If you are a web designer or developer, you should be familiar with PAS 78 and the new British Standard BS 8878 that will replace it. It is surprising how many web designers/developers are not familiar with them, and many have never heard of them. PAS78 In brief, PAS 78 was published in 2006 as a guide to producing accessible websites that makes them usable for those with disabilities. It is a good practice guide, not a rule or regulation and was produced ...

Web 3.0 is already taking shape to advance the internet to a new level. If you've been trying to get to grips with Web 3.0, you'll keep finding the same keywords describing the concept: Semantics Consolidated Dynamic Content Intelligent Software Confusing. So what do these terms mean? The Oxford English Dictionary defines Semantics as: the branch of linguistics that deals with the study of meaning; the study of the relationships between signs and symbols and what they represent; the principles that determine the truth-values of formulas ...

It happens to all of us; there's a website design to do and the canvas remains blank. This is when I tend to delve into the goldmine of the internet as there are some great sites out there that list great examples that can give that little bit of inspiration. 1stwebdesigner: created by Latvian Dainis Graveris, is a great source of examples, tutorials and resources. Web Design Ledger: is a site written by web designers for web designers. Another great source for examples, ...

Someone asked me recently why I don't advertise imp-ressions using adwords, magazines and online banners. Then they asked me why I don't commit a whole load of time to increasing my web traffic to the website? Being curious, they then asked me how I still get loads of enquiries after I don't do any of these things??? Well, the answer is simple. Word of Mouth marketing. The most important element to anyone's business should be word of mouth marketing, which is exceptionally ...

I've been mulling over writing this article for a while as everyone who partakes in designing websites will have their own views on their own individual practices. My 5 do's and don't s are those that I personally believe in, and I'd like to share with you. I will admit that early in my career I fell foul to some of the don't s and it's amazing how many times I see and hear of others falling into these traps as ...

Having problems with Illustrator where the hand tool gets stuck? It was driving me insane before I realised the very very simple solution! After reading through lots of posts on discussion forums about stuck keyboards, flash issues and software reinstall solutions I finally found the answer... Press the spacebar. A frustrating problem cured after it had annoyed me for ages... phew.

I look at a lot of websites. Some very good, some good, some bad and some very bad. In response, I've developed what I think is a web design nutritional information label that could accompany some kind of best practice guidance. This is purely dependant on the type of website being developed, however I think I've created some general rules that could be implemented into most websites.

It's staggering. You look at the website of a company, you look at the marketing material. You look at the letterhead, you look at the values. It's staggering how many times none of them match! Marketing materials must be developed as a suite. A website is a part of the marketing package and is perhaps the first point of call for many potential customers and clients, and must be included in the suite just like everything else. There would be no point ...

Many of the photos out there on the web and on organisations' marketing materials never fails to make me smile. Today's emphasis for marketing material photos is on racial harmony and diversity, smart professional looking people, age equality with most being absolutely useless in promoting the business. Most are none other than cheap, fake-looking meetings and training sessions that aim to show a business as a professional outfit. Some websites have got some exceptional photos that comprehensively provide a quality appearance to ...

Fed up of receiving emails asking for links to your website? Remember, the main aims of links are: To increase traffic and sales To improve PageRank and thus the importance of the site To show authority and/or provide readers with further knowledge and guidance. What makes a good link? Google, within its algorithm, knows a good link from a bad link. Matt Cutts in a recent interview pointed out that having 10 good links is better than having 100 bad links. Example: If we, as a marketing ...