Make Money Easy For You

The Value of Detailed Web Site Traffic Statistics

Many web hosts provide basic traffic statistics as part of your web hosting fee. These sites create logs on your site that hold the raw traffic data. They then employ packages such as Webalizer or Modlogan among others to present the data in user friendly graphic and tabular format.

These packages provide a fairly standard set of statistics:

• Daily and weekly hits, files, pages and visits
• Hourly traffic stats
• Top URLs in site (by hits)
• Top entry pages
• Top exit pages
• Top referring sites
• Top keyword search strings
• Top browsers used
• Top operating system of visitors
• Top countries of visitors

All this data is great, but it does not answer the questions, “How does a visitor move through my website?” How long does he/she take on my website? This is very important so you can understand if your site navigation plan is working.

Let’s say that you have a particular sales page on your site that you want to move your visitor toward. How do you know if your planned pre-sell plan is working so the visitor will click on the link to the sales page? What you need is visitor path tracking.

Do you know how long a visitor is spending on you site? The standard stats will give you number of page views of each page, but how long is the visitor staying on each page? If the visitor is doing a “drive by viewing”, it does not do you much good. You want the visitor to stay and read your content.

You need a tool that can provide you with information that has more dimensions than the standard web hosting packages.

There are sites on the Net that can provide this information free. Use the search engines to find a few of them. A couple of example sites are addfreestats.com or statcounter.com.

The typical traffic analysis site (abbreviated TAS for the rest of this article) will track the activity on your site and give you extensive reports on how your site is being viewed. The stats that you get from it will be much more detailed than most of the basic stats from your web host.

To use the TAS, you establish an account on the TAS with a user name and password. Once you are signed on, you set up a project to monitor your website. You can set up multiple projects to monitor multiple sites.

The TAS generates a few lines of java script for you. You then copy and paste the script into each webpage on your site that you want to monitor. You can select an option on the TAS set up so there is nothing on your page to indicate that the script is there.

Each time the page loads, the script sends info to the TAS that goes into a database. When you want to see the info, you log on the TAS and check out how people are viewing your site.

Most of the traffic analysis sites have the ability or track the visitor’s path that will allow you to see exactly the sequence of pages that the visitor viewed and how he/she browsed you site. You can walk through your site with your visitor and make certain that you are managing them on your site.

This is a great tool. If you are building a website, I highly recommend that you install the small script on every page that you want to track.

I have posted an educational video to show how a typical traffic analysis site works.

http://www.boomer-ezine.com/Videos/V1I40Video/Click-to-Play.html

I encourage you to research the various sites that provide this service and include one in your plans for building your website

Read more: The Value of Detailed Web Site Traffic Statistics

Website Design: Keep it Simple

Website Design: Keep it Simple One of the keys to a quality
web site is simplicity. You’ve heard of the KISS principle?
Keep It Simple Silly. This applies doubly for websites.
Design Web Friendly It is inexperience than can make you
want to use every bell and whistle, every feature and every
new trick. It is nice to be able to create complex frames
and tables, use large busy fonts, use flash and animated
GIFs, but will end up with too many features competing
against your message. It’s more than likely your audience
is quickly going to be overwhelmed, rather than impressed.
Just because you can create a flashy effect, doesn’t mean
you should. Ask yourself if the flashy addition is improving
my page, my design. Decide if there is actual value in the
addition and does it add with this technique? Is this the
best way to communicate my message? A simple design doesn’t
necessarily mean uninteresting and dull. Lots of people
confound fancy effects with effective communication. Keeping
it simple means you should think about how people will be
using your pages. Then present your information to them so
it matches their requirements and expectations. Earn their
attention Use technology and effects where appropriate and
where they make for more effective communication. You’re not
designing web sites for yourself to look at. You’re publishing
a web page because you expect someone to stop by and visit it
- your audience. The more you know about and understand your
audience, the more effective you can gear your communication
and marketing appropriately on your site. Does your audience
still use dial-up service that still relies on slow modems?
Then be aware of file sizes and download times. Are they
expecting to hear your band’s music clips? Then you’d better
think about an audio format. Ease of use is critical in web
design, so above all else your site easy to navigate. Many
small factors can quickly add up to create easy paths through
your site. For example, one thing you can do is keep the number
of choices small, that way people are less likely to become
lost in a long list of options. Simple in design is simple
design. Did you know that the average human mind sees five or
fewer items as one group, but when it encounters more than five
items it has to divide them into smaller sub-groups to process
them? It makes sense, then, to try to keep your selections
arranged in groups of five or less. That makes it easier for
your readers to quickly see the options and select one.

Article written by Jason A. Neal.

Read more: Website Design: Keep it Simple

Graphic Design Jack-of-all-trades

Using visual communication to make a success of your business

Commercial art has proven itself worthy within the business sector. Whereas traditional art or ‘The Arts’ such as fine art for example, is often considered an expensive hobby instead of a stable career path. Commercial art differs considerably. Gone are the days when teachers would encourage their pupils to only pursue a career in Mathematics or Science.

There is a future in the visual communications industry too. Since the demand for creative skills are so great within the business sector, it has become very apparent that commercial art plays a huge role in the success of many lucrative industries and businesses. Nonetheless, how can graphic design enable your business to enjoy continual growth and success? What valuable skills can a graphic designer offer your business?

Perhaps it’s best to establish what Graphic design entails. Graphic design is the art of combining text and graphics to communicate an effective message using logos, graphics, brochures, newsletters, posters, signage and any other type of visual communication.

• Graphic Designers find employment within advertising agencies, design studios, the public sector, reproduction houses, video and film labs, printers, newspaper, periodical, book and directory publishers. Designers can also be found working in engineering service industries or management, scientific and technical consulting firms.

• These skilled creatives are able to produce computer graphics for computer systems, design firms or motion picture production firms.

• Basic responsibilities include; developing the overall layout and production design of magazines, newspapers, journals, corporate reports and other publications

• As well as producing promotional displays and marketing brochures for products and services, designing distinctive logos for products and businesses and developing signs and signage systems or environmental graphics for business and government.

• Graphic Designers are also able to develop material for web pages, computer interfaces and multimedia projects, as well as producing credits that appear before and after TV programs and movies.

This proves that whatever your business or expertise, you’ll most likely require the services of a Graphic Designer at some point…

How do Graphic Designers contribute to the world of business?

To develop a new graphic design the needs of the client need to be determined. The message the design should portray and its appeal to customers or users for example. Graphic Designers consider cognitive, cultural, physical and social factors in planning and executing designs for the target audience.

Does a logo have an effect on your business?

