New Web Site!
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Hello everyone! I have just finished up my website for abSketches. http://www.absketches.com all renderings are done with sketchup & Podium then finished off with Photoshop. All C&C welcome!
Thanks!
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Nice job, I really like the layout, could use some more renders. So how do you like Podium 2, I've been away from it for awhile now. Did you do your own coding for your site or use some software?
Mike
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I like the simple, elegant layout... my only suggestion would be to shrink the overall size of the site to fit monitors running 1024x768. the majority of users will be able to see it that way.
also speaking from SEO experience, you'll want to build some text heavy pages behind this to build keyword density for search traffic. simply talk about what you know and title pages with keyword specific words.
good job, the site looks very professional...
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Thank you guys!
Alpro: I really like V2 a lot. Still has a few small bugs, but overall its a very simple plugin that produces even better results. I used Dreamweaver to build my website and Photoshop for the imported page images.
Krisidious: I agree with the sizing. I have recieved the same feedback from a few other people. As for text, is there a way to inbed keywords behind the scenes? All of my text currently is imported as a PNG...
Thanks again guys!
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@krisidious said:
...my only suggestion would be to shrink the overall size of the site to fit monitors running 1024x768. the majority of users will be able to see it that way.
Or you could put people viewing sites on a 1024x768 monitor in the same category as people that [still] use IE6 and just ignore them!
Yes, some people cannot see your site [properly], but it makes building a site fun again
You could change the .png's to medium quality jpg's though, the visual change is barely noticeable, but your server will like it more
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Great design
From a search engine's point of view, the images do not contain valuable information (as search engines do not yet read pixels). The same goes for people using text-only browsers or screenreaders or other accessibility tools (that kind of absolute interoperability was the idea behind html). Have you had a look into CSS3? Similar text effects might also possible with CSS3, which fails gracefully in older browsers. At least, you could make sure that your menu entries have alternative attributes like alt="Renderings".
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Thanks guys! Ive been doing some research on how to create some meta descriptions and keywords. Ill be working on that this weekend.
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@aerilius said:
Great design
From a search engine's point of view, the images do not contain valuable information (as search engines do not yet read pixels).
not completely true... while the pixel does not contain information... the alt text does, and the name of the file is important. alt text is very important and every graphic on your site should have it.
and as far as ignoring 1024x768... that would not be wise as more than 50% of people still use it. as well as most people with square monitors...
so you have a choice, have 50% of people not viewing your site fully or have everyone see the whole page in one window... easy choice to make.
think least common denominator.
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also I would recommend making a link section for your website... go out every day and find just a few websites that you would recommend to your visitors. and link to them... then go out and find websites you would recommend and e-mail them and ask them to trade links with you. do not put the link to theses sites up until they agree.
Google likes to see you linking to people that DO NOT link to you... that means the info found there tends to be more valuable. they also understand and somewhat approve of link trading although it is moving away. which usually tends to be less valuable and more of a deal made between webmasters.
spare an area for about 10 small links or banners along the bottom of your home page, this will be for big trades... find others in your industry who are at the top of the search results for websites in your demographic, ask them to trade home page links... then ask them to make the link to you read "keyword" and be a link to you... like links to me I want to say "Custom House Plans" this is read by Google as one Vote for your site from this site for this keyword... and since they rank high, it's a valuable vote.
try to trade a few links every single day... just a few, don't go over board and don't spam the world... it doesn't work and you'll get your e-mail address and website blacklisted. it won't be over night, but slowly you'll start to build a web presence and after a year or two you'll have real organic traffic.
also Google tends to list and index sites quicker who are running Google Adsense... I would not suggest putting google adsense on your home page, as it looks so clean and professional right now... however I would suggest adding google adsense to the other pages on your site. it helps get listed and also helps pay for servers...
also I would suggest signing up here Google's Webmaster Tools... having a personal relationship with each search engine for your website will help you greatly. each search engine will have a similar site to describe their idea of the perfect webpage and the more you do to please each of them... the farther you'll go in search traffic.
one last bit of advice... do not invest any money what-so-ever in your website... if you find something you think might help you, come discuss it here on this thread and I'll talk you out of it.
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WOW! Thank you very much. I only wish I understoon everything you said a little better. Im very new to web design and honestly just tought myself recently. I really want to understand the whole search criteria better and have been doing a good bit of research in order to better understand. Your information is a great referencing point for my ongoing learning curve. I cant express enough how much I love and enjoy what I do. In order to do it more.... I need more clients. Thank you again for all your generous help!!!
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no problem... doing what you love will ensure your success. use this thread as a home base for your questions and we'll all try and help as best we can.
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I made a lot of changes.
- Image file sizes are 80% smaller. Much faster load times.
- Added meta tags to all pages, as well as discriptions and keywords.
- Renamed all image files.
- Registered with all major search engines.
How important are directories? How difficult is it to register with them?
Is there a way to link to other websites without having a banner?
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looks good...
you don't have to trade banners and most or a lot of people will want a text link. it's all up to you and what you feel fits your site aesthetically...
I suggest making a link page and putting a directory of suggested company's links there.
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Thank you very much! Your help has been very useful!!
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Some useful links:
https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/home?hl=en
http://www.google.com/websiteoptimizer/b/
https://www.google.com/analytics/settings/The suggestions will not only be valid and relevant for Google search optimization but for any kind of improvement.
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