‘Website Design’

Although many people still see WordPress as the ultimate blogging platform, it has also developed into one of the best Content Management Systems (CMS) for the web. More than 12% of the world’s largest websites make use of WordPress as a CMS system. The only real competitors in the same class are that of Drupal and Joomla. In terms of user-friendliness and ease of creation, WordPress outperforms the two main competitors. A brief discussion on why WordPress is the best CMS system is provided below specifically to highlight the many features of the platform. It is definitely the program to use if you are new to blogging, but advanced website owners benefit most from usage of WordPress because of the functionality offered by the program.

Content Management Systems

Web developers appreciate the end-user updating facilities. One doesn’t need to be a coding expert to update a page and can even add pictures, sound and video without any advanced web building knowledge once the CMS is in place. Companies needing update abilities from various offices around the country benefit in the sense that authorised users can login and update content. This helps to spread the workload of updating the site amongst several employees and makes it easier to ensure a completely updated website at all times. The user doesn’t have administration abilities and as such cannot change areas such as theme of the CMS or structure of the site. With the administrator thus still in control to limit changes to content rather than structure, the integrity of the site is not compromised.

Benefits of WordPress as CMS System

WordPress is certainly the best CMS for the small business owner and the preferred website and blogging system for web development companies needing updating abilities for their clients.

Quick & Easy To Install

Once the web developer has done the tweaking and adapted the site to your liking, it is easy to install new plug-ins. All you need to do is to select the one most appropriate and click to install. Uninstalling a plug-ins is as simple as clicking on a button.

Ease of Use

Apart from easy to use and free SEO tools, the WordPress CMS system has been created for the novice as well. Even if you only have limited HTML knowledge you will be able to create stunning posts and pages. There is no need to send the information to the webmaster who will then update the page. You can add content without fear of changing the site structure. Once the web developer has done the setup and lay-out of the site on behalf of the client, the client gains complete control over the adding of new pages and content.

SEO Advantages

WordPress is known as the best CMS system for a reason. It has several advantages including that of immediate search engine optimisation. Google loves WordPress sites as the sites can be well optimized and already fit the profile of a site that can be indexed with ease. If you want content to be available, searchable and ranking well almost immediately then make use of the program.

Superior Support

There is ample free support available from forums, WordPress, and blogs. If you need help simply type in your query at the search engine query box and there will be numerous sites covering from the most basic to advanced features of the program.

Loads Of Plug-ins To Enhance Functionality

A characteristic of an excellent CMS is that of flexibility. In the case of WordPress, the large number of extensions available by means of plug-ins is what sets it apart from other web content management systems. Whether you want to add a poll, calendar or more advanced extensions you will not be disappointed with the large range of free plug-ins to improve functionality of the site.

In-Depth Look At WordPress Extensions

As mentioned earlier numerous extensions are available to improve functionality. A brief look at some of the extensions will give you an idea of the power of the program and why so many website owners agree that WordPress is the best CMS around.

Customised Navigation

Apart from plug-ins available to create custom navigation, WordPress as CMS also allows for easy creation of custom navigation. This ensures a unique look and feel to your site. You can edit the header area of a template to include navigation or exclude such to your liking.

Multi-User Functionality

For the company that has numerous users, there is a User Access plug-in which enables restriction and organisation of users. It allows for the creation of groups of users and access settings accordingly. The CMS system gets a complete boost in terms of user management as you can even create a distinction between editor access and reader access restrictions. Comments and posts can be regulated ensuring a cohesive theme and of course, spam free website or blog. This is ideal for sites where content collaboration is essential and shows why WordPress is considered as the best CMS.

Time Saving Posts

For the person new to blog posts or content generation, the Flutter Plug-in is rather useful. With the plug-in post templates can be added and previous templates used to minimize time in writing pages or blog posts.

Static Page Creation

One of the features which make WordPress the best CMS is the functionality of static page creation. Instead of all the information appearing in the form of date stamped posts with newest ones at the top you can add a static page where information can be shared in the normal web page lay-out format. This can be used for the About Us, Home and Contact Us pages or can even be used for all of your pages except for the blog.

More Fields

If you need to add more fields for input, simply make use of the More Fields plug-in. It will enable you to add boxes where additional information can be added and updated such as publisher details or perhaps news flashes. These field boxes can be placed on any side of the Edit page.

The above features are only a few examples of the functionality offered by the program. There are many more plug-ins and superior features in the program, making WordPress the best CMS for small business and large multi-user corporate client companies alike. Contact iLead Online for assistance in setting up a WordPress web content management system.

Mobile sites and their usage grow by the day. Also known as mobi sites or as some write it mobisites, are fast overtaking normal desktop based websites. According to a DotMobi study the growth of new mobisites is enormous showing that from over 149 000 in 2008 to more than 3 million such sites have been registered in 2010. In addition, the social media networks such as Facebook have large numbers of users which login to the social applications by means of their phones. According to Facebook the figures suggest more than 199 million users which login to their site via their mobile phones.

