Creating Joomla TemplatesSometimes you may want to create your own Joomla template. It may be that you can't find that special layout that reflects your company's image in the manner that you would like. By being able to create your own design, you open up a whole new range of options. Before you start creating your Joomla template, you will want to have some idea of what you want. Don't go into it blind. You can use a variety of programs that will let you sketch out your ideas, similar to Photoshop, or you can even just sketch it with a pen and paper. It really doesn't matter what you use, just get your idea layout down so that you can refer to it when needed. This way you won't leave out any aspects that you really want to include. You will make sure that all of the look and features and elements are there. Next, you will want to decide what type of look that you want. There are actually two types. The first type allows your template to fit the browser. It will adjust its size to fit appropriately. The second type is a fixed sized template. There is no adjusting; it will always be the same size no matter what. With the fixed sized design, you will want to decide what the dimensions you will want it to be and where you want to place the different aspects. Just remember, with an adjustable design size, when someone maximizes the screen it could cause distortion in certain elements. So if you choose this type, make sure the other elements that you will be using will adjust accordingly. Now, you will need to determine the layout that you want. Decide what will go where and the like. Once you have decided this, next you will want to convert your vision into HTML code. This is where designing and making your own template can become a headache. You will also probably need to write a correlating CSS code to go along with it. At this point, if you need help, there are a variety of websites that can teach you how to write either code. The websites require interaction on your part to make sure that you are doing it right. You can also find websites that can teach you step-by-step how to work and write your own Joomla design. It teaches you what goes in which directory and the like. Remember, all aspects of the coding and the directories, as well as files, need to work together and if you leave an important part out, more than likely, it either won't work right or won't look right. After you have incorporated all the basics into your design, do a trial run to make sure that everything is working together and done the way that you want. If it is, you will be able to continue with adding modules and the like. If it's not, this is the perfect time to go back and fix it before all the access codes of modules and plugins interfere with the normal codes. Go to Joomla Template Zone to get your free ebook about Joomla Templates at Joomla Template. This website also has information on Create Joomla Template and everything that can assist you with building a website with this software. Come by today to get free ebooks and information to assist you today. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jared_Runcorn Labels: Creating Joomla Templates Learn About Commercial Joomla TemplatesJoomla templates let you define the style and layout of your website on both the back end and the front end. There are two different formats for Joomla templates: back end templates and front end templates. The front end templates let you decide the layout and style of the actual website that is visible to your viewers. The back end templates define the layout and style that the administrator, editor and super administrator will see when they log in to make changes to the website or just to check the information. Commercial templates are available all over the internet. All you have to do is search for them. Some websites require that you become a member and join the "club" to have access to the templates or you can just simply purchase them off of other websites. Joomlajunkie.com is an example of a "club" website where you can become a member of joomlajunkie and then you will have access to several different templates with unique and stylish features and layouts. The hits per layout are absolutely amazing, so you know that that same layout and style is definitely being used across the internet. Themejoomla.com offers commercial templates as well. For a single download, most templates cost $25. This is actually a fairly cheap and reasonable price for the template when you consider the amount of time and effort that it takes to create such a network of files and extensions that interact with each other to ensure that all aspects of the website work together and is designed the exact way that you want. Also, getting the website to work the way that you want is also difficult. $25 is a good price for a template. There is no limit to how long you can use a template. You can use the same template for years to come, so a $25 dollar investment for long term, unlimited use, is cheap. If you continue to search, you will find many more design template sites out there. Because this is an open source software, anyone can write modules, components, plugins, and templates that will work with the software. The initial download of the core software will give you the core components and necessary items to get you started. You can then build functionality with different extensions, such as templates, plugins and the alike. This is exactly why the available options for the Joomla software is widely available. The perfect template for your website is out there somewhere; however, if it is already available, 9 chances out of 10 there is another website that uses the same template as you have chosen. If you truly want a unique template that is a reflection of you or your company, you might want to consider hiring a designer who can write an original template for you website. This will guarantee that your website will be the only site that is using this design. Of course, you will have to pay the designer, but they will not be able to sell the design unless you confirm. Go to Joomla Template Zone to get your free ebook about Joomla Templates at Joomla Template. This website also has information on Commercial Joomla Templates and everything that can assist you with building a website with this software. Come by today to get free ebooks and information to assist you today. