Super User

WordPress Website Developers

2011-11-29T00:00:00+00:00

WordPress is an open source CMS, often used as a blog publishing application powered by PHP and MySQL. It has many features including a plugin architecture and a templating system. Used by over 300 of the 10,000 biggest websites, WordPress is the most popular blog software in use today. You can find out more on word press here

If you are considering a new website development and looking at open source platforms such as word press, drupal, and others... we think you really need to be taking a look at Joomla / WoocomCMS as it offers far great scalability and control

Wordpress is a great platform but in our mind has limitations. There are plenty of wordpress development companies in western and some do a great job.

The problems with wordpress is not the developers, but more the limitations and available add-ons.

If you are serious about your business and want a website development that will grow with your business and get results by all means investigate wordpress, but also investigate what Woocom has to offer.

From Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WordPress

Joomla Website Developers

2011-08-26T00:00:00+00:00

WOW... yes its Woocom! s best Joomla developer. Look through our portfolio and see how woocom has taken joomla development to the next level.

We have been building websites in , Western on the Joomla backbone for many years. We Love Joomla and have taken it to the next level by adding in best add-ons and features available.

We simply call Joomla - WoocomCMS around here as we have altered the administration to make it a little easier to use.

The benefit for you as a business is that by using Joomla you can be sure you will get an amazing, scalable and cost effective website.

By utilising Woocom to build your next joomla based development, you are also getting a full service web marketing company with experience and expertise in Jooma Web Design, Joomla Website Development, Email Marketing and Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) for Joomla

To find out more about Joomla developers in , why not give us a call.

What is Joomla?

Joomla is an award-winning content management system (CMS), which enables you to build Web sites and powerful online applications. Many aspects, including its ease-of-use and extensibility, have made Joomla the most popular Web site software available. Best of all, Joomla is an open source solution that is freely available to everyone.

What's a content management system (CMS)?

A content management system is software that keeps track of every piece of content on your Web site, much like your local public library keeps track of books and stores them. Content can be simple text, photos, music, video, documents, or just about anything you can think of. A major advantage of using a CMS is that it requires almost no technical skill or knowledge to manage. Since the CMS manages all your content, you don't have to.

What are some real world examples of what Joomla! can do?

Joomla is used all over the world to power Web sites of all shapes and sizes. For example:

Corporate Web sites or portals
Corporate intranets and extranets
Online magazines, newspapers, and publications
E-commerce and online reservations
Government applications
Small business Web sites
Non-profit and organizational Web sites
Community-based portals
School and church Web sites
Personal or family homepages

Business Web Design

2010-08-31T03:09:54+00:00

So you’re looking for a business website design company or a business website development company in . Congratulations, as you have come to the right place.

Woocom is a leading business website design and business website development company in . We have built hundreds of professional business websites.

The benefit of working with Woocom business web design services is that we are a full service web marketing company that understands business website design and business web development.

Our approach to business web development and business web design is unique and is guaranteed to get you the best results.

So why is Woocom a market leader in business web design? Simple! We get to know you and your business. We help you clearly set your business website design and website development goals and objectives. We then work with you to achieve the right results

When working with Woocom in business web design, you will see that unlike many other web development and business web marketing companies.... we truly understand business and not only how important it is that your business web design gets results, but also we know how to clearly get these website results and make your business website and accountable part of your business web marketing strategy.

Why not give us a call at 1300 796 623 or contact us and let us show you the way of the web.

Freelance Website Developers and Web Designers

2010-08-27T06:28:34+00:00

Are you considering using a freelance designer in or a freelance developer in ? If so you might like to consider the following on freelance designers and freelance web developers.

While there are many talented freelance website designers and freelance website developers in Western you should probably try and consider the benefits of using a professional and established web development company.

Freelance designers and freelance developers often seem a cheaper option though in the long run it might not be so.