With every new technology there is resistance and there is embracement. The resistance normally comes from those who have already invested a lot into an existing technology and don’t want to re-invest in the new technology, but a business owner that wants to survive changes must adapt. The pc website market is shrinking and mobile market growing.

One may argue that there is no reason to create a mobile website if the users can login from their phones in any case, but there are several differences between mobi sites and the conventional websites which should be noted. In short, the mobile user doesn’t find the conventional website mobile friendly. With loads of heavy graphics, Java scripts, Flash and other bandwidth intensive design tools, the mobile user gets a slow loading page which isn’t easy to navigate.

More and more mobile users migrates to the mobisites specifically designed to fit well on their mobile screens, load faster, browse easier and take up less bandwidth as well as memory. Of course mobi sites are not as visually stimulating as the conventional websites and don’t show the same versatility, but users on the move want sites which can be used on their mobile phones with ease.

One can continue to design only the conventional website and have the mobile users struggle to use the site, but if they find something more user friendly, they will leave the site immediately, never to return. The younger generation of Internet users are also experts on mobile usage and if you don’t want to see your market dying a slow and agonizing death, you will need to create a mobisite and a conventional website.

Don’t think of the mobi site as portable site only. It is far more than that. It is an innovative and advanced way of interaction with the visitor. Modern consumers carry powerful computers in their hands and pockets; used as phones as well. They want to get value for their money and with more mobility offered rather browse from their phones and tablets than from desktops. Studies have shown that desktop usage is still huge during the day, but mobile usage surpasses that during the evenings. The users browsing during the day do so from their offices at work where desktops are connected via the network, but once they leave office they migrate to mobile usage. As such website owners need to take notice and adapt their interaction with users.

Some important considerations for creation of mobi sites are:

• Create a site that can use the mobile device capabilities.
• Mobisites must be created with loading time in mind. The site should load in two clicks and thus under ten or twelve seconds.
• Browsing should be easy without the need to zoom in.
• The mobile site must provide enough incentive for interaction through means of competitions, discount coupons and prize draws.
• People on the move love sharing and the mobile site must make it possible as well as be so addictive as to ensure return and viral marketing.
• Convenience is another reason for using mobile websites. People want to interact where they are and as such you need to ensure that the mobisite can be used on the spot and in-store for specials.
• Mobile users want to find information rather quickly and as such they don’t want to wait for pages to load or have to go through several menu steps to get the information.
• Don’t just re-design a desktop website to fit on a smaller screen, but run two distinct sites which can ensure that both desktop user and mobile user requirements are met.

Smart Phones are Taking Over

Bandwidth changes to 4G and the lower lag enables mobile users to surf fast. With that then, more users migrate to mobisites in South Africa because of our slow connectivity via desktop. The majority of new handsets can connect to the Internet. With four times more mobile users than desktop users in the world including South Africa, there is thus a big untapped market available for the innovative thinker, willing to create a stunning mobisite. Studies furthermore indicate that about a third of mobile browsing is done for local content. This means that the mobile user is on the lookout for businesses in their immediate environment and thus more geographically targeted.

Google Android and South Africa

The Google Android platform is already widely used worldwide and although still not the most popular platform in South Africa, it is making inroads in the mobile operating market. Google Android is growing rapidly with more than 17% of the market already belonging to the platform as evident in the sales figures of more than 190 000 Android mobile handsets sold daily. Android is currently just behind the Symbian and closing in on the gab. The secret to a successful mobisite is adaptability for various platforms. As such it is extremely important to cater to Android, Windows, Symbian and Apple to name, but a few of the big players.
The implications are important for any business owner. Whether you are a publisher of content or a seller of products you need to also cater to the mobisite user. Many website owners still only think of mobile platforms such as iPhone or Blackberry, but with Android mobile handsets becoming more popular the web browsing is fast moving from desktop to on the go mobile browsing via mobile handsets. New entrants to the market will also mean more platforms to cater for and as with any new trend, businesses that want to capture a large share of the market, need to move fast to get a foothold in the new browsing environment.

You can make your current website mobile friendly or you can create a custom mobisite to ensure targeted design for various platforms. Google has indicated that mobile browsing has grown even more than expected. The news headlines have shown that mobisites have grown with more than 2000 percent, not something that can be ignored if you are a serious marketer. The top performing websites also offer mobi sites to their users. Even if your site doesn’t count under the top 10 000 or so, you can easily ensure a user friendly mobisite experience.

Google Androids are so successful because Google has ensured variations. There are various types ensuring more choices for the consumer. Androids are well priced and personalisation is not compromised. Full integration with various Google applications is possible including vital applications such as Google Maps, YouTube, Chrome and Gmail. With Androids running on open source Linux, new developments are possible while the consumer is not expected to pay additional license fees for such.

It has been said that Android products can easily outperform Blackberry products in South Africa. Although South Africans are slow to catch on to Android when compared to the US, the Google Android mobile market is growing steadily. The mobile networks in South Africa need more development to ensure that unlimited data offerings can become a reality. The networks need upgrading to be able carry larger number of mobisite users. With the expectation being that South Africa will also receive more bandwidth over time because of the cable which has been laid under the sea, business owners have a lot to look forward to.