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jared_Runcorn Why Your Business Needs a WebsiteHaving a website nowadays is no longer viewed as a luxury; in fact it is now considered to be a necessity for many businesses. Whether you are operating your business mainly from the web or managing a predominantly land-based business, achieving internet presence is highly important. The growing number of web users year after year is another proof that the Internet is one excellent marketing tool and venue for any business. Nonetheless, getting a website is merely a single step of the entire process. Without a significant online presence, your site won't be able to attract enough traffic. Website design and the right online marketing tactics should go hand in hand, in order to generate quality and targeted traffic. Although website content is highly important, the design of your site is what compels a first-time visitor to stay attuned to your site and not to click somewhere else. Since your website needs to be optimized for the search engines, people will find it easier to look for your product and service offerings. Internet users prefer using search engines when using the services of the web. If your business site is easily found on the listings of major search engines, it will be easier for your target audience to stumble upon your goods and services as well. This helps build an Internet presence and generates brand awareness too. Search engine optimization can be done through various ways; however one of the most successful organic SEO tactics is keyword search and optimization. By analyzing and using the keywords used by your target market when searching for goods and services similar to yours, you are essentially helping your customers find your site. Other search engine optimization techniques include link list building, online advertising such as AdWords, and article submissions. Having a website is also an effective way to generate the benefits of Internet marketing. Your website will serve as your online store, where you can discuss about the merits of your business or the benefits offered by your products or services. Since the Internet is widely available in almost all countries all over the globe, this helps you expand your market share, even within a limited period of time. By getting a website for your business, you no longer need to worry about global boundaries and geographical limitations. If you want your business to attain growth and profitability without high expense, it's now time you consider getting a highly optimized website. You can check further information of my Web Design service at my Web Design in Toronto page. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Hassan_J_Sheikh Lucrative Web Design Business – How to Create a Strong Web Design BusinessLucrative Web Design Business – How to Create a Strong Web Design BusinessHow to get good at a lucrative web design business – it will require some hard work and testing, but it can certainly be done, even if you are just starting out. A lucrative web design business is one great way to explode your internet business. Also, a lucrative web design business is a great way to maximize your online business revenues. So how do you use a lucrative web design business to explode your internet business and to maximize your online business revenues? I have developed some incredible new innovations to help you to explode your internet business with a lucrative web design business. Try these powerful new ways to help you to explode your internet business with a lucrative web design business: - to explode your internet business with a lucrative web design business, first begin by building a list to which you can mail regularly. One of the most important things about growing any business online, especially a web design business, is creating a list of subscribers to whom you can promote your business regularly. - to explode your internet business with a lucrative web design business, send quality traffic to your web design business by writing and submitting articles to the major article directories online. They will promote your articles for you, and you can simply write and watch the quality traffic come in. - to explode your internet business with a lucrative web design business, use the web design business as an entry point for people into your business. Be willing to expand past just web design, and meet other needs of your customers. - to explode your internet business with a lucrative web design business, look for additional revenue opportunities and convert one time web design customers into long term customers by offering backend, related products. Do you want to learn more about how I do it? I have just completed my brand new guide to article marketing success, 'Your Article Writing and Promotion Guide' Download it free here: Secrets of Article Promotion Do you want to learn how to build a big online subscriber list fast? Click here: Secrets of List Building Sean Mize is a full time internet marketer who has written over 9034 articles in print and 14 published ebooks. