Approachnet Inc., a company web design firm located in Boca Raton, Florida has graciously donated the development of the official Boca Raton high school Bobcats football team website. http://www.bobcatstogetherwewill.org/. Together with the team’s representatives, Approachnet created a full functioning website which provides important information such as scores, stats, directions to games, photos, rosters, upcoming events and more. The site is a great way for students, parents and fans to keep in touch with all things Bobcats Football! Continue reading »
19
March
Google Maps and Google Local Business Listings
In recent years the most popular and most widely used search engine, Google has started providing multiple services in addition to its great search engine on the web. Some of the most commonly used Google tools are the Google Business Listing and Google Maps services. You may have noticed or used the Local Google Business Listings yourself when doing web searches for businesses in your local area or nearby for certain types of services.
11
March
Question… Who Owns a Domain Name?
If you are a new ecommerce web design client or are inquiring about getting a website designed for your business, then one of the first things that will be asked of you is to brainstorm and come up with a Domain Name that will be associated with your website. What is a domain name, you ask? A domain name is the place to which you will go to find your website on the Internet. For easier understanding just note a domain name is what comes after the “www.” You must secure a domain name if you want the graphics and other components that make up your website to be displayed correctly online.
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5
March
How HTML5 may change the Web HTML5 could spawn richer, more dynamic websites
Many folks who are just tuning into the HTML5 saga because of the battle between Adobe and Apple are surprised to learn that the push to create a fifth official version of the HTML specification began six years ago. And that’s just the first half of the story because the latest implementations, while nice, are far from standards. The HTML5 demos from Apple, for instance, are impressive, but they only run well on Safari.
29
February
Florida Web Design: Ask the Right Questions to Pre-Qualification
Here are a few questions that may help pre-qualify a potential client:
- What product/service do you provide? What is your business?
- Why are you planning to develop a web site?
- Do you currently have a web site, or is this your first web site?
- What is the goal of the project?
- What domain name would the client like to use? (.com, org. net etc?) What are two to three alternative domain names in case the first choice is already taken. Have they done a search to verify that the name is available?
- Are the client’s source materials in electronic form, and if so, does the designer need to handle file conversions? The designer may need to educate the client about how to submit materials in as consistent and compatible formats as possible. If necessary, the designer should provide the client with a variety of different options and be prepared to convert files if necessary.
- Does the web site require advanced functionality, such as database functionality (Microsoft SQL, mySQL, Access, Filemaker Pro, Oracle Server)? Does the site need to be coded in a special programming language such as Microsoft ASP, .NET, ASP.NET or PHP? Continue reading »
27
September
10 Web Design Features that we’d Love to See Disappear Forever and Why
Over the years numerous web design features have been created and implemented on the web that may have seemed cool at the time. However, today they seem outdated and even annoying to most users of the Internet. What may have seemed trendy and popular then now only displays how old and outdated the web design of your web site is compared to newer, trendier ones. We always tell clients who are happy with their older-looking web sites that, while they may still think it meets their needs, it probably pales in comparison to the more recently updated web sites of other businesses in their industries. More and more people have realized that the site design that they had in 1999 might not be “keeping up with the times,” and have opted to refresh their presence on the Internet. Even still, you will come across these types of trends and features all the time. Many of the folks that create their own sites without the knowledge that comes with years of success in the field go overboard and include a host of features thinking that they are neat, funny, and showcase their talents in web design. In actuality, a web site that meets the needs of the business, is easily navigable, and has the ability to grow is considered an effective web site. Approachnet has over a decade of experience as a web design company and we specialize in not only web site design, but also in SEO – Search engine optimization for relevant keywords and web hosting. We thought it would be interesting to compile a list of all of some common pitfalls and poke a little lighthearted fun at our own industry. Continue reading »
Keep a couple Save the Date Magnets near your workspace to get your projects and campaigns completed in a timely manner.