A well designed logo also facilitates the process of professionally designed stationery, signage, web sites, television, brochures, etc. If you present a poorly designed logo or you don’t even have a logo, human nature tells people that you may not be doing so well and therefore not worth doing business with. Important factors to keep in mind; Ensure that you can fax the logo to someone and still read it; practice on a dummy letterhead. Consider what the logo may be applied to, paper, clothing, signage, vehicles, etc. This can affect the way the logo is designed and whether it should be a simple block color or complicated with small type which may not transfer to t-shirts well.

What impact does package design have on a product?

Product packaging can be the most important aspect of your consumer product. Packaging design conveys to the consumer the most important features of your product and ensures that your product makes a great impression and is more visible amongst a myriad of bland counterparts.
How can a professionally designed brochure add to the image of your business?
Brochures are a great way to package a lot of information about yourself, your business and expertise into a format that is easily mailed or handed out at a business meeting or given to current clients to pass on to possible referrals. Using a Graphic Designer can free you from having to make all decisions about your brochure by yourself. A Graphic Designer will see the brochure from concept through to successful completion.

Various disciplines within design; (To mention but a few)
Advertising Design is essential. Your advert has to be good enough to both catch your target audience’s attention immediately and ‘sell’ your product or service to them.
Direct Mail Design is often thought of as the ‘spam of the post’. However, it provides a snippet of information about your company to a vast audience. Even though the return on mailers is often small, if you do a mail drop of 10 000 and get a return of 5% then that means you have a response from a potential 500 new clients. The design of your direct mail has a substantial impact on its success. If your design does not immediately capture your recipient’s interest and imagination, your direct mail will most likely be overlooked…

Packaging Design can change the perception that your target market has of your product for the better. Whatever the product, the packaging needs to work within the client’s corporate style and marketplace. If your product is vying for shelf space in the retail market, you need to ensure that your clients see your product before your competitors captures their interest.

Visuals can help your target market to connect with your product or service. Visuals can speak to your audience because they make an impact. One thing’s for sure though, visuals and design has something valuable to communicate. Your business can benefit greatly from these lucrative creative skills. Perhaps, you should leave it up to the professionals…

Read more: Graphic Design Jack-of-all-trades

Graphic Design-Jack-of-all-trades

Using visual communication to make a success of your business

Commercial art has proven itself worthy within the business sector. Whereas traditional art or ‘The Arts’ such as fine art for example, is often considered an expensive hobby instead of a stable career path. Commercial art differs considerably. Gone are the days when teachers would encourage their pupils to only pursue a career in Mathematics or Science.

There is a future in the visual communications industry too. Since the demand for creative skills are so great within the business sector, it has become very apparent that commercial art plays a huge role in the success of many lucrative industries and businesses. Nonetheless, how can graphic design enable your business to enjoy continual growth and success? What valuable skills can a graphic designer offer your business?

Perhaps it’s best to establish what Graphic design entails. Graphic design is the art of combining text and graphics to communicate an effective message using logos, graphics, brochures, newsletters, posters, signage and any other type of visual communication.

• Graphic Designers find employment within advertising agencies, design studios, the public sector, reproduction houses, video and film labs, printers, newspaper, periodical, book and directory publishers. Designers can also be found working in engineering service industries or management, scientific and technical consulting firms.

• These skilled creatives are able to produce computer graphics for computer systems, design firms or motion picture production firms.

• Basic responsibilities include; developing the overall layout and production design of magazines, newspapers, journals, corporate reports and other publications

• As well as producing promotional displays and marketing brochures for products and services, designing distinctive logos for products and businesses and developing signs and signage systems or environmental graphics for business and government.

• Graphic Designers are also able to develop material for web pages, computer interfaces and multimedia projects, as well as producing credits that appear before and after TV programs and movies.

This proves that whatever your business or expertise, you’ll most likely require the services of a Graphic Designer at some point…

How do Graphic Designers contribute to the world of business?

To develop a new graphic design the needs of the client need to be determined. The message the design should portray and its appeal to customers or users for example. Graphic Designers consider cognitive, cultural, physical and social factors in planning and executing designs for the target audience.

Does a logo have an effect on your business?

A well designed logo also facilitates the process of professionally designed stationery, signage, web sites, television, brochures, etc. If you present a poorly designed logo or you don’t even have a logo, human nature tells people that you may not be doing so well and therefore not worth doing business with. Important factors to keep in mind; Ensure that you can fax the logo to someone and still read it; practice on a dummy letterhead. Consider what the logo may be applied to, paper, clothing, signage, vehicles, etc. This can affect the way the logo is designed and whether it should be a simple block color or complicated with small type which may not transfer to t-shirts well.

What impact does package design have on a product?

Product packaging can be the most important aspect of your consumer product. Packaging design conveys to the consumer the most important features of your product and ensures that your product makes a great impression and is more visible amongst a myriad of bland counterparts.
How can a professionally designed brochure add to the image of your business?

Brochures are a great way to package a lot of information about yourself, your business and expertise into a format that is easily mailed or handed out at a business meeting or given to current clients to pass on to possible referrals. Using a Graphic Designer can free you from having to make all decisions about your brochure by yourself. A Graphic Designer will see the brochure from concept through to successful completion.

Various disciplines within design; (To mention but a few)
Advertising Design is essential. Your advert has to be good enough to both catch your target audience’s attention immediately and ‘sell’ your product or service to them.
Direct Mail Design is often thought of as the ‘spam of the post’. However, it provides a snippet of information about your company to a vast audience. Even though the return on mailers is often small, if you do a mail drop of 10 000 and get a return of 5% then that means you have a response from a potential 500 new clients. The design of your direct mail has a substantial impact on its success. If your design does not immediately capture your recipient’s interest and imagination, your direct mail will most likely be overlooked…

Packaging Design can change the perception that your target market has of your product for the better. Whatever the product, the packaging needs to work within the client’s corporate style and marketplace. If your product is vying for shelf space in the retail market, you need to ensure that your clients see your product before your competitors captures their interest.

Visuals can help your target market to connect with your product or service. Visuals can speak to your audience because they make an impact. One thing’s for sure though, visuals and design has something valuable to communicate. Your business can benefit greatly from these lucrative creative skills. Perhaps, you should leave it up to the professionals…

Read more: Graphic Design-Jack-of-all-trades

Tips for a good Web Design

It is not as tough as it may sound simply because if you get your website designed by a professional web design firm your website’s aesthetic look and feel is bound to induce something popularly known as a “sticky eyeball effect”.

The web design firm you hire should be able to read the client’s mind and a good amount of time should be spent in the planning phase which shall cover thorough web design conceptualization by conducting elaborate research around your references & preferences!

Also, today’s dynamic virtual world calls for an aggressive & contemporary brand which especially focuses on “ultimate customization” rather than follow the old saying “one size fits all”. Use of pre-made web design templates shall be avoided at all times if you want to leave a unique impression on the website visitor’s minds. Hence “Absolute Customization” is what can lead you to flaunting a web presence that is completely tailor-made and distinctive in nature.