Some of things that need consideration are;

How deep is their knowledge pool? Unless the freelance designer or developer has many years experience there is a good chance they are still learning. There is often no one within arm’s reach to assist or trouble shoot hard or technical issues - time you are paying for them to learn. Also they have a tendency to work in just one way and not actually look at the overall objectives of your development and work with the best option.
Another issue is freelance designers and development freelancers are often under resourced. They try to carry too many clients and thus have a hard time being able to respond quickly to your business needs.
One of the benefits of using an established web marketing company is that they generally have a larger portfolio and knowledge base, thus a greater background of development to leverage on your development – reducing time and cost.
Typically a freelancer is either disciplined in design or development; meaning they will require third party help (likely another freelancer) to be able to provide a full web marketing solution. This often leads to scattered and disjointed developments and a less holistic approach to your overall marketing needs.
With the ever-growing outsource industry from places like India, Russia, Pakistan and so on, local freelance designers and freelance developers tend to outsource a lot of their work. This means less control, privacy issues, time restraints and many other factors that impact negatively on your development.
A final point of concern - on going support. The freedom of freelance often leads to developers and designers being “in and out of business”, and it is difficult to receive the same level of ongoing support that a full-scale web development company can offer.

We are not saying that all freelance designers and freelance web developers are the same. Over the years Woocom has used some exceptional freelance designers within and other parts of , the trick is knowing who are the good ones and which ones to work with.

Google Analytics

2010-08-25T03:06:57+00:00

Google analytics is an essential tool for any business that is serious about their web presence and ensuring that they are maximising the opportunity available to them.

A professional web marketing company utilises a number of Search Engine Optimisation tools, though Google analytics is without doubt the most common tool to give you insight into your website traffic and performance.

We consider google analytics to be so important to all businesses success on the web that it is a standard feature to WoocomCMS.

Google list the following as the main features for google analytics, though there are many other aspects that will help take you from being a web monkey to web master.

To find out more about google analytics, click here to see their product tour

Features

Advertising ROI - Measure the success of your display, search, new media and offline advertising efforts.

Cross Channel and Multimedia Tracking - Compare your site usage metrics with industry averages and track Flash, video, and social networking sites and applications.

Visualizing Data - Uncover trends, patterns, and key comparisons with funnel visualization, motion charts, mapping, and more.

Customized Reporting - Create the reports, dashboards, and segments that make the most sense for your business.

Sharing and Communicating - Administration controls and email reports allow you to share data across your organization.

Google Integration and Reliability - Google Analytics complements a suite of related products, all running on the same world renowned infrastructure that powers Google. Learn more about google analytics features

We strongly recommend that if you haven’t already installed google analytics on you website that you do so today. If you need some assistance. Please give us a call or contact us as we will be happy to assist.

Attention to detail

2010-08-18T05:55:14+00:00

For an experienced web designer and developer it is very easy to see the difference between an average and an outstanding website. The website viewer also recognises this, but in more of a subconscious manner.

The difference is in the attention to detail and without a doubt sends a very clear message about your business when done correctly.

It’s the little touches and finishes that make a big difference to the overall success of your website.

You know when you look at a website and feel that something is not quite right... more often than not it’s these final touches and attention to detail.

By making sure that things line up, that there is consistency in the use of fonts and font sizes, that the use of colours are constant and complementary and so on, presents your site and your business in a more professional way which provides extra credibility through a feeling of quality.

Often a website will look great in its original design file, but when converted to a webpage it looks a little different and not as well finished. The best web design companies can make your site look exactly the same as your initial design. They can also make sure that your site will look the same across the different types of supported internet browsers.

When building your website, make sure you demand this attention to detail.

A cool site for evaluating site colours is www.colorcombos.com. In the top right corner you can enter a website address and it will give you the site colour chart.

Size, Contrast and Position

2010-08-18T05:35:04+00:00

Size, Contrast and Position are all Key elements to professional website design..

As you know, we only have about 2 seconds to draw people in once they land on your home page. With this in mind a key aspect of web design is to make sure that we get the message across as quick as possible as and highlight the elements on a page that you want them to take note of.

Positioning - The most important part to the use of size, contrast and position within your deign is positioning. A computer screen is very different to printed documents. On a computer screen we only have a certain amount of visible space, and although we can scroll the pages up and down we need to maximise the usage of the immediate visible space.

