Watch Out For These !

Hi all !
SEO and its techniques form an essential part of "site identity". Most of us have experience on the techniques while there might be some new-comers in this arena.
Where the SEO techniques have a common aim and purpose in getting the site "there", the mismatch or casual approach to these techniques might work the opposite way.
Let's discuss some of the common errors people could and should avoid at all costs:
A] Avoid duplicate content: within the different pages of your site AND with other sites too. Needless to say that this kills majority SEO and might mark your site as a "copy".
B] Don't overuse your Keyword. This is similar to misuse. Over use of the keyword is taken as a deliberate (and intentional) SEO fixing action by the Search Engines.
C] Do you use ALT tags with images and keywords in your website? If not then please start doing this right away. This makes your site "spider friendly".
D] Avoid using Framesets. Printing & navigation is a problem and Search Engines cannot index them.
E] Make your site navigation navigable. This means your site has to be user-friendly and hence Search Engine friendly too.
We all at times come across sites which have been worked upon to such an extent that you might call them "overdone". Search Engines are getting smarter by the day and they have now started finding such sites which have been optimized recklessly. This is a big no-no.
SEO means making your site "seen" through workable and practical ways. There should be no rush or mindless "SEO-fixing".
If you find someone doing over-SEO then tell them that they might as well loose their current rankings too!

Way to a Good Design !

Hi folks, wishing you all a Very Happy New Year !.
Well,starting the new year with some design "basics"(as a matter of fact,these form a part of my new year resolutions too!)
Starting with these, point wise... :)
A) Fonts: The text is the thing which tells the visitor what our site is about. Style and the way they are arranged and put there makes all the difference. This is equally effective to attract or bore the visitor within first two minutes of their visiting the site.
B) Color: The meaning and harmony that you would put in your colors out there would make at least 50% of the difference. Imagine someone using glaring pink on a Hospital site!
Going further, color should be used in a symbolic manner, as "solid & concrete" personalities (no matter what the shade). This provides character to the site.
C) Images & Graphics: are similar to what you long to see in the marriage photo album of your best friend. Details missing and interest lost. Do not make them "event-less" or "over-detailed". Just be "there".
D) Navigation: How could you best make your site visitor friendly? Easy to understand layout, simple ways to reach the top/bottom of the pages. Well laid out format...no detail is ever enough in making your site "even more" visitor friendly.
E) Connect: How many visitors would find your site worth visiting is directly proportional to how many visitors understood what your site speaks/tells about itself. Just look at the public transport mediums of your town/city. They have signs/spaces for people to follow (going as far as helping physically disabled people too).
What I mean here is that your site should be really simple to "walk around" and detail the visitor what it is about & what things the visitor would find across the different corners (pages) etc. :)
Clearly, there is no end to refining and redefining the design
specifics as no single detail is independent when it comes to making a good website. Moreover, additions to these details is a natural and an essential aspect for the designs to depict today yesterday and tomorrow, all at the same time.

Design Basics

At times there comes the urgent need to lay down the basics of the job we people do. Some may sound a bit "out of fashion" but really they are still a "part of the game".
The design basics (some of them which I follow) are:
1] The size of the Images you choose affects the way your page loads. Heavy image slowing down your page means that the visitor has already clicked on the next site.
2] Keep your page layout as simple as possible. Many times I come across sites with those "revolutionary" layouts where the visitors get lost quite often.
3] Fonts, yes, the fonts...keep the variety/style of fonts to minimum possible. Do take care on how would the printout of your page look like and also its appearance on the screen.
4] Different browsers may display your page differently, have you checked this?
5] Content, good, readable, interesting. Do not "over SEO" the text. The visitor might get bored/confused/misled reading something which was alien to them.
6] Though ads are a good thing to have on your site, too many of them make your site appear just like a classified newspaper. Sure you don't want your site to look this way, or do you?...
7] Soothing look on the page makes the visitor "stay" there for some time. Do not use blinking images. According to research, such irritants are very effective in chasing away visitors from your site.