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sean_Mize Labels: How to Create a Strong Web Design Business, Lucrative Web Design Business, web design business Web Designing - Make Your Online Presence CountWeb designing is not a simple HTML (Hypertext Markup language) or CSS (Cascading Style Sheets), it is much more than it. Basically it is a conceptual process in which research, discussion, planning, implementation, and finally, evaluation of electronic media is done via various technologies such as markup languages like HTML which are interpreted and displayed by a web-based graphical user interfaces (GUIs) or any other web browser.The main purpose of web design is to create a website having interactive features and interfaces known as content that is presented to the end user as web pages when requested. Elements such as images (GIFs, JPEGs, PNGs), text, colors, tables and forms can be placed on the page using HTML, XHTML, or XML tags. Displaying more complex media (vector graphics, animations, videos, sounds) usually requires plug-ins such as Flash, QuickTime, Java run-time environment, etc. Typically web pages are classified as static or dynamic. • Static pages are those which do not change structure, content and layout with every request unless a web master or a programmer manually updates the page. • Dynamic pages are those which change their content and appearance depending on the end-user's input or interaction or changes in the computing environment (user, time, database modifications, etc.) We can even change contents on the client side or on end-user's computer by using client-side scripting languages like JavaScript, and JScript, etc. Dynamic content is often compiled and executed on the server through server-side scripting languages like ASP, PHP, Perl, JSP, Python, etc. Basic Aspects of Design Depending on the goals of the website and the audience, the website's requirements and aspects of design changes. For typical commercial websites, the four main basic aspects of design are: -What kind of content will be required to meet our goals? The content: The substance and information on the website should be relevant to the website and should target the section of the public that the website is concerned with. -What kind of look should the website have? The appearance: the graphics and text should include a single style that flows throughout, to show consistency. The style should be professional, appealing and relevant. -What kind of visibility should the website have? The visibility: the website must be easy to find via most of the major search engines and advertisement media. What kind of usability should the website have? -The usability: the website should be user-friendly, with the interface and navigation simple and reliable. Accessible Web design For accessible web design, web pages and websites must follow certain accessibility principles like: • Use sitemaps for proper navigation through the website. • Use semantic markup that provides a significant structure to the web page. • Provide suitable hierarchy among different web pages. • Use a valid markup language like HTML that is supported by all the browsers. • Provide text alternates for any non-text components like images, multimedia etc. • Use hyperlinks that make sense when read out of context. • Use CSS file rather than HTML tags for design and layout. The website is an information system whose components are sometimes classified as front-end and back-end. Front-end is the observable content e.g., page layout, user interface, graphics, text, audio while the back-end comprises the organization and efficiency of the source code, invisible scripted functions, and the server-side components process output from the front-end. Greymindz is a leader in Search Engine Optimization and Web Designing and Development providing innovative and effective solutions to synergize your business strengths by enhancing your reach to a targeted global audience. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Amaan_Goyal Labels: Web Designing - Make Your Online Presence Count How to Choose a Web Design Company - Ask Good Questions!You know you need a new website, but where do you begin? Do you know what you want? More importantly, do you know what you need?Most businesses really have no idea what they need when it comes to their website. They are too busy running their businesses. They may think they know what they like, but that may not be what they need and what ultimately makes their website a success. Both you and your web design company need to ask good questions. You should be able to determine who can help you based on some basic information that your prospective web design company provides. If you choose selectively, you will find a web design company that is able to guide you through the development of your website by asking you the right questions that help you to determine what you need, and what will best serve your business, based on your company goals. You'll need to know several things about the web design company before you choose. Ask for portfolio examples. Be sure you like their work. Ask for client references. Call them. Ask about the process. One of the biggest stumbling blocks between a web design company and a client is agreeing on the design. What if you don't like the way it looks? What is the limit on revisions and how does this affect the cost of the website? How will you make updates to the site? Is there a content management system? Many clients find themselves stuck with a company who doesn't have time for them once their site is launched and paid for. This can lead to your site becoming stale and outdated quickly. (Check Those References!) One of the biggest concerns you should have is how the website will be marketed once its finished. If you choose a web Design Company with no internet marketing personnel, your site could be lost in cyberspace. These are all important questions you need to ask a prospective web design company. Not only