Gone are the days when customization used to be considered an expensive proposition. Today, web design firms especially located in the Indian Sub-continent offer custom-web-solutions at reasonable prices that too without compromising on the high-quality standards. Agreed, there is some premium attached to having your preferences translated into the World Wide Web but the statement you make instantly on the visitor and the value derived eventually can be well worth it!

Based on thorough first-hand experience in this business domain I have been able to research and collate a few tips that can lead to a good web design. You will need to ensure that the following guidelines are met if you want your web initiative to actually work towards your profit, growth and success.

Avoid the use of Frames, JavaScript, DHTML, Flash, Heavy Images etc
Make sure that facilitating user navigation takes top priority. All the important links should be accessible from any and every page of the website.
Make sure that the words that a particular user may enter to find you are well contained in your website’s textual content.
A sitemap should always be developed in order to facilitate user comfort in terms of navigation. This saves the users time and helps him reach a particular section of your website directly.
Bottom navigation is wonderful tool that work as a two-way medium that makes your textual content of your website key phrase-rich as well as easier for the user to locate his interest area on the vast website.
The prime motive of a website is marketing and promotion which shall bring potential customers to you. This is why it is of utmost importance that your Contact information is well-highlighted. This may be done through an attractive icon that will lead to the Contact Us page of the website or a detailed directions page with maps etc or even getting developed a simple contact form, which will help you collect user information and reach your inbox.

Read more: Tips for a good Web Design

The right web design look and feel – Does it matter?

This might seem like an obvious statement. Of course the look and feel of my web site matters but how much does it actually matter and what can I do to improve my web design interface? Many companies are constantly tweaking their web site with a view to capturing the attention of potential customers. Although not all web sites are commercial in nature, the majority of web site owners are targeting potential customers with the ultimate aim of securing online leads and sales. Having a pretty web design is nice but it is no guarantee to converting visits into leads and sales.
On what basis then should web designers set the look and feel of a web site and how are they monitoring the results of the web design look and feel on visitor’s behaviour?

Whilst the web offers massive sales opportunities, it takes specialist knowledge and constant research and web design intervention to actually secure orders online. Getting traffic to your web site is important. Search engine optimisation to improve your web site’s organic ranking on search engines and pay per click will get you traffic. But traffic alone will not fetch you sales. You could literally have hundreds of visits to your web site and end up with no leads at the end of the day. If you are paying for your clicks, it could be a big waste of money.

The average web surfer i.e. your potential web design customers spends about 10 seconds on your web site. That is a very short time but it is the only window of opportunity you might have to sell your web design services and products to that potential customer. Putting together the web design solution that will work and deliver this tall order is the key to a successful web design business or any business for that matter.

You cannot beat marketing research in planning any selling tools and you do not have to be a marketing guru to start thinking marketing. Start by deciding which segment of the web design market you want to target. Is it the discount low cost segment or are you more into the corporate web design sector? Selling discount web design through a corporate sophisticated web site might put the potential low budget customers off. Conversely, corporate customers looking for an expensive, high end and sophisticated web design would expect their supplier to have a corporate web site.

Once you have established which segment of the web design market you are serving and decided on the ‘discount’ or corporate look, start looking at the web design elements and where these fit on your homepage. A good starting point to putting together an effective web page that works is research on the behaviour of web surfers. Try typing ‘heat map’ into Google and look for ‘Where should I place Google ads on my page?’ The web site offers some indication of the ‘hot spots’ on a web page i.e. the areas where web visitors are most likely to spend time looking. Use this as a first step in putting together your web design. Try placing your key product offers and contact details in the hottest spots of the heat map – showed as bright orange on the heat map.

Once our web site is online, no amount of reading can beat a good testing procedure for your web design. Get your web site online and start analysing what’s happening. Look at your basic stats like number of visits. Then start looking a bit deeper into your stats using some analytic tools to check the effectiveness of your web design. Google offers some free analytics tools that allow you to easily find out which links visitors are or are not clicking on your web page.
Look at important links that are key to generating leads, like your ‘request a quote button’. If these important links are being ignored, start tweaking the web design look and feel to make them more prominent and visible of on your web site. Use position (remember the heat map), bright colours and catchy words to draw the attention of your potential web design customers.

When it comes to the look and feel of your web design solution, remember that looking pretty is not enough. The web site must respond to key marketing issues like your market segment and web surfer behaviour. The next time you visit a web page, try and see if the look and feel achieves the objectives of the web site.

Read more: The right web design look and feel – Does it matter?

Practical Web Design

Practical Web Design is well within your grasp, but how are
you going to choose the company that is going to offer you
the best value for your money?

Read more: Practical Web Design

It’s Your Logo: Make It Large!

Your company logo may be fantastic, but if it is not able to establish recognition in general, it can be of little help. When such is the case, it’s time to allow your logo take a giant stride- towards promotion! Logo promotion is one of the most effective methods to improve your brand image in the market. All you need is to adopt some unique techniques to make your presence felt throughout the world.

Prior to adopting the steps for logo promotion, you should remember to take certain things into consideration. Firstly, your logo has to compete with thousands of other logos that are equally vying to capture the attention of the people, especially the urban youth. Secondly, the onlookers’ eyes are exposed to almost over 3,000 logos or advertising messages everyday. As such, your logo should have the capacity to fight out all the stiff competitors off its way. Thirdly, the urban youth can recognize less than ten garden plants but can easily identify over 1,000 corporate logos. Fourthly, it is the urban youth that sets the trends for clothing, soft drinks, music or anything else. Keeping these points in mind, your logo promotion scheme should set its goal towards creating an urge among the people to buy your product. All successful advertising programs are targeted to make people want your product and so, your brand enhancement techniques should be directed to this very goal!

Different companies employ different methods to create universal brand awareness. The methods of distributing ink pens or key chains with imprinted company name or logo has become outdated. Instead, go for some enterprising or extraordinary feat! For instance, a giant advertising inflatable can hardly fail to capture attention. Their immense size makes them recognizable across busy roads, highways, parking lots, and hundreds of other public places. Reproduce a giant logo in exact detail as an individual blow-up advertising balloon. You can also choose from a variety of shapes and images, provided they complement your logo clarity as well as quality. Of late, we can observe another trend for advertising company logos. Many business firms are making use of the human body to grab a hold over the market. Cunning Stunts Communications, a marketing firm in the United Kingdom, hires students to display temporary tattoos of logos on their foreheads for at least three hours a day in public. Cleveland-based ad firm Marcus Thomas recently hired young Bostonians to shave tire tread into their hair to promote Dunlop Tires. Such gimmicks often work for new companies that are trying to carve a niche for themselves.