Frankly, I might not be the best of the designers out there but I follow some basics all times and every time. This makes my job easier and simpler and "processed" (I only have to follow the process) and my output is worth my client's money :D

Share the knowledge.

I recently came across my "professional" friend who believes that in order to maintain seniority order, one must keep away from sharing knowledge from the subordinates.
I was a bit surprised hearing him say this.
Was he implying that he really has to hide from his juniors? Did this mean that he "survives" in the knowledge vacuum? Is he so much watchful of young budding probables who might take his place? Had he put a self imposed limit on his growth?.....
Really, is this what keeps a professional going on and ahead? I sincerely don't think so.
It could be that I was lucky enough to have seniors who were open, progressive, practical and professional. People who shared their knowledge and helped me grow.
Though I am indebted to them, I must say that my seniors gave me the chance and challenge to go and "prove it" to myself and the people there.
I believe in sharing knowledge as I know that it leads one to further improving self, knowledge and skills.
Knowledge and the style (procedures,processes) one uses on the job is the property of the firm one was working for at the time. It is not the person's personal property to keep back, hidden.
As a matter of fact, people who had their outlook just like my friend could progress only till a limit, the limit which was self-imposed.

Getting Organized :)

I spent my last weekend on organizing my workplace which really needed attention for quite some time....really :)
I know it always is better to be organized but, the "but" word always had many of those wonderful escapist words one could ever use...
How to get organized? Well some simple steps could help like:
a] Jotting down all tasks one has to to really helps, this is similar to a "to do list". You know when and on which date you needed "that" work done but are in the "postpone-it" mode since so many hours,days,weeks,months or worst...years !
b] Get a calender, need I say more about this :)
c] Get a diary and write in clear terms your goals. These help one stay focused and guided. This is really handy to mark down your progress towards your goals.
d] Priority on the tasks,jobs and act accordingly. If one works other way round then the outcome too would be the other way round.
e] Greed, yes greed of getting details, details about your job,tasks. For example you could make your task,job progress actuals and match them against your job,task plans. Nothing short of a "greedy" approach would make you perfect in being on time always :)
Business, no matter how small or how large it might be is built using those 24 hours of the day.
Numerous tasks,jobs,issues and what not, but only one reason to go ahead - if they can do it then why can't you !! :)

You as your own Boss !

Now, I again come back to the same discussion, the thing which most of us think about...
Yes again I would talk about the "self" job,business and income too :D
The reasons why I would prefer to be on my own are following:
1] I could start my business with a very nominal investment. Just a machine and some space to work (could even be my garage). I get to set my working hours !
2] The "part-time" freedom for full time....Necessarily it develops into me making all efforts for myself..yes "my own self". I get to keep all the fruits of my toil.
3] Ingenuity of "my" work and the fact that it cannot be copied by anyone :)
4] Growth...yes, you get a lot to learn when you go solo, believe me.
5] You are one who would brand or disband yourself & your business :D

It is a fact that very few such start ups succeed amongst the fierce competition and tough business essentials but again it is only those "determined" souls which are examples for many others to follow suit.

Your Company...Are You Company?

Most of us work as professionals with a majority of us working in companies while others work as freelancers (with or without a company name). What ever may be the "employment" style, one thing is certain, we "are" a part of the job we do..
I say that we are a part of our job (for salaried people) AND Company itself towards its employees on the other hand on the basis of the following few things.
a] Company ethics and our adherence to them
b] Experience or knowledge which we would gather as we work and then its sharing..
c] The process/technical development we do becomes the "company" property. Do we contribute to this?
d] The impact of our services(good or bad)on the company's business,clients.
e] Work,process management skills...professionals know what I mean here.
f] Acceptance, by the company and by the employee too to proceed towards a primary objective i.e. further/future growth.
g] Delivery...of service by the employee and its matching in equal terms by the company...
A company, here means similar to the English word "accompany". When both the employee and the company become one then there are miracles,achievements,growth...

My first question again, Are we company? ... :)