It is beneficial to start taking SEO into consideration even while a web site is still under construction and other types of promotion have yet to begin. Here are a few tips on how to begin applying SEO during this process…

1. As soon as possible, complete, optimize, and make available the smallest portion of the site which is useful. For example, upload just the home page and ordering page first, but include a notice that more information is under construction. This way, search engines will find and index the site earlier, but your non-SEO promotional efforts can wait until all construction has been finished. Then you can have a “grand opening” (perhaps using a press release) to show users all that your site has to offer. Keep in mind that it typically takes months after a website is first indexed in Google before it has a chance of gaining high search result positions there.

2. Work on SEO keyword targeting, META tag creation, and search engine “spider” accessibility while the site is under construction, not later. This will save time when you don’t have to rewrite or update pages for SEO in the future. Be sure to incorporate a Site Map into your design. It is also good to learn about proper internet promotional techniques during this process, so you aren’t deceived into applying any detrimental practices like posting to FFA pages or trading links with completely unrelated web sites. Don’t hurry to finish all of the pages immediately or to start promoting the site in any way possible.

3. Don’t submit the incomplete site to directories or try reciprocal linking until it has been finished. Otherwise, the operators of directories or other sites will be less likely to find your site impressive enough to link to, and your chance to be listed will probably be lost. However, it is generally acceptable to send free link submissions to major directories which take months to approve them, as long as the construction process is expected to finish in under a month. Make a list of any directories you submit to, as it can be difficult to remember, and it’s best not to submit to the same directory more than once.

Following these SEO tips will help your site attain higher rankings in search results at an earlier date, with fewer changes needed when it is no longer under construction. This will also prevent mistakes which could undermine the site’s success.

We’ve all been to websites with mistakes in their design. Such mistakes can make a website difficult to use, inaccessible on some computers, and/or unprofessional looking. Here are the top 5 common mistakes that website designers should avoid:

1. Lines of text wider than the screen: Some websites require users with common lower-resolution displays to repeatedly scroll left and right across the screen while reading each line. A website should be designed so that it appears properly on any screen resolution. Worse still, a number of websites have design mistakes which cause part of the page (especially common within non-scrolling frames) to be completely obscured at some resolution levels.

2. Too much javascript, Flash, etc: When a website relies upon Flash, javascript, and IFRAMEs (especially those supplied by external sites) for most of its content, search engine “spiders” find very little intelligible material when they check the website, and users with browsers that aren’t javascript-enabled won’t see much either. Having some original content is generally better for search rankings.

3. Right-click blockers: It is relatively common to visit a website that shows error messages if you try to use the right mouse button. The reason for this is to discourage people from copying the page or its images. However, it prevents legitimate right-click functions like opening a link in a new browser window, and someone intent upon stealing the content can still do so in a different way. It also makes the page take longer to load.

4. Poor color combination: One of the top website mistakes is to use a color scheme that is hard to read (or look at). Be creative with the choice of colors, but make sure the lettering contrasts well with the background (which shouldn’t be unnecessarily bright). Even the best information or offers may be ignored if they are difficult to read or otherwise undesirable.

5. Internet Explorer based design: Because IE is the top web browser, some website designers only consider how a site will appear in it. However, when the 08/2008 market share (according to w3schools.com) of Firefox, Opera, and Safari are combined, it is about 48%. Also, search engine “spiders” see a website more like text-only browsers do. Keep in mind that Windows 95 users are limited to IE 5.5, and 98/2000/ME users to IE 6.x, so these versions remain common.

Avoiding these top website mistakes is to the benefit of both the site’s users and owner. Web designers working for someone else will find that they have to correct fewer mistakes and respond to less complaints if they avoid the above-mentioned design flaws.

SWFObject offers the ability to optimize Flash files for search engine optimization. It has 2 optimized Flash Player methods that you can choose from – a markup based approach as well as a JavaScript-reliant method. Because it has been hard to optimize Flash files previously this tool is quite helpful.

Some important basics about the SWFObject include the fact that it offers a JavaScript API that intends to supply a complete tool set for embedding SWF files and retrieving Flash Player related information. SWFObject also only uses one small JavaScript file, 9.5Kb/GZIPed:3.8Kb.

Many experts believe that SWFObject will eventually replace Adobes’ Flash Player Detection Kit. The program also intends to merge all existing Flash Player embed methods and provide a new standard for embedding Adobe Flash Player content. Best of all its an open source project.

There are quite a few reasons for using SWFObject. It is more flexible and optimized than other Flash Player embed methods for one. It also offers a solution for you whether you are an HTML, Flash or JavaScript developer. Additionally it uses unobtrusive JavaScript and JavaScript best practices and is extremely easy to use.

With SFWObject you can use both static and dynamic publishing methods. The only thing it doesn’t support is XML MIME types. SWFObject used to be called FlashObject. The name was changed due to legal/trademark reasons.

Although it is preferable to avoid this, changing your web site’s URL or domain name is sometimes necessary. This may be due to a particular reason, such as trademark infringement, or just because the current URL doesn’t seem to be effective and you have purchased a better one. Another possibility is that you are upgrading from a page on a free hosting provider with a long URL to a domain name. Regardless of the reason, here are some tips on successfully changing the URL of your web site.