Once a company logo design gains popular recognition, it will consequently generate a greater demand for its goods and services. It is not possible to register sky-high popularity without adopting some really big tactics. So give free rein to your dreams and take a giant leap towards making your logo “really large”!

Read more: It’s Your Logo: Make It Large!

Content Management at Warp Speed

The new version of Bitrix Site Manager 5.1 is here with a 40% increase in operating speed, globally tested and verified and optimized. Bitrix Site Manager is the flagship product of Bitrix, Inc., the leading developer of Content Management Software for managing web projects and is used widely around the world with client websites including Harpers Bazaar and Cosmopolitan.

Bitrix Site Manager is delivered in source code, and was developed in PHP, Site Manager will run on any Windows or UNIX platform with MySQL, Oracle, Oracle XE, MSSQL or MSSQL Express as the back end database. With 80% of the clients utilizing MySQL it is no surprise that Bitrix is also a MySQL certified partner.

Bitrix Site Manager 5.1 includes 21 modules for managing all aspects of a website and there is no need to be a web professional with a completely redesigned user interface that allows new users to become familiar with site management in a matter of hours. Aside from the Main Module and Site Explorer, there are also modules dealing with Workflow, managing your e-Store and a host of tools for web analytics, advertising, surveys and a helpdesk among many others.

Modules are accessed through a completely rebuilt Control Panel with more than 300 forms and pages redesigned with users enjoying the following features:

1 Smart Interface a new feature allowing for flexible user settings
2 Cutting edge AJAX technology for creating interactive web applications
3 Up to 40% increase in operating speed
4 Enhancements in product usability

Smart Interface has been developed to ease and improve effective web site management while at the same time keeping the feel and capabilities that existing clients are already familiar with. Whether you are new or experienced the Bitrix Site Manager 5.1 is easier to understand and utilize quickly and effectively while reducing web project expenses, reducing training and familiarization time and costs and eliminating mistakes due to frequently used operations being automated.

The Control Panel now has three mode tabs, Public, Edit Site and the familiar Control Panel. With Bitrix Site Manager 5.1 in Public mode you see the site as is, while in Edit mode the control areas are highlighted and utilize management tools for ease of use and there is incredibly fast switching between the three modes while even a tab bar can be placed in browser window.

Bitrix Site Manager 5.1 is the obvious choice for a CMS solution with a well documented API allowing partners to deliver small-scale and enterprise class web projects with decreased costs and delivering enhanced business opportunities. The ease of use of Bitrix Site Manager 5.1 does not mean there has been a sacrifice in the delivery of complex and advanced web projects such as e-commerce facilities, flexible workflow, web analytics, and a helpdesk facility to provide a leading edge technology solution to clients.

Bitrix Site Manager 5.1 is also secure and it is constantly reviewed, checked and monitored by external web security specialists so the delivery of an effective, cost reducing CMS solution for clients is not impaired and the requirement for secure ecommerce is not compromised.

For ecommerce sites, there is an Affiliate module, contained within the e Store module, to enable the setting up and management of fully functional affiliate and dealer networks. Affiliates derive benefits from commission or fees based on volume of products sold or on the whole sales volume delivered.

You are now also able to manage blogs and forums and filter out and delete obscene comments before they become public on your site. All Bitrix Site Manager 5.1 editions allow import and export of data from /to the information blocks in CSV format allowing communication with MS Excel for instance. Forum and Newsletter modules are included in the Small Business edition while IT managers will be pleased to see that the Enterprise Edition has an AD/LDAP module to simplify life.

Read more: Content Management at Warp Speed

Avoid These Web Site Design And Writing Gaffles

Is your website doomed before it even gets off the ground?
A badly-designed website can turn off potential customers
before they even think about buying your product. Here are
some website design mistakes that you should avoid.

Read more: Avoid These Web Site Design And Writing Gaffles

History of Graphic Design

he dawn of the 20th century brought with it an era of
inspirational evolution of human expression, and from this
innovation the term ‘graphic designer’ emerged as a by-
product. From the ancient caves of Lascaux in 13,000 B.C.
to the present day billboards of NYC, these elements of
creative art are all significant milestones in the history
of graphic design and its related contemporaries.

he history of graphic design can be traced back from the
birth of graphic images on the walls of Lascaux in 13,000
BC with the beginning of written language. These were perhaps
the two biggest landmarks in the history of graphic design,
which further led to the production of graphic designing
on a broader level.

Graphic Design HistoryBy 650 B.C. the ancient Greeks started
using large diameter punches to imprint images and designs
onto coins and tokens. This episode in the history of graphic
design led to the discovery of moveable types or typefaces
used to print books. Around 1040, Chinese inventor Bi Sheng
invented moveable types with Chinese text on it. When used
with ink, these typefaces could easily print monographic
images of the texts into many copies without much labor.
However, it was only around 1450 that the history of graphic
Graphic Design Historydesign witnessed the greatest phase
of progression, when a German inventor Johannes Gutenberg
introduced moveable types in Europe that made the books
widely available. The history of graphic design then did
not see any significant development until the Arts and
Crafts movement in the late 19th century. By then, chapters
in the history of graphic design evolved into different
forms of mass communication including typography, image
development and page layout.

Though the history of graphic design cannot be ignored in
today’s fast paced age of globalization and consumer
advertising, its roots have definitely been forgotten.

Article written by Jeff Allen.

Read more: History of Graphic Design

Tables are still more practical than pure CSS

There has been a fad recently in web design that involves replacing every table tag with a div tag. Well, what are the practical benefits to this?

Well, there aren’t really any real-life benefits to it. The general rule of coding in web design is to keep things clean and simple. It may at first seem that CSS fills this requirement due to the simple XHTML its designs require, but don’t be fooled. It’s one thing to use the CSS to replace the same elements that will be used all over the place. But it’s another issue entirely if you take little bits and pieces of code out of the page and bury it some huge .css file, then try to figure it all out two months later when you want to edit it.

What about cross-compatibility? Not so good with too much CSS. Sometimes, CSS can’t even get text styles consistent across major browsers. Microsoft is always adding MS-only non-standard features, and it’s generally a nightmare to get more complex things to work correctly in IE. Cross-compatibility is not an option for more complex CSS-only sites.

CSS-only designs are primarily to separate the design from the content. But if you ever go back to edit the design it means hours of trying to figure out what styles applied to what content and so forth. So the bottom line is that, contrary to what the css zealots say, avoid at all costs using CSS divs on a site wide basis.

Read more: Tables are still more practical than pure CSS

A solution to your graphic design needs – Rextag

Rextag Strategies is a San Diego website design company, a name familiar on the market because of its achievements in what concerns work related to company branding: logos, business cards, flyers, brochures, websites and much more. In case you didn’t know, it’s time you found out that San Diego is nowadays almost famous for the creativity of its citizens, which lead to the birth of a lot of “creative advertising boutiques”. However, Rextag is different and this article wants to prove it.