Due to a number of factors such as that English speaking people read left to right and that the function of a computer screen allows people to scroll up and down; we know that there is a tendency for viewers to scan a website in a certain way.... more often than not its Left to Right and Left to Bottom, left to right. For this reason it’s important we place certain information and design elements in the flow of the eye.

Another consideration in position is also the fact that the viewer has certain expectations as to where things will be. With over a billion internet users worldwide, it’s important to note that website users have kind of dictated usability and where they expect certain elements and functions to be. An example of this is that most people expect the Company name and Logo to be in the top left hand corner. Its the first thing they see and helps them identify the site and business. In addition to this when it come to usability, most people expect the logo to be a link back to the home page.

Size - The size of certain elements of your website is very important to the impact and the usability of your website. But making certain sections within a webpage larger than others, you naturally create greater emphasis and draw more attention to these sections. It’s not rocket science to realise that if you include a larger section on the webpage people will be drawn to that section and subconsciously assume that it is more important than other sections within that page. A great example of this is that most websites will have a larger “hero” images and section at the top to help visually and contextually summarise the product and service offerings.

Contrast - Last but definitely not least is contrast. The viewer’s eyes get drawn to elements to that contrast with other elements on the page. On cleaner and white designs the darker or more colourful sections will naturally draw more attentions, thus creating more importance in the viewer’s mind. Contrast can also be created by different shapes and colours. An example of this is by using circles, stars or buttons in a contrasting colour to draw more attention (and often to provoke an action). It’s important that contrast does not get overdone as it can cause confusion and end up having a negative effect as the viewer will have no idea where to look.

The trick to creating a professional website design that will drive the best results is by not only understanding these and many other elements, but even more importantly, being able to work them all effectively into one concept. A professional design will not get pigeon-holed by these key elements, but will creatively work within and around them.

Glossary

2010-08-12T09:11:10+00:00

This glossary will help you understand some of the technical jargon that gets spoken when developing your online solution.

We don’t expect you to understand it - that’s our job, but it may help you if you want to understand it further.

We’ve explained all the common terms that may get spoken. If at any time you want to talk to us about anything you see here, we’ll be more than happy to speak to you.