1. As soon as possible, notify users that the URL is changing, using your web site itself and any email lists it has. Try to make the new URL ready to use before the web site disappears from its old location, and put a link on the home page of the web site at the old address. Fewer of your repeat visitors will be lost if you can successfully get them in the habit of using the new address. Don’t change the web site’s design radically during the URL changing process; the combination of the domain name and design change might cause some people to stop using the web site or no longer recognize it.

2. Submit the new website address to search engines and directories as soon as possible so it will quickly appear in search results. This is even important for successfully retaining repeat visitors, as some internet users only access web sites through search engines, never using their browser’s address bar. Don’t have the same content on the old URL’s home page (just have an explanation and a link to the new domain name/URL) during and after this step.

3. Remember to change the URL everywhere that it might be listed or entered. Changing or deleting it from social bookmarking systems, forum user profiles, pay-per-click advertising services, affiliate programs, or article directories may be necessary. If you have reciprocal links with other web sites, request that they change the links on their sites, and notify them of the new address where their links will be moved to.

Following these tips should help your web site in more successfully changing its URL, with the smallest losses of traffic and revenue. Changing your website address is not a task which should be done in a hurry or without giving sufficient consideration to reducing its potentially negative effects.

Web 2.0 is a segment of the world wide web which emphasizes interactivity and user generated content, including blogs, social bookmarking websites, and browser-based applications. Many free templates are available to improve and make easier the design of Web 2.0-oriented websites and blogs.

Web 2.0 style free templates often feature a separate layer across the entire top of all the website pages (containing the logo and sometimes a horizontal row of links or an advertisement) and one or two sidebars which start below the top layer (with links, a search box, and/or text-based ads). Some of them also have a background color which appears behind the content area and sidebars, both of which have a separate foreground color. Website template files with Web 2.0 styles are available for free from free-css-templates.com, templateworld.com, and opensourcetemplates.org.

Such templates often make use of CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) in their code, and may refer to an external CSS file. When converting an existing website to a free Web 2.0 template, the ability to fit the current logo and/or advertisements in the new template should be kept in mind. Also, wide website templates which require excessive horizontal scrolling at some display resolutions should be avoided. Free blog-specific template downloads are available from bloggingthemes.com, blogtemplates.org, and blogfashions.com. Some blog hosting services (Blogger, WordPress, etc.) allow external templates to be applied. Many templates of this type are specific to a particular service.

Using a less common template will help give the blog a more distinctive and memorable appearance. It doesn’t appear possible to apply templates to Twitter’s “micro” blogs, but the colors can be customized and a background image can be added if desired. Using free Web 2.0 templates can give websites and blogs a more modern, professional appearance. It is not, however, a prerequisite to success; some of the most popular websites (such as Google and CraigsList) use designs which aren’t very Web 2.0 oriented.

People are most impressed with a website design which is both desirable and original. Either way, it is most important that the design is easy to use, has a professional appearance, is compatible with multiple web browsers, and loads within a reasonable amount of time. Although creating a website design from scratch or paying someone to produce a new design provides greater customization and differentiation, using free Web 2.0-oriented website templates saves time and money which could be used for other tasks like promoting the website and generating content for it.

Following a user-centered approach to web design emphasizes the importance of the user and makes the website easy for its target audience to operate. Properly implementing a user centered design can encourage website users to stay longer or visit the website more frequently.

Some user-centered web design features include polls, the ability to rate website content or recommended links, and areas for submitting comments. One example of user-centered web design is the feature on RadioShack.com which allows users to rate and enter brief reviews of their products, which is to the benefit of some, but not other, products. The potential for competitors or others to manipulate such features should be kept in mind when considering their implementation.

Another component of a user-centered web design approach is creating the website so that it is appropriately designed for the type of people most likely to visit it. Designers should avoid using words or referring to concepts which the user is unlikely to understand, unless explanation is provided. For example, a webpage providing a basic introduction to photography shouldn’t require the user to answer technical questions about his or her type of camera before being provided with information, whereas this might be acceptable in a website design made for experienced photographers.

The most likely response of users to any website feature or design characteristic should be kept in mind. For example, obnoxious advertisements which interfere with viewing the website may be temporarily profitable, but will discourage people from re-visiting it. If any content might be considered offensive by some users, it should be linked to from a page related to its subject rather than being linked from the home page. It should also be remembered that many users are not willing to adjust settings for their web browsers or other computer settings to be able to view a single website properly.

A user-centered approach can be applied to web pages which are search engine optimized, as well. While designing the pages so that they can be easily found in search results is important, this should not be at the expense of quality; some website designers have placed excessive priority on optimization, causing their web pages to have awkward or redundant wording.

Overall, for a web design approach to be user-centered, there should be some sort of interactivity, the web pages ought to be easy to use and understand, the pages should attempt to produce a favorable reaction from as many users as possible, and the content needs to be useful and of high quality.