Graphic design San Diego and advertising strategies are Rextag Strategies’ strongest and most important services offered to its clients with the contribution of an original, hard working team, fully specialized in both professional design concepts and technical issues. Not all San Diego website design companies have the same professional principles when working with clients. For example, Rextag professionals always know that the final product is very important as it has to be representative for the company, eye-catching, but also to permit obtaining measurable results. In other companies, the graphic design San Diego is seen as an artistic work, the designers following only the appearance issues and not giving much importance to the market results of the promotional ads.

People who have seen work done by Rextag Strategies have probably been pleasantly surprised by the friendly tonality of all their materials and the depth understanding of their clients’ needs. Talking to some of their business partners we have found out that “among all the San Diego website design companies I have worked with, Rextag Strategies is by far the best and I really like its employees because of the care and attention they pay to their work”. Another client stated that: “If you are looking for graphic design San Diego, San Diego companies seem to be very professional at first, but I was disappointed by a lot of them. Rextag provided exactly what I was looking for. While some people I worked with didn’t understand my work and weren’t able to deliver the right message to the targeted audience, working with Rextag Strategies has definitely changed the opinion I used to have about graphic design in San Diego. They were very creative, very patient, they worked hard to acknowledge as much as possible our business and they delivered the right product”.

So, if your business requires some creativity, take your chance with Rextag Strategies and your company’s image will improve for sure. They will provide your business with anything you need from: flyers, postcards, business cards, ads and logos to brochures and books, all professionally designed according to your desires. Rextag.com is also a San Diego website design company that can also perform graphic design San Diego when a websites has to be built to extend someone’s business online. In a few words, they have everything you need!

Read more: A solution to your graphic design needs – Rextag

Choosing the best graphic design San Diego Company

In the century of information, of high speed internet and marketing, many San Diego Marketing Companies are trying to keep up with all the new trends in the business by doing their best for all those millions of people that are using the internet and its resources on a daily basis. In the business of graphic design San Diego has a lot to offer through its website design and internet marketing companies. For almost any company, no matter the domain, the reasonable thing to do nowadays is to take the business online as well and create the best image for that business. However, in order to obtain the right image, the desired one for your business it is important to find a San Diego website design company that can suit your needs and expectations perfectly.

Online graphic design San Diego is the answer to the needs of every company in search of the right image and of positive feedback from its clients and business partners. When it comes to San Diego website design, online marketing and graphic design, San Diego proves to be the ideal place to find such a company. Searching for the ideal San Diego website design company means finding a reliable company which can design and build great websites also have the marketing strategies it takes to make your business successful. If a poorly made website can be expensive as well as bad for your reputation, a good website can be the key to your business’s success.

One thing must be kept in mind when promoting your company online: the image of your business equals its success and the best image equals profit. So it is very important that the image you choose to create for your business reflects exactly your vision upon your own business and the vision you want to implement in the minds of your clients and business partners. It is also important that the San Diego website design company you decide to work with can really understands the message you want to send out and is able to capture the essence of your business because its meaning is to make your business grow.

This is why the right San Diego website design Company must be carefully chosen by following a few easy steps. First, it is important to have as much information possible on the website design company’s background, meaning answering a few questions, such as: for how long it has been in the business, does it have references and a portfolio, can it meet the most sophisticated needs, and does it have the proper staff to do that and so on. Then, make sure you research each candidate company’s work, in order to evaluate their potential and of course decide whether that company can meet your needs, whether it has the necessary resources to do it, whether its services are exactly what you are looking for. Another important step is meeting face-to-face with the candidate company. This is important, but not imperative. This way, you can find out more necessary information about that company, such as its size and number of employees, but you can also waste a lot of time and money. Of course, the decision is yours. It can also be a perspective on how the working relationship would be and an answer to the question whether the company shares your vision, but if your time is limited, you can rely on the information provided on the portfolio webpage of their site.

Rextag Strategies is a cutting edge graphic design San Diego Company that invites you to “Let your dreams fly!” Their motto is: “delivering results!” which underlines the importance this company grants to the needs and goals of its clients. This company has a deep understanding of how the internet can really bring success to a business. With a personal approach to graphic design, Rextag Strategies meets the most sophisticated needs in website design, and manages to create elegant, unique websites that reflect the client’s vision as well as its own. Rextag Strategies is a company that has a great interest in the satisfaction of its clients and their positive feedback, and this is the reason it is such a successful company.

Website design is not only a business created especially to bring success, but it is also an art. A website is not only a pretty picture, as it is not only a load of impersonal information. When creating a website the process involves intelligence, the correct use of the information, a good marketing strategy and a lot of hard work, but it also involves passion, creativity, artistic skills and the capacity to understand and interpret a message and a vision. In order to have the best feedback, simplicity is the key. A good website is easy to navigate, it has a menu, a map or a list that can help the visitor – and sometimes possible business partner – and makes at least a good first impression on your business. The clearer the content of the site, the better the feedback you receive will be.

So, make your business known on the World Wide Web, make yourself a good website and receive positive feedback from old clients and business partners or increase your traffic by using the services offered by rextag.com. Choose one of the best graphic design San Diego companies, Rextag Strategies and be amazed how helpful the internet can be to the growth of your business.

Read more: Choosing the best graphic design San Diego Company

Multicultural Management

The values structure is represented through the motivational domains. Further, while we anticipate universality in the values structure, i.e. the set of values reflecting a particular motivational domain will remain constant, the relative importance of different domains to specific cultural groups is expected to vary. Cultural variation is reflected through these differences. The central question then concerns the appropriate cultural grouping or layer to reflect these motivational domain differences as they relate to business practices and outcomes.

Cultural differences present themselves in the very basics of everyday lives. Cultural opacity takes place when a cultural concept is unique to a culture. This may occur when some culturally defined concepts are transposed from one cultural setting to another. For instance, the American concept of “privacy” sounds more like an alien notion than an individual right to many Chinese, whose culture lacks a similar social norm. And “program,” a popular term in the U.S., may not translate into an exact Chinese equivalent because the English word has different meanings in different contexts, some of which do not exist in China. Regarding business management, American culture has nurtured a series of methodologies designated as classical, behavioral, and modelling, while Chinese management, to some extent, absorbs nutrition from ancient Chinese cultural wisdom.

Chinese firms have drawn insights from a horse racing legend in which a commoner, whose three horses (the best, the middling, and the slowest) were all a bit slower than the three horses belonging to the king, won two out of the three races because he raced his slowest horse against the king’s fastest (resulting in a loss), his middling horse against the king’s worst, and his best against the king’s middling horse.

