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Tried and True Web
Development Principles
by Billy Remtany
As a web project
manager for the past nine years, I have seen many different fads and trends come
and go. It seemed like on an almost daily basis something new pops up that is
going to change the industry only to disappear two or three weeks later. In my
early career I built sites using regular old HTML and I've come a long way
since, now building almost primarily on the WordPress platform.
In all of this
time working on web projects, I have recently noticed that there are three core
items that I work on with every project. These items are not trends or fads.
They have been around since I started working on web sites and will likely be
around long after I'm done working on them. They are search engine optimization
(SEO), conversions, and web standards compliance. Yes, there are many many other
things that can be focused on besides the three things, but your time will
certainly be well spent on these. These are not fads.
Search Engine Optimization
(SEO) is
an ever-changing game, but even in it there are some things that are very
consistent. Title tags will always be important in ranking for your keyword. The text used in URL will
likely always be important. Ensuring that people link to you will always be
important. I've been focusing on these aspects for years and it'll likely never
change. Now though, there are many other things to focus on, such as long-tail
opportunities, keyword research, social media, blogging, and more!
Converting
visitors into customers, commenters, or return visitors is another item of focus
and always has been. We always build sites with the end goal always in the
forefront of our minds. It's important to keep in mind that if you're building
an e-commerce site, you should focus on converting visitors into customers.
Likewise, if you're building a blog, you would want to turn visitors into
commenters or repeat visitors. There are many different ways to achieve your and
a goal, so always keep in mind what you want to accomplish, and then test ideas
is to accomplish that goal.
Web standards have
always been very important on the web. The importance of web standards can be
seen simply by looking at how many different browsers there are right now. From
Firefox to Internet Explorer to Safari, the your site can be looked at using
many different web browsers. As such, to ensure that your site looks the same
across all of these different browsers, it is important that you use standard
compliant code. Not only to standard compliant code improve your site's
consistency across multiple browsers, but search engines also love standards
compliance and will reward you with better rankings.
So, as you can
see, some fads come and go but there are some things in web design and
development that have been true since the beginning. Search engine optimization,
conversions, and standards compliance will always be important to you when
working on a web site.
About the
Author:
Virginia SEO firm mangco will shoot
your website up in the rankings using an effective Search Engine Methodology to
ensure success.
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