Accessibility - The practice of making websites easy to use for people with disabilities.
Action page - Is a page on a website that requires some input from a User. The User will generally need to fill in a form or give credit card details.
Admin area - An area accessible only with a Username and Password. Accessing this will give the site owner access to private information or allow them to update site content.
AdWords - Advertising product developed by Google. The adverts are generally displayed in the search engine or website as sponsored links. Each time a User clicks on the advert the Advert owner pays a fixed rate, therefore pay-per-click advertising.
AIDA - (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action) - The process for writing sales copy.
AJAX (Asynchronous Javascript and XML) - Modern Programming language for websites. The script creates interactive web applications that do not need to load each time there is a user input. This means that response time is much quicker for users.
API (Application Programming Interface) - Allows two computer programs to communicate. This allows a User to use functions from other sites such as Google or Amazon.
ASP (Active Server Pages) - A server-side programming language made by Microsoft to create dynamically-generated web pages. The latest version is ASP.NET.
Bandwidth - The speed of your internet connection. It also refers to the amount you can download through your Internet connection.
Blog (Short for web log) - A web journal where one or many people make entries to a personal website.
Broadband - A fast Internet connection.
Browser - This is a software program that creates an interface for people to browse websites.
Call to action - A website element that prompts a User to do something. An example: Call us now!
Client-side programs - A program that runs on the client side as apposed to a server-side program. Javascript is a common language to perform these functions.
CMS (Content Management System) - This is a computer program that is integrated into the front end (the part of the site the User views) of the site and allows website owners to manage and edit the content in their site without having to know a programming language.
CMYK (Cyan Magenta Yellow and Black (key)) - The print industry uses dots of these colours when printing to create the printed colour.
Content Page - This is a page in a website that displays information. It is content rich, so it usually has a lot of text and images.
CSS (Cascading Style Sheet) - The style sheet is used to design the website interface. It is used alongside the HTML to control style elements such as colour, font, background and layout.
Database - A database organizes and stores information on a computer. Much like an Excel spreadsheet.
DHTML (Dynamic HTML) The use of Javascript and CSS on a website that allows elements to move or change without User interaction.
Domain Name - Your website address. This is where people can find you on the Internet. For example Woocom.com.au
DPI (Dots per Inch) - Used to measure the resolution of an image. The higher the number of dots, the better the image quality will be. A typical dpi for a web graphic is 72 compared to 300 for a print graphic. This is because a screen has a lower resolution than printing on a piece of paper.
Dreamweaver - An application used to create and edit web pages and sites.
Ecommerce - Conducting business over the Internet.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) - A list of questions that Users commonly ask. A tool to cut down the amount of common enquiries.
Firefox - A popular web browser.
Flash - Software created to develop animations and interactivity for a website or other applications. A User must download the software plug-in to view the animation
Forms - An area on a web page that allows Users to enter information that they submit to a server. This information is usually entered into a database.
FTP (File Transfer Protocol) - The transferring of files to the Internet using a FTP program that facilitates this process.
GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) - A graphic file format used for simple images with solid blocks of colour. Generally not photos. It is a popular format for the web due to its low file size.
Grids - Guidelines used to design a website.
Homepage - The first page Users see when they view a website.
Hosting Account - Holding an account with a company that provides space for your use on their servers.
Hotspot - An area on a webpage that is clickable, viewed often or of interest.
HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) - The programming language used to create a webpage.
Internet - A network of computers connected worldwide.
Internet Explorer - A web browser used to view webpages. It is created by Microsoft and the most popular in use.
Internet merchant account - A bank account that will accept online transactions between bank accounts or credit cards.
ISP (Internet Service Provider) - A company that provides you access to the Internet or email.
Javascript - Is a programming language used in conjuction with HTML to make a website more interactive and appealing for Users.
JPEG / JPG (Joint Photographic Expert Group) - An image format that is used for photos. It uses a compression technique that can make images file size small enough for the web.
Keywords - Words that people use to search for websites in search engines. These keywords are usually contained within the website.
Link - A link is used in a webpage to allow Users to jump to other pages or websites once clicked. It is usually in the form or a word or image.
Mashup - The use of an API to create a website.
META tags - HTML code that is hidden in the webpage. It contains information about the web page that may be useful for search engines.
Microformats - Marking up information on a web page that allows computer programs to extract certain information such as contact information and events. An example would be a program automatically putting a websites contact details into their mail contact list.
Modem - An electronic device that allows the connection to the Internet through a phone line.
Mouseover - A link on a page that changes to a new state when a mouse rolls over it or is clicked on.
MySQL (My Structured Query Language) - A multi-query database that is used for dynamic websites. It usually uses the PHP programming language to query and add information to the database.
Page Rank - The number given to a website to show their order when appearing in a search engine.
PayPal - An eCommerce business that provides its customers the ability to make online transactions either through their eCommerce business or to make electronic payments for other products or services.
PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) - A handheld computer.
PDF (Portable Document Format) - A document that encloses images and text to be shared easily with others.
Photoshop - A graphics program used initially to edit digital photos, but is now commonly used as a design tool for websites and other design layouts.
PHP (Pre-Hypertext Processor) - Is a computer scripting language used to create a dynamic website. It is also used to create a command-line interface, which allows Users to interact with the computer and perform tasks… (Explain better) It is usually used in conjunction with a MySQL database.
Plug-in - An application that is added to a web browser. It increases a websites interactivity and functionality.
Podcasts (iPod broadcasts) - A broadcasted radio-style program that is downloaded to your computer as mp3 audio files.
PPC (Pay-per-click) - A form of online advertising generally viewed in search engines, but increasingly being used within websites aswell. Each time the advert is clicked on, the advertiser must pay a set fee.
RGB (Red Green Blue) - A screen image on a computer or TV, is created using dots of red, green and blue light. The combination of these three colours create the colours you see on a scree and have a colour code.
ROI (Return on investment) - Is the amount that you earn based on the amount that you have invested.
RSS (Really Simple Syndication) - Allows subscribed Users of a website to receive real-time information that is updated on the Internet.
SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) - Is the process of improving your sites potential to be viewed in a high page rank in the search engines.
Server - Is a computer that is permanently connected to a network or the Internet allowing Users access to websites or other content.
Server-side program - This is a program that is run on a web server. It creates a response in HTML or CSS and sends it to the computer that requested it. The program is usually written in ASP or PHP.
Sitemap - This maps out the structure of a website. It can be used as a help tool, but usually maps out all the pages in a site for a User or Developer.
Tags - Are the HTML instructions in a webpage. They specify how and where elements are shown on a web page.
Transitional Page - Is an intermediary page that displays choices for a User. Once the User makes a choice they are generally taken to a content page. Usually used in product catalogues.
URL (Uniform resource locator) - This finds the website address that you type in.
USP (Unique Selling Point) - What makes a product better or distinguishes it against a competitors products.
Validation - The process of checking that the code used to structure a website conforms to international standards.
Web - A programming system that was created to allow people across a network of computers to share and view content.
Web standards - Is an International set of guidelines and criteria used for building sites for the web.
Wireframes - A working prototype of a website used for testing and showing functionality.
XHTML (Extensible HTML) - Is HTML that has been extended or upgraded to conform to the new web standards.
XML (Extensible Markup Language) - A programming language that can create custom mark up languages. It is custom due to it allowing its User to create their own tags. It is used to store data instead of using a database.