Read more: Multicultural Management

Mystery of the Soul Part 5

Basically, Baby, Infant and Young souls do not have as yet coordinated personalities and their souls are often governed by the lower instincts and impulses of their personality. Mature and Old souls are more in control and their personalities are integrated and functioning under the direction of the Higher Self, the Soul. At each stage and level the soul’s consciousness level expands. It becomes more spiritually aware. Almost all prophets were Old souls. They gave teachings to the younger ones that eventually was misunderstood by them and created into dogmas. Young souls are incapable of spiritually guiding Old souls. Young souls merely believe that which they feel to be true; Old souls know what they know. Young souls guess, Old souls perceive. It is said that Infant souls learn their karmic lessons through suffering; Baby souls through pain; Young souls through losing; Mature souls through anguish; and Old souls through terror.

There is one principle that ought to be understood, and that is the appropriateness of activity and expression of souls no matter what stage they are on. It is alright for a Baby soul to act as a baby, but for an Adult soul to act as one is inappropriate and is retrogressive. It is possible to draw a correspondence between the three systems discussed above.

The eyes have long been considered as the windows of the soul. This is an occult fact. The soul’s age may be intuitively felt by its eye-emanations, by the way it gazes, the force and quality that it’s eyes radiates. Younger souls are said to have clear energetic eyes while older souls possess a deeper, worn-out, experienced look. Transcendental souls, or those bordering upon perfection, the Old souls, have eyes that radiates power, warmth, love, compassion, and sincerity. They often have a faraway look as though they were looking towards infinity. They have eyes that see through you.

The predominant soul age of the population of any country reflects upon its social life, its social mores, beliefs, and the perpetuation of its cultural and traditional values. A country’s soul-age can clearly be seen in how their internal and external diplomatic affairs are conducted, and how their people act in a crisis. A materialistic nation is basically composed of Young souls whereas a mystically-oriented society is comprised fundamentally of Old ones. Indonesia, the country where this writer lives is mainly composed of Infant and Baby souls; with a smaller percentage of Young souls trailing behind. Adult and Old souls are few in comparison.

TYPES OF SOULS

There are no two Monads exactly alike, just as there are no two Souls exactly of the same similarity. Each Monad, Soul, or entity are one of a kind, each a distinctive facet of the One Divinity, of the One Reality. Nevertheless, generally speaking, it is possible to broadly classify the psychological aspects of souls. There are many systems of classifying humanity based upon body type and psychological nature. Physically speaking, bodies may be classed as ectomorph, endomorph, and mesomorph; and psychologically as introverted or extroverted, etc. In metaphysics there are also various methods of classification. The astrological method seems to be the most popular one.

It is no coincidence that both the Chinese and Western astrological systems have twelve signs representing twelve types of men. However, esoteric astrology teaches that this sum is erroneous. According to the esoteric teachings there are actually 144 basic types. Exoterically speaking, since the characteristics of each sign, both Western and Chinese have been well-documented in books we will not trouble ourselves explaining them here.

Still related to astrology are the planetary types. This gets its name from the planets of our solar system and the sun and moon, although the latter two are not technically planets. Below we list the positive and negative characteristics of these planetary types of men (excluding the Plutonian, for much is still not yet known of this type) as extracted from Michael’s Handbook:

The Moon or Lunar Type

Positive: Calm, methodical, passive, patient, tenacious, maternal, sympathetic, and receptive.

Negative: Moody, introspective, cold-hearted, incommunicative, willfull, stubborn, unforgiving, depressive, and destructive.

The Sun or Solar Type

Positive: Radiant, creative, elegant, dignified, refined, innocent, fun-loving, and childlike.

Negative: Airy, aloof, intolerant, naïve, indiscriminate, greedy, and juvenile.

The Mercurian Type

Positive: Intellectually active, perceptive, witty, clever, versatile, and clarity of expression.

Negative: Inconsistent, impulsive, explosive, nervous, sarcastic, argumentative, and cynical.

The Venusian Type

Positive: Harmonious, socially warm, loving, gentle, non-judgmental, loyal, easy-going, and friendly.

Negative: Lazy, dependent, indecisive, careless, sentimental, and sloppy.

The Martian Type

Positive: Vigorous, energetic, passionate, decisive, brutally honest, heroic nature, and forthright.

Negative: Impulsive, irritable, pugnacious, defensive, quarrelsome, brutal, rude, lacking forethought.

The Jupiterian Type

Positive: Grand, generous, benevolent, compassionate, kind, loyal, caring, affectionate, and philosophical.

Negative: Self-indulgent, extravagant, conceited, wasteful, and craving attention.

The Saturnian Type

Positive: Paternal, calm, secretive, just, moderate, and self-controlled.

Negative: Immutable, inflexible, overly intellectual, despondent, severe, aloof, and feelingless.

The Neptunian Type

Positive: Spiritual, quiet, idealistic, imaginative, sensitive, graceful, and artistically creative.

Negative: Impractical, unworldly, uncertain, and melancholy

The Uranian Type

Positive: Independent, original, strong-willed, loathing restriction, and humanitarian.

Negative: Eccentric, rebellious, and deviant.

***************

7-Ray Types

Aside from the methods of classification above, the 7- Ray types have acquired popularity in recent years with the teachings of the early Theosophical leaders and the writings of Alice Bailey. The study of the Seven Rays is an abstruse subject and there is much concerning it that has not yet been revealed by the Spiritual Masters. Nevertheless, that which has already been given to humanity in the Alice Bailey teachings are substantial and it takes more than mere intellect to apprehend them.

Before briefly explaining the Seven Ray types, it would be appropriate to clarify matters regarding the Rays. We will attempt to present this simply, in accord with our present understanding of the subject. What are these Rays? Every object, entity, being, and particle radiates energy. The Sun in our solar system radiates tremendous amount of cosmic energies for the purpose of nourishing the planets and all beings therein. The Spiritual Sun, or the Spirit of the Sun, radiates a spiritual energy of a certain quality. This energy has three aspects to it and four attributes, just as the physical light spectrum has three primary colors and four lesser ones. Each aspect and attribute of this primary spiritual energy in turn have specific qualities. These seven differentiations of the primary energy of the Sun are called the Seven Rays. These Seven Rays are much higher in frequency than those detectable by our present scientific instruments.

Every component in the microcosm of man is predominantly imbued by one of the Seven Rays. The physical body, for instance may be ruled by one of the Seven Rays, the emotional or astral body may be ruled by another. When the four lower bodies of the microcosm functions in harmony their ruling Rays are in turn coordinated by one specific Ray. When this occurs there are three ruling Rays in the microcosm of man to consider: the Ray ruling the Monad (the Spirit), the Ray ruling the Soul, and the Ray ruling the Personality. Each microcosm, or each human being as a totality, may not have the same ruling Rays. For instance, one person’s personality may be ruled by the second ray, another the third, or fourth, etc.

