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With the number of new portable and mobile devices being used to access the web on the rise, web developers have to be able to cater for all of these to create successful e-commerce sites. This guest post explores some of the main features of e-commerce sites that need to be cross-compatible and ubiquitous across devices to ensure success, showing why full Mobile Development Training, iPhone App Training and knowing how to fully make the most of Dreamweaver & jQuery Mobile Web Design Training are all vital for adapting to today’s latest platforms.
Customers no longer stay confined to desktop and laptop computers. The trend is to be permanently connected through a host of mobile devices like smart phones and tablet computers. Hence the age old concept of designing websites specifically for computer screens has to be discarded for sites that can be customised for all types of mobile devices. Online businesses may have to spend more and make adjustments in website design to ensure that the customer’s click on the website is not a wasted effort simply because the site did not look readable, or did not offer all the features clearly visible on a computer screen. The only way to maximize sales is to catch the client with his first click, by extending all the options of the e-commerce site to all possible mobile devices.
Ecommerce functions for mobile devices must include at least the following:
- Login- Every user or customer must be able to login to an existing or new account from any device, be it a smart phone, laptop, tablet or kiosk in a commercial place. Multi-device logins need to offer all the features possible like registration that can be used by new customers, forgotten password or user ID, and security checks. The idea is to make the site as functional on a mobile device as it is on a computer. Modular websites can integrate user login features in their mobile apps with their standard site format, as has been done with leading e-commerce sites like Amazon. Read the rest of "Customising E-Commerce Sites For All Mobile Devices"
Posted by Guest Author in Android Training, Dreamweaver Training, Guest Blogs, iPhone Training, JavaScript Training, jQuery Training, Mobile App Development, Web Design, Web Design Training on January 30th, 2012| 1 Comment »
We have now added Content Marketing to our Blogging Training course to create the mighty Blogging and Content Marketing Training course, so you can get a head start on your internet marketing endeavours.
It can be tough to get your brand, company or website noticed on the big World Wide Web. Fierce competition for search engine rankings and SEO dominance is rife between websites gunning for the same keywords and with the same general target audience; so what can you do to get yourself to stand out from the crowd?
Currently, one of the most effective methods of generating interest from users and building up back links to appease the search engine lords is content marketing. This form of marketing has many advantages and uses which should be explored by anyone looking to extend their website’s visibility, outreach and exposure.
Why should I do it myself?
The internet is made of content. It’s what people use it for; to find useful information, tips and entertainment. By creating your own content you can write about the topics your website, blog or company specialise in from as many angles as you can think of. Doing this not only gives you more searchable content to be found via search engines it also gives you the opportunity to stamp your authority on a subject, working your way into becoming an expert in your field that people will look to for knowledge, answers and cutting edge info.
However, if you aren’t ready to put yourself forward as an expert just yet, content marketing still has some valuable other uses which when used properly will help improve your site’s traffic and exposure to new users.
If you would like to find out more about content marketing then have to look at our post on Guest Blogging and Great Places to Post Your Content, or read on to find out more about how blogging and content marketing can benefit you. Read the rest of "Why Should You Start Content Marketing?"
Posted by Daniel Twigg in Facebook Tips and Tricks, Google+, Guest Blogs, Internet, News, SEO, Web Design, Web Design Training on January 23rd, 2012| No Comments »
Flickr is just one of many websites protesting against SOPA and PIPA today by giving Flickr users the option to blackout their images for 24 hours. If you log in and view your Flickr images today (Wednesday 18th January 2012) you will see this box appear below your photo:
Unlike Wikipedia and a number of other websites, Flickr is not forcing its users to join the protest and is not preventing them from showing their content. This is because you own the rights to your images and so it should be your option. Respecting content ownership, nice one Flickr! If you choose to ‘darken this photo’ in protest of SOPA and PIPA here is how your photos will appear:
Don’t worry, you can change your photos back at any time and the darken effect should disappear after 24 hours!
Create images you are proud to show off and use to make a point by coming on a Photoshop Training course in Brighton.