If you think that search engine optimization – or more commonly referred to as SEO – is all about keywords, then you might want to make yourself comfortable in front of the screen and continue reading this article. Although keywords have a very important role to play when optimizing a website, there are many other factors that have to be accounted for. This is especially true if you want to enjoy the monetary privileges websites holds in store for their owners.

If you are a business owner who are about to have a new website created from scratch, then you need to make sure that your website is ‘search engine friendly’. Suffice to say that the best way to go about creating a new website is by making use of the services of a company who has the proper know-how and experience in both website designing and SEO, such as iLead Online. If you have an existing website it can be used and optimized to your advantage. One factor that Google pays attention to though is the age of a website, which is why newer pages on an older website will definitely get faster recognition as a new website’s pages.

Now, say for instance that you are about to have your new website designed which will be optimized, the first thing you need to ask yourself is what it is that you want your website to achieve? Do you want readers to purchase your product, request your services, fill in an enquiry form, or simply contact your business directly? It’s only logical that you need to set up your goals at the very beginning so that you will know in which direction to steer your online marketing strategy. Once you have established your goals it will be necessary to evaluate your site, as well as your competition’s, to see what route should be taken to achieve the highest results.

Optimizing a website requires labour. So if you think about taking all kinds of short cuts you will learn that, although it may show some kind of success, the only way to achieve real results is by investing precious time. Moreover patience is a virtue when it comes to optimization as you may very well not see the fruits of your labour within weeks since you began. This is why you need to think of it this way – SEO is a long term investment. And seeing that more and more things are happening online, this is the place you want to be.

Apart from properly doing your research and planning for your website, the following factors will need to form part of your SEO campaign:

• Design – It is human nature that we use our senses in everything we do, which is why it is important that your website is visually appealing. Easy on the eye is always a good thing.
• Keywords – As mentioned before, keywords do play a significant role when it comes to search engine optimization. Be sure to find the keyword phrases that aren’t as sought after, but still attracts the right kind of readers to your site.
• Domain Name – Choosing the right domain name is vital as it can be used as part of your keyword strategy.
• Meta Tags – The Meta tags consists of the title-, description- and keyword tags. Properly optimized websites will always have Meta tags that are created (written) in a specific manner best suited for your website.
• Content Pages – This is where the services of specialised SEO Copywriters are needed. They will provide you with high quality, informative, optimized content pages. These pages can really make or break a website, as it will be bad for your business if the content is of no use to your reader, while good content can act as bait to achieve your goals.
• Navigation (Internal Links) – An efficient tree-like structure is a must.
• Link Building – Link to good sites with good rankings, and be sure to avoid link farms.
• Website Speed – Google recently decided to include ‘site speed’ into their search ranking algorithms.
• Freshness – It’s always good to keep on adding fresh content and changes to your website as Google likes fresh pages.

The abovementioned are merely a quick description of some of the things you need to do if you want your search engine optimization strategy to be successful. And as you can see this is not so much for dummies but will require a keen eye, passion, dedication, knowledge and experience – something we at iLead Online can proudly offer you. So without further ado be sure to begin your SEO process today by contacting us.

It is an obvious truth that in our day and age everything is rushed. We hasten from point A to B with the mission to get everything done as soon as possible. This might very well because of the belief that time is in fact money, and that every second wasted is as good as money down the drain. As such, one of the consequences of our accelerated lifestyle is the importance of speed. It is therefore no shocker that the average internet user takes approximately 30 seconds to decide whether or not the website they are on is what they are indeed looking for.

As can be expected Google was yet again at the forefront when it came to developing ways to speed things up and as a result they decided to add ‘site speed’ into their calculation, or search ranking algorithms. Yip, this means that if you want your website to do well within the search engine results, your website’s speed is a factor you need to consider.

Google is not the only reason why you should make sure that your website loads quickly. The fact of the matter is that it will not only benefit your website’s rankings but also your relationship with readers and potential clients. What many website owners fail to recognise is that the slowness of their website make such an impact on their customers that they may see it as part of the brand values associated with their website. Moreover recent tests done by Google proved that faster websites increased conversions and user satisfaction. In other words, the quicker version of the same websites actually sold more products, had more online forms submitted, higher rates of downloads, and so forth.

An added bonus of websites operating faster was a reduction in operating costs. You might therefore think that as a website owner your main focus should be on the speed of the website. The answer is no. Although this factor does now carry some weight within the Google search results, it mainly applies to those visitors doing their search in English and on Google.com. The main and most important aspect remains to be the relevance of a page, which is why we at iLead Online place such an emphasis on providing our clients with unique, well-written content.

By constantly developing and adding content to our clients’ websites we are able to ensure that they rank higher as well as achieve better conversion rates. Combine this with the expertise to design a website that is “friendly” towards online marketing, and you can be certain that your website will soon show a positive ROI. At the end of the day these websites not only achieve the goals they set out, but also provide their readers – or potential customers – with quick and informative content that is sure to add to customer satisfaction.

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