A study of these Rays help us to understand the Soul’s make-up, its potentialities, its weaknesses and strengths, its quirks, and karmic destiny. One’s Ray type/s may be considered as the nature of the power assumed in order for one to play one’s role in the cosmic scheme of things. The Seven Rays have spiritual, psychological and physical attributes, powers, and virtues. Their characteristics are represented by the seven fields of endeavor:

[Please visit this page for table: http://www.indotalisman.com/mystsoul.html]

Each Ray may be perfectly or imperfectly expressed, and thus would seem that they have positive and negative qualities. However, the Rays are actually neutral in nature. Some of their attributes are:

[Please visit this page for table: http://www.indotalisman.com/mystsoul.html]

The Seven Ray types of men are represented by the: King-First Ray, Sage-Second Ray, Server-Third Ray, Artisan-Fourth Ray, Scholar-Fifth Ray, Priest-Sixth Ray, Warrior-Seventh Ray.

We regret that we are not able to elaborate upon the teachings of the Rays and how the raw data given above adds up together. To do so would go beyond the scope of this paper. We advice those who wish to delve further to study the teachings of Alice Bailey and her modern interpreters.

SOUL AND IMMORTALITY

Immortality in a religious sense, is the conception of the survival or continuation of self-identity, self-awareness, and all of the soul’s innate qualities and attributes through the “Great Initiation,” as death is sometimes called. Some conceive immortality as a potential condition to be attained by the individual through good works and moral living; others believe that immortality is an innate state of the soul. Immanuel Kant (1724-1804), the German philosopher, defined immortality of the soul thus:

“The immortality of the soul means the infinitely prolonged existence of one and the same rational being.”

The above statement implies that Kant believed souls would perceive and rationally understand themselves to be the same as they were in the mortal state.

Among the people of ancient cultures, the Egyptians were perhaps the first to give credence to immortality. For the departed they formulated specific rituals that would guide those souls in the many events of the afterworld, such as the Judgement in the Hall of Osiris. It was believed that their angel of death, the god Anubis, would assist the newly deceased to pass over to the Otherside where in the Judgement Hall it would be weighed on the scales against Maat, or Truth.

The famed “Book of the Dead” was a guide for the Ba, the soul, written in hieroglyphics upon the walls of the tomb so that the soul would know the things awaited it and what it had to do. That immortality was a salient point in Egyptian beliefs may be seen by one of the inscriptions found on a wall of a Fifth-Dynasty tomb:

“They depart not as those who are dead, but they depart as those who are living.”

The belief that the soul survived the body and its eventual return was one of the exoteric reasons that the Egyptians mummified their dead thus preserving it from deterioration. However, the real reason why cadavers were mummified is yet undisclosed. That they did not really expect their departed to return to the same body and be resurrected therein can be seen by their practice of the removal of the internal organs and placing them in special urns. If the body was to be reused they certainly would not have evacuated the internal organs. The practice of mummification is analogous to our modern practice of cryogenics in which newly deceased bodies are frozen. There is always a hope among men that future technology would be able to resurrect the dead. What motivates men to preserve the dead body is the instinctive desire for immortality. Men have always believed that a future life is possible, whether in this dimension or in some other realms. Cicero once wrote that,

“There is in the minds of men, I know not how, a certain presage of a future existence; and this takes deepest root in the greatest geniuses and most exalted souls.”

Why is the immortality of the soul believed in so emphatically in most religions and philosophical thought? In ancient times man was considered to be a dual creature. He had a physical body that was tangible and corporeal; however the ancients also recognized the fact that man had feelings and thoughts, and this was related to an intangible factor that they conceived of as spirit or soul. In addition to this, the many supernatural phenomena such as hauntings and psychic contacts convinced man that the soul was indeed immortal and survive the death of the physical body. To the ancients, another factor that gave credence to immortality is that the life-force accompanies the breath when man as a newly-born child makes its first inhalation, and that they also depart simultaneously at the time of death. The soul was conceived of as being released together with the last breath. Since the breath is indestructible, so likewise was the soul. The living body breathes, the dead does not. Many cultures used the same word to mean both breath and soul, or life-essence. The ancient Greeks for instance used the word, “pneuma” to designate the breath and likewise the vital force that animates man. They also used the word psyche to designate the mind and soul.

Another concept of immortality is that the soul was never created and that it had always existed though its consciousness may not be as developed as it is now. What has no beginning has no end. Whatever had an inception is conceived to have a termination. In the Phaedo, Plato has Socrates arguing for the immortality of the soul.

It is said that the belief in immortality is a direct extension of man’s instinct of self-preservation. All creatures struggle to survive, to maintain the life-force; all of man’s finer instincts imbues within him the sense of the continuity of self-identity notwithstanding the transitory process. It is instinctive in man to believe in a continuation of life rather than its cessation. Subconsciously man knows what the conscious mind only has a faintest realization. In “Ethics” Spinoza affirmed:

“We feel and know that we are eternal.”

From the scientific point of view, granted that the soul survives the physical form, it is still no assurance that it will maintain its integrity or structure forever. For instance, why is it that some religious doctrines believe that the soul may experience “the second death”? In what sense? Also, when the soul is considered to be immortal does this refer to its form or its essence? If its essence is considered immortal science would agree, for it knows that matter and energy are interchangeable one for the other and is essentially indestructible. Nothing is ever destroyed only converted or transmuted. However, as to the permanency of form, of structure–the structure of the soul–this is questionable. Another vital scientific inquiry would be, “Is self-identity and consciousness related to the essence, function, or form of the soul?”

Copyright © 2006 Luxamore

Read more: Mystery of the Soul Part 5

Internet Marketing: Getting Started

The phrase “internet marketing” is one that is quite broad to say the least. The fact of the matter is that internet marketing may mean one thing to you, but to another it could paint a different picture entirely. But although you may see this as a problem, it is actually a good thing. This means that internet marketing is a vast industry that can be tackled in a number of different ways.

If you want to get started with internet marketing you will need to learn a bit more about this industry. First off, why do you need internet marketing skills? The main reason for this is if you own a website. When you have a website you will want to drive traffic to it. And of course, internet marketing is the best way that this can be done.

When it comes to getting started with internet marketing, you should gather as much information as possible. This is a popular topic, and for this reason you should not have any problems finding plenty of information both on and offline. Just make sure that when you are searching for internet marketing information that you are getting it from people who are knowledgeable.

If internet marketing is a bit out of your realm, your next best bet is to get in touch with a firm that specializes in this. There are many companies that will work on your behalf to make sure that your internet marketing campaign is a success. Sure, you will have to pay for this service, but in the end you will more than make your money back.