will YOU need to ask the right question, but your web design company should be asking good questions too, in order to develop a proposal for a new website that meets your business objectives. They should be asking about your business, your products and services, your current marketing, and about your company goals. The most important thing a good web design company needs to ask is about your customers and specifically about your target market. Who are your customers (you will need to group them)? What do they need? How do they search? Are they technical or emotional? What kind of information do they need and want in order to make a decision to do business with you? What will appeal to them? All of these answers will determine the design, function and marketing of your site and thus your "needs" for a new website. When you choose a web design company to develop a new website for your business, you are taking on a business partner. You should both determine if it's a good fit by asking the questions that will give you the answers you need to be mutually successful in your endeavor. Written By: Randi Brawley, SYNERGe-marketing, LLC Randi Brawley is a partner at SYNERGe-marketing, a full service website design, development and internet marketing company in Fairfield, CT. She specializes in helping small to medium sized businesses develop website and internet marketing solutions that are compelling and effective and that drive financial results. http://www.synergemarketing.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Randi_K._Brawley Labels: How to Choose a Web Design Company Online Business and Web Design - Planning Goals and Online FeaturesYou know you want an online business, but do you know how to plan to build it? A good web design company will ease the website planning for you, and explain in understandable terms how to start. You need to be sure your webpage content and designs fully support your business goals. As first steps in building your business, plan on asking a good web designer to help define your online business goals, to identify essential web design features, and to suggest example page layouts that can attract attention to your business.Determine Your Online Business Goals A first step to plan your online business is defining your business goals. Do you want to conduct business only online, or do you want an online presence to supplement store or catalog business? Do you want a website for promotional marketing, or one permitting online shopping, or both? Also, what level of effort do you want to or can you make to promote and grow your online business? Many website owners have realized this: a good web design company can enable your site to automatically gather contact and needs information from potential customers. They also can save you time by helping to automate your advertising. Ask What are Essential Web Design Features to Launch Your Business Ask a good web designer about these four and other essential website features to launch your business: 1. A Compelling Presentation of Your Business Message: Since customers today are short on time and patience, and tend to be compulsive, your website homepage gets one brief chance to catch their attention. For example, a home décor store needs to present their unique, tasteful, and affordable merchandise with readable, compelling text in an attractive page layout. Include an appealing message about your business. 2. Attractive Web Graphics: As part of attractive page layouts, you need to artistically incorporate eye-catching web graphics (like attractive images and/or photos). This interests new website visitors in seconds. 3. A Compelling Merchandising Vehicle: You need an online vehicle that can move visitors to request your product or service, or to buy directly from you online. The vehicle can be well-designed page layouts for displaying your products and services, or an online catalog, or shopping cart pages. 4. Updateable Areas for Fresh Content: Once your homepage and merchandise have caught visitor interest, wouldn't you like them to return for more? Have updateable page areas for valuable, new offers. Request Example Page Layouts for Your Business After discussing good web design features with a web designer, ask for visually appealing, example page layouts that can attract attention and increase your potential to meet your business goals. You want layouts that combine clear organization, quality web graphics, user-friendly navigation, and well-written text. Each of the above planning steps will help determine whether your online business starts with a good web design, and in a good position to attract the attention of your target markets. © Copyright 2008. Afford Ecommerce. All Rights Reserved Worldwide in all Media. Reprint Rights: You may reprint this article in an ezine, website, magazine, newspaper, or other media provided you also include the author name, company name, and copyright, include all of the links in my article and keep all links active, and do not add any text to or edit the article in any way. You also must follow EzineArticles Terms of Service for Publishers. Thank you for reading these suggestions for planning your online business. It's rewarding when a little planning results in greater potential for your business. Please visit us at http://afford-ecommerce.com/ to learn about our many affordable, high-functioning, website packages (such as our Starter, Web Presence, Value-Added, and Ecommerce Website Packages). You are invited to contact Afford Ecommerce at http://afford-ecommerce.com/ae_contactus.php for a Free Website Consultation, or for answers to any questions you have about Afford Ecommerce web design services. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Marilyn_Kunze Labels: Online Business and Web Design, Planning Goals and Online Features |