told that their website receives a huge amount of hits - far more than even Peter Mandelson deserves. But do you know what a hit is? You probably think it's the number of visitors don't you? Well...

A 'hit' is not a visitor to the website, but a hit on the web server. A hit on the web server can be a graphic, applet or the page itself. So, if a site has 79 small graphics on the page, every visitor to the site registers as 80 hits on the server (79 graphics plus the html page). In this case, 80,000 hits translates to just 1,000 visitors.

It certainly makes you look more impressive (to the unknowing) if you quote people 'hits' instead of 'visitors' and because of this, it's become the preferred unit of measurement of a websites popularity. However, it's important to remember the distinction between the two. Think of it like being in a boxing ring... you might get hit many times but it's the same person hitting you!

Wednesday 29th July at 11:39:59 PM

Is good design really that important?...

Occasionally, somebody tells me that they don't need a web designer because someone they know is 'good with computers' but I still don't understand what that means? Isn't that a bit like saying: "Mike Tyson is good with his hands"? Design is all around us and if it works well, it's because it's been designed well. So, never underestimate good design because eventually, well designed things will be the only things left.

Wednesday 29th July at 11:37:56 PM

YouTube do it... so why don't you?...

For some time now, 'Flash' (a powerful bit of software) has made using video in a web page so much more affordable than it used to be. Maybe people are put off because they once had a bad experience downloading software or waiting ages for it to load. Not any more. Why have a photo when you can have a movie?

Maybe it's shyness or maybe it's because so many local web firms aren't all experienced enough (That's good news for me though) and still consider it a daunting prospect with lots of editing? Get over it! Any old DV camcorder will do or just let me do it for you! Get in touch for more info.

Wednesday 29th July at 11:07:31 PM

Does it make commercial sense to hire a designer?...

When you're at work on a day-to-day basis and you need a problem solved, you might not always notice what your customers notice. That's why hiring somebody from outside your business can be a good idea because they can identify problems just like a customer might. That's why it makes perfect sense!

Wednesday 29th July at 11:07:21 PM

Content Management

Forget content management websites with editable areas, how about a whole site that you can build yourself? Save a small fortune employing expensive (Ahem!) designers! If you buy a domain with a business hosting package from this website, you also get a choice of build-your-own website software thrown in absolutely free! This means that you can create your own website without any programming knowledge! Using a large selection of ready-made templates, you can literally create your own website pages with your web browser. (That's me out of a job then!) Have a look at the hosting page for more details. If you want to see a real live demo, get in touch and I'll send you a link and password so you can see for yourself.

Tuesday 30th June at 01:44:50 AM

A domain renewal warning to all our customers

Just don't do it. What I mean is: It'll be taken care of for you unless there's a specific reason not to. Unfortunately it's quite common for dodgy offshore companies to send out letters and emails to registrants (you) and leading them to believe that they need to pay up some cash to keep their domain name. It's not true. If you do that, you'll actually transfer the domain to them and enter a ransom situation where you'll probably end up loosing your email and website too! I had a customer once who did just that and was asked US$7000 to get his domain name back. If in doubt, just get in touch.

Thursday 25th June at 04:38:43 PM

Undercover Working...

Here I am again covertly working for other design firms. It's a shame I can't put it all in my portfolio but that's the deal isn't it and it saves on advertising?

If only the public knew that it's not just builders who sub-contract work!