W3C Web standards

2010-08-12T09:01:30+00:00

If you had an electrician in your home, you’d expect them not to leave loose cables around. You should have the same expectation of your web developer. Web standards ensure a quality website from the inside out, meaning better performance and versatility.

Web Standards

Websites are built around html code - lines of writing that tell your website what to do. But there are millions of ways to tell your website the same thing. Web standards use the way that works the best.

Web standards are basically just that - a set of standard ways to build a website. This ensures simplicity to make your website fast, easy to use, and easy to fix if anything goes wrong. All Woocom web developments are built to web standards.

The standards were developed by the World Wide Web consortium (W3C), an independent body dedicated to ensuring a high technical quality to websites the world over. Woocom is proud to adhere to these standards as a sign of their commitment to world-class quality website design. And it’s testable! If you already have a website, you can test your site here.

Web standard benefits include:

Reduced cost of development, upgrades and maintenance - By using a standard, structured HTML, your website code becomes more organized. That means less code that does the same thing, which is easier to develop and maintain. So web standards can save you money in the long term.
Faster websites - More organized code often means more compact code, so the space your code takes up can often be reduced by 25-50%, meaning faster loading times. Which is great, because nobody wants a slow website.
Better Search Engine Rankings - Web standards make your code easier for search engines to read, so you’re more likely to pop up on the top of a google search for your name or industry. This can work hand in hand with other search engine marketing techniques we provide.
Maximize your potential audience - Web standards means that your site will work on more web browsers, increasing your audience. It also means that your website can keep up with new technologies – it can be viewed on PDAs, note books and Web TV.
Reduced hosting cost - Although often not significant, sometimes hosting costs can creep up. A more compact code means less hosting space needed and can save costs.
More control - You can check if we’re doing things right, because you can test for web standards. If you already have a website, you can test your site here. It’s so easy, and you no longer have to worry about how good your web developer is.

Want to know more about WoocomCMS? Give us a call on 1300 796 623 or Contact Us to find out more.

Making Email Marketing Effective

2010-08-12T03:52:11+00:00

Yes email is a powerful communication medium that can provide a significantly better response rate at a much lower cost than other types of direct marketing. But how exactly do you go about this?

Woocom doesn’t just provide you with the technology to email market, but the knowledge to make your email marketing effective. Keeping in touch just through sales promotions can bore your customers. Or worse yet, annoy them!

You want to build positive associations with your brand to keep them coming back for more. The trick we’ve learnt at Woocom is - provide value to your customers and you’ll reap value in return. That’s a policy we believe in, because it’s one we follow.

Woocom’s in-house copywriter and email marketing specialists can give you tips on how to make your email marketing campaign effective, to produce real results.

Email marketing can also provide value in long-term ways, related to branding and customer loyalty. One of the greatest results email marketing can provide is improving top of mind brand awareness and brand recognition. Check out these statistics and facts about customer relationship marketing.