At this point you may be wondering (if you’ve avoided newspapers and messageboards for the past week) what on earth SOPA and PIPA are, and why you should bother covering up your lovely photos for a day in protest against them. Read the rest of "Flickr Protests Against SOPA/ PIPA"
Posted by Craig Charley in Internet, News, Photography, Photoshop, Sales & Marketing, Web Design, Web Design Training on January 18th, 2012| 2 Comments »
Adding to our growing list of Mobile Development courses we have now added Mobile Web Design Training using Dreamweaver & jQuery Mobile. This course is for individuals and businesses who want a simple solution for designing mobile websites. Whilst our comprehensive Mobile Web Design Week includes HTML5, CSS3 and JavaScript Training, this course only requires that delegates have an understanding of different mobile platforms and general knowledge of the web and either Windows or Mac operating system.
By 2015 it is predicted that more people will access the internet via mobile devices than by traditional desktop computing. Already 900 million people use their phones and tablets to access the web. If you do not have a website optimised for mobile – whether that is a new site or a mobile version of an existing site – you may be losing valuable potential customers.
There are two main reasons that you should have a site for mobile devices:
1. People will leave if a website is difficult to use
Have you ever tried browsing a website on your phone and been stumped by tiny links, unreadable text and elements that don’t work on mobile browsers? I imagine you left quickly. With the size of monitors and speed of computers growing it is great to have loads of links and impressive content on your main website but if none of it is visible or usable on a mobile then you will turn away visitors. Everything on a mobile website should be readable on a small screen. As most people browse the web on mobile devices with touch screens, links should not be small and close together or people can’t click on them without zooming in.
More mobile web design tips.
2. There are some great features available on mobile devices
Modern smartphones use touch and swipe gestures. Designing a site that works well with these makes it a joy to use and people will remember and return to your site. Simple menus and big, clickable links for touch screens and setting up actions for swipe gestures makes browsing the internet on a phone a pleasant experience. On a desktop you want all the information in front of your eyes, on a small mobile screen you want as little as possible but you want an easy way to navigate.
More on designing for touch screens.
On this Mobile Web Design course, delegates will learn:
- Why design for mobile?
- The difference between mobile websites and mobile apps
- How to use jQuery and Dreamweaver mobile tools
- How to style mobile websites
- How to input widgets, buttons, sliders and forms onto mobile websites
We run a number of other Mobile Development Training courses if you want to create more detailed websites or even mobile apps from scratch. These include:
These three courses are more hands on and are aimed at programmers, while Web Design Training with Dreamweaver and jQuery is open to anybody who wants to create simple mobile websites.
Why not read more about why 2012 is such a big year for mobile and why it is important for businesses to have mobile content:
Have you come across any great mobile websites? Let us know in the comments below!
Posted by Aaron Charlie in Mobile App Development, News, Web Design, Web Design Training on January 12th, 2012| No Comments »
Eric Schmidt Sees Siri as a Threat to Google
If you wish to build your own iPhone and iPad apps to enter the booming mobile app market then come on our brand new iPhone App Development Course. This 5-day course is leading the way in providing developers with the niche skills to develop mobile apps.
Responding to questions regarding Google’s dominance in the search engine market, Eric Schmidt claimed “the history of the technology industry shows that technologies usually get supplanted by completely new models. Therefore, the question is not necessarily, “Who is going to beat Google in search?” but also, “What new model might take the place of search?””
We have already looked at how new mobile technologies are replacing traditional desktop practices but with these revelations, a company that dominates whole sectors of desktop computing is recognising the change to mobile.
Eric Schmidt on Google’s Competition
In September, Google chairman Eric Schmidt appeared before a Senate antitrust committee to defend Google against allegations of rigging results to disadvantage their competition. Along with the hearing, a number of senators left Schmidt with written questions to which the answers have just been released. Interestingly, Scmidt repeatedly refers to Apple’s Siri as a main search competitor – contrary to his claims in September 2010 that Apple were not a threat to Google’s search engine operations.
Schmidt’s admittance that a voice-activated mobile search tool is a serious threat to Google’s traditional search is recognition from the search giants themselves that web access is changing. The future is mobile. Read the rest of "Apple’s Siri a Threat to Google Search"
Posted by Craig Charley in Mobile App Development, News, Web Design, Web Design Training on November 7th, 2011| 1 Comment »
This guest blog post from Mike A. has some very helpful pointers for complete PHP beginners but if you want to learn more advanced techniques then you should consider PHP Training, one of a number of our excellent Programming Courses.
PHP Pointers for Beginners
With Web 2.0, website visitors expect a full-featured custom website that uses their location and other information to display a unique website. As a developer or designer, you want to find ways to make your website a unique experience for each visitor. You can use PHP to create a feature-rich, dynamic website for your visitors.
