|
Term |
Explanation |
Example |
|
html |
html stands for "hypertext markup
language." This is the coding language used to create web pages. |
<HTML>
<HEAD>
<TITLE>Page Title</TITLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY>
<P>Page content here</P>
<IMG SRC="picture.gif"
HEIGHT="100"
WIDTH="100" BORDER="0"
ALT="a Picture">
</BODY>
</HTML>
|
|
javascript |
javascript is a scripting language that
is used to add advanced features to web pages. Since some people
prefer to surf the web without javascript, these features will not be
available to them and an alternative should be provided. Current
statistics indicate that 7 to 10% of users surf with javascript
disabled. |
This drop-down menu was created with javascript. |
|
META tags |
META tags are added to web pages for a
number of reasons. In this context, META tags are used to add
descriptions and keywords for some search engines to use in indexing a
site. Properly constructed META tags can be helpful in achieving a
good ranking in the searches. There are, however, no guarantees that a
site will receive a high ranking no matter how well the META tags are
constructed. |
<META NAME="keywords" CONTENT="Kansas City, Overland
Park, Lenexa, Mission, Shawnee, Leawood, Lawrence, Missouri, Kansas,
web design, web designer, web site, commercial web site, web site
designer, Vortex Design, Vortex Design, graphics, professional web
design, web design for small business, professional web design
services, web presentations">
<META NAME="description" CONTENT="Professional web design services for
small business."> |
|
Search engines |
Search engines such as Altavista and Lycos are the
starting point for many surfers when they are looking for information
on the web. Having a site listed in these search engines is helpful in
getting visitors to the site but should by no means be relied upon as
the sole means of generating traffic. |
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|
|
Feedback form |
This is an online form that visitors may fill out and
submit. The results of the form are sent to you via e-mail. Forms may
be used for customer inquiries, surveys and a variety of other
purposes. |
See the feedback form |
|
Hit counter |
A hit counter is used to track how many people are
visiting your site. Counters may also provide some information about
where your visitors come from, the operating system they use, their
screen resolution, etc. See also: Statistics |
See web based and cgi counters below. |
|
Rollover buttons |
Rollover buttons, sometimes referred to as "hover
buttons", can be a nice addition to a site. The buttons are actually
two images and they swap when the user places his/her cursor over the
button. Rollovers are coded with javascript; users with javascript
disabled will only see the first button. |
A simple rollover button
(clicking the button will take you to the top of this page) |
|
Frames |
Frames may be used to split a page into different
sections which may act independently from one another. Since some
people have browsers that do not support frames, or choose to surf
with frames disabled, a non-frames alternative should be provided so
they will still have access to your information. |
Example of a site that uses
frames |
|
Flash |
Flash is a relatively new technology that allows
large, elaborate animations to be displayed without making the user
wait for an unreasonable length of time. Flash animations are
dependent on the Flash plugin, i.e., users without the plugin won't be
able to see the animation and an alternative should be provided. It is
also possible to automatically redirect users without the plugin to a
page that doesn't use Flash. This, however, comes with yet another
caveat: Redirecting users automatically requires that they have
javascript enabled so yet another alternative should be provided for
users who choose to surf without javascript. |
See a sample Flash
animation we made for a video game and dvd rental site. Click the
enter button in the animation to return to this page. |
|
Web-based counter |
A web-based counter is provided by an outside host
such as thecounter.com. These counters generally provide some basic
statistics about your visitors which may be easily accessed on the web
using your assigned login id and password. |
Example of a web-based counter counter from
thecounter.com:
There is also an option to make this counter invisible. |
|
Cgi counter |
Counters that use cgi may be implemented to gather
more in-depth statistics about who is visiting your site. |
Sample of a cgi counter. This type of counter may also
be invisible or have a different appearance.
 |
|
Statistics |
Site statistics can be helpful in determining what the
most popular features of your site are, among other things. Our
virtual hosting accounts come with access to a great deal of
information about site usage and visitors through the server logs. It
may be advisable to see if these logs provide you with enough
information before going to the expense of adding a separate counter. |
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|
Guestbook |
A guestbook allows visitors to write a message and
have it displayed on your site. (Note: guestbooks are considered to be
somewhat unprofessional and may not be desirable for a commercial
site. However, if the image you wish to present is that of a small,
hometown "just folks" business, a guestbook may be useful.) |
This is a guestbook we
set up . It is fully functional if you would like to sign it. |
|
Searchable |
Adding a search feature allows visitors to find
information on your site by simply entering some keywords. The search
returns a page listing links to the pages on your site that contain
the keyword or phrase they entered. The search feature we recommend is
called the "Intermediate Search". It is highly configurable and allows
you to see what keywords people have entered and what they are
searching for- a valuable tool for making your site useful to as many
people as possible. |
Search Our Site:
Enter your search terms below, or visit our
search page
This is a functional search and it will search the Webspun Designs
HTML Help section for the words or phrase you enter. Go ahead and
try it! |
|
Poll |
Allow visitors to express their opinion by voting.
This can be a fun addition to a site but should not be relied upon for
gathering important information since particularly web-savvy users may
figure out how to vote repeatedly in order to skew the results. |
We can install a cgi-based poll or set you up with a
poll from
Pollit.com
Pollit.com polls are free; there is a small charge
for installation on your site. |
|
Password |
Adding password protection allows only authorized
users to view the protected pages. We normally set this up using a
method called basic authentication which provides a high level of
security. |
See the password protected area
at our Webspun Solutions website.
Username is: webspun
Password is: designs
(Use your back button to return to our Homepage) |
|
Storage space
|
This is the physical amount of space on the server
which is available for storing the files that make up your web site.
The 10 megabytes provided with our basic virtual hosting account are
usually enough for all but the most advanced sites. Exceeding the
storage limit is subject to additional fees. |
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|
Traffic |
Traffic is the amount in megabytes of files accessed
and downloaded from your site. Our basic virtual hosting account
allows for 750 megabytes of transfer a month. If your site is expected
to generate a lot of traffic, i.e., hundreds or thousands of visitors
per day, you may wish to consider a larger hosting package. |
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|
Interface |
This is a graphical navigation system, coded with
javascript to allow movement and changing of images. Interfaces can be
a striking visual effect but there is a downside. Since interfaces are
composed of images, they add to the load time of your pages. If you
anticipate that a significant number of your users may have slow
connections, an interface may not be the best choice for your site. |
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