As you can imagine, getting started with internet marketing is only the tip of the iceberg. After you have decided that you need to form a marketing campaign, you will then need to look into all of your options. As mentioned above, internet marketing is a large field and you can do many things to make this work to your advantage.

Overall, to learn about internet marketing you will want to do your own research and also consider hiring a firm to work on your behalf.

Read more: Internet Marketing: Getting Started

Creating Your Wedding Day Emergency Kit

Items To Have On-Hand All Day
These articles are things that you should have in your purse or have given to someone that will be easy to find all day long, like your Maid of Honor or your Mother. You will find that you’ll be very thankful that you have all of them, even if it turns out that they weren’t utilized.
-Hair Brush
-Nail File
-A Pair of Panty Hose
-Hair Spray (make sure that the cap is on tight and it has a lid)
-Mints or breath strips
-Small Mirror (nonbreakable)
-Bobby Pins
-Handkerchief
-Perfume (just a little on a cotton ball, stored in a tiny ziplock bag)
-Makeup

Items for General Maintainence
Have these items in a handy place for yourself and your bridesmaids. I think that you will find that most of the woman sharing in your big day could find use for a lot of these products.
-Straight Pins for Corsages
-Cotton Balls and Q-Tips
-Comfy and Pretty Slippers
-Makeup (Bronzers or multi colored beads that will add color to any complexion)
-Nail Polish (Excellent fix for runs in hosiery)
-Black marker for scuffs on rented shoes
-Spot Remover (test it on a swatch before using)
-Static Release Spray
-Extra Garter
-Chalk (Covers dress mishaps)
-Wrinkle Release Spray (test it on a swatch before using)
-Lint Roller
-Sewing Kit:
1. Buttons
2. Needle
3. Thread that matches the wedding dress, bridal party dresses, tuxes
4. Safety pins
5. Scissors

Toiletry Kits for Restrooms
Put these items in pretty baskets, decorated to match your color scheme. Place them in the Men’s and Women’s bathrooms. Your guests will thank you for being so thoughtful.
-Aspirin and Ibuprofen
-Band-Aids
-Saline Solution
-Deodorant (Spray, just in case you need to share)
-Eye Drops
-Unscented Lotion
-Moist Towelettes
-Smelling Salts
-Tampons and Pads
-Tissues
-Mouthwash
-A couple of diapers for small attendants or guests
-Tums or Rolaids
-Odorless Insect Repellant (For outdoor ceremonies)
-Suntan Lotion

You just never know
Hopefully you won’t need any of these, but just in case, take them along and you can be sure that any oversights will not lead to a disaster.
-A small amount of cash
-Identification
-Umbrella
-Watch
-Dry Snacks (granola bars, raisins, M&M’s, nuts)
-Duct Tape (For quick repairs to decorations, or to control unruley garments)
-Disposable Camera
-Bottled Water
-Maps or directions to the reception
-No-Slip pads for the soles of new shoes
-List of contacts and phone numbers including family, the wedding party, florist, DJ, Caterer, etc.

You can’t go wrong! With this complete kit, everyone in your party and your guests will have all the OOPS covered. No Sweat! Have an incredible and worry-free wedding day.

Read more: Creating Your Wedding Day Emergency Kit

Build a Business Website in Two Days with WordPress

Many small businesses think they have to spend thousands of dollars and weeks of development time to have a functional website for their small business. But this is an outdated way to think about web design.

These days, there are a variety of content-management tools available to simplify website creation and management. WordPress is one of those tools. Yes, WordPress, the blogging system. Did you know you can also use WordPress as a full-featured website? It’s true. You can create a highly functional, easy-to-manage website using only WordPress and a bit of technical know-how.

* And you can do it in a matter of days, instead of weeks.
* And your costs could range from $50 to $500, instead of thousands.

A Business Website in Two Days
Not convinced? Need evidence? I understand. For the longest time, small businesses have been told that web development takes a long time and requires a lot of money. Thousands of web design firms make their bread and butter off this notion, and they are cursing me right now for writing this article.

But I’m a big fan of giving people options, so I want you to know that this web design option exists.

Here’s a step-by-step approach I have used many times to create a business website from scratch, in only two days time.

Step 1 – Register Domain Name and Get Web Hosting
Using a company like GoDaddy, this can be done in about one hour. The domain registry costs $10 per year, and the hosting costs about $7 per year. Total cost for web domain and web hosting for one year = $94.

Step 2 – Install a MySQL Database on Web Host
This sounds complicated, but it’s a five-minute operation on GoDaddy (one of many reasons I use them). I would go into the database section of the hosting control panel, select “create database,” and then give it a name and password. Total time spent: 10 minutes.

Step 3 – Install WordPress on Web Host
WordPress is free, so there’s no cost involved with this step. I would simply open a configuration file, insert the database name and password I created in the last step, and then upload the entire WordPress program onto the web host. Total time spent: 12 minutes (mostly waiting for files to upload).

Step 4 – Launch and Configure WordPress
When all the WordPress files are uploaded to the web host, I’m ready to run the installation process. This takes about 12 seconds, so we won’t even count it on our time tally. I would then change the URL / linking structure to make it more search engine-friendly (1 minute), add some categories (2 minutes) and other minor tweaks (5 minutes). Total time spent: 8 minutes.

Step 5 – Customization and Appearance
I want this website to look professional and unique, so I would create a custom logo for it, arrange its layout for usability and readability, tweak the colors, etc. Granted, this step requires some graphical knowledge (for logo) and web coding skills (to arrange the site’s layout), but it still only takes half a day. You could pay somebody to handle this setup process for just a few hundred dollars. Total time spent: 5 hours.

Step 6 – It’s Time for Content
Now comes the most important part. I need to create some initial content for my website. I say “initial” because I plan to add new content on a weekly basis (the WordPress system makes this easy to do, by the way). I want to start with a few pages of content about my services, some content for the home page, etc. Total time spent: 1 day.

So let’s recap. I’ve just created a multi-page business website (with a blog built in), I’ve created some initial content to get me started, and I have a content-management system that allows me to add new pages and blog posts as easily as I would type an email.

* Total time spent: 2 days
* Total cost for me: $94 (because I did the work myself)

Like I said, if you don’t have the technical / graphical skills to accomplish the things on this list, you could hire somebody to help you. In the end, you’ll pay a lot less than you would pay for a traditional, programming-heavy (“bulky”) website. And you’ll have your website in a matter of days, instead of weeks or months. Best of all, you’ll be able to manage certain aspects of it, because the content-management tool is built right in.

Some web design firms will tell you it can’t be done, that it takes weeks to build a website. But I’ve just shown you it can, haven’t I?

* You may republish this article online if you keep the author’s byline and the active hyperlinks below.

Read more: Build a Business Website in Two Days with WordPress