PHP is a scripting language embedded within HTML. A PHP processor module, which reads the script, is located on the web server. The module renders a readable web page, so site visitors do not need special software installed on their own computer to view features on the page. Used on over 20 million web pages, PHP is one of the most popular languages used to create dynamic web pages.
A few of the most popular Web 2.0 websites use PHP to create customized content for their visitors. Facebook, WordPress, Digg and Wikipedia all use PHP to produce websites tailored to each visitor’s needs and interests. Web developers can use PHP scripts to pull information from the database about each user, including location and previously saved data.
PHP has many features you can use to customize your website, but listing all of them would make this article too long ,not to mention too boring, to read. You will learn more techniques in future articles, but this article will introduce you to six easy ways to use PHP, even if your experience with PHP is limited.
Website Appearance
You can change the appearance of your web page depending on the day or any other factor. For example, show a picture of the sun during the day and a picture of the moon at night. This keeps your website fresh for returning visitors and keeps it interesting.
Place this code between the head tags in the HTML code:
$day = date(“w”);
$color = array(“white”, “orange”, “purple”, “pink”, “red”, “blue”, “green”);
Place this piece of code inside the and tags of your HTML to change the color:
print(“style=\”color:$color[$day];\”"); Read the rest of "PHP Pointers for Beginners"
Posted by Guest Author in Guest Blogs, News, Programming, Web Design on October 31st, 2011| No Comments »
New! Have customers download your content straight to their phone by creating an App for iPhones. iPhone App Training will allow you to create iOS5 apps from scratch. Having a user download your app onto their phone or tablet gives you a direct connection to customers that a traditional website lacks.
Websites are still overwhelmingly aimed at desktop users using a mouse and keyboard. However mobile and tablet use is on the rise and touch screens are starting to replace desktops as the number one way to surf the web. Should web design be targeted at touch screen users?
Breaking all analysts’ predictions, smartphone sales beat sales of PCs in 2010. In 2011 you can add in tablets, netbooks and laptops – the sales of touch-oriented devices has far surpassed traditional mouse and keyboard desktop systems.
As user habits change, so should developers – by ensuring they have up to date web design skills, and thinking about touch-device users when they design. Stay ahead of the trend by taking one of our Web Design Training Courses including the brand new Mobile Web Design Course which provides a best practice toolkit for creating mobile websites.
The boom in native mobile apps - especially games – has led to the development of a wide range of innovative new touch gestures, and as the mobile web becomes more dominant, we will start to see a wider range of touch gestures employed in web sites, as well as in native apps.
We are currently looking for more freelance Android and iOS Mobile Apps trainers. Please contact ali@siliconbeachtraining.co.uk if interested.
In this post we take a closer look at how can web designers design effectively for touch-screen devices – and provide some useful resources… Read the rest of "Touch Gestures in Web Design – The Death of the Mouse?"
Posted by Craig Charley in iPhone Training, Mobile App Development, News, Web Design, Web Design Training on October 12th, 2011| 4 Comments »
Android takes over the world
Smartphones now dominate the mobile market – IDC expects nearly 1B smartphones to ship in 2015. They recently published a press release stating that smartphones outstrip feature phones for first time in Western Europe.
Is your website ready for mobile? If not, take a look at our our new 1-day Mobile Web Design Training course and comprehensive 5-day Mobile Web Design Course Package
Once you have your website fully optimised, consider building an app for your business. iPhone apps alone are expected to produce $15.1 billion revenue in 2011 so make sure you receive a part of this with our iOS 5 App Training course.
Android is growing faster than ever (nice one Google) and is the undisputed King of mobile OS today. I have already written about how google is taking over the world, now they have an even greater stronghold on the fastest growing industry today – Mobile. Just looking at our own web stats in Google Analytics, comparing the last two months of web traffic from mobile mobile users with last years stats, you can see this happening:
- Mobile Visitors are up 230%
- iPhone users are up 148%
- Android users are up 465%
Whilst with only a small screen, designs must be kept simple the capabilites of the latest smartphones provide lots of opportunites for createtive design and development ideas.
Anyone with a background in web design is capable of producing a working mobile website, there is simply a new set of rules for mobile phone optimisation. Read the rest of "Mobile Web Design – What web developers need to know"
Posted by Heather Buckley in Mobile App Development, News, Web Design on September 26th, 2011